Ideas We Should Steal

Draft Poll Workers Like We Do Juries

Almost every election Philadelphia struggles to recruit enough people to operate our polling stations, which puts our democracy at risk. What if we made like Nebraska, and … drafted them instead?

By Courtney DuChene

Penn Bets Big On Green

The city's largest private employer is enacting an ambitious sustainability plan that could be a model for the rest of Philly — and the country

By Courtney DuChene

Does Trump 2.0 Mean Game Over for the Climate?

Doomism will get us nowhere. Here’s what we can do to continue protecting the environment

By Courtney DuChene
Development for Good

Ray Philly

From the outside, this brand-new Olde Kensington development looks like the rest of the shiny luxury options. Inside, however, it’s all about the arts and community.

By Courtney DuChene
Ideas We Should Steal

Fix the Damn Potholes … with AI

Vialytics is user-friendly software that quickly identifies and maps potholes, sinkholes and other roadway problems. Could the app fix Philly streets — or would our City simply run a pilot and then throw it away?

By Courtney DuChene
Citizen of the Week

Ken Weinstein, Ballot Corrector

The real estate developer — along with 600 other volunteers statewide — is working to help people “cure” their rejected mail-in ballots

By Courtney DuChene

PA’s Secret Weapon to Fight Climate Change

A bipartisan Philadelphia-based group is spreading the word about Pennsylvania’s Environmental Rights Amendment in the hopes the 53-year-old law can protect our endangered environment today

By Courtney DuChene

Trump v. Harris on the Economy

Most voters say the economy will play a major role in deciding their choice for president. So how do the records of both candidates stack up against each other?

By Courtney DuChene

A Jobs Program that Works

The West Philadelphia Skills Initiative helped nearly 2,000 Philadelphians find work. Now, with a large grant from philanthropist MacKenzie Scott, the organization is expanding and rebranding to connect more Philadelphians with skills, jobs and career opportunities

By Courtney DuChene

How to Help Communities Affected by Hurricane Helene

Can you fly a plane? Decipher a home insurance policy? Donate a couple of bucks? Eight ways Philadelphians 600 miles away from storm-impacted North Carolina can offer effective aid

By Courtney DuChene