Famed mosaic artist Isaiah Zagar left a legacy shaped by the glimmering murals and large-scale tile works he’s engraved throughout Philadelphia.
Zagar, who died at age 86 on Thursday due to complications of heart failure and Parkinson’s disease, will be remembered for his striking works and unrelenting mission to beautify the city he called home for more than five decades.
Zagar’s nearly 200 handcrafted works can be found throughout the country, but the bulk of his famed mosaics are within city lines.
Here’s some of the largest and boldest works the iconic artist has crafted in Philadelphia.
(function() {
var l2 = function() {
new pym.Parent(‘ZAGARMAP.html’,
‘https://media.inquirer.com/storage/inquirer/projects/innovation/arcgis_iframe/ZAGARMAP.html’);
};
if (typeof(pym) === ‘undefined’) {
var h = document.getElementsByTagName(‘head’)[0],
s = document.createElement(‘script’);
s.type = ‘text/javascript’;
s.src = ‘https://pym.nprapps.org/pym.v1.min.js’;
s.onload = l2;
h.appendChild(s);
} else {
l2();
}
})();
Philadelphia’s Magic Gardens
1020 South St.
Tourists visit Philadelphia’s Magic Gardens, which was built by Isaiah Zagar in the 1960s, in 2017.
As inescapable as Zagar’s work is in Philadelphia, the Magic Gardens serves as the artist’s most grand, well-known project. Dating back to 1994, it consists of thousands of square feet of entirely mosaicked space stretched across three city lots, showcasing what Zagar once referred to as his “voluminous” output of art.
Magic Gardens Studio
1002 Watkins St.
Philadelphia’s Magic Gardens Executive Director Emily Smith (left) and Preservation and Facilities Manager Stacey Holder (right) in the former studio of mosaic artist Isaiah Zagar in 2024.
If the Magic Gardens is the heart of Zagar’s output, his Magic Gardens Studio is the brain. Purchased in 2007, this 10,000-square-foot South Philly warehouse stands virtually entirely covered — inside and out — in Zagar’s artful mosaics, and long served as his studio and storage space.
Home of Isaiah and Julia Zagar
826 South St.
Isaiah and Julia Zagar are photographed in front of their home in South Philadelphia in 2024.
It doesn’t get much more personal than the Zagar’s home, where he and his family lived for about 40 years. Similar to his South Philly studio, the space is mosaicked inside and out in Zagar’s signature style, including a roughly 544-square foot piece covering the building’s façade.
This Is The Day, Jesus Journey
1036 South St.
Just steps away from the Magic Gardens sits the Waters Memorial African Methodist Episcopal Church, its side showcasing Jesus Journey — a 2006 mosaic that features a decidedly religious bent. At more than 400 square feet, it uses excerpts from the Bible detailing the life of Jesus Christ. And across the street, another similarly sized installation titled Bilal From Pakistan was completed in 2012 alongside artist Bilal Khan.
Rose and the Firefighters
600 block of Alder Street
Among Zagar’s most iconic murals, this piece stretches some 6,000 square feet along Alder and Kater Streets, just east of the Magic Gardens. This massive piece, completed in 2004, adorns the former headquarters of Engine Company 11, which once served as one of Philadelphia’s only Black fire companies between 1919 and 1952.
Jim’s Steaks
400 South St.
Ken Silver,owner of Jim’s Steaks, in a room filled with mosaic tile by Philadelphia artist Isaiah Zagar inside former Eye’s Gallery damaged in 2022 fire.
Blocks from Zagar’s home, Jim’s Steaks showcases the artist’s extensive mosaic work in a space formerly occupied by the Eyes Gallery, which Julia Zagar ran for decades. A 2022 fire damaged both the gallery and the neighboring original Jim’s building, prompting the cheesesteak shop to later expand next door — revealing a treasure trove of interior artwork that had long been covered.
Schell Street Walls
600 S. Schell St.
Vacant lots, rowhouses, and cheesesteak shops weren’t Zagar’s only canvasses — he also covered entire side streets in his mosaics. Completed over nearly 30 years, the 600 block of Schell Street showcases the artist’s work on both sides of the steet. Many pieces were created during community workshops Zagar held there over the years.
Fitness Works
714 Reed St.
There are more well-known murals than the one that occupies the lower façade and parking lot of this South Philly gym, but few are as large. At roughly 1,500 square feet all told, this piece was completed in 2014 as part of a mosaic mural workshop, and has since come to serve as landmark.
Homage to Mike Mattio, Master Plumber
700 block of Reese Street
Occupying the side of a number of row homes, this Zagar mosaic serves as a tribute to its eponymous Mike Mattio, a former plumber of the artist’s — portrait included. It is also something of a high-brow installation, thanks to references calling out artists ranging from William Blake to Duke Ellington.
Hip Hop Café
705 Passyunk Ave.
This building has housed quite a few businesses over the years. At least since 2002, it has showcased Zagar’s Hip Hop Café mosaic mural. The piece covers the structure’s 500-square-foot front, which today is home to Momoka Ramen Skewers’ Queen Village location.
The Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, a civil rights icon and a regular presence in Philadelphia who energized Black voters both locally and nationally for more than five decades, died Tuesday at his home in Chicago following a prolonged battle with a rare neurological disorder. He was 84.
“Jesse Jackson will be remembered in Philadelphia as a civil rights hero, and a leader in terms of independent Black politics nationwide,” said former Councilmember W. Wilson Goode Jr., the son of Philly’s first Black mayor, W. Wilson Goode Sr. “He loved Philadelphia, and Philadelphia loved him.”
A native of Greenville, S.C., Rev. Jackson initially rose to prominence in the mid-1960s, when he joined the 1965 voting rights march that the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. led from Selma to Montgomery, Ala. In the years following King’s assassination in 1968, Rev. Jackson largely came to be considered his successor.
Rev. Jackson would go on to become a prominent Black political and cultural leader in his own right, with his lengthy time in the public eye including presidential runs in 1984 and 1988. His visits to Philadelphia date back to the 1970s, and run the gamut from time in town supporting his own presidential campaigns — though neither of which were successful in the ‘80s — to appearances at the Democratic National Convention in 2016.
The Rev. Jesse Jackson, founder and president of the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition, acknowledges the cheers of delegates as he walks to the podium to deliver remarks on the third night of the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia on July 27, 2016.Hillary Clinton supporters and the Rev. Jesse Jackson (right) on the fourth day of the Democratic National Convention at the Wells Fargo Center on July 28, 2016.The Rev. Jesse Jackson visits Baltimore’s turbulent intersection of West North Avenue and Pennsylvania Avenue on April 28, 2015.
Across that time, Rev. Jackson served as a sort of rallying figure for Black Philadelphians at large, who largely supported his candidacy during his presidential runs, despite him failing to secure the Democratic nomination statewide. Still, his impact for Black voters both in Philadelphia and nationally remains everlasting.
“That was the Rosetta stone to everything Jackson was trying to achieve,” said former Daily News scribe Gene Seymour, nephew of legendary People Paper columnist Chuck Stone. “We aren’t to be ignored or dismissed or cast aside — we matter.”
In that sense, Goode Jr. said, Rev. Jackson will remain a political icon who inspired the nationalization of Black political empowerment.
“Jesse Jackson is also a cultural icon in terms of telling people to be proud of being Black, and telling themselves, ‘I am somebody,’” Goode Jr. said, referencing Rev. Jackson’s famed refrain. “That is something that was indelible in the soul of Black people across the nation and world, and in Philadelphia here as well.”
The Rev. Jesse Jackson visits the turbulent intersection of West North Avenue and Pennsylvania Avenue in Baltimore on April 28, 2015.The Rev. Jesse Jackson visited Occupy Philadelphia protesters on Nov. 13, 2011. He told them to “never surrender.”The Rev Jesse Jackson at Joe Frazier’s funeral at Enon Tabernacle Baptist Church on Cheltenham Avenue in Philadelphia on Nov. 14, 2011.The Rev. Jesse Jackson (center) visits the Interfaith tent, donated by Quakers, to talk to the Rev. Peter Friedrich (left) and (from right) Phillip Hall, Hollister Knowlton, and Joyce Moore in 2011.
Though Philadelphia’s Black community generally was supportive of and receptive to Rev. Jackson’s messaging historically, Seymour said, he maintained something of a complicated relationship with the city’s prominent politicians. Wilson Goode Sr., for example, officially supported Walter Mondale and Michael Dukakis for president in the 1980s. At least in 1988, Seymour said, Rev. Jackson likely had “the people’s hearts,” despite lacking the official nomination.
Wilson Goode Sr. was not immediately available for comment.
“His presidential campaigns in 1984 and 1988 reshaped American politics,” said the Rev. Gregory Edwards, of the Philly-based POWER Interfaith, in a statement. “Those campaigns widened the political imagination of this country and helped cultivate a generation of Black elected leaders.”
Rev. Jackson’s relationship with Goode Sr. was somewhat complicated following the 1985 MOVE bombing, which brought the civil rights leader to tour the ruins of the 6200 block of Osage Avenue in its aftermath. Rev. Jackson urged a congressional investigation into the incident, which he called “excessive force,” but avoided criticizing Goode directly in subsequent meetings. Goode, meanwhile, said that the city would cooperate with any groups investigating the incident, The Inquirer reported at the time.
“He was not happy with what happened in ‘85 with MOVE,” Seymour said.
