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The weird, wild and sometimes illicit world of Philadelphia's sprawling, neglected park system.
Ryan Briggs
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Researcher with @PhillyInquirer investigations. email: rbriggs at inquirer.com
Ryan Briggs’s Journalist Portfolio
View as a gridThe Trouble with Old City
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Behind the Continental, one of culinary impresario Steven Starr's oldest and most recognizable "concepts," two decaying buildings sit on South Second Street in Old City. In stark contrast to the surrounding block - alive with bars and restaurants, infamous for its weekend hordes - the buildings at 9 and 11 S. Second St. are boarded up and dark, with rusted, mangled security grates warding off passersby. The blight, now half a century in the making, seems inexplicable, situated as it is on a prominent corner in the heart of one of Philadelphia's oldest, most iconic and, arguably, most desirable neighborhoods.
Indictments Are Expected in School Probe, But No Sign of Reform
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Matthew Smith In February 2012, FBI agents searched the Center City condo of Chaka "Chip" Fattah Jr., son of Congressman Chaka Fattah, and the offices of lawyer David T. Shulick, chief executive of the Delaware Valley High School Management Corp. Now, after a year and a half of scandal, investigation and leaks, a source says grand-jury indictments are imminent. The anticipated charges involve the alleged misuse of as much as $600,000 in government funds. But the same source, who requested anonymity because of the ongoing investigations, also says the pending charges may not address the full extent of the alleged mismanagement at Delaware Valley High School-Kelly, the School-District-funded "alternative" (i.e., disciplinary) school on Kelly Drive in East Falls at the center of this investigation.
Charter Schools, Landlords Owe City and Schools $762K
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The Philadelphia School Reform Commission SRC ruled that tax deadbeats could no longer hold lucrative school contracts. "If you're contracting with us, you must be up to date on your taxes," says School District spokesperson Fernando Gallard, adding that the new regulations require vendors to obtain tax certification from the city's Revenue Department. But the district failed to check on the contractors employed by its growing network of charter schools, who, it turns out, owe $762k to the city.
Why Philly slumlords can hide in plain sight
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In the wake of last month's unthinkable building collapse, all eyes fell on the Department of Licenses & Inspections, the city agency responsible for code enforcement. L&I, along with the Revenue Department, is supposed to act as the city's shield against negligent property owners. But, a loophole lets blight-holders dodge L&I in court.
A dump makes for a nasty neighbor - so why can't anyone get this mess cleaned up?
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A local civic association leader is part owner of an illegal dump that has plagued a South Philadelphia resident.
The newest offshoot of the Circle of Hope Church makes a foray into the heart of North Philadelph...
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Neal Santos Karen Sisco Neal Santos A little over a year ago, a new church opened in a place that has gotten used to vanishing houses of worship and dwindling congregants: North Philadelphia. Nestled in a former PECO office near Broad and Dauphin streets, it doesn't look much like a traditional church, and its occupants - young, trendy and mostly white - don't look much like traditional churchgoers, particularly in an area where surrounding census tracts are 45 to 94 percent black. But the new worshipers say they are here to stay: Some have even bought homes and started families on the gap-toothed blocks north of Temple University.