Malcolm Burnley

Philadelphia

Staff Writer @ThePhilaCitizen. Temple Adjunct. Words: @TIME @POLITICOMag, @WHYYNews, @PhillyMag, more. Pods: AI Nation, On Being Biracial, The Missionary.

Articles

The Wackiest Race for Local Judgeships Ever?

1 week ago | thephiladelphiacitizen.org | Malcolm Burnley

Call them low-information races. Call them low-turnout elections. Just don’t call them boring. Already this year, the slate of Democratic primary elections for local and state judgeships — which will be decided on May 20 (read up on all the races in our Primary Election Guide here) — has produced an unusual amount of spice and chicanery. Typically, judicial races don’t generate much excitement — not from voters, and not from journalists.
Some Eagles Go to the White House

2 weeks ago | thephiladelphiacitizen.org | Malcolm Burnley |Olivia Kram |Larry Platt

On April 28, 20 of 53 Eagles players visited the White House, along with their coaches. Thirty-three players did not attend, including Super Bowl LII MVP, Quarterback Jalen Hurts. But only one Eagle played golf with and few on Air Force One with President Trump.
Polling Places in Jails

3 weeks ago | thephiladelphiacitizen.org | Malcolm Burnley

Every four years, the city receives a mind-numbing reminder of the state of civic disengagement: Voter turnout numbers for electing a Philadelphia District Attorney. For the past several decades, whenever Philly has gone to the polls to choose a chief law enforcement officer, voter turnout reliably sinks to a four-year low.
Can Philly Still Become Biotech-Booming “Cellicon Valley?"

3 weeks ago | thephiladelphiacitizen.org | Malcolm Burnley

Luke Ward had no way of grasping the color yellow. He’d been diagnosed with a rare genetic disorder — better known as LCA — that attacks his retinas, a condition affecting about one in 50,000 people. By kindergarten, Ward was walking with a cane and learning to read Braille. Then, in 2019, he became one of the first patients in the country to receive the FDA-approved treatment known as Luxturna, developed by Philadelphia’s Spark Therapeutics.
Will PA Ever Legalize Weed?

1 month ago | thephiladelphiacitizen.org | Malcolm Burnley

At first glance, the outlook for adult-use marijuana in Pennsylvania appears less certain than just a few months ago.
Ultimate Job Interview with DA Candidate Pat Dugan

1 month ago | thephiladelphiacitizen.org | Malcolm Burnley

It’s a sign of a healthy democracy when rival candidates for office can exchange ideas in a public forum. But nowadays’ political debates are a far cry from Lincoln-Douglas. This year’s race for Philadelphia District Attorney has unfortunately followed that pattern, despite the serious questions about public safety that exist in the city. Only two Democrats (and zero Republicans) are on the ballot for the May 20 primary: incumbent Larry Krasner and retired Municipal Court Judge Pat Dugan.
An Ode to the Fashion District. No cap.

1 month ago | thephiladelphiacitizen.org | Malcolm Burnley

One thing you notice about the Fashion District — six years after the Market East mall opened — is that practically no one calls it by its proper name, after all this time. “I don’t like this new Gallery,” says Theo, a security guard stationed by the food court on a March afternoon. The Gallery, of course, was the name of the quirky, 1960s-inspired mall designed by Ed Bacon that formerly occupied the same grounds. Asked if this “new Gallery” ever feels boisterous, Theo offers a shrug.
Move to Philly. Invite a Friend, Says Live Work Philadelphia

2 months ago | thephiladelphiacitizen.org | Malcolm Burnley |Bruce Katz

In 2017, my two best friends moved to Phoenix. We had all moved to Philadelphia about the same time, four years earlier. We struck up close friendships, explored the city together, and came to love the word jawn. I doubt I’d call this jawn home today if I’d never met them. Oddly enough, 2017 was also the same year that Phoenix leapfrogged Philly in population. (Do I blame my friends? Absolutely.) It turns out they were a harbinger for migration patterns that have emerged since then.
Can Worker Co-ops Fix Our Busted Democracy?

2 months ago | thephiladelphiacitizen.org | Malcolm Burnley

New parents know the dilemma: Good child care is hard to find. But Janet Filante found it — and more — when she put her trust in her own neighborhood. In the late-1980s, Filante was seeking a developmentally nurturing space for her young daughter. She heard from friends about Childspace, a new daycare center in Germantown within walking distance of her home. After joining the inaugural “class” of parents, Filante liked it so much that she sent her second child there a few years later.
Black, Gay, Shabbat-Observing, Tap Shoe-Wearing Leon King

2 months ago | thephiladelphiacitizen.org | Malcolm Burnley

Leon King II, a judicial candidate in this year’s election cycle, is an avid storyteller. As you might imagine coming from a former prisons commissioner, the characters in those stories are often colorful as well. Like the valedictorian of the jail high school who swept up ashes after a riot on State Road.