ABOVE PHOTO: Allegheny County Election Division Deputy Manager Chet Harhut carries a container of mail-in ballots in Pittsburgh, April 18, 2024. The Republican National Committee has filed voting-related lawsuits in two dozen states targeting such things as voter rolls, mailed balloting and policies related to poll watchers. Democrats say it’s a strategy designed to raise doubts about the legitimacy of the vote this fall and potentially delay certification of the results. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File) By Christine Fernando ASSOCIATED PRESS CHICAGO — As President Joe Biden and Donald Trump st ..read more

On Thursday, eight of Mayor Cherelle Parker’s picks for Philadelphia’s School Board were passed by City Council. But the rejection of the ninth one is about to test some relationships. ABOVE PHOTO: Joyce Wilkerson PHOTO: PHILA.GOV By Denise Clay-Murray A few years ago, I wrote a column for the SUN entitled “Fisher Price Politics” about the School District of Philadelphia. The premise of that column was that the school district, which the Commonwealth controlled at that time, was being mistreated like a spoiled kid would treat his or her toys. The argument I was making in that column was that ..read more

In November, the race for Pennsylvania’s attorney general will be between Democrat Eugene DiPasquale and Dave Sunday. ABOVE PHOTO: PA Auditor General Eugene DePasquale, speaking at a rally against the Trump-Republican lawsuit to overturn the Affordable Care Act (ACA), August 28, 2019. Photo: Anthony Grove/Commonwealth Media Services By Denise Clay-Murray On the website for his attorney general campaign, Democrat Eugene DiPasquale, Pennsylvania’s former auditor general, touts himself as someone with a record of standing up to bullies. Meanwhile on his website, Dave Sunday, the Republican curre ..read more

ABOVE PHOTO: Orlando Rendon (3rd from left), Office of Community Empowerment and Opportunity, City of Philadelphia; Sheila Ireland (center), OIC Philadelphia, president and CEO; Councilmember Jeffery Young, Jr. (3rd from right) and Wallace Custis (2nd from right), director of reentry services, along with OIC staff, celebrate the generous grant from the city. Photos by Rejean Wilson OIC Philadelphia recently shared the news that they received a $382,226 investment from the City of Philadelphia’s Office of Community Empowerment and Opportunity’s Same Day Work Pay (SDWP) initiative. OIC Philade ..read more

ABOVE PHOTO: The new Equity Health Center in Coatesville, Pa. (Photo/Alliance for Health Equity) Last week, the Chester County Commissioners and the Department of Human Services unveiled the Human Needs Network of Chester County, an initiative that brings a local focus on helping residents experiencing mental health concerns or a crisis, who are impacted by behavioral health issues, or who are experiencing a housing crisis. At the core of the Human Needs Network is a locally-based contact center and mobile crisis resolution teams. The contact center runs the 2-1-1 information and referral serv ..read more

BPT In these inflationary times, the cost of owning a car seems to increase on a daily basis. The price of buying a car is growing, and so is the cost of operating one. We all want personal transportation and the joy of car ownership, but the statistics are challenging. Simply purchasing a car is more costly than ever. The prices of new and used vehicles skyrocketed in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. According to J.D. Power, new-vehicle transaction prices shot up 13% in 2021 and then surged up another 13% in 2022. The increases moderated a bit last year, but prices haven’t fallen. The ..read more

BPT There’s a funny thing about body odor. It’s not confined to your underarms. It can affect your whole body, from your pits to your bits … and beyond. Ever get a whiff of your feet after a long day in sandals? How about your bra when you whip it off after you get home after work? Let’s be honest, ladies. We might want to smell like a delicate spring rain, but by the end of the day? Sometimes, the struggle is real. Secret gets it. This industry leader that has been helping women get their good smell on for nearly 70 years recently found women often face unspoken concerns about whole body odor ..read more

ASSOCIATED PRESS ABOVE PHOTO: A man carries a Free TikTok sign in front of the courthouse where the hush-money trial of Donald Trump got underway April 15, 2024, in New York. The House has passed legislation Saturday, April 20, to ban TikTok in the U.S. if its China-based owner doesn’t sell its stake, sending it to the Senate as part of a larger package of bills that would send aid to Ukraine and Israel. (AP Photo/Ted Shaffrey, File) No, TikTok will not suddenly disappear from your phone. Nor will you go to jail if you continue using it after it is banned. After years of attempts to ban the Ch ..read more

ABOVE PHOTO: Dr. Rosie Ann Riley comforts Bul Mabil as he gets emotional speaking about his brother, Dau Mabil, during a press conference to ask for the public’s help in finding Dau at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Cathedral in Jackson Miss., on Monday, April 1, 2024. As a child, Dau Mabil escaped war-torn Sudan and built a new life in Mississippi. In April, fishermen found his body floating in a river in the state — prompting calls for a federal investigation into his disappearance and death. (Lauren Witte/The Clarion-Ledger via AP) By Michael Goldberg Associated Press/Report for America JACKSON, Mi ..read more

ABOVE PHOTO: Miami Beach, FL/USA – August 23, 2017: Mary J Blige (Strength of a Woman Tour) performing at The Fillmore Miami Beach at Jackie Gleason Theater. Editorial credit: Gregory Reed / Shutterstock.com By Mark Kennedy ASSOCIATED PRESS NEW YORK — Mary J. Blige, Cher, Foreigner, A Tribe Called Quest, Kool & The Gang and Ozzy Osbourne have been inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, a class that also includes folk-rockers Dave Matthews Band and singer-guitarist Peter Frampton. Alexis Korner, John Mayall and Big Mama Thornton earned the Musical Influence Award, while the late Ji ..read more