The Rev. Jesse L. Jackson speaks during during funeral services for civil rights activist C. Delores Tucker at Deliverance Evangelistic Church on Oct. 21, 2005. Seated in front row behind him, left to right are Eleanor Smeal, president of the Feminist Majority Foundation; Marion Barry, former mayor of Washington, and Philadelphia Mayor John Street. Rev. Jackson is projected live on a large screen monitor (camera operator in foreground) as he participates in a panel discussion laying out a legal and political strategy for fulfilling Brown v. the Board of Education, at the annual NAACP meeting on July. 14, 2004 at the Convention Center. Her family stands by as husband (partially hidden) William T. Tucker covers the body of civil rights activist C. Delores Tucker in her casket at the beginning of funeral service at Deliverance Evangelistic Church on Oct. 21, 2005. At right is the Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, founder and president of the Rainbow Coalition/PUSH, who later delivered the eulogy. Seated in rear at right is former Vice President Al Gore. AIDS quilt panels flank the podium as the Rev. Jesse Jackson speaks at an African American AIDS conference at the Wyndham Franklin Plaza Hotel on Feb. 28, 2005.
Still, Rev. Jackson often served as a defender of Philadelphia’s famed Black figures. In 2011, for example, Rev. Jackson spoke at the funeral of legendary world heavyweight boxing champion Joe Frazier, who had long competed with the fictional Rocky Balboa for recognition. As Jackson put it at the time, Frazier was the “real champion,” not the “Italian Stallion.”
The Rev. Jesse Jackson, who has a sleeping bag draped around his shoulders, is talking and praying with Occupy Philadelphia demonstrators: Brad Wilson (from left); the Rev. Bill Golderer, pastor of Broad Street Ministry; and Donna Jones, pastor of the Cookman Baptist Initiative.
“If you were of importance as a Black person in America during the time [Jackson] was in the public eye,” Seymour said, “he was there to speak on your behalf.”
Goode Jr.’s most prominent memory of Rev. Jackson, meanwhile, dates back to the mid-1980s, when he was a student at the University of Pennsylvania. At the time, he said, Rev. Jackson attended a National Black Student Union conference following an invitation from its organizers, Goode Jr. included. It was, Goode Jr. said, an inspiration.
“It meant a lot to us,” Goode Jr. said. “Not just Black leaders at Penn, but across the nation, who were gathered there.”
Striking Red Cross worker Lenny Lerro takes a picture of himself with the Rev. Jesse Jackson as they walk the picket line in 2011 on Spring Garden Street in Philadelphia.Rev. Jesse Jackson visits with folks at Occupy Philadelphia, just outside City Hall on Nov. 20, 2011.The Rev. Jesse Jackson visits with folks at Occupy Philadelphia, just outside City Hall on Nov. 20, 2011.U.S. Rep. John Lewis (second from left) is presented with the Civil Rights Champion Award in 2013 by (from left) the Rev. Al Sharpton, the Rev. Jesse Jackson, and Marc Morial, president of the Urban League.
Frederick Wiseman, 96, the renowned documentarian who chronicled life at Northeast Philadelphia High School in a 1968 film that caused a yearslong controversy in the city, has died.
Known for his direct cinema style, Mr. Wiseman started his career as a law professor at the Boston University Institute of Law and Medicine before turning to film. His lengthy filmography stretches back to 1967 with the release of Titicut Follies, a controversial exposé focused on the treatment of the patient-inmates of Bridgewater State Hospital for the Criminally Insane in Massachusetts.
His follow-up, 1968’s High School, a foundational cinema verite documentary filmed at Northeast High School in Philly between the assassinations of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, was similarly controversial. In fact, Northeast High leaders found it so incendiary that it did not receive a local premiere until 2001 — 32 years after its initial release — for Mr. Wiseman’s fear of legal action.
At 75 minutes, High School depicted what viewers at the time saw as a bleak vision of life at Northeast High. Contemporary reviews agreed, with Variety writing that it showed the school taught “little but the dreary values of conformity, [and] blind respect for authority.” Newsweek noted that the film showed “high schools are prisons where the old beat down the young.”
In one scene, a guidance counselor tells a student they may not be college material. In another, a teacher tells a girl her legs are too fat for a dress she sewed. Another shows a dean shutting down a student who was complaining about unfairly receiving detention.
As early as mid-1969, Mr. Wiseman refused to make a copy of the film available locally, citing “legal repercussions,” according to Inquirer reports from the time. The Philadelphia Board of Education, meanwhile, declared the documentary “biased” and demanded it be shown to students and faculty.
High School, however, would not receive its first official local public showing until August 2001, at the Prince Music Theater. About 400 people attended, The Inquirer reported, most of whom were faculty or alumni of Northeast High.
Five days later, it aired on the PBS series POV Classic.
“I took him to the annual press tour the year we aired High School and never had a funnier, more incisive companion to compare notes with on the state of cinema,” said Cara Mertes, who was then the executive producer of POV Classic. “He was perpetually young, incredibly smart, and did not suffer fools, and still he was always generous with his time and immense talent as one of America’s greatest chroniclers, in any medium.”
Ten years before, in 1991, High School was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress.
“It is everything you need to know about 1968 middle-class America in microcosm,” Mertes said. “So many scenes and characters have taken on iconic status. It captures the tectonic social shifts happening in the most ordinary of exchanges in the day-to-day of a touchstone of American life: the high school experience.”
“Wiseman pulled a fast one on Northeast,” said English department head Irene Reiter after seeing the film. “It was a setup to attack the educational system.”
Former students, however, largely seemed to disagree. Andrea Korman Shapiro, a student featured in a scene in which a vice principal admonishes her for wearing a minidress to prom, called it “accurate.”
“[It’s] a chronicle of the inner life of people not permitted to speak,” she said.
Even others who had more positive experiences at the school argued the film’s strengths outweighed its shortcomings. As Marilyn Kleinberg, a 1978 graduate, put it: “It felt real to me, even though I had an excellent experience.”
Shapiro, meanwhile, said it would be wise to view High School as a “trauma model.”
“A trauma, if it doesn’t get resolved, gets replayed and reenacted,” she said. “There needs to be some kind of learning to let it go.”
The year High School debuted in Philadelphia, Mr. Wiseman told Current, a nonprofit news organization associated with American University’s School of Communication, that his concerns about legal action over the film were perhaps overblown.
“This was soon after the Titicut Follies case, and I didn’t want another lawsuit on my hands,” he said. Possible legal threats, he added, were merely the “vague talk of no one particular individual.”
In 2016, Mr. Wiseman received an honorary Oscar at the 89th Academy Awards for his “masterful and distinctive documentaries” that “examine the familiar and reveal the unexpected.” Making films, he said in his acceptance speech, presented opportunities to “learn something about a new subject.”
“The variety and complexity of the human behavior observed in making one of the films, and cumulatively all of the films, is staggering,” Mr. Wiseman said in the speech. “And I think it is as important to document kindness, civility, and generosity of spirit as it is to show cruelty, banality, and indifference.”
The article has been updated with quotes from Cara Mertes.
Federal authorities have arrested a man in connection with the 2000 rape and killing of a 5-year-old Philadelphia girl, nearly two decades after the suspect was placed on the FBI’s most-wanted list.
FBI Director Kash Patel on Thursday confirmed the apprehension of Alexis Flores, whom authorities had long sought for his alleged involvement in Iriana DeJesus’ death. Iriana went missing in late July 2000 and was found dead days later.
“After more than 25 years on the run, this arrest proves time and distance do not shield violent offenders from justice,” Patel wrote on social media. “Thanks to our FBI teams and international partners, a fugitive accused of a horrific crime against a child is in custody and on a path back to the U.S. We will never stop pursuing those who harm our most vulnerable.”
An August 2000 edition of the Daily News featured a story on the search for the killer of Iriana DeJesus on its cover.
Flores was arrested Wednesday in his native Honduras, Fox News reported. He was wanted for crimes including unlawful flight to avoid prosecution, murder, kidnapping, and indecent assault in connection with the Iriana DeJesus case, according to the FBI. Additional information about his arrest was not immediately available.
Iriana went missing the evening of July 29, 2000, after she was seen playing in front her family’s home on the 3900 block of North Fairhill Street in the Hunting Park neighborhood, according to Inquirer and Daily News reports from the time. A family friend told police at the time that she had seen the girl walking with an unknown man around the time of her disappearance.
After the girl’s mother reported her missing, authorities launched searches and issued a reward for information leading to her whereabouts. But days later, on Aug. 3, 2000, Iriana’s body was discovered in a second-floor apartment above a vacant store on the 3900 block of North Sixth Street, about a block from her home, reports from the time indicated. She had been raped and strangled to death, her body covered by a green trash bag.
Police described a suspect in the crime as a “drifter” who went by the name Carlos, but few other details were immediately available. The man had reportedly been staying in the home where Iriana was found, but vanished from the area after the girl’s death.
The Daily News covers the announcement of Alexis Flores as the suspect in Iriana DeJesus’ murder in March 2007.
Authorities launched a national manhunt days after the killing, but Flores’ identity would not be publicly announced until March 2007, when federal officials issued a warrant for his arrest. He had been identified through a DNA database that allowed investigators to name him as a suspect years after a November 2004 arrest on a felony forgery charge in Phoenix.
Arizona requires felony suspects to provide a DNA sample, leading to Flores’ later identification, The Inquirer reported. Flores, authorities told the Daily News in 2007, arrived in Philadelphia in 2000, having come here accidentally after hopping a train he believed was destined for Chicago.
By the time he was identified, Flores had been deported to Honduras, and his whereabouts were unknown, complicating his apprehension. The FBI in June 2007 added him to its most-wanted list, but removed him from it last year after a review found he no longer fit its criteria, the bureau noted online. The bureau considers factors such as lengthy criminal records, the level of danger presented to the public, and whether nationwide publicity can assist in apprehension.
