In the News

NORTHWEST PHILADELPHIA >> Young Northwest Philadelphia school children are increasing their reading prowess this summer, thanks to the Read to Succeed program for those entering first to third grades. Sessions are being held at the John F. McCloskey Elementary...

Despite assurances from Gov. Tom Wolf that he would use his veto power and opposition from school safety experts and Pennsylvania's largest teachers union, the state Senate green-lighted Wednesday a proposal to let teachers bring their guns to school. In a 28-22 vote,...

Citizen advocacy isn't easy but is important so a Philly state legislator's teaching it. It’s risky to ask readers to extend themselves on topics to which the vast majority barely pay attention. So it was with trepidation that, in a column last week, I challenged...

We are facing a retirement crisis in Pennsylvania. Currently the fourth-oldest state in the nation, the commonwealth's senior population is only growing. By 2020, more than one in four Pennsylvanians, or 3.5 million people, will be aged 60 or older, according to...

The April 3 passage of a law rolling back the Federal Communications Commission's restrictions on internet service and telecommunication providers selling customer data has given way to a new internet privacy measure in the state Senate. On March 28, the U.S. House of...

HARRISBURG, Pa. -- A Montgomery County senator raises questions of fairness in investigating cases in which an officer uses force with a firearm. Local district attorney's typically oversee those investigations, but some say the DAs office is too closely tied to...

State Sen. Vincent Hughes has called for the resignation of Sen. John Eichelberger, chair of the Senate Education Committee, following the Republican senator’s comment that inner city students would fare better in less-intensive academic tracks, as opposed to being...

Philadelphia activists opposed to President Donald Trump joined like-minded protesters in cities around the country on Monday for a President's Day rally disavowing the new administration, continuing a month of steady dissent that has filled the streets of Center...

Over President’s Day weekend, protesters took to the streets of Philadelphia to rally against President Donald Trump and his month-old administration’s policies and actions. Marching on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway on Feb. 19, hundreds of people gathered to condemn...

The Chestnut Hill Business District has received $500,000 from the state to improve pedestrian lighting and safety along Chestnut Hill’s commercial corridor. State Senator Art Haywood presented a check from Pennsylvania’s Department of Community and Economic...

HARRISBURG, Pa. (WHTM) – New faces appeared at the Capitol Wednesday in honor of Black History Month, but they’ll be sticking around long after February ends. A now-permanent display remembers notable, influential African Americans from Pennsylvania. Visitors might...

ABINGTON >> There’s nothing like a $1 million shot in the arm to put smiles on the faces of the medical care professionals at Abington Hospital-Jefferson Health. The hospital received a $1 million state Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program grant toward...

ABINGTON >> When handed an oversized novelty check worth $1.4 million, sometimes it’s hard to know what to say. State Sen. Art Haywood, D-4, and state Rep. Madeleine Dean, D-153, presented the Abington Board of Commissioners with a much-awaited bequest Dec. 8....

In the past few years several high-profile police-involved shootings have received national media attention and nationwide protests. In the wake of police shootings of African-American men in Tulsa, Okla., Charlotte, N.C., and elsewhere new protocols regarding...

NORTHWEST PHILADELPHIA >> The effort to economically revitalize Northwest Philadelphia was spurred on by a new $1 million grant from a state economic development fund, state Sen. Art Haywood, D-4, said. “The new state grant will help with the revitalization of...

Nearly a dozen state and local lawmakers Monday called for more money and staff to combat the "crisis" of childhood lead-poisoning in Philadelphia and elsewhere in the state. Several Philadelphia council members also said the city must enforce existing laws to crack...

Nearly a dozen state and local lawmakers Monday called for more money and staff to combat the "crisis" of childhood lead-poisoning in Philadelphia and elsewhere in the state. Several Philadelphia council members also said the city must enforce existing laws to crack...

Abington - Jefferson Health received a $1 million state grant to help pay for a $3.1 million renovation of two floors of Abington Hospital's Widener building, state Sen. Art Haywood (D-Philadelphia/ Montgomery) said Friday. The grant was from the state's Redevelopment...

HARRISBURG>>We’ve seen some real momentum in the Pennsylvania legislature this year. Medical cannabis was passed and signed into law. Liquor modernization was enacted, allowing wine to be purchased in grocery stores and beer to be picked up at gas stations. Read...

Reading camps geared to keeping students from slacking off in their literacy skills during the summer will begin July 6 at five recreation centers in Northwest Philadelphia communities. Enrollment has started for the six-week Reading Revolution program, which is...

PHILADELPHIA >> Nonprofit organizations fighting against violence, Moms Demand Action and Mothers in Charge hosted a community picnic in recognition of the nationwide “Wear Orange: Gun Violence Awareness Day,” in Fairmount Park on June 2. Read More...

School funding debates in the Pennsylvania legislature embody both comedic and tragic elements of the great movie Groundhog Day. Every year, some members demand a re-enactment of the education funding battle of 1991 with hopes of a different ending. Others, including...

HARRISBURG, Pa. - A state senator says he's found a way to help balance the Commonwealth's budget and spend more on education without raising taxes on low and middle-income taxpayers. READ...

A handful of Senate Democrats proposed two bills that would overhaul the state's tax system. Read More →

WEST CHESTER >> Two pieces of legislation aimed at increasing retention and recruitment of volunteer firefighters recently introduced to the state Senate will, legislators hope, help revitalize sagging volunteerism in Pennsylvania’s fire departments. Read More...

PITTSBURGH>> As Pennsylvania’s government faces a budget deficit of well more than $1 billion in the next fiscal year, one legislator is teaming up with a Harrisburg think tank to call for changes to income tax rates. Read More...

PITTSBURGH>>Pennsylvania Sen. Art Haywood wants all schools in the state to test for lead and wants those results shared with parents. Read More →

PHILADELPHIA>>Local legislators were swift to react to Gov. Tom Wolf’s decision to allow the remainder of Pennsylvania’s current budget to become law — without his signature. In the short term, they say, it will allow schools to remain open. It’s the long-term...