Philadelphia Inquirer

Good morning. It’s Friday, May 17th. Joe Biden chose Philly for his 2020 presidential campaign headquarters. The former vice president and senator from Delaware has deep ties to the city. And, Pennsylvania is a state that’s central to his election strategy. Biden’s national headquarters will be in Center City, and have around 50 staffers to start. It will become the day-to-day nerve center of the campaign: home to his media term, strategic planners, and other staffers.

Good morning. It’s Thursday, May 16th. Philadelphia has the highest local wage tax in the country at roughly 3-point-8 percent for city residents. The city relies on the tax to bring in about 44 percent of its annual revenue. Dating back to 1939, Philly became the first U.S. city to implement a wage tax. It was reduced for the first time in 1995 and is expected to decrease slightly in July.

Good morning. It’s Wednesday, May 15th. Politicians and citizens may still be debating the merits of Philly’s soda tax, but there’s no debating this: Sales of soda and other sweetened beverages have dropped sharply since the tax went into effect in 2017. According to a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, sales at chain stores have dropped by 51 percent in Philadelphia since the tax was implemented. The tax adds 1.

Good morning. It’s Tuesday, May 14th. Charter schools may be controversial across the country, but many voters in Philly support them, according to a recent Inquirer poll. The poll found that twice as many Philadelphia voters support charter schools as oppose them. Some experts were surprised by the results from such a heavily Democratic city, because nationwide, Democratic voters are more likely to oppose charter schools to some degree.

Good morning. It’s Monday, May 13th. The 76ers’ season came to an end Sunday night with a buzzer-beating shot from Toronto’s Kawhi Leonard [Kah-why]. It was a do-or-die Game 7 between Philly and Toronto in the Eastern Conference semifinals. The game went back-and-forth until the very end, when Toronto’s all-star got the ball with four seconds left in a tie game. He drove to his right and faded toward the baseline, before launching a shot high into the air.

Good morning. It’s Friday, May 10th. Philadelphia officials are launching a new program this summer aimed at helping first time home buyers afford homes. “Philly First Home” will provide eligible city residents up to $10,000 when they purchase a home in the city. And the funds can be used for down payments and closing costs. Only Philadelphia residents who have lived in the city for three years are eligible.

Good morning. It’s Thursday, May 9th. The Phillies announced the death of longtime team executive David Montgomery on Wednesday. Montgomery died after a five-year battle with cancer. The Philly-native joined the team as a sales apprentice in 1971. He quickly rose through the ranks and became the president in 1997.

Good morning. It’s Wednesday, May 8th. Uber and Lyft drivers in Philly are getting out of their cars today in protest. The global day of action is happening one day before Uber’s initial public stock offering, one of the biggest in tech history. Drivers in more than two dozen cities are expected to participate, including Sydney, Australia, Nairobi, Kenya, and Sao Paulo, Brazil. They’re protesting pay cuts and what they say are unfair working conditions.

Good morning. It’s Tuesday, May 7th. Mayor Jim Kenney is defending the decision to shift to new touchscreen voting machines for Philly elections. The mayor’s defense follows City Controller Rebecca Rhynhart’s decision to block funding for the new machines until she can investigate them. The machines have been widely criticized for months by city and state watchdogs and advocates who prefer hand-marked paper ballots. Rhynhart has been one of the most outspoken critics.

Good morning. It’s Monday, May 6th. The top political strategist for former congressman Bob Brady has been sentenced to a year and a half in prison. Ken Smukler was found guilty late last year of repeatedly violating campaign finance laws in congressional races he oversaw. Some of those violations happened while Smuckler was helping Brady win the democratic primary in his congressional reelection campaign.