Officials cite a bus driver shortage as a major factor; most students transported by the district attend charter and private schools. | From: Chalkbeat Philadelphia (Read more.)
The fee on loans backed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac took effect in December and was meant to cover projected losses due to the pandemic. It added $1,000 or more to the average cost of refinancing. | From: The Philadelphia Inquirer (Read more.)
Families hit hardest by the pandemic are also struggling the most with medical bills, according to a new report by the Commonwealth Fund. | From The Inquirer (Read more.)
The Philadelphia School District will give families more time to request that their children repeat a grade, Superintendent William Hite announced at a Thursday Board of Education meeting. | From: Chalkbeat Philadelphia (Read more.)
Lisa Phillips uses her knack for finding loose change to help wipe out medical debt. | From: Billy Penn (Read more.)
Air purifiers using technology developed by NASA will be in every Philadelphia public school classroom when students return in August, officials said Thursday, addressing a key teachers’ union concern.
Educators ridiculed and protested a plan rolled out in February to install fans in under-ventilated rooms as a way to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. | From Metro Philadelphia (Read more.)
If you noticed a haze hanging over Philadelphia lately, there’s a reason — smoke from wildfires out West and in Canada has traveled across the country and settled over the Eastern Seaboard, resulting in air quality warnings on Tuesday that started in code orange — meaning the pollution may be unhealthy for sensitive groups — and ended up in code red — unhealthy for everyone. | From WHYY (Read more.)
The federal incentive allows investors to skip out on capital gains tax in exchange for making long-term investments in businesses or developments in certain low-income areas | From: PlanPhilly (Read more.)
The fee on loans backed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac took effect in December and was meant to cover projected losses due to the pandemic. It added $1,000 or more to the average cost of refinancing. | From: The Philadelphia Inquirer (Read more.)
How to get free supplies from the city, mobilize neighbors, and plan a successful block cleanup. | From The Philadelphia Inquirer (Read more.)
Generocity contributor Marilyn Kai Jewett, herself North Philly born and raised, speaks to community members about their ongoing work to make sure the neighborhood isn’t “rewritten.” | From Genorocity (Read more.)
To mark the end of Pride month and the ongoing fight for adequate housing, members of the Philadelphia chapter of the HIV/AIDS activism organization ACT UP held a protest outside of Mayor Jim Kenney’s condo in Old City. Around 40 ACT UP members and activists gathered to demand more plentiful permanent housing for Philadelphians facing homelessness, many of whom are Black and Brown and LGBTQ+. They also called for an overhaul of the leadership of Philadelphia’s Office of Homeless Services (OHS). | From Philadelphia Gay News (Read more.)
Housing activists from the Poor People’s Economic Human Rights Campaign are suing the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Philadelphia Housing Authority for trying to remove families from abandoned Philadelphia properties. | From: WHYY (Read more.)
Families nationwide begin receiving child tax credit payments from the federal government last week, but some worry the poorest Americans may never see a dollar. | From: The Philadelphia Inquirer (Read more.)
How to get free supplies from the city, mobilize neighbors, and plan a successful block cleanup. | From The Philadelphia Inquirer (Read more.)
Lyft recently announced a revamped return of carpooling options, which had been put on pause since the start of the pandemic. It will debut in Philly today, July 19. | From AL DÍA (Read more.)
The cheapest option when ordering a Lyft will return to Philadelphia on Monday as the company once again begins to allow people to share rides.
The news comes as COVID-19 pandemic restrictions continue to ease in many parts of the country. However, some pandemic restrictions will still apply, like mask-wearing for all and a limit on the number of riders. | From NBC10 (Read more.)
Unas 500 familias recibieron paquetes de alimentos y otras 140 personas obtuvieron la segunda dosis de Pfizer o la dosis única de J&J en un evento comunitario llevado a cabo en Kennet Square, Pensilvania el viernes. | Telemundo62 (Read more.)
Broke in Philly editor Jean Friedman-Rudovsky appeared over the weekend on CBSN, CBS News’ streaming video channel, to discuss the #HighCost of Being Broke series — which launched earlier this month.
The first installment covered banking, transportation, cell phone access, food staples and more, also highlighting solutions, policies or programs or options that help alleviate some of the cost born by those who can least afford to take them on.
© Resolve Philadelphia