At the time Flores was identified as the suspect, Philadelphia homicide Detective Joseph Bamberski, who had been investigating the case from the start, expressed relief.
“It’s been a long time coming,” Bamberski told the Daily News in 2007. “This is the one case that always bothered me.”
As of midday Thursday, Flores’ page on the FBI website had been updated with one addition — a line reading “captured” over his mugshot.
“Smokin’” Joe Frazier is heading to the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
Philly’s statue of the famed heavyweight boxing champion is slated to be installed at the base of the museum’s steps later this year following a Philadelphia Art Commission vote Wednesday that approved the move. All five commissioners present Wednesday voted in favor of the statue’s relocation from its longtime home at the sports complex in South Philadelphia.
The proposal, presented by Creative Philadelphia, the city’s office for the creative sector, will see the Frazier statue installed where Philly’s original Rocky statue stands today. The Rocky statue, meanwhile, will be installed at the top of the museum’s steps.
“Placing the Joe Frazier statue at the Art Museum allows us to share a more complete history about Philadelphia’s spirit,” Marguerite Anglin, the city’s public art director, said Wednesday. “One rooted in real people, real work, and real pride in this city.”
The Frazier statue should move to the Art Museum sometime this spring, Anglin said. That relocation coincides with the move of the Rocky statue currently at the base of the steps, which is slated to be temporarily installed inside the museum for the first time as part of the forthcoming exhibition “Rising Up: Rocky and the Making of Monuments.” That Rocky statue will then be installed at the top of the museum’s steps in the fall, while the Rocky statue now at the top of the steps will go back into actor Sylvester Stallone’s private collection.
Created by sculptor Stephen Layne, the Frazier statue was unveiled in 2015 at what is now Stateside Live! at the sports complex in South Philadelphia. Its debut came years after Frazier’s death in 2011, which kicked off a campaign to erect the statue in his memory. Standing at 12 feet tall, it depicts the boxer moments after knocking down Muhammad Ali during the “Fight of the Century” — a famed March 1971 bout in which Ali suffered his first professional loss after a brutal 15-round skirmish.
For years before its creation, Frazier’s supporters lamented the fact that Philadelphia had long had a Rocky statue, but lacked one showing its own real-life champion. Our Rocky statue, in fact, has been around for more than 40 years, and has stood outside the Art Museum for two decades — about twice as long as the Frazier statue has even existed.
Creative Philadelphia’s plan featured widespread support from leaders including Mayor Cherelle L. Parker, as well as Frazier’s family and friends. It received little pushback at Wednesday’s meeting, with Gabrielle Gibson, a granddaughter of Frazier’s, asking what is perhaps the most obvious question about the placement: Shouldn’t the Frazier statue be at the top?
He was, after all, a real person, a real Philadelphian, and a real champion. Rocky, meanwhile, is a fictional character who appears to be an amalgamation of several real-life boxers’ stories — Frazier included, according to Creative Philadelphia. Many speakers Wednesday noted that, like Rocky, Frazier was known to run up the Art Museum’s steps and was said to have boxed sides of beef during his training, among other parallels.
And then there is the symbolism of where the Rocky and Frazier statues will stand.
“During Black History Month, I think we need to understand the new placement,” Gibson said. “A real boxer and a Black man’s image and likeness would be placed at a lower position beneath the fictional white character whose story was inspired by real boxers.”
The Frazier statue’s placement at the bottom of the steps, Anglin said, was for two main reasons. First, she said, having Frazier at the bottom makes it the first statue visitors will encounter at the Art Museum — even if they are there expressly to see Rocky — which will provide “an opportunity to be grounded in history.”
Second, the Rocky statue’s footprint is roughly half the size of the Frazier statue, which would not be “safe or feasible” to install on high, Anglin said. Putting Rocky at the top, Anglin said, allows for better circulation around the monument, and avoids the potential logistical and code-related issues putting Frazier there could present.
His son, and former heavyweight boxer Marvis Frazier (right), and Rev. Blane Newberry from Enon Tabernacle Baptist Church bless a 12-foot-tall 1,800-pound bronze statue of “Smokin’ Joe” Frazier after it was unveiled in 2015.
Jacqueline Frazier-Lyde, Frazier’s daughter, a retired professional boxing champion and a Municipal Court judge, expressed support for the move Wednesday, calling the statue a reminder that “we can overcome any obstacle and achieve.” She also recounted her father’s feelings on the Rocky statue, specifically when he would see tourists taking photos with Stallone’s character.
“At times,” she said, “he would say, ‘Don’t they understand that I’m the heavyweight champion?’”
After just over a decade standing outside of what is now known as Stateside Live!, the city’s statue of Philly’s own “Smokin’” Joe Frazier will be the newest Philly boxer to call the Art Museum home. The Philadelphia Art Commission on Wednesday approved a plan detailing the move presented by Creative Philadelphia, the city’s office for the creative sector.
That plan is the latest development in a saga that began before Frazier’s death from liver cancer in 2011. Frazier’s statue was unveiled in 2015 after years of work and advocacy. Fans and supporters considered the lack of a statue an injustice, given that the statue of Rocky Balboa has been in the city for more than 40 years and he’s not even a real person.
Rocky, in fact, has been stationed at the base of the Art Museum steps since 2006. That lengthy run follows installations not only at the top of the steps, but also at the sports complex in South Philadelphia, where the Frazier statue has been located since its inception. And Rocky has been in its current home twice as long as the Frazier statue has existed.
Still, Philly’s Frazier statue has a storied history of its own. Here is how The Inquirer and the Daily News covered it:
Article from Nov 12, 2011 The Philadelphia Inquirer (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) <!— –>
Early advocacy
Frazier’s supporters had long lamented that Philadelphia lacked a memorial to the boxer. In fact, in a June 2011 Daily News poll, nearly 21% of respondents said Smokin’ Joe should be the next Philadelphia legend honored with a statue — second only to Flyers great Bob Clarke, who himself got a statue in 2013.
Calls for a statue intensified after Frazier’s death in November 2011. His loved ones and fans — including fellow Philly boxing great Bernard Hopkins — leaned on the city to memorialize the fallen legend. As Hopkins that year told the Daily News, the city ought to “build the biggest statue in appreciation for all the heart and love” Frazier gave to Philadelphia.
Following his death, Frazier lay in state at the Wells Fargo Center to allow friends, family, and fans to grieve. At Frazier’s funeral, the Rev. Jesse Jackson admonished the city for its lack of respect to Frazier.
“Tell them Rocky was not a champion, Joe Frazier was,” Jackson said to cheers. “Tell them Rocky’s fists were frozen in stone. Joe’s fists were smokin’.”
Article from Mar 9, 2012 Philadelphia Daily News (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) <!— –>
Building momentum despite challenges
In March 2012, two months after what would have been Frazier’s 68th birthday, boxing promoter Joe Hand — a longtime Frazier supporter — publicized plans for a life-size statue of Frazier that would be placed near what was then Xfinity Live! Hand pledged a memorial, at a cost of $200,000, would be built.
Divisions among family members, friends, and business partners emerged, but by that September, Frazier’s family — led by daughters and estate executors Weatta Collins and Renae Martin — took over efforts for a statue.
Hand later bowed out of the proceedings, leaving the memorial up to Frazier’s family with backing from the city via the Fund for Philadelphia. Plans later shifted to a $150,000 funding goal for the statue, with support from the city under then-Mayor Michael Nutter, who was a longtime Frazier fan dating back to his childhood.
“[This is] a very personal moment for me to be in this position and make this announcement about someone I truly admire,” Nutter told The Inquirer in 2012.
Article from Apr 25, 2013 Philadelphia Daily News (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) <!— –>
Setbacks and continued effort
In April 2013, Frazier’s family and the city selected New Hampshire-based sculptor Lawrence J. Nowlan to helm the project. An Overbrook Park native, Nowlan homed in on an image of Frazier knocking down fellow legend Muhammad Ali in the famed 1971 “Fight of the Century” as the statue’s inspiration.
But in late July, Nowlan unexpectedly died at the age of 48. The city proceeded with its Frazier statue plans, and roughly three months later selected Fishtown-based sculptor Stephen Layne as Nowlan’s replacement.
“We all deeply regret the passing of sculptor Lawrence Nowlan and the loss of his artistry in this project,” Nutter said at the time. “But Mr. Nowlan’s untimely passing will not deter us from honoring a great Philadelphian.”
Layne largely stuck with Nowlan’s plan, and in December 2013, the Philadelphia Art Commission approved designs for a statue depicting Frazier during the iconic Ali fight. It was, The Inquirer reported, expected to stand nine feet tall, plus a three-foot base, ultimately to be cast in bronze.
Article from Sep 13, 2015 The Philadelphia Inquirer (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) <!— –>
Frazier’s unveiling
Among the most ardent supporters of the Frazier statue ahead of its unveiling in September 2015 was boxer Hopkins, who donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to see it erected. In April 2014, he told the Daily News that Frazier “has a rightful place in Philadelphia history and that should be honored.”
Sculptor Layne, meanwhile, plugged away at the statue for months. The pose, he told the Daily News ahead of its unveiling, showed a “pivotal moment” in Frazier’s career, which itself showed a “blue-collar mentality” that showcased his connection to Philadelphia perfectly.
“I am very happy to know Joe is being honored and memorialized in the city he loved, something that is long overdue,” Ali, Frazier’s longtime arch-nemesis, told the Daily News. “Joe was a great boxer and a worthy opponent in the ring. He always brought his best whenever he stepped inside the ropes. My only regret is that Joe won’t be there to share in the celebration.”
