Mayor Cherelle Parker has declared a snow emergency in the city beginning Saturday, Jan. 24 at 9 p.m., due to the upcoming winter storm. This means that all vehicles parked on Snow Emergency Routes should be relocated before the snow emergency begins. Any remaining vehicles will be ticketed and relocated.

Snow Emergency Routes are marked with signs posted along the route. You can also find the Snow Emergency route map and list here.

All Philadelphia School District schools will be closed on Monday, Jan. 25 due to the storm.

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West Philly-based City Councilmember, Jamie Gauthier, recently introduced Bill No. 250768, the “Stop Trashing Our Air” Act, to bar the City from entering into new contracts for the burning of trash. On Monday, Nov. 17, the Council’s Committee on the Environment will hold a public hearing on this bill, and public testimony is invited.

In introducing the bill, Councilmember Gauthier made three main arguments for its approval:

• Burning trash emits highly toxic ash into Philadelphia’s air. Currently the City sends over a third (37 percent) of our trash to the Reworld (Covanta) incinerator in Chester City, the country’s largest incinerator and Southeastern PA’s largest industrial polluter. Many studies confirm that toxic ash created by trash incinerators contributes to illnesses like asthma and cancer, which today affect disproportionately large numbers of City residents.

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Starting Sunday, Sept. 14, SEPTA will restore full service, including the 20 percent Bus and Metro cuts implemented on Aug. 24, according to an announcement. But SEPTA will also reinstate the 20 percent system-wide fare increase, which was put on hold earlier this month. New schedule and service information will be posted on SEPTA’s website at septa.org.

SEPTA’s service will be restored for the next two years thanks to $394 million state capital assistance from The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT), which was approved yesterday after SEPTA’s request. Thanks to this funding and the additional revenue from the fare increase, SEPTA is planning to implement its new bus network and support the major events coming to Philadelphia in 2026.

“This is not the long-term funding solution we need to address our $213 million budget deficit,” SEPTA General Manager Scott A. Sauer said in a statement. “But over the last two weeks, we have seen the devastating effects of the service cuts on our customers. Our riders deserve better, and they deserve stability.”

Trash drop-off at 50th and Locust. (Photo by West Philly Local)

Some 9,000 city workers – from trash collectors to 911 call center operators and school crossing guards – voted to strike early this morning, demanding higher wages and improved health and pension benefits.

The strike, which 95 percent of union members voted for, will impact a host of services. Health centers across the city will be closed and the Philadelphia Water Department will stop repair and maintenance services, among other service disruptions.

It’s the first walk-out strike in the city in 39 years. That strike lasted 20 days.

The city has established trash drop-off sites across the city. You can start dropping trash off there today at 5 p.m. After today, they will be open Monday through Saturday from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Here’s a searchable map that will locate the nearest temporary trash drop-off site and recycling collection center (see more on recycling below).

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Pennsylvania’s primary election is Tuesday, Мay 20 and here are some resources to help you before you head to the polls.

The most publicized race in this year’s citywide primary is for District Attorney. Incumbent Larry Krasner is running against Municipal Court Judge Pat Dugan. The non-partisan Committee of Seventy has put together a voting guide on the race that includes candidate positions on a variety of issues. There is no candidate on the Republican side.

Incumbent Christy Brady is running unopposed for the Democratic nomination for City Controller. Ari Patrinos, a stockbroker and Harvard grad, is running on the Republican side.

Several judicial races are also on the ballot, including:

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Mayor Cherelle Parker has signed into law the “Get Out The Bike Lane” bill recently approved by Philadelphia City Council. The bill, which prohibits motorists from stopping, standing, or parking in a bike lane, was introduced by City Council President Kenyatta Johnson two months after the death of 30-year-old Dr. Barbara Ann Friedes, a pediatrician at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, who was killed in a multi-vehicle crash while legally riding in a bike lane bear 18th and Spruce Streets back on July 17.

Going forward, folks will now be fined $125 in Center City and University City, and $75 in other neighborhoods, for stopping or standing in any bike lane in Philadelphia.

The Philadelphia Parking Authority will be the lead agency enforcing the law. The new law isn’t going to be fully enforced until the city updates all the necessary traffic signs which should be completed by next spring.

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