Philadelphia Inquirer

Good morning. It’s Wednesday, August 28th. The legal saga that has followed Meek Mill for more than a decade is now officially over. The Philly rapper pleaded guilty to illegal possession of a firearm, and the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office dropped all other charges. And as part of his plea agreement, Mill won’t face any further penalty.

Good morning. It’s Tuesday, August 27th. The Dauphin [Daw-fin] County district attorney isn’t bringing charges against a former Pennsylvania lawmaker who has been accused of sexual assault. Yesterday, the DA said that while he found the woman who accused Former State Representative Brian Ellis of rape to be credible, it’s not in the public interest to prosecute him. Last week, a grand jury recommended no criminal charges should be filed against Ellis.

Good morning. It’s Monday, August 26th. Educators across America spend hundreds of dollars of their own money to make sure they have classroom supplies. But this year, strangers are helping to fill Philly area classrooms. The initiative is called hashtag clear-the-lists and was started by an elementary school teacher in Texas. She used social media this summer to urge teachers to share wishlists for their classrooms.

Good morning. It’s Friday, August 23rd. Philadelphia was the first city in America with streetlights but has been a little slow to update them. Until now. The city’s energy office is set to issue a call for vendors who can convert all one-hundred-thousand streetlights to L-E-Ds in two to three years. The city spends $15 million a year on streetlights, making them the government’s single largest energy expense.

Good morning. It’s Thursday, August 22nd. The fallout from ex-Philadelphia Police Commissioner Richard Ross’ abrupt resignation continued yesterday. Ross refuted claims in a lawsuit that he ignored a police corporal’s complaint of sexual harassment against another officer. The lawsuit says that Ross allegedly ignored the claims in part because the police corporal had broken off a two-year affair with him.

Good morning. It’s Wednesday, August 21st. The Philadelphia refinery that was damaged by an explosion and fire earlier this summer has laid off most of its workers. Philadelphia Energy Solutions notified the Steelworkers Union yesterday, and most union members were released that afternoon. Only a few operators are still working, mostly those in the refinery’s boiler house and wastewater treatment plant.

Good morning. It’s Tuesday, August 20th. Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner said yesterday that the investigation into last week’s police shooting could take months. Krasner and a top deputy said that authorities still needed to process and review hundreds of hours of video footage from various sources that captured the seven-and-a-half-hour long standoff in the Tioga [TIE-OGA] section of North Philadelphia.

Good morning. It’s Monday, August 19th. Attempted murder charges were filed Saturday against Maurice Hill, who authorities say shot at six Philadelphia police officers during an hours-long standoff last week. Charges were also brought against four men accused of being involved in an illegal drug operation led by the accused gunman. At his preliminary hearing, Hill argued that he was not an immediate danger after a prosecutor argued that he should remain in custody. His bail was denied.

Good morning. It’s Friday, August 16th. Prosecutors said yesterday that they want to send the gunman who shot six Philadelphia police officers to prison for life. New details emerged about the standoff between Maurice Hill and cops that lasted over seven hours on Wednesday. Officials say Hill likely used an AR-15 rifle to open fire on police officers. He also had a handgun in his pocket when he surrendered after midnight.

Good morning. It's Thursday, August 15th. Philadelphia police officers spent more than five hours in a standoff with a gunman in a house in the Tioga [tie-yoga] section of North Philadelphia yesterday afternoon. Six officers were shot, and they were all were released from hospitals last night. Two officers were trapped on the second floor when a suspect began shooting at them from downstairs at 4:30 p.m.