Media Mentions
Larry Shifflet, Tony Williams and others talk infrastructure, transportation and the built environment
City & State’s 2023 Rebuilding PA Summit brought together nearly 100 of Pennsylvania’s brightest minds at the Hilton Harrisburg on Tuesday for a full-day event that examined how state and local leaders, businesses and other power players can band together to solve...
Politics In Focus Full Show 2/19/2023
On Politics In Focus airing Saturday, February 18, 2023 at 6:30 a.m. and Sunday, February 19, 2023 at 1 p.m. with Jennifer Lewis-Hall we begin today’s show with a recap of a widely followed ruling. We hear about a judge’s decision that...
Bipartisan Bill Makes “Diwali” A State Holiday
HARRISBURG – Bipartisan legislation is being proposed by Republican Sen. Greg Rothman of Cumberland, Dauphin, & Perry Counties and Democrat Sen. Nikil Saval of Philadelphia County which would make Diwali an official state holiday in the Commonwealth. PA is home to...
Pennsylvania lawmakers propose making Diwali a state holiday
HARRISBURG, Pa. (WHTM) — State Senator Greg Rothman (R-34) and Senator Nikil Saval (D-1) introduced legislation to make Diwali an official state holiday in Pennsylvania. Nearly 200,000 South Asian residents reside in Pennsylvania, many of whom participate in Diwali as...
A change of heart
Earlier this month, a piece of paper came across Gov. Josh Shapiro’s desk that if signed would have set an execution date for Rahmael Sal Holt. In 2017, Holt was convicted of murdering New Kensington police officer Brian Shaw. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court upheld the...
Pennsylvania Governor Does a 180 on Death Penalty
Josh Shapiro was once a supporter of the death penalty, including for the suspected gunman in the Tree of Life synagogue shooting in Philadelphia in 2018. Now, the Democratic governor of Pennsylvania says his views on capital punishment have shifted, and...
Shapiro calls on General Assembly to abolish death penalty, refuses to sign executions
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) —Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro said Thursday he will not allow Pennsylvania to execute any inmates while he is in office and called for the state's lawmakers to repeal the death penalty. “When my son asked me why it was okay to kill someone...
Governor Vows Not to Sign Execution Warrants, Wants Lawmakers to Abolish the Death Penalty
Governor Josh Shapiro said he will not issue any execution warrants during his term and called on the General Assembly to abolish the death penalty. Governor Shapiro was joined by elected leaders – including Sen. Vince Hughes, Sen. Nikil Saval, and Rep. Rick Krajewski...
Gov. Shapiro calls for abolition of death penalty in PA
Governor Josh Shapiro has called on the General Assembly to abolish the death penalty once and for all in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. On Thursday, when speaking in front of the Mosaic Community Church in West Philadelphia, Governor Shapiro stated he will not...
Shapiro refuses to sign execution warrants, calls on lawmakers to abolish capital punishment
A moratorium on executions will continue in Pennsylvania, Gov. Josh Shapiro announced Thursday. Continuing the precedent set by his predecessor, Shapiro has refused to sign execution warrants and plans to use his executive authority to issue a reprieve to anyone whose...
Josh Shapiro calls on General Assembly to abolish the death penalty
Gov. Josh Shapiro wants to bring an end to capital punishment in the commonwealth. During a press conference Thursday in West Philadelphia, the Democratic governor committed to grant a reprieve to any execution warrant that comes across his desk and called upon...
Shapiro says he will not sign death warrants, calls for end to capital punishment in Pa.
Gov. Josh Shapiro announced Thursday he would continue his predecessor’s practice of not signing death warrants and is “calling on the general assembly to work with me to abolish the death penalty once and for all in Pennsylvania.” The move represents a more liberal...
Gov. Shapiro Reverses Course, Urges State To Abolish Death Penalty
PHILADELPHIA, PA — As Pennsylvania's attorney general, Gov. Josh Shapiro supported the death penalty for years. On Thursday he announced he'd changed his mind. Speaking to criminal justice reform advocates at Mosaic Community Church in West Philadelphia, Shapiro...
Gov. Shapiro won’t enforce capital punishment in PA, calls for its abolishment
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro followed in the footsteps of his predecessor Gov. Tom Wolf on Thursday morning, Feb. 16, by announcing that any instance of capital punishment will not occur under his governorship. He also called on the General Assembly to abolish...
Shapiro announces shift on death penalty, won’t sign execution orders
Gov. Josh Shapiro vowed Thursday not to sign any execution orders over the next four years, continuing the death penalty moratorium that his predecessor Tom Wolf formally signed eight years ago, and urged state lawmakers to abolish the death penalty "once and for...
Governor Shapiro Announces He Will Not Issue Any Execution Warrants During His Term, Calls on General Assembly to Abolish the Death Penalty
HARRISBURG, PA – Today, Governor Josh Shapiro announced that he will not issue any execution warrants during his term and called on the General Assembly to join nearly half of the country in abolishing the death penalty for good. Governor Shapiro was...
Pennsylvania governor blocks death penalty, calls for repeal
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro said Thursday he will not allow Pennsylvania to execute any inmates while he is in office and called for the state’s lawmakers to repeal the death penalty. Shapiro, inaugurated last month, said he will refuse to sign...
These New York Times Contributors Say The Paper’s Coverage Of Gender Issues Is Hurting Trans People
A group of more than 170 trans, nonbinary, and cisgender contributors to the New York Times published an open letter on Wednesday, condemning the paper’s coverage of trans issues — particularly its reporting around trans youth and gender-affirming...
Over 200 New York Times Contributors Condemn Paper’s Anti-Trans Coverage in Open Letter
Over 200 New York Times contributors have signed an open letter addressed to the paper of record, critiquing its biased coverage of trans, nonbinary, and gender nonconforming people. The letter was published Wednesday morning at the...
