The Philadelphia Citizen

The Philadelphia Citizen is a non-profit and non-partisan media outlet with a twofold mission: to deliver in-depth journalism that highlights actionable solutions to advance our community, and to inspire active citizenship in the Philadelphia area. We aim to showcase innovators, challenge those hindering progress, and highlight the emerging leaders of Philadelphia, all while equipping residents with the interactive tools necessary for greater civic engagement. Philadelphia requires more than just another news source; it demands journalism that prioritizes solutions we can collectively implement. It calls for a movement of citizens who are determined to reclaim leadership from a political class often marked by a troubling transactional mentality.

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The Fix: For Sale — Your State Legislature

5 days ago | thephiladelphiacitizen.org | Larry Platt

The news is coming at you fast and furious of late, so there’s a lot that naturally slips by. For example: On the national stage, you might have missed that the Trump administration is planning a “big military parade” in D.C. on the president’s 79th birthday, to also mark the 250th anniversary of the United States Army. That’s right: Tanks in the streets honoring Dear Leader.
Caring for the Carers

1 week ago | thephiladelphiacitizen.org | Roxanne Patel Shepelavy

It has never been easy running the Sustainable Business Network, especially post-Covid when small companies around the region were struggling to bounce back and make ends meet. But in February, SBN Executive Director Devi Ramkissoon’s job got even harder when the Trump administration cancelled a federal grant that makes up nearly half the nonprofit’s budget.
Mommy the Galápagos tortoise

1 week ago | thephiladelphiacitizen.org | Courtney DuChene

At around 97-years young and with wrinkly grey skin, Mommy, a Galápagos tortoise and the Philadelphia Zoo’s oldest resident, might not look like much. But she’s actually very eligible. Mommy is one of the most genetically valuable Western Santa Cruz Galápagos tortoises in North America. Since 2022, the zoo has been trying to breed her in an effort to help preserve the species.
John Fry’s Call to Arms

1 week ago | thephiladelphiacitizen.org | Larry Platt

We’ve seen a lot more ghosts of Neville Chamberlain lately than, say, apparitions of Winston Churchill. These are stark moral times; appeasers on one side, warriors on the other. In the Academy, endowment-rich institutions like Columbia and Harvard universities have seemed to cower before MAGA-world targeting, as if you can deal-cut your way out of culture war.
Will PA Ever Legalize Weed?

2 weeks 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.
Winners Write the History …

2 weeks ago | thephiladelphiacitizen.org | Elaine Maimon

Do Something Find out who your state and federal representatives are and reach out. Tell our legislators to do their jobs to ensure education funding is preserved, the essential institutions of libraries and museums are preserved, and history is not erased.
Let’s Expand - Not Cut - Free SEPTA for Workers

2 weeks ago | thephiladelphiacitizen.org | Jon Geeting

By now, it’s clear to anyone paying attention that SEPTA is in a crisis — what has been termed a “death spiral” — due to lack of ridership and accompanying lack of revenue. That’s why in the fall Governor Josh Shapiro flexed highway funds to SEPTA last fall after transit funding negotiations stalled in the Republican-controlled PA Senate, and why he has included more money for the agency in his proposed FY 2026 budget.
Defederalizing America

2 weeks ago | thephiladelphiacitizen.org | Bruce Katz

And so, it begins. Amidst the daily noise and chaos, the U.S. has begun a grand experiment, the radical defederalization of roles and responsibilities in the nation. We have seen versions of this movie before of course, particularly during the 1980s when the Reagan presidency drove state innovations around healthcare and welfare reform.
It's Not Too Late to Apply for LIHEAP — and Save on Utilities

2 weeks ago | thephiladelphiacitizen.org | Courtney DuChene

Apr. 04, 2025 Five years ago, Helena Best was struggling financially. After a long career as a registered nurse, she had recently retired. She was in her 70s and single. Though she had saved for retirement and lived in an affordable housing community for seniors in Falls Ridge, she struggled to pay her bills. Heating bills in winter were especially challenging. Best found herself putting off buying food or medications so she could keep her apartment warm.
Can You Like Trump and Still Love the Birds?

2 weeks ago | thephiladelphiacitizen.org | Lauren McCutcheon

Last week, U.S. Representative Brendan Boyle issued an official statement expressing his outrage over Trump inviting the Kansas City Chiefs to the White House. The press release — entitled “Trump’s Pathetic, Sad Chiefs Invitation” bordered on poetic:Donald Trump is inviting the Super Bowl losing team, Kansas City Chiefs, to the White House. It’s pathetic — a full-blown White House participation trophy. I thought Republicans didn’t believe in participation trophies.