It’s been a long time since so few Philadelphia residents turned out for a presidential primary election. Only 17.7% of registered voters cast a ballot in Tuesday’s election, or just 183,538 of the city’s more than one million eligible voters, according to unofficial results from the City Commissioners.  That’s a little more than half of the percentage — about 32% — who turned out four years ago to pick Joe Biden for the Democratic nomination, or to endorse Donald Trump’s ultimately unsuccessful reelection bid atop the Republican ticket.  And it’s even further below the 40% of Phill ..read more

It’s out with the Ancient and in with the ‘divine’ at 1726 Chestnut St., with last Tuesday’s opening of Sura Indian Bistro. The restaurant is the latest endeavor from the team behind Ancient Spirits & Grille, which had occupied the three-story space since 2021. The name Sura comes from Sanskrit for “of the gods.” The overhauled menu, co-owner Syam Namballa told Billy Penn, explores centuries of Indian culinary arts. “We’ve revived the old, forgotten cuisines from different parts of the subcontinent,” the 41-year-old said, “and tried to make them as authentic as possible.” The aim, Namball ..read more

Primary election results are in Eugene DePasquale wins the crowded contest for the Democratic nomination for state attorney general while Dave Sunday took the Republican nod.  It was a double win for Malcolm Kenyatta as he won the Democratic primary for Pa. auditor general as well as his state House race to hold on to his 181st district seat. With the top of the ticket races already decided, turnout was relatively low. WHYY’s Sophia Schmidt found a number of voters taking part in a protest effort, writing in “uncommitted” instead of ..read more

Everyone knows what to do in a restaurant, says theater professional Kathryn “KC” MacMillan. First the menu, she said. Choose and order what you want — from cocktails and appetizers to main dishes. When your order arrives, enjoy. Or send it back if it doesn’t suit. That’s the same idea behind what will be a completely new taste for Philadelphia theatergoers. “It’s theater as restaurant,” said MacMillan, artistic director of Tiny Dynamite, explaining the concept behind “The Worst Café in the World,” set  in a make-believe restaurant created at Posh Brewery’s quasi-industrial space in Brew ..read more

Voting in Pennsylvania’s primary election appears to be going smoothly today, according to election integrity monitors, with only a few reports of minor hiccups amid apparently low turnout through mid-afternoon. Voters have been calling in various typical problems to election protection hotlines. Those include errors in mail ballots, such as incorrect handwritten dates, that they must fix by the close of voting at 8 p.m. if their votes are to count, representatives of Common Cause Pennsylvania and the ACLU of Pennsylvania said this afternoon. “As with any election day, there are always a few ..read more

Baseball’s a funny game. Was it really just a week ago we were complaining that the Phillies had failed once again to get off to the fast start they promised in spring training? A listless and punchless offense being propped up by a good starting rotation and a punchless offense? Were we really watching all this again? One week later, the Phillies have won seven in a row entering play on Tuesday thanks to series sweeps against two unbelievably awful baseball teams in the Rockies and White Sox, and a series opening win Monday night against the Reds. They are off to their best start since Gabe ..read more

Philly manufacturer of military robot dogs is a target of protests The frequent pro-Palestinian marches and protests that activists have held in Philadelphia over the past few months have recently found a new target: Ghost Robotics. The company designs and manufactures four-legged, dog-like mobile robots and is headquartered at the University of Pennsylvania’s Pennovation Works office and lab complex. The Israeli army has been using the company’s robots in the Gaza strip, according to news reports in the Haaretz newspaper and other sources.  A quad-legged Unmanned Ground Vehicl ..read more

City Council votes to expand protections for contract workers Thousands of workers who keep Center City office buildings running may have more job security than ever after City Council passed an expansion of the worker protection bill in a 13-2 vote. It now goes to Mayor Parker for approval.  Each office building contracts with businesses ranging from janitorial services to maintenance. Currently, protections only cover the period during a contractor switch. WHYY’s Kristen Mosbrucker-Garza explains how expanded protections would work. Continue reading… Keisha Hayes is a SE ..read more

From lesbian event groups to queer clay communities to WLW camps, Philly’s sapphic scene keeps itself afloat despite the three-year lack of a lesbian bar in the city. Toasted Walnut shut down in 2021 for various personal and financial reasons and took the pandemic as the final blow. Its closure fell in line with a national shortage, as only 32 lesbian bars remain in the United States. Still, the Philly sapphic community is craving the return of a permanent physical space for queer women and non-binary people. Julia Harris and Clover Gilfor are on a mission to open Val’s Lesbian Bar, filling a ..read more

The frequent pro-Palestinian marches and protests that activists have held in Philadelphia over the past few months have recently found a new target: Ghost Robotics. The company designs and manufactures four-legged, dog-like mobile robots and is headquartered at the University of Pennsylvania’s Pennovation Works office and lab complex. The Israeli army has been using the company’s robots in the Gaza strip, according to news reports in the Haaretz newspaper and other sources. At a protest on Penn’s campus earlier this month and a subsequent march through the streets of West Philadelphia, activ ..read more