History may not repeat itself, but at least in Philadelphia, it sure does rhyme.
Twenty years ago, our famed Rocky statue made the move from its former perch at the stadium complex in South Philly to the base of the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, where it has stood since.
Now, the city’s statue of former world heavyweight champion “Smokin’” Joe Frazier could soon do the same.
“Relocating the Joe Frazier statue to this prominent civic and cultural space would … create a respectful dialogue between two complementary representations of Philadelphia’s spirit,” chief cultural officer Valerie V. Gay and public art director Marguerite Anglin wrote in a letter to the Art Commission. “Rocky Balboa as a symbol of hard work and aspiration, and Joe Frazier as the embodiment of those values lived out in real life.”
Created by sculptor Stephen Layne in 2014, the Frazier statue has stood in the sports complex outside what is now Stateside Live! for about a decade, and has been a part of the city’s public art collection since its inception. In an effort led by Joe Hand, the owner of Feasterville’s Joe Hand Boxing Gym and a longtime friend of Frazier’s, the statue’s commission was funded by the boxer’s family and supporters before its donation to the city.
The statue, standing at about 12 feet tall, depicts Frazier just moments after besting Muhammad Ali in the so-called “Fight of the Century” — the March 1971 bout in which Ali suffered his first professional loss after 15 grueling rounds.
Frazier, who died in 2011, was a well-accomplished boxer before that matchup, having won an Olympic gold medal in 1964 in Tokyo. He held the heavyweight championship title from 1970 to 1973, when he lost the belt to fellow legend George Foreman following a bout in Kingston, Jamaica, in a matchup referred to as “The Sunshine Showdown.” He retired in 1976, the year following a vicious loss to Ali in the famed “Thrilla in Manila” fight. After returning for a 1981 match against “Jumbo” Floyd Cummings that resulted in a draw, Frazier left the sport for good.
Relocating the Frazier statue to the Art Museum is expected to cost roughly $150,000 in city funds, and has support from leaders including Mayor Cherelle L. Parker, City Councilmember Katherine Gilmore Richardson, State Sen. Sharif Street, and State Sen. Anthony Hardy Williams, according to Creative Philadelphia’s Art Commission proposal.
“Placing the Joe Frazier statue at the Art Museum affirms Philadelphia’s commitment to honoring real-life achievement alongside cultural mythology,” Parker wrote in a letter supporting the move. “Together, these figures reflect the city’s spirit, where determination, resilience, and opportunity meet.”
Friends of Frazier also expressed support in letters included as part of Creative Philadelphia’s proposal — in part, at least, because the Art Museum has higher foot traffic than where the statue currently stands.
The move “will give the Frazier statue many more eyes on it than at the Xfinity area,” wrote Nicholas L. Depace, the boxer’s friend and former physician.
Frazier served as a major inspiration for the Rocky Balboa character, with the man and the character sharing several key elements, according to Creative Philadelphia. Like Rocky, Frazier trained for boxing matches by hitting frozen raw meat, ran the Art Museum steps, and faced opponents that closely mirrored those actor Sylvester Stallone’s character faced in the franchise.
“Stallone made 5 Rocky movies mostly based on the real life humble champion Smokin’ Joe Frazier from Philadelphia,” wrote Smokin’ Frazier Championship Foundation Inc. CEO Pete Lyde in a letter of support for the move. “Joe Frazier’s statue at the Philadelphia Art Museum Steps symbolizes and celebrates the real life human heart and potential within us all worldwide.”
The Rocky statue, meanwhile, is cleared for installation atop the Art Museum steps following its exhibition in “Rising Up: Rocky and the Making of Monuments,” an Art Museum program slated to run from April to August. After that, the statue now displayed at the top of steps — which Stallone lent to the city for the inaugural RockyFest in December 2024 — will head back to the actor’s collection, and the original, screen-used statue will take its place.
It was not immediately clear when the Frazier statue could head to the Art Museum. Creative Philadelphia did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
“Placing the Smokin’ Joe Frazier statue at the Art Museum steps would not only correct a historical imbalance but also serve as an inspirational symbol for residents and visitors alike,” wrote Councilmember at-large Jim Harrity in a letter of support. “It would elevate a true Philadelphia champion whose impact reached far beyond the boxing ring and whose contributions to sports, labor history, and community service continue to resonate today.”
To deal with the snow, the city has deployed roughly 1,000 workers and 800 pieces of snow-removal equipment, and instituted programs to break up ice at crosswalks and streets in residential neighborhoods, among other efforts. But to some Inquirer readers, the solution has been right in front of us all along.
“I know we used to toss snow into the river,” one reader wrote via Curious Philly, The Inquirer’s forum for questions on all things local. “What happens to it now?”
In the past, the city has dumped snow into the Delaware River and the Schuylkill on various occasions. But in recent decades, that practice has been used rarely — if at all — primarily over environmental concerns. Here is what we know:
An old practice
Newspaper archives show references to dumping snow in the Delaware and Schuylkill dating back at least to the late 19th century — during a storm colloquially known as the “Great Arctic Outbreak of 1899.” That storm dumped 19 inches of snow on Philadelphia around Valentine’s Day.
In the aftermath, the city sought permission from its Board of Port Wardens to dump snow in the rivers surrounding Philadelphia, but there were concerns over the “considerable amount of dirt” that would be thrown into the water.
The practice was utilized in the winter of 1909, when 21 inches of snow fell. Initially, snow was dumped into the rivers at three points, but officials later expanded approved dumping sites to be “at any point and from any wharf” along either river.
“It was contended that this was perfectly proper, since snow is not refuse, but will readily melt after it is thrown into the water,” The Inquirer reported at the time.
Article from Jan 10, 1996 Philadelphia Daily News (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) <!— –>
The blizzard of ’96
Perhaps the most well-known modern use of Philadelphia’s rivers as a snow dump came in 1996, when a debilitating 30.7 inches of snow fell in early January. The city was left with few options, and got a permit from state environmental officials to dump snow in the rivers, Inquirer reports from the time indicate.
Within days, roughly 500 tons of snow were dumped into the rivers, and that total would grow into the thousands. Famously, city trucks were spotted dumping snow into the Schuylkill from the Market Street Bridge — until being asked to stop by the U.S. Coast Guard.
“We did advise the city to stop dumping snow into the Schuylkill. Our concern was the accumulation of ice in the river,” a Coast Guard spokesperson said at the time. The piles of snow in the river ran the risk of forming dams that could cause flooding.
The piles became so severe they had to be beaten back down. By mid-January, one Inquirer report noted, wrecking balls were sent in to break up at least one mountain of snow that threatened to clog the Schuylkill.
Article from Feb 22, 2003 The Philadelphia Inquirer (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) <!— –>
An ‘option of last resort’
The city again in 2003 dumped snow into Philadelphia’s rivers, this time in an attempt to mitigate the impacts from a February storm that left about 19 inches of the white stuff. This time, though, city officials seemed to at least feel bad about it, calling it an “option of last resort.”
For this storm, roughly 400,000 pounds of snow was dumped into the Schuylkill. But along with it went road salt, antifreeze, trash, and other pollutants, prompting concerns from regional environmental groups. That pollution, they said, could harm marine life and devastate the riverbanks.
“All the stuff that’s on the road surface goes into the water,” Delaware Riverkeeper Network head Maya van Rossum told The Inquirer that year. “This is not the appropriate way to deal with the snow. There are plenty of places on the land to put it.”
The dumping, Streets Commissioner Clarena Tolson said, was limited. And the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection said it asked the city to only dump “virgin snow” into the rivers.
“We’re going to take some of that down to the Navy Yard. We will not dump in the river,” Tolson said. “There are environmental concerns with placing snow in the river. The snow accumulates pollutants and salt, and dumping it in the river would be a very extreme measure.”
The Center for Environmental Policy at the Academy of Natural Sciences applauded the Nutter administration’s decision, writing in a letter to The Inquirer that the move would “prevent serious environmental damages to the river.”
“Urban precipitation, including snow, acquires a witch’s brew of contaminants such as oil, grease, litter, road salt, and lawn fertilizer,” director Roland Wall wrote. “We salute the city for making a commonsense decision that will protect one of Philadelphia’s natural treasures.”
A pedestrian walks past a large pile of snow and ice along the Benjamin Franklin Parkway days after a fierce winter storm dropped up to 9 inches of snow and sleet, with freezing temperatures leaving large banks of ice and snow on streets and sidewalks in Philadelphia, Monday, Feb. 2, 2026.
So what do we do now?
On Wednesday, Carlton Williams, the city’s director of clean and green initiatives, said the city does not dump snow in Philadelphia’s rivers, as that practice is “not an EPA standard.” Instead, the city has gravitated toward removing the snow from city streets and placing it at 37 snow dump sites around Philadelphia.
The city did not respond to a request for comment regarding those dump sites’ locations. Some of them contain mounds of snow up to 12 feet high that stretch for blocks, Williams said Wednesday. Officials also brought in a snow-melting machine from Chicago.
Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection guidelines, meanwhile, recommend municipalities push snow at least 100 feet away from surface waters, where it will be able to melt with less environmental impact.
“Dumping of snow directly into a stream carries with it the shock of loading de-icing chemicals and anti-skid agents,” the agency said in a recent recommendations document. “Allowing a natural melt provides a slow release of the water, dilutes the chemicals, and provides filtration of the solids through the soil.”
