Philadelphia Inquirer

Good morning. It’s Friday, September 13th. Pennsylvania has the largest and highest-paid legislature in the country. But an analysis of four decades of legislative data by the Inquirer and Spotlight PA has found that they’re doing less and less actual lawmaking. Since the 1990s, the number of bills introduced in the legislature has fallen by more than 20 percent. And the number of bills actually passed into law has fallen even more dramatically.

Good morning. It's Thursday, September 12th. What happens behind closed doors of police arbitrations usually stays there. But through a Right-to-Know request, The Inquirer obtained records of 170 previously confidential police arbitration cases. The documents show how the union fights back when police are accused of misconduct and facing discipline.

Good morning, it’s Wednesday, September 11th. The University of Pennsylvania community is mourning the death of Gregory Eells, who was Penn’s executive director of counseling and psychological services. Elles died by suicide on Monday. He came to Penn six months ago to lead the department that counsels students with mental health problems. Penn has been rocked in recent years by a number of high profile student suicides; at least 14 Penn students have died by suicide since 2013.

Good morning. It’s Tuesday, September 10th. There might be new hope for people serving life in prison and want a second chance. A record 21 people are being recommended for commutations by Pennsylvania’s Department of Corrections, and could get released from their life sentences.

Good morning. It’s Monday, September 9th. The Democrats will be back on the debate stage this week, and this time, all of the leading 2020 candidates will go up against each other on the same night. For a while now, Joe Biden, Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren have been at the top of every national and early-primary state poll. But analysts caution that the race is still more open than it may seem. But now, the Democratic primary will enter a new phase designed to thin the herd.

Good morning. It’s Friday, September 6th. Hahnemann Hospital will be allowed to sell its medical-residency program to Thomas Jefferson University Hospitals for $55 million. And the federal government has seven days to appeal the decision by a U.S. bankruptcy judge. The proposed sale was being challenged by federal regulators that claimed the deal was illegal. The ruling marks a key turning point in Hahnemann’s bankruptcy filing, providing much-needed funds to begin paying off creditors.

Good morning. It’s Thursday, September 5th. Last year, a group of Pennsylvania voters won their challenge to the state’s gerrymandered congressional map, and that victory sent shockwaves through the legal and political establishment. One of those shockwaves just hit North Carolina, where a panel of state judges ruled that the state's legislative maps violate the state's constitution.

Good morning. It’s Wednesday, September 4th. SEPTA’s [sep-tuh] new Key cards are bringing a new twist to an old hustle. People are using the cards to give cash-paying riders discounts on the Broad Street Line and the El. Here’s how it works: Scammers carry several key cards loaded with weekly or monthly fares. They then swipe people through the turnstiles for two dollars cash, cheaper than the two-fifty a passenger would pay a cashier.

Good morning. It’s Friday, August 30th. Philadelphia students head back to the classroom soon. And they’ll be greeted by some new faces. Seven-hundred new teachers and counselors have been hired. Some are in new positions made possible by the district’s three-point-four billion dollar budget. Some schools will also receive new social workers, behavioral health employees, nurses, and air conditioning. Superintendent William R.

Good morning. It’s Thursday, August 29th. The retired chief executive of Philadelphia Energy Solutions announced yesterday that he’s formally bidding to buy and restart the refinery that went bankrupt and shut down after a fire and explosion earlier this summer. 73-year-old Philip Rinaldi has extensive connections to business and political leaders, energy executives, and the refinery’s labor union.