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Patrick Kerkstra on Muck Rack

Patrick Kerkstra

Verified
Philadelphia
As seen in: The Philadelphia Inquirer, Baltimore Sun, Philadelphia Daily News, The New Republic, Philadelphia Magazine, PlanPhilly, WHYY-TV (Philadelphia, PA), Next City
Covers:  urbanism, urban affairs, politics, philadelphia, local government, redevelopment, state government, tax policy
Journalist. Managing editor strategy/digital at the @phillyinquirer. Former @Phillymag editor in chief.

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Patrick Kerkstra’s Journalist Portfolio

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Radical?

Radical?

Ten minutes into my first interview with Pat Toomey, the terrifying reality sinks in: I am in no way prepared…

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Philadelphia's Great Reckoning

Philadelphia's Great Reckoning

Like a boiler with a rust-eaten lining worn eggshell thin, huge sectors of Philadelphia's infrastructure have…

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Taxes wither on the vine

Taxes wither on the vine

Philadelphia runs the least-effective delinquent-property-tax collection system of the nation's biggest citie…

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The Fall of Tastykake

The Fall of Tastykake

A small demolition crew is slowly gutting the old Tastykake factory on Hunting Park Avenue for scrap. The six…

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The Moral Hazards: Philadelphia’s Ongoing Pension Crisis

The Moral Hazards: Philadelphia’s Ongoing Pension Crisis

If the failures of the past are any indication, Philadelphia won’t be able to escape its fate. Not because th…

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Wanted: Female Mayoral Candidates | Philadelphia Magazine

Wanted: Female Mayoral Candidates | Philadelphia Magazine

It's March 8th, and the recent national debate over the "war on women" is at its zenith. Rush Limbaugh has ju…

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Articles

From the archives: Big-city veteran Charles H. Ramsey is Philadelphia’s new top cop

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By Marcia Gelbart, Patrick Kerkstra Verified
| The Philadelphia Inquirer Verified
This article originally appeared in The Inquirer on Nov. 16, 2007. Against a backdrop of relentless and unsettling violence in the city, Mayor-elect Michael Nutter yesterday named former Washington Police Chief Charles H. Ramsey as Philadelphia’s next police commissioner. Ramsey oversaw a significant drop in crime and murders in the nation's capital, and Nutter made it clear that would be his mandate here as well. The 57-year-old career cop said he was unfazed by the assignment.
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Assessing AVI: Information sources and impact roundup

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By Ashley Hahn, Jared Brey Verified, Patrick Kerkstra Verified
| PlanPhilly Verified
Ashley Hahn is an independent writer with a background in historic preservation and city planning. She started Eyes on the Street for PlanPhilly in 2011 and was PlanPhilly's managing editor from 2015-2017. Ashley has lived in 12 zip codes that she can think of, including neighborhoods in Los Angeles, Chicago, Boston, and New York. She is a Philadelphian by choice. Contact Ashley via email or find her on twitter: @ashleyjhahn.
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By Patrick Kerkstra Verified, John Kromer, Jared Brey Verified
| PlanPhilly Verified
The Philadelphia Land Bank needs a source of funding to pay for the maintenance of the blighted vacant buildings and lots that it will be acquiring, owning, and holding until they…
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Interview

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Have you ever used a typewriter?

Only ironically.

Who's your favorite fictional journalist?

Hard to top Murphy Brown.

How do you prefer to be pitched on stories?

Intelligently and by e-mail.

Awards

Weiss Award for Investigative Journalism

2012 - Investigative Journalism in the Philadelphia Region
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Headline of the Year - Geek Awards

2012

"Headline of the Year is a journalism award that honors awesome achievement in covering stories in the local geek scene."

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