Think you know your news? There’s only one way to find out. Welcome back to our weekly News Quiz — a quick way to see if your reading habits are sinking in and to put your local news knowledge to the test.
Question 1 of 10
Former Philadelphia District Attorney Seth Williams' tenure imploded as he was prosecuted on federal corruption charges nearly a decade ago. What is he up to now?
CorrectIncorrect. XX% of other readers got this question right.
The role’s expectations are modest. Williams offers spiritual counseling and religious programming to the 600 or so prisoners held at Riverside Correctional Facility. It is part-time and pays about $21 per hour.
Question 2 of 10
Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow this week, indicating six more weeks of winter are yet to come. That clairvoyant groundhog calls this famed Pennsylvania place home:
CorrectIncorrect. XX% of other readers got this question right.
The weather-predicting groundhog saw his shadow Monday outside his hole at Gobbler’s Knob in Punxsutawney. If you believe such things, that means the entire country — including our snow-covered section of the Northeast — can expect below-average temperatures for the next six weeks.
story continues after advertisement
Question 3 of 10
Formerly known as Lou Turk's, Delaware County’s lone strip club is changing its name, but keeping its highly anticipated flower sale. What holiday marks the occasion?
CorrectIncorrect. XX% of other readers got this question right.
The annual Mother’s Day and Easter flower sales outside of the strip club will remain intact, despite the name change to The Carousel Delco. You wouldn’t want to tell your mom you bought her flowers at the Acme, would you?
Question 4 of 10
One South Philly restaurant has a popular cocktail that mimics a beloved style of soup. The soup is:
CorrectIncorrect. XX% of other readers got this question right.
Chef Thanh Nguyen’s signature pho cocktail at Gabriella’s Vietnam is a many-layered marvel. It’s not like drinking pho broth spiked with vodka. A tiny squirt of Sriracha muddled with fresh culantro and ginger adds a soft orange hue.
Question 5 of 10
After weeks of uncertainty over their potential retirement, which Eagles staff member ultimately decided to return for another season with the team?
CorrectIncorrect. XX% of other readers got this question right.
Fangio’s decision to stay brings some stability to an Eagles coaching staff that is already in the process of undergoing change. Hours before Fangio's return was official, Stoutland announced that he would be leaving his post as the Eagles offensive line coach after 13 years.
Subscribe to The Philadelphia Inquirer
Our reporting is directly supported by reader subscriptions. If you want more journalism like this story, please subscribe today.
This Mount Airy ice cream shop previously said it was closing for good, but will be sticking around after all:
CorrectIncorrect. XX% of other readers got this question right.
Founder Danielle Jowdy announced in December 2024 that she planned to end her 14-year run at the end of 2025. But Liz Yee, a pastry chef at the nearby Catering by Design who also creates desserts for Doho restaurant, also in Mount Airy, plans to reopen Zsa’s on Saturday, Ice Cream for Breakfast Day.
Question 7 of 10
A few months ago, the Philadelphia Art Museum took up its new moniker. But now, it's changing again. The new (?) name is:
CorrectIncorrect. XX% of other readers got this question right.
The PhAM acronym used in marketing materials will be dropped, and the museum will once again refer to itself in shorthand as the PMA as many Philadelphians long have. Why the retreat? In short, the new name was widely disliked.
Question 8 of 10
This boxing great's former home in Cherry Hill is once again on the market with an asking price of $1.9 million:
CorrectIncorrect. XX% of other readers got this question right.
About 300 people have been tasked with manually breaking up ice at crosswalks and streets in residential neighborhoods in Philadelphia following the region's recent stubborn snowfall. What are they called?
CorrectIncorrect. XX% of other readers got this question right.
Mayor Cherelle. L Parker said that the city has tapped into its Future Track Program for snow-removal efforts. The trainees are typically at-risk young adults who are not enrolled in higher education and are unemployed. They get job experience, as well as other services, and they help in beautification projects. In the snow cleanup, Parker said, the trainees cleared more than 1,600 ADA ramps.
Question 10 of 10
Anonymous hackers claimed that a recent data breach compromised data for 1.2 million students, donors, and alumni at the University of Pennsylvania. But the school now says this many people were impacted:
CorrectIncorrect. XX% of other readers got this question right.
The school hired cybersecurity specialists to help investigate the Oct. 31 breach, which accessed systems related to development and alumni activities. A Penn source confirmed Tuesday that fewer than 10 people received notifications that their personal information had been affected.
Your Results
You have skipped .
You scored XX out of 10.
The average reader scored XX out of 10
Seems like you’ve been skimming more than reading there, buddy. There’s always next week.
You’ve read some articles (or made some educated guesses) but we wouldn’t come to you first for our local news recaps. Better luck next week!
Do you work here? You’re a local news stan with the latest updates on Philly happenings. Your friends definitely ask you for summaries on what’s going on and it shows.
There’s one reason to believe this year’s budget could see a faster resolution: 2026 is an election year.
// Timestamp 02/03/26 4:26pm
SEPTA not considering imminent service cuts, fare increases as long-term funding remains unresolved
SEPTA officials are sketching out their own budget plans but already know it’s not going to look or sound like last year’s “doomsday” scenario.
“We won’t be talking about deep service cuts and fare increases and layoffs and all the things that were discussed then,” SEPTA General Manager Scott Sauer said in an interview Tuesday following Gov. Josh Shapiro’s budget address.
Last August, the transit agency implemented service cuts of 20%, including the elimination of some bus routes, and raised fares by 21.5% after the legislature failed to pass new money for transit operations.
House Majority Leader Matt Bradford (D., Montgomery) said that the latest use of capital funds for mass transit operations deferred the issue for two years, so the General Assembly can agree on a long-term revenue stream to increase state support for public transit in Pennsylvania’s metropolitan areas and beyond.
“The governor bailed out the legislature again on the issue of transit last year and got us a two-year bridge, which will have us dealing with this issue immediately after the next election,” Bradford said in a Harrisburg press conference.
SEPTA officials said they will be able to continue robust service through July 1, 2027 because of the converted capital money.
The maneuver allowed SEPTA to quickly restore the 2025 service cuts; it came as the agency faced a judge’s order to do so.
Longer term, Shapiro proposed to increase the share of the state sales and use tax devoted to mass transit subsidies by 1.75% for five years. But it wouldn’t take effect until fiscal year 2008, raising an additional $319.6 million in the first year to help strapped public transportation systems.
It’s the same proposal as last year’s, though projected to generate more because of growth in sales-tax revenue.
Democrats are pushing to hold Senate GOP lawmakers accountable at the ballot box in November for their failure to find a long-term revenue source last year.
“Now the people are going to have their say on this,” Bradford said. “Do you support this type of obstruction? Do you support staying in the way of funding mass transit systems in this commonwealth? I think the answer is decidedly not.”
To be fair, both parties proved unable to reach a compromise but the sticking point was in the Senate, controlled by Republicans.
Democrats hope the issue will help them flip the state Senate and give them a trifecta of control in the state House, Senate and governor’s mansion.
For his part, Sauer said the governor’s renewed funding proposal and his rhetorical support in the address will help.
“The fact that we’re still in the conversation is important,” he said. “That’s the most I can hope for at this stage.”
Senate Republicans pan Shapiro’s budget proposal as overspending
Senate Republicans were quick to pan Shapiro’s budget proposal as overspending that would harm the state’s economic outlook in the long term.
In a press conference responding to the budget address Tuesday, Republican leaders said the governor’s proposed spending increases relied on revenue streams that may not be approved by the legislature while perpetuating a structural deficit that would dip into the state’s Rainy Day Fund.
“We’re going to do everything we can to protect the taxpayer and make sure that the dollars that are allocated are wisely used,” Senate Majority Leader Joe Pittman (R., Indiana) said. “We have to make sure we’re, again, stretching every taxpayer dollar we can and bringing the cost of government down as much as possible.”
Sen. Scott Martin (R., Lancaster), who chairs the Senate Appropriations Committee, called the spending “mind-boggling.”
Shapiro’s budget assumes that more than $1 billion in new revenue will come from legalization of recreational marijuana and regulation and taxation of skill games. Pittman did not commit to moving either forward in the state Senate this year.
Democratic leaders, however, lauded Shapiro’s budget, insisting that Republicans would be forced to support it or come up with an alternative if they wanted to retain their slim majority in the state Senate.
“I would argue the polls indicate that we have a very popular governor. They tried to obstruct him and his numbers only got more popular,” House Majority Leader Matt Bradford (D., Montgomery) said. “My suggestion is it would be the political imperative, regardless of the policy implications, that they start working with this governor to pass things.”
Asked whether his caucus disagreed with any part of Shapiro’s budget, or were disappointed to see any items left out, Bradford said no.
Gov. Josh Shapiro proposes $53.2 billion state budget focusing on affordability, development, and raising Pennsylvania’s minimum wage
Gov. Josh Shapiro make his annual budget proposal in the state House chamber in Harrisburg Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026. Pa. House Speaker Joanna McClinton (left) and Lt. Gov. Austin Davis (right) are seated behind him.
HARRISBURG — Gov. Josh Shapiro on Tuesday unveiled a $53.2 billion state budget proposal with a focus on affordability and attracting development in Pennsylvania, in what — if approved by the state’s divided legislature — would be a 6.2% increase over last year’s budget.
Shapiro’s $53.2 billion pitch is likely setting him up for another fight during the election year with Senate Republicans, who control the chamber and have promised fiscal restraint as their top priority and are unlikely to approve a major spending increase. Shapiro’s budget proposal would spend $4.6 billion more than the state is projected to bring in in the 2026-27 fiscal year, requiring the state to pull most of new spending from Pennsylvania’s Rainy Day Fund that currently tops more than $7 billion.
