Courtney DuChene

Ann Arbor, Philadelphia

Multimedia Journalist at Freelance

Writer. Journalist. Poet. MFA: @UMichWriters She/Hers Views my own.

Articles

Philly’s Tree Plan calls for increasing leafy coverage. So, why are large trees being chopped down? – Metro Philadelphia

6 days ago | metrophiladelphia.com | Courtney DuChene

This article was originally published by Green Philly and the Philadelphia Citizen as part of a project series for the Philadelphia Journalism Collaborative. “SAVE MY TREE!”That’s what Nicole Fakhoury heard her two-year-old son crying and begging over the phone, over the sounds of a chainsaw. Fakhoury was at work last January when her babysitter called in a panic.
Charlene Samuels, Constituent Advocate

1 week ago | thephiladelphiacitizen.org | Courtney DuChene

Just a few weeks ago, Charlene Samuels, Constituent Services Representative for City Council Minority Leader Kendra Brooks, got a desperate call from a woman who was about to become homeless. Samuels had been living in the same apartment for a few years when her landlord told her he had sold it, and that she’d have to move out by April 30. The woman, who has three young children, didn’t know how she would find an apartment so quickly. She also knew, however, that isn’t how Philly’s laws work.
Total Impact Summit

1 week ago | thephiladelphiacitizen.org | Courtney DuChene

It’s been eight years since Impact PHL was launched in Philadelphia, and its mission to encourage investors to put their dollars in companies that do good and drive change locally has caught on. Over the past three years, nine local foundations, including Women’s Way, The Alliance for Health Equity and the Kind Foundation, have switched financial advisors so that they can engage in mission-aligned investing and look for opportunities to fund local initiatives.
The City’s Tree Plan calls for significantly increasing our leafy coverage. So, why are our large trees continued to be chopped down?

1 week ago | greenphl.com | Courtney DuChene

| “SAVE MY TREE!”That’s what Nicole Fakhoury heard her two-year-old son crying and begging over the phone, over the sounds of a chainsaw. Fakhoury was at work last January when her babysitter called in a panic. The tree in question was newly planted in front of Fakhoury’s house when her family bought a home in a new development in Olde Richmond during COVID. As new parents, Fakhoury and her husband loved taking their baby out to see the flowering tree.
“Save My Tree”

1 week ago | thephiladelphiacitizen.org | Courtney DuChene

“SAVE MY TREE!”That’s what Nicole Fakhoury heard her two-year-old son crying and begging over the phone, over what sounded like … a chainsaw? Fakhoury was at work last January when her babysitter called in a panic. The tree in question was newly planted in front of Fakhoury’s house when her family bought a home in a new development in Olde Richmond during Covid. As new parents, Fakhoury and her husband loved taking their baby out to see the flowering tree.
Ballot Questions for the May 20, 2025 Primary Election

2 weeks ago | thephiladelphiacitizen.org | Courtney DuChene |Lauren McCutcheon

Apr. 30, 2025 Ballot questions ask you to approve proposals to permanently change the City’s circa 1951 Home Rule Charter, which is Philadelphia government’s operations manual, aka its constitution. Your answer determines whether and how the municipal government will expand, contract or shift direction. Philadelphia City Council has already voted yes on these proposals. The mayor, however, has not.
Where Are The Trees We Were Promised?

2 weeks ago | greenphl.com | Courtney DuChene

| This article is published in collaboration with the Philadelphia Citizen as part a project series for the Philadelphia Journalism Collaborative. On a recent Saturday, more than 30 volunteers gathered in Malcolm X Park to plant street trees on sidewalks in front of homes around West Philly. Despite the rain, they showed up ready to dig out tree pits, spread mulch and get around 30 trees into the ground.
Where Are The Trees We Were Promised?

2 weeks ago | thephiladelphiacitizen.org | Courtney DuChene

On a recent Saturday, more than 30 volunteers gathered in Malcolm X Park to plant street trees on sidewalks in front of homes around West Philly. Despite the chilly rain, they showed up ready to dig out tree pits, spread mulch and get around 30 trees into the ground. “Trees are the only piece of [public] infrastructure that appreciates in value,” says Dominique London, director of the nonprofit Tree Tender group UC Green, which led the planting.
Thembi Palmer, Reader

3 weeks ago | thephiladelphiacitizen.org | Courtney DuChene

Thembi Palmer is a self-professed introvert — though that might be difficult to believe. As founder of Imagine More Story Adventures, Palmer spends her time in front of large crowds of children and their parents, singing, dancing and playing instruments. She leads groups in movement exercises — leaning into a standing banana pose or skipping around the room. She plays with puppets and other props.
Who Are This Year’s Raddest Philadelphians?

3 weeks ago | thephiladelphiacitizen.org | Courtney DuChene

Samantha Wittchen has long been a problem solver. She’s the co-founder and interim executive director of the nonprofit Circular Philadelphia and the co-founder and chief product officer of the for-profit business Circa Systems. In these roles she’s paving the way to make the circular economy — one in which people repair, recycle and reuse materials rather than tossing them in a landfill — a reality in Philly.