Philadelphia Inquirer

Good morning. It’s Friday, October 11th. The Phillies’ manager, Gabe Kapler, was fired Thursday. Phillies managing partner John Middleton announced his decision. And he made it clear that he’ll do anything to bring a world championship team to Philadelphia. Kapler spent two seasons in charge of the team and amassed a record of one-hundred-and-sixty-one wins and one-hundred-and-sixty-three losses. The Phillies have failed to make the playoffs for eight straight years.

Good morning. It’s Thursday, October 10th. A jury found a former New Jersey police chief guilty of lying to the FBI. Frank Nucera [New-ser-ah] Junior was the police chief in Bordentown Township. Nucera is on trial for hitting a handcuffed black suspect during an incident in September 2016. Fellow officers say the teen was in custody and not resisting arrest when Nucera slammed his head against a wall. The charges also involved recordings of Nucera using racial slurs.

Good morning. It’s Wednesday, October 9th. Even though last week’s federal court ruling in favor of Philadelphia’s proposed supervised-injection site doesn’t apply to other cities considering the idea, supporters of the harm-reduction concept around the country say it has energized them. According to experts, the Philadelphia ruling sets a precedent that judges in other areas will most likely have to take into account.

Good morning. It’s Tuesday, October 8th. For years, activists in Pennsylvania have failed to get the state to pass a law that would prohibit employers from firing someone for being gay or for being transgender. And today, the U.S. Supreme Court will consider whether sexual orientation and gender identity are protected from discrimination under the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Good morning, it’s Monday, October 7th. Tensions are rising between the Philadelphia School District and a group of parents, teachers and supporters of Benjamin Franklin High School and the Science Leadership Academy who say the district has demonstrated “gross negligence” and an utter disregard for students at the two schools.

Good morning. It’s Friday, October 4th. Atlantic City mayor Frank M. Gilliam Jr. has resigned. Gilliam offered his resignation Thursday after pleading guilty to stealing from a youth basketball nonprofit that he founded. Gilliam admitted to embezzling more than eighty-seven-thousand-dollars from the club. Prosecutors say the money from donors wound up going toward luxury clothes, expensive meals, and trips that had nothing to do with the underprivileged kids.

Good morning. It’s Thursday, October 3rd. A landmark decision came down yesterday on a proposed supervised drug injection site in Philadelphia. A federal judge ruled that a nonprofit’s proposal to open the nation’s first site does not violate federal law. It was the first court decision in the country to definitively weigh in on the matter, and it will shape the legal debate surrounding the facilities.

Good morning. It’s Wednesday, October 2nd. The Philadelphia District Attorney’s office is investigating whether two former city detectives got suspects to confess to murders that they didn’t commit. Prosecutors disclosed yesterday that they were looking into the potential use of threats, hollow promises, or physical or psychological abuse.

Good morning. It’s Tuesday, October 1st. Almost 30-billion-dollars worth of Philadelphia’s real estate is exempt from property taxes. That’s about 17 percent of the city’s entire real estate value. And it’s a group that includes some of Philly’s most iconic buildings, including the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Lincoln Financial Field, and the former Aramark Tower. They are exempt from property taxes because they are owned by nonprofit and government institutions.

Good morning. It’s Monday, September 30th. An Inquirer investigation reveals that over the past decade, Philadelphia’s police arbitration process has cost Philly taxpayers at least 5-million-dollars. And that number could be low because the city couldn't find dozens of financial records sought by the Inquirer. The arbitration process reinstates officers who have been fired and allows others to escape lesser punishment imposed by the police.