Shapiro on Tuesday said he wants to avoid another lengthy stalled budget, which forced schools, counties and nonprofits to take out billions in loans to stay afloat during the four-month-long impasse.
He invited leaders of all four caucuses — Senate Democrats, Senate Republicans, House Democrats, and House Republicans — to meet on Wednesday to start budget talks much sooner than prior years. They all agreed to attend, he added.
“We all recognize it took too long last year and that had real impacts on Pennsylvanians, but we learned some valuable lessons through that process,” Shapiro said in his address lasting an hour and 24 minutes. “We learned that we all need to be at the table, and that we all need to be at the table sooner.”
Shapiro takes aim at grid operator PJM, utility companies for high rates
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro had sharp words for PJM, the region’s independent electric grid operator, during his budget address Tuesday, saying it has “moved too slow to supply new power,” helping lead to high energy rates to consumers.
Shapiro and advocates have long criticized the way PJM holds auctions that impact the rates consumers pay to energy providers. On Tuesday, he called for a continued cap on rates of wholesale electricity payments to power plant owners.
But Shapiro, calling PJM “just one part of the problem,” also took aim at utility companies, saying they have “too little public accountability or transparency.”
“That’s going to change,” Shapiro said.
According to the governor, only about 20% of the amount people pay on utility bills comes from energy use.
“Another big chunk comes from fees and costs that your local utility company charges to get electricity to your home,” Shapiro said. “Utilities companies in Pennsylvania make billions of dollars every year, while at the same time, they’ve increased the cost for consumers.”
Shapiro said major utility providers, such as PECO have agreed to take four steps to rein in costs. PECO serves 2,100 square miles in Southeastern Pennsylvania and provides electricity to up to 1.7 million customers.
The steps are:
End so-called “black box” settlements, which are confidential negotiated agreements between utility companies and regulators that determine rate changes, and agree to set prices transparently.
Enact “common sense reforms” to ban “deceptive contracts.”
Eliminate “jump fees” utilities charge low-income Pennsylvanians to have their services reconnected “something that literally can be done with the press of a button.”
Work to extend protections for low-income and vulnerable residents from shut-offs while managing unpaid bills.
In an apparent effort to dodge a repeat of last year’s five month (135 day) budget impasse, Shapiro announced he would be meeting with legislative leaders on Wednesday to begin budget talks.
Shapiro said he had invited the leaders of all four caucus in the House and Senate to his office and each had accepted.
“We all recognize it took too long last year — and that had real impacts on Pennsylvanians,” Shapiro said. “But we learned some valuable lessons through that process.”
The impasse resulted in temporary cuts to social services, schools and counties across the state as budget talks stretched on into November and state dollars stopped flowing.
This played out in Pennsylvania alongside a federal government shutdown that threatened critical food assistance dollars. But Shapiro said the final deal showed progress.
“At a time when dysfunction and chaos reigns elsewhere, Pennsylvania is showing that we can be a model for steady progress when we come together, treat others with respect, and find ways to extend a helping hand to our neighbors,” he said.
Shapiro calls for renter protections including a statewide cap on rental application fees
Shapiro also used his budget address to call for protections for households that either rent their homes or rent the land their homes sit on.
He called for a statewide cap on rental application fees, “limiting them to the actual cost of screening, and prohibiting landlords from charging fees before a prospective tenant can view a property.”
Philadelphia City Council members last year passed legislation that prohibits rental property owners from charging rental application fees of more than $50 or the cost of running a background and/or credit check, whichever is less. And landlords are banned from charging application fees unless they are used to cover the cost of these checks.
City Councilmember Rue Landau, who introduced the legislation, said some renters had been paying $100 or more per application, which adds up when tenants apply to multiple properties.
Shapiro also called for protections for owners of manufactured homes, which are single-family dwellings often built off-site and placed on a lot. These households own their homes, but many of them rent the land their homes sit on.
Manufactured homes represent one of the most affordable forms of homeownership. But homeowners are often left vulnerable, because they have no other option than to pay increased rent costs if they want to keep the homes they own. Manufactured-home communities are increasingly being bought by private equity companies and other institutional investors, and rent hikes tend to follow.
Across Pennsylvania, 56,000 households live in these communities, Shapiro said. He asked lawmakers to limit the rent increases that landowners can charge.
Last year, New Jersey enacted a law that limits annual rent increases to 3.5% for these lots. Landlords who want higher increases must ask the state’s Department of Community Affairs for permission.
“Last year, we all – all of us – identified a problem that we don’t have enough childcare workers, and that’s because we don’t pay them enough,” said Shapiro.
“We showed them the respect that they deserve,” said Shapiro.
On Tuesday Shapiro proposed increasing the recruitment and retention bonus from $450 to $630 as he noted the program has seen overwhelming demand.
“That’s more money in the pockets of our childcare workers, and more available child care for Pennsylvania families. It’s a win, win,” he said.
Staffing shortages plague the childcare sector in Pennsylvania and nationally, and the need for workers is expected to continue to grow. Employees who work as care providers are some of the lowest paid workers, earning on average roughly $30,000 annually in Philadelphia, Montgomery, Delaware, Chester and Bucks Counties.
And when parents can’t find adequate childcare, the Pennsylvania economy takes a hit, the Inquirer has reported. The state loses out on $6.65 billion annually when parents have to call out of work or lose their job due to childcare issues.
Shapiro renews calls for lawmakers to legalize marijuana in Pennsylvania
Shapiro renewed his calls for the state General Assembly to legalize recreational, also known as adult-use, marijuana as a way to drive needed revenue in the commonwealth.
According to the National Conference of State Legislatures 24 states, including Pennsylvania’s neighbors in Delaware, New Jersey, New York and Ohio, have legalized adult use marijuana. Pennsylvania is among 14 states that allow marijuana for medicinal purposes only.
The governor’s budget proposal calls for a 20% tax on marijuana products sold with sales beginning on January 1 of next year. According to budget documents from his office that tax would provide Pennsylvania with $729 million in revenue in its first year.
The figure is nearly $200 million more than Shapiro’s administration projected for revenues from legalization when he made the same proposal in last year’s budget.
A Shapiro administration official credited the increased projection as a result of increased interest among marijuana companies who would want to come to Pennsylvania and purchase licenses.
Approving recreational use of cannabis will be an uphill battle for Shapiro with a split legislature. Even as the federal government moves towards rescheduling marijuana and opening the door to more research, Senate Republicans have been reluctant to legalize the drug in the commonwealth.
If Pennsylvania doesn’t take action to build and preserve more housing, it will be short 185,000 homes by 2035, Shapiro said during his budget address. He called for the construction of more homes and the reform of local land-use laws to allow for more housing and lower housing costs.
Shapiro’s budget would create a $1 billion fund, supported by the issuing of bonds, to pay for a range of infrastructure projects. He called the fund “a major investment in building new housing.”
“We need hundreds of thousands of new homes,” Shapiro said. “This is how we build them.”
He also noted that local land-use laws vary across Pennsylvania’s 2,560 municipalities. He called for the state to create a catalog of local zoning rules and to help local governments reform ordinances to allow for more housing.
Shapiro called for local governments to allow for the construction of more homes near mass transit, streamline the construction of mixed-use development, and allow accessory dwelling units – such as in-law suites, garage apartments, and backyard cottages.
Most Pennsylvania municipalities ban the building of accessory dwelling units or make building them difficult.
The day before Gov. Shapiro’s budget address, a group of lawmakers in the state House announced a bipartisan package of bills meant to make homes more affordable. The two bills that have been introduced so far would allow for more housing density.
One would allow accessory dwelling units – such as in-law suites, garage apartments, and backyard cottages – in areas zoned for single-family housing. Property owners would have the right to build ADUs without asking their local government for a special exception, but municipalities would still be allowed to make “reasonable” restrictions, state Rep. John Inglis (D., Allegheny) said at a news conference Monday.
ADUs are “a simple way to add affordable housing without changing the character of our neighborhoods, and we can’t afford to keep blocking these solutions,” Inglis said.
Another bill would promote the construction of duplexes, triplexes, and quadplexes in certain areas that are zoned for single-family housing. It would require larger municipalities to allow these types of multifamily housing “while still allowing local governments to reject certain projects that might not be viable in their communities,” Inglis said.
Pennsylvania isn’t building enough housing, and that lack of supply is hiking prices for homeowners and renters, the Pew Charitable Trusts said in a report released last year.
Pennsylvania is one of the states that has allowed the least amount of housing to be built. It ranked 44th for the share of homes approved to be built from 2017 to 2023, according to the nonpartisan, nonprofit research and public policy organization.
Pew researchers cited restrictive local land-use laws as a cause and recommended the loosening of zoning rules.
“The bottom line is the best way to bring high rents and housing costs down is to build more housing and to build more varied types of housing,” Seva Rodnyansky, a manager in Pew’s housing policy initiative, told The Inquirer last year.
Shapiro urges GOP lawmakers to pass statute of limitations reforms for child sex abuse victims
After years of advocating for statute of limitations reform to allow a window for child sex abuse victims to sue their abusers, Shapiro placed the blame for the policy’s lack of movement at the feet of Senate Republicans in Tuesday’s address.
“Stop cowering to the special interests, like insurance companies and lobbyists for the Catholic Church,” Shapiro said to Senate Republicans as Republicans in the chamber booed.
The governor has pushed for the window since his time as Attorney General when, in 2018, his office released a grand jury report on clergy abuse in the state that called for the window among other reforms.