New York Times Blasted for Harmful Transgender Coverage
A coalition of community leaders, journalists, LGBTQ organizations, and celebrities called out The New York Times for its flawed and biased coverage of issues affecting the transgender community, and for spreading misinformation about the topic in order to...
Pa. state senators propose William Still Week in February
There was a news conference at the former home of Philadelphia abolitionist William Still Tuesday morning. Pennsylvania State Senators Art Haywood and Nikil Saval announced a new legislation recognizing the second week in February as William Still...
Black abolitionist William Still honored by Pennsylvania lawmakers in Center City
As part of Black History Month, several Pennsylvania State Senators announced an effort to recognize the contributions of a Black abolitionist. Senator Art Haywood, Senator Nikil Saval, State Representative Donna Bullock and State Representative Ben Waxman, along with...
Temple University Administrators Have Declared War on Striking Grad Workers
On February 8, striking graduate workers at Temple University, a public institution on Philadelphia’s North Side, received notices that their tuition remission for the spring semester would be removed, “as a result of your participation in the TUGSA strike.”...
What you need to know about Temple’s graduate workers strike
Since January 2022 Temple University Graduate Student’s Association (TUGSA) has been negotiating with the university administration for improvements in healthcare, wages and overall working conditions. No agreements have been reached, and things just...
Students who participated in a strike at Temple University are being told they will lose their tuition and health care benefits
Temple University, a public school in Philadelphia with roughly 40,000 students, confirmed Wednesday that teaching and research assistants who take part in a strike over low pay will have their health coverage suspended and be forced to cover the full cost of tuition,...
48 Pa. elected officials say U.S. Supreme Court should be expanded with four new justices
In the wake of a series of U.S. Supreme Court rulings that have alarmed Democrats concerned about the justices’ rightward shift, dozens of elected officials in Pennsylvania have endorsed expanding the court in an effort to restore balance. Eight members of...
Museum for Art in Wood in Philadelphia
On January 30, the organization officially rebranded as the Museum for Art in Wood after undergoing an intensive and diligent planning process. The move allows the Museum to be further recognized by an international community of artists, scholars, and...
Temple U graduate students go on strike for a living wage
The Temple University Graduate Students’ Association (TUGSA) went on strike early Tuesday morning for the first time in the union’s history since it was founded in 1979 and continues to show their support for a living wage through ongoing rallies...
Temple University graduate workers on strike
Holding signs proclaiming “Respect TUGSA, Respect Students” and “Temple Works because TUGSA Does” on a lively picket line loud with chants and brass horns, Temple University Graduate Students’ Association members went on strike Jan. 31. They are demanding a fair...
Grad students’ strike continues as Temple U. remains steadfast
Elected officials, Temple University students and local community leaders came together Thursday to show support for the ongoing strike being held by the Temple University Graduate Students’ Association (TUGSA) following over a year of failed negotiations on a new...
Bernie Sanders supports Temple’s graduate worker strike
The Vermont senator Bernie Sanders wrote a message on his social media supporting the indefinite strike the Temple University graduate workers announced yesterday. The Temple University Graduate Students’ Association (TUGSA) called the strike after a year of non...
Bernie Sanders tweets support for TUGSA strike
United States Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders voiced his support for Temple University Graduate Students’ Association’s strike in a tweet Wednesday evening. “If Temple can afford to pay its football coach $2 million per year, it can afford to pay its grad...
Forget red vs. blue: Harrisburg bipartisan green for Eagles
HARRISBURG, Pa. (CBS) -- Junior lawmakers typically defer to their senior leaders on important decisions. But drafting a memo for legislation about the cost of tickets to sporting events, newly-inaugurated state Sen. Frank Farry (R-Bucks) couldn't help himself. "We...
Blair County to apply for low-income home repair grant
Blair County is preparing to submit a grant application to the state for $741,487 that can be used by lower-income property owners for home repairs, based on a program state lawmakers created in 2022. The county anticipates receiving the grant through the Whole-Home...
THE ROOTS RUN DEEP: THE ENVIRONMENTAL CRISIS OF UNAFFORDABLE HOUSING
This crisis of unaffordable housing did not start yesterday. It’s a build-up of deliberate and very racist housing policy, corrupt financial institutions and severe structural deficiencies over generations. Recently, on WURD, Charles Ellison hosted a special ecoWURD...
THERE IS NO COST TO LIVE: THE ENVIRONMENTAL CRISIS OF UNAFFORDABLE HOUSING
What image comes to mind when you think about the environment? Is it a lush forest bursting with vibrancy? Or an open field where the sun casts its warmth over the rolling hills? How about an icy tundra? When we think of the environment, especially in the context of...
This is one of the best times in history to be an organizer
As a community organizer, I often imagine what it would have been like to march with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and win the Voting Rights Act. I always find inspiration in Dr. King’s words, especially this passage from his final book, Where Do We Go From Here? “Let...
Teamwork while in training
About 30 pre-apprentice carpenters, members of the Eastern Atlantic States Carpenters Technical College’s Carpenters’ Apprentice Ready Program, on Saturday created planter boxes to share with communities across Philadelphia in celebration of the Martin Luther King Jr....
Philly airport food service workers rally for a signed contract
Dozens of Black, brown and immigrant Philadelphia International Airport food service workers, who are members of UNITE HERE Philly Local 274, picketed at the airport’s Terminal B on Friday for a contract they say has not been signed yet. The workers said they are...
Philly state lawmaker wants Pa. to recognize Jan. 6 as Democracy Observance Day
Two years after insurrectionists stormed the U.S. Capitol while Congress members met to certify the electoral results for president, and as House members in the same chamber repeatedly failed over several days to vote on a speaker, a...