William Bender

Gregory Wright, a North Philadelphia native and former Pennsylvania National Guard staff sergeant, started this week as the head of the city’s Office of Veterans Affairs.

The Land Bank convened an unusual Saturday meeting where officials unveiled a one-year memorandum of understanding they said would resolve a long-standing dispute.

Even City Council members can't figure out what the holdup is. Sheriff Rochelle Bilal has been active at community events, but hasn't responded to questions.

The company, SPS Technologies, has a history of environmental and workplace violations, records show. Residents were sheltering in place and worried about the air quality.

“The system is clearly broken,” said Tonya McClary, head of the Citizens Police Oversight Commission. City officials are seeking arbitration changes in negotiations with the police union.

“It sends the message that they don’t care. It’s sad,” said an American Legion post commander. The position has been vacant since 2021 because two City Council presidents have failed to make a hire.

A panel of judges that oversees Philadelphia courts has given Sheriff Rochelle Bilal 90 days to fix the security crisis caused by a shortage of deputies.

In another twist, a police report said the city-leased vehicle was reported stolen by an unnamed woman – who may be a top deputy. Sheriff Rochelle Bilal and police have both launched internal probes.

The non-binding resolution from the financial oversight board recommends merging the independently elected sheriff's office into the court system, following decades of scandal and dysfunction.

The redeployment of deputies comes months after Philadelphia judges demanded Sheriff Rochelle Bilal address "systemic failures" that have led to a courthouse security crisis.

The city has so far paid $400,000 to settle wrongful termination lawsuits from the office's previous leader. But patronage hiring hasn't stopped. "It's pretty blatant," one plaintiff's attorney said.

State Rep. Matt Gergely's seat will be filled by a special election. Until then, the House will remain tied. The speaker, however, is a Democrat from Philadelphia.

“I have no retirement, no pension, nothing," said one investor, who is now working overtime to pay the bills. Dozens of people are still filing claims in Montgomery County.

Employees of both the current and former Register of Wills say they were fired for not supporting their boss politically. The city has paid out $400,000 so far, with five more suits ongoing.

The driver was not a deputy — it was a young man in a tank top, holding what appeared to be a poodle. Police and Sheriff Rochelle Bilal say they're now investigating what happened.

Judges again ordered Bilal to provide a plan to fix a deputy shortage, saying her "failure to address" the ongoing security crisis has led to "direct harm" to court operations.

The fire that began last Monday night was officially extinguished at 3:53 p.m. Saturday. A lawsuit in Philadelphia is seeking class-action status on behalf of residents and businesses in the area.

Drivers contend that the city’s “vehicle relocation” program is unconstitutional because their legally parked cars were towed without proper notice to unknown destinations.

The police union, in its opening contract proposals, wants to clamp down on what the public knows about how the department operates. It may have leverage, due to a shortage of cops.

If the sheriff doesn't fix the security problem in court buildings, she could be held in contempt. One former judge floated the idea of placing the Sheriff's Office in receivership.