The policy passed the General Assembly as a constitutional amendment in 2020 but failed to reach voters’ ballots due to an administrative error from Gov. Tom Wolf’s Department of State.
Ever since, the policy has stalled as Senate Republicans have sought to tie it to constitutional amendments relating to voter identification and other GOP priorities.
The governor, who has faced criticism from some survivors for not being a strong enough advocate for reform enough since becoming governor, made an impassioned plea to Senate Republicans, urging them to “stop trying justice for abused kids to your pet political projects.”
“It is shameful that this hasn’t gotten done here in Pennsylvania when almost 30 other states have followed our grand jury report and passed it in their legislatures,” Shapiro said. “Pass statute of limitations reform this year — and give survivors of sexual abuse the chance to confront their abusers in court.”
‘Stop delaying’: Shapiro again asks legislators to raise the state minimum wage
On Tuesday, Gov. Josh Shapiro once again asked legislators to raise Pennsylvania’s minimum wage.
“I am calling on the General Assembly to stop delaying and put a minimum wage bill on my desk, and I will sign it,” he said to audible cheers.
Some in the crowd chanted “raise the minimum wage” as he brought up the issue. Shapiro responded to the chant, noting that 25 senators stood to applaud raising the minimum wage, including two Republicans: Sen. Joe Picozzi (R., Philadelphia) and Sen. Devlin Robinson (R., Allegheny).
Since taking office as governor, Shapiro has backed raising the minimum wage at every annual state budget address.
Pennsylvania’s minimum wage is the federal minimum of $7.25, which was set in 2009. Neighboring states all have higher minimum wages. In January, New Jersey’s minimum wage increased by $0.43 to $15.92 – making it more than double that of Pennsylvania’s.
“Our minimum wage in Pennsylvania has been stuck at $7.25 for the last 16 years. In that time, every single one of our neighboring states has raised the wage for their workers,” he said.
Shapiro noted Tuesday that raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour would save the state $300 million on entitlement programs like Medicaid.
“If you aren’t going to do this because it’s the right thing to do, or because it would let more families put food on the table for their kids, then do it because it’s going to save us $300 million, shrink our entitlement budget by growing our workforce and putting more money back in workers’ pockets,” he said.
In order to cover their basic needs, an adult living in Pennsylvania needs to earn $22.91 an hour, according to a living wage calculator developed at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Only 2% of hourly wage earners in Pennsylvania earn the minimum wage or less, according to a report from the state’s Department of Labor and Industry based on 2022 data.
Shapiro calls for faster licensing for social workers and other professionals
Shapiro, who has touted himself as a good for business governor and last year worked with Republicans to approve building permitting reform, asked lawmakers to help him move that work forward in reducing licensing time for Pennsylvania professionals.
He called on the General assembly to approve reforms allowing social workers to be licensed in conjunction with graduate school, helping to address a shortage in the state, and he called for lower wait times for other professionals like barbers and pharmacists.
“We’ve put ourselves at a competitive disadvantage by incentivizing workers to go to another state,” he said.
Shapiro proposes adding $5 million to Pa.’s student teacher stipend program
As Pennsylvania continues to struggle with teacher shortages, Shapiro proposed adding another $5 million to the state’s student teacher stipend program — bringing the program up to $35 million.
Growing the program, which provides $10,000 to student teachers completing their required placements, will “ensure there are more well-trained teachers,” Shapiro said. He called out a teacher from Susquehanna Township, Hallie Sill, who he said had told him how the stipend program that launched in 2024 had helped her land a job after graduating from the University of Pittsburgh.
“Let’s increase our commitment to this initiative that we know works,” Shapiro said.
Budget would add $18 million in funding for career and technical education
The governor wants to increase funding for career and technical education in the state by $18 million, bringing up total funding for these initiatives to $200 million.
He noted that career and technical education, apprenticeship and vocational technical program funding has increased 50% since he took office.
“We’ve registered 231 new pre-apprenticeships and apprenticeships, and more than 39,000 of our fellow Pennsylvanians have participated in an apprenticeship during my time as your governor in fields ranging from welding to nursing to dairy herd management,” said Shapiro. “Those investments are making a meaningful difference, and they’re creating pathways of opportunity.”
He highlighted that some workers in the state lack a high school degree.
“We can’t lose sight of the fact that there are literally hundreds of thousands of Pennsylvanians who could be added to the workforce if we take care to give them the tools they need to succeed,“ said Shapiro. “Take the 614,000 Pennsylvania adults who don’t have a high school degree, for example. That’s a ton of untapped potential.”
Shapiro introduces ‘GRID’ plan for the rise of massive data centers
Saying the U.S. is in a race to dominate artificial intelligence, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro announced a new plan he says will protect consumers against rising energy costs associated with data centers, while also easing a path for tech companies to build.
The Governor’s Responsible Infrastructure Development (GRID) plan would make data center developers either bring their own power generation or pay for any new generation they’ll need, “not saddling homeowners with added costs because of their development.”
Shapiro said too many data center proposals have been “shrouded in secrecy” but that they are crucial to the U.S.
“The United States is locked in a battle for AI supremacy against China. Look, I don’t know about you, but I’d much rather the future be controlled by the United States of America and not Communist China,” Shapiro said.
Components of the plan include:
Commit to “strict transparency standards.”
Engage communities.
Hire and train local workers from Pennsylvania.
Enter into community benefit agreements.
In return, developers would be “speed and certainty” in getting permits, as well as qualifying for tax credits.
“I know everyone … wants to see our economy grow and create more jobs and more opportunity,” Shapiro said. “But I also recognize this is unchartered territory, so let’s come together, codify these principles and take advantage of this opportunity.”
Shapiro proposes ensuring access to recess for Pennsylvania students
The governor made another proposal for Pennsylvania schools: ensuring they have recess.
“Recess, to me, isn’t just an extra block on the schedule. I would argue it’s just as critical as learning math and science and English,” Shapiro said.
He said he had directed the Pennsylvania State Board of Education to develop recommendations to “guarantee recess for our students.”
“Students need to spend less time focused on their phones and more time focused on learning, on talking to their friends face to face, and on developing the critical skills that they will need later in life,” said Shapiro, who drew sustained applause for the proposal. (“If applause could vote, we’d have this whole thing done already,” the governor quipped.)
He told lawmakers: “I know there are bills in both chambers to do this — I urge you respectfully to come together and send a bill to my desk.”
Some proposals garner unanimous standing ovations from lawmakers
Shapiro’s budget address is a workout for Democratic lawmakers, as they stand up, clap, repeat for each of his ideas.
As Shapiro mentioned mass transit — which he is proposing a long-term funding stream to begin in 2027 — all Democrats quickly shot up to applaud. Only one Republican lawmaker, Sen. Joe Picozzi (R., Philadelphia) stood to celebrate the mention.
As Shapiro talked about new standards he plans to implement for new data centers in Pennsylvania, a handful of other Republicans also stood to applaud.
Two popular proposals that garnered unanimous standing ovations: mentions of first responders and Shapiro’s pitch for restricting children’s access to dangerous AI chatbots.
Shapiro joked at one point, as he has in prior years, that Republicans should applaud his federal response fund because it will help safeguard money Pennsylvanians deserve. This brought a laugh from Democrats, but no reaction from Republicans.
Shapiro calls for limitations on AI to protect children and seniors
Shapiro called for a litany of limits on artificial intelligence as the emerging technology presents new risks to children and seniors across the commonwealth.
In recent months AI developers have faced calls for regulation nationwide and lawsuits from parents who say their children’s relationship with chatbots drove them to self harm.
Even as Shapiro advocated for making Pennsylvania a hub for AI, he said safeguards needed to be established.
He called for age verification and parental consent for chat bots, requirements that companies direct mentions of self harm or violence from children to the correct authorities and periodic reminders from AI chatbots that they are not human.
Furthermore, he called for prohibiting AI chatbots from producing sexually explicit or violent content involving children.
“This space is evolving rapidly. We need to act quickly to protect our kids,” Shapiro said.
In addition to for calling for the General Assembly to pass legislation imposing those limits, Shapiro said he had directed state agencies to explore legal avenues to hold app developers accountable.
Shapiro touts list of achievements as governor: ‘We’re solving problems and getting stuff done’
In his fourth budget address, and final before he stands for reelection in November, Shapiro touted a laundry list of his administration’s accomplishments – from funding of education, to investments in the state’s economy to reducing violent crime across the state.
“We’re solving problems and getting stuff done to improve people’s lives,” Shapiro said, referencing his campaign’s slogan “get sh*t done.”
The list of accomplishments closely mirrored the stump speech the governor gave to supporters in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia last month as he formally launched his reelection campaign and his talking points as he hit the cable news circuit on his book tour last month.
Likely to face State Treasurer Stacey Garrity in the general election next year the centrist Democrat has focused on the idea that he, as governor, can accomplish things for Pennsylvanians regardless of party affiliation.
He will retain that focus throughout his budget address, and throughout the next year as he campaigns for reelection while raising his national profile ahead of a possible 2028 presidential run.
Proposal includes $565 million funding increase to raise poor schools to ‘adequately’ funded levels
Gov. Shapiro is sticking to the state’s plan for remedying constitutional underfunding of its public schools — proposing another $565 million increase to raise poor schools to “adequately” funded levels, and reimburse high-taxing districts.
The governor’s proposed budget also includes a $50 million increase in basic education funding to be distributed to all K-12 schools and a $50 million increase in special education funding.
And it takes another step to curb payments from school districts by $75 million to cyber charter schools, after funding changes last year that were projected to save districts $175 million. While school districts have long accused charters of draining their budget, the cyber schools have vigorously protested proposals to scale back their payments, arguing their students will be hurt.
