Hours before Philadelphia City Council’s "Trump preparedness hearing,” the Trump administration directed federal prosecutors to investigate local officials who do not cooperate with Trump’s plans for mass deportation.
A top lawyer from Mayor Cherelle L. Parker’s administration said that an executive order on Philadelphia’s status as a sanctuary city remains in place.
But the official, City Solicitor Renee Garcia, said that the Parker administration has not yet determined whether additional protections are needed for immigrants in the city.
“My biggest concern is our own preparedness, particularly given the lack of information we’ve heard coming from the administration regarding their approach to Trump,” said Councilmember Kendra Brooks, who noted that key administrative positions, including the director of the Office of LGBTQ Affairs and the director of the Office of Immigrant Affairs, are vacant.
Other representatives from top agencies said that they have measures in place to combat impending Trump-era immigration policies and that they are working to bolster those services.
📝 by Fallon Roth and Anna Orso / Staff
📹 by Philadelphia City Council and AP
🎞️✂️ by Jenna Miller / Staff
The premiere of “Delco: The Movie” at the Media Theatre Friday night was as Delco as watching a Birds game at the Original Clam Tavern, as Delco as seeing a tractor trailer get stuck under the 420 bridge, and as Delco as an Easter flower sale outside of Lou Turks Gentleman’s Club.
After a successful crowdfunding campaign and nearly two years of production, “Delco: The Movie,” an independent film about three teens in 2004 who decide to live a day “the Delco Way” debuted to a packed house that was ready to devour it like a Wawa hoagie on top of a trash can (which is a scene in the movie, and, of course, in real life).
📝 and 📹 by Stephanie Farr / Staff
🎞️✂️ by Astrid Rodrigues / Staff
The University of Pennsylvania's Schools of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine hosted a free vaccination clinic for pets and their owners as part of the their Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service.
Watch the video to learn more about the initiative and how it helps the pups.
📝 / 📹 by Joe Yerardi / Staff
✂️ by Astrid Rodrigues / Staff
We are what we eat — and more 🧢
Read more on how Philly restaurant merch has risen to new heights of quirk and style: https://bit.ly/4hqykiO
📝 by Beatrice Forman and Hira Qureshi / Staff
📹 by Gabe Coffey / Staff
Immigration-rights groups in Philadelphia protested President Donald Trump’s policies on Monday, shortly after he was sworn in as the 47th president.
During his oath of office, Trump called Monday ‘liberation day’ and vowed swift immigration restrictions.
In its initial days, Trump's administration will reportedly carry out immigration raids in major cities to fulfill a campaign promise of deporting millions of undocumented immigrants.
In Philadelphia, over 150 people took to the streets in protest.
Watch the video to learn more.
📝 by Julia Terruso, Anna Orso, Michelle Myers / Staff
📹 by Michelle Myers / Staff
✂️ by Astrid Rodrigues / Staff
Donald J. Trump took the oath of office as the 47th president of the United States Monday, promising to reverse what he referred to as the nation’s decline.
He’s expected to sign as many as 100 day-one actions that address his hefty pledges of lowering prices, boosting energy production, and improving border security.
Those executive orders will reportedly include a nationwide suspension of refugee resettlement, an emergency declaration that could allow him to deploy the military to the Southern border, and an effort to end the constitutionally protected right to citizenship for all people born in the country.
🔗 More details: https://www.inquirer.com/politics/donald-trump-inauguration-speech-orders-20250120.html
📝 by Julia Terruso and Anna Orso / Staff
📹 by AP
✂️ by Astrid Rodrigues / Staff
102-year-old Eagles fan Eloise Brown has seen a thing or two in her life 🦅
📝 by Alex Coffey / Staff
🎥 by Jenna Margaretta / Staff
PHA is trying a new approach to public housing. Instead of demolishing Westpark, one of the city’s last high-rise public housing sites, the Philadelphia Housing Authority plans to rehab it and triple the number of units.
PHA started moving residents out of Westpark in preparation for redevelopment in 2022. The housing authority and its partners will construct the project in three phases — the first of which is expected to be completed by 2027.
Phase 1 calls for 327 units, the exact number that were lost when PHA shut down the three towers. Since it’s a mixed-income project, 190 will be rented to low-income families, and 137 will be market-rate.
🔗 Learn more about the dense, new development proposed for 44th and Market here: https://www.inquirer.com/columnists/pha-affordable-housing-apartment-building-westpark-20241201.html
📹 by Erin Reynolds / Staff
📝 by Inga Saffron and Jake Blumgart / Staff
🌐 by Gabe Coffey / Staff (
Gameday Central: Eagles vs. Rams
For the first time in two years, the Eagles secured a playoff victory, defeating the Packers 22-10. Next up, they’re preparing to take on the Rams at Lincoln Financial Field.
Stay ahead of the game with The Inquirer’s Olivia Reiner and EJ Smith on Gameday Central — your go-to Eagles playbook. From pregame excitement and expert breakdowns to live updates and insider coverage, we’ve got every play covered!
Meet Eloise Brown, a 102-year-old Eagles fan who doesn’t miss a snap, and watches games with a stress ball.
“Plenty of times [they frustrate me],” Brown said of the Birds. “But I keep that stress ball. When they right there, and don’t score, and they right there, and they let it go … I’m not happy.
“But I’m gonna be happy Sunday.”
📝 by Alex Coffey / Staff
🎥 & 📸 by Jenna Miller / Staff and courtesy of Sabrina Hall
Philadelphia 76ers owner Josh Harris was asked about why he changed his mind about the planned Center City arena.
Watch to hear Harris' answer.
📝 by Fallon Roth / Staff
📽️ by Gabe Coffey / Staf
The Save Chinatown Coalition stressed that they are willing to work with Mayor Cherelle L. Parker, City Council, and the Sixers organization on a revamped community benefits agreement at a news conference Monday — even if there’s some lingering frustration after the 76ers abandoned their plans for a new arena in Center City.
“It was a heartbreaking process,” Asian Pacific Islander Political Alliance executive director Mohan Seshadri told reporters, recalling instances of anti-arena demonstrators getting handcuffed on the floor of City Council.
Many are relieved by the change in plans, but even still, some within the community were disheartened by the process to get here.
Watch the video to learn more.
📝 by Beatrice Forman / Staff
📹/✂️ by Jenna Miller / Staff