State mass transit funding fight could be postponed until 2027
Gov. Josh Shapiro is ready to postpone until 2027 a likely fight over a longer-term enhancement of state mass transit funding, citing the temporary cash infusion the administration arranged last year to bail out SEPTA.
“We believe that they are stabilized for two years,” said a Shapiro administration official on Tuesday, adding that they are happy to discuss the issue sooner if the General Assembly is willing.
The money, spread over two fiscal years, allowed SEPTA to reverse 20% service cuts it had imposed last year amid a $213 million deficit. It also was to carry the transit agency through the coming budget year. Shapiro’s proposed spending plan and annual address Tuesday kicked off the negotiations process.
Yet the governor did put on record his preferred stable funding solution for mass transit, which looks just like the one lawmakers spurned last year.
The spending plan would increase the share of the sales and use tax devoted to mass transit subsidies by 1.75%, raising an additional $319.6 million yearly to help strapped local and regional public transportation systems, according to budget documents.
But the proposal would not take effect until July 1, 2027, the start of the fiscal year that will run through June 2028.
“I bought us two years — but we have to keep working at this, because this isn’t a problem we can ignore,” Shapiro said Tuesday. “Mass transit helps drive our economy — this is an issue of economic competitiveness. You know I’m competitive as hell — and I want to win.”
State lawmakers share bipartisan hugs ahead of Shapiro’s budget address
The joint session of the Pennsylvania House and Senate was called to order, and as the group of state lawmakers awaited the arrival of Gov. Josh Shapiro to the chamber to deliver his $53.2 billion budget proposal.
Up until Shapiro’s arrival, attendees gave bipartisan, bicameral hugs to lawmakers from their opposing chamber. Several legislators reunited with their former colleagues who had returned to Harrisburg on Tuesday in their current roles as mayors or executives across the state, including Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle L. Parker, who previously served in the state House for 11 years.
Seated nearby to Shapiro’s left is state Treasurer Stacy Garrity, alongside the other GOP row officers Auditor General Tim DeFoor and Attorney General Dave Sunday. Garrity is likely to challenge Shapiro in November’s midterm election as the state GOP- endorsed candidate for governor.
Shapiro has delivered some lengthy speeches in past years during his first term, running for more than an hour to lay out his priorities for the upcoming fiscal year.
Shapiro’s budget would allot $30 million in performance-based funding for Temple, Penn State and Pitt
Gov. Shapiro’s budget once again proposes to allot money for performance-based funding for Temple, Pennsylvania State University and the University of Pittsburgh.
The budget includes $30 million for the effort, half of what Shapiro proposed last year, according to a source close to the process. When the current budget was passed, however, it included no money for performance-based funding this year.
Whether the initiative will gain legislative support in the new budget year is unclear.
The three universities currently receive about $551 million in state funding.
The new performance measures that would determine how the $30 million is allotted include graduation rates, affordability, and enrollment of low-income students and those pursuing degrees in wide-ranging occupations deemed critical for the state. The criteria were developed last year by a bipartisan council of legislative leaders and the acting secretary of education.
The universities in Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education, meanwhile, would be flat-funded for a second consecutive year under the budget, according to the source.
West Chester, East Stroudsburg, Kutztown, Millersville, Slippery Rock, Shippensburg, Commonwealth, Pennsylvania West and Indiana received the same basic funding this year that they did last year. That was the first time since 2021-22 that the schools did not receive an increase.
Cheyney also got the same basic funding, but the historically Black college got a special $5 million earmark “to develop and implement an enhanced transfer and workforce development initiative in partnership with a community college.”
The state’s community colleges also would be flat-funded under the governor’s proposal.
PJM Interconnection — the region’s dominant electric grid operator — is poised to play a central role in that expansion, as the independent organization has been shoved into the national spotlight and subjected to mounting pressure over the past year.
In many ways, PJM may be one of the most consequential Philly‑area institutions that most residents have barely heard of, even though their electricity supply and monthly bills hinge on its decisions.
The organization has faced escalating scrutiny nationwide and across the region because of its position as the country’s largest independent grid operator and the challenges tied to surging energy demand.
But what is PJM and why is everyone always so mad at it?
Shapiro will pitch $100 million reserve in the event Trump cuts federal funds for Pennsylvania
Gov. Josh Shapiro is expected to propose a new $100 million fund to use as a reserve in the event President Donald Trump’s administration opts to withhold federal funds from Pennsylvania.
Shapiro will pitch the new Federal Response Fund on Tuesday, when he delivers his fourth budget address before a joint session of the state General Assembly.
While Shapiro’s budget pitch will outline how he believes the state should spend $53.3 billion in state revenue and reserves, it is only a piece of Pennsylvania’s annual spending. In the 2025-26 budget, the state was projected to receive $53.1 billion in additional funds from the federal government, or 40% of the state’s total annual spending.
Shapiro has repeatedly said the state cannot backfill the federal cuts by the Trump administration and Congress to Medicaid, health subsidies, food assistance, and more, as these cuts total billions in federal funds. The proposed fund would not try to replace this money, but would be available if the Trump administration chooses to withhold federal fund as it did multiple times last year.
Shapiro is expected to note in his address the 19 times he sued or joined lawsuits against the Trump administration for failing to release federal funds, such as $18 million set aside for state-level Homeland Security funding or $2 billion for environmental and energy projects already appropriated by Congress during former President Joe Biden’s tenure.
Shapiro frequently sued Trump during his first administration while he was Pennsylvania’s attorney general, and has chosen to continue to legally challenge him in his capacity as the state’s governor on numerous occasions.
In his new memoir Where We Keep the Light, which was released last week, Shapiro gave a window into how he decided to join lawsuits as attorney general, noting the many times he beat the Trump administration in court because “we were rooted in the law, not politics.”
“But while I had profound differences with [Trump], and I didn’t like the way he talked, and I certainly didn’t like the values and viewpoints he espoused, I only sued his administration when I believed that he was actually violating the law,” Shapiro wrote.
One reason the budget could get resolved faster than last year
There is one bright spot for the schools, counties and nonprofits that rely on state funding and which last year had to wait more than four months for the money when lawmakers couldn’t agree: It’s an election year.
Election years often result in quicker budget resolutions, as lawmakers and officials want to secure money for their districts before they go home to campaign for reelection.
In 2018, when former Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf was up for reelection, he signed the state budget on June 23 — a week ahead of the July 1 deadline.
This year, Gov. Josh Shapiro is up for reelection, likely to face a November challenge from State Treasurer Stacy Garrity, the state-GOP endorsed candidate. And many other state lawmakers are in the same boat.
All 203 seats in the state House and half the 50 seats in the state Senate are on the ballot in November. Several lawmakers have announced they will not seek reelection, allowing for competitive elections to fill the vacancies.
Gov. Josh Shapiro proposed to generate an additional $1.5 billion over five years to subsidize public transit operations by increasing its share of state sales tax income.
Senate Republicans, in the majority in the chamber, opposed using the sales tax, though the rate would not have increased.
They preferred a new source for the state’s transit aid rather than a broad-based levy, and said SEPTA was mismanaged, citing high-profile crimes, rampant fare evasion, and spending decisions.
Hopes were raised of a deal to use money from a new tax on games of “skill,” slot-like machines that are currently untaxed or regulated — the proverbial magical money pot that would make raising cash painless. It had featured in several budget cycles but again did not come together amid clashing opinions among GOP lawmakers.
When the state budget passed in December, there was no new transit money in it.
In November, the administration also sent $220 million in emergency money in November for repairs to the ailing Regional Rail fleet and the trolley tunnel.
SEPTA officials and transit advocates say they are unsure what’s coming this time around, if anything.
One thing is clear in advance: A Pennsylvania budget process ain’t Schoolhouse Rock, so hang on.
Shapiro could promote effort to ban cell phones from Pa. schools today
Gov. Josh Shapiro is backing a proposal to ban cell phones from Pennsylvania classrooms, joining a growing chorus of parents, teachers, and officials seeking to curb school disruptions and detach kids from addictive devices.
“It’s time for us to get distractions out of the classroom and create a healthier environment in our schools,” Shapiro said in a post on X on Thursday.
He called on Pennsylvania lawmakers to pass a bill that would require schools to ban the use of cell phones during the school day, “from the time they start class until the time they leave for home.”
The endorsement from the Democratic governor — who could promote the issue during his budget address Tuesday — comes as school cell phone bans have increasingly become the norm: 31 states have restrictions of some kind on phones, including 23 states with “bell-to-bell” bans barring the use of phones the entire school day, according to Education Week.
Housing, affordability, and new revenue: What we’re watching for in Gov. Josh Shapiro’s budget address
HARRISBURG — Gov. Josh Shapiro on Tuesday is expected to propose a $53.2 billion state budget for the 2026-27 fiscal year, just three months after settling a bitter, 135-day budget impasse that forced schools, counties, and nonprofits to take out loans to stay afloat.
Shapiro, a first-term Democrat running for reelection this year and potentially poised for higher office, will deliver his fourth annual budget address before a joint session of the Pennsylvania General Assembly, where he plans to pitch an expansive $1 billion housing and infrastructure plan to incentivize new housing development with an overall focus on affordability in the state.
And as in years past, Shapiro is expected to again propose new revenue streams to fill a more than $5 billion deficit, such as the legalization and taxation of adult-use cannabis, as Pennsylvania is again expected to spend more than it brings in tax revenues.
–> 
–> 
–> 
–> 
–> 
–> 
–> 
