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In Philadelphia, in what now is called Independence Hall, is preserved a Chippendale style chair crafted in 1779 by the cabinetmaker John Folwell, with a sun on the horizon carved at the top. For nearly three months in 1787, George Washington used this chair during the sessions of the Federal Convention. According to James Madison, whose feet would have dangled from it since, at 5’4” he was ten inches shorter than Washington, Benjamin Franklin mused: “I have often in the course of the session looked at that sun behind the President without being able to tell whether it was...

Excavating toilets might not seem like glamorous work. But this team of archaeologists were not complaining when they unearthed 87,000 artifacts dating back to the American Revolution while digging up 250-year-old outhouses in Philadelphia. The Commonwealth Heritage Group made the fascinating find on a dig at the site of the new Museum of the American Revolution, which opens next year. Twelve of the brick bathrooms were uncovered during the dig just two blocks away from Philadelphia's Independence Hall, the Huffington Post reported. Intricate crockery, finely detailed jugs, wig curlers and an array of beads were found during the excavation....

Motorists on Interstate 95 during the Democratic National Convention should be prepared for weight restrictions and ramp closures. PennDot has outlined what drivers on the interstate should expect before, during and after the DNC, which will be held July 25-28 at the Wells Fargo Center in South Philadelphia. Here's what you need to know: Open to passenger vehicles Like other highways in the area, I-95 will be open to passenger vehicles. No vehicles weighing more than 5 tons Vehicles that weigh more than five tons won't be permitted on I-95 between Exit 13 (for Interstate 76 West/Route 291/Valley Forge) and...

In Philadelphia, a 1.5-cents-per-ounce tax on beverages goes into effect January 1, 2017. The regressive, highly unpopular tax will add 18 cents to the cost of a can of soda, $1.08 for a six-pack or $1.02 for a two-liter bottle. The new “soda tax” will be added on top of the already excessive 8% sales tax that applies to beverages in Pennsylvania.Yes, the tax is unpopular – 58% of residents oppose the measure. Yes, the tax will disproportionately harm poor residents – economic studies show that low-income Americans spend a larger portion of their income on consumer goods like soda. No, the...

Philadelphia’s public school system was ordered to pay out $2.3 million in damages after a court found it deliberately discriminated against a white-owned business. Security and Data Technologies, Inc. (SDT) was initially chosen by Philadelphia School District (PSD) and then-Superintendent Arlene Ackerman back in 2010 to install surveillance cameras at 19 schools PSD classified as particularly dangerous. After the company began preliminary work, it was abruptly “deselected” and the $7.5 million no-bid contract was then awarded on an emergency basis to IBS Communications, a company not eligible for no-bid contracts. The abrupt turn of events, it turns out, had a...

Greg Nash Resignation letter at link. Rep. Chaka Fattah (D-Pa.) is resigning effective immediately, he announced Thursday, after initially seeking to remain in Congress despite his conviction on corruption charges. "In my previous letter I indicated a later resignation date in order to provide for an orderly transition of my office after 21 years in the House," he wrote in a letter to Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.). "However, out of respect for the entire House Leadership, and so as not to cause a distraction from the House's work for the people, I have changed my effective date." Fattah first...

They’ve begun painting the donkeys in Philadelphia. Fifty-seven fiberglass donkeys representing the delegations to the Democratic National Convention are being painted with iconic images and will be placed on display starting July 1 at city landmarks. Twenty-eight artists were selected to custom-design each donkey, symbol of the Democratic Party. …

A shuttered Philadelphia prison that was built 120 years ago and once used inmates as test subjects for biochemical research is being readied in case space is needed to hold protesters arrested during the Democratic National Convention. Tens of thousands of protesters are expected at the July 25-28 convention. Officials with the city's prison system tell the Philadelphia Inquirer Holmesburg Prison can be used if needed for mass arrests. The prison was closed in 1995....

A jury has convicted veteran U.S. Congressman Chaka Fattah in a racketeering case that largely centered on various efforts to repay an illegal $1 million campaign loan. Fattah was found guilty of all 22 counts against him, including racketeering, fraud and money laundering. His lawyers had argued that schemes were engineered without Fattah's knowledge by two political consultants who pleaded guilty in the case. Fattah's jovial and calm demeanor didn't change much as the verdict was read....

Rep. Chaka Fattah (D., Pa.), a Hillary Clinton superdelegate, was convicted on Tuesday on corruption charges stemming from a racketeering conspiracy in which the congressman and four associates misappropriated thousands of dollars from federal, campaign, and charitable sources. Fattah and four associates were indicted in July 2015 on 29 corruption charges including racketeering, bribery, money laundering, mail and wire fraud, bank fraud, and falsification of records, among other charges. The Department of Justice said Fattah took an illegal $1 million loan from his failed Philadelphia mayoral bid in 2007 and disguised it as a loan to his consulting company. At...

You have come through the eye of the needle into Kingdom Come , Zion lays before you blessed daughters and sons, So now the "real awakening begins", Truly you ARE worthy free from all sins, Look you are dressed in righteousness for you wear my gown, I have bestowed on you and a clean turban as your crown, Your feet shine at the mention of My WORD, For Now they Know it IS the Path of Righteousness they have heard, Holy ! Holy ! Holy ! Is the sound, That you hear now echoing all around, Voices that sound like...

SOUTH PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Police are searching for several suspects who were caught on camera brutally attacking three people outside Geno's Steaks in South Philadelphia. The incident happened back on June 11 outside the cheesesteak landmark on the 1200 block of South 9th Street. Patrick Kane and his wife say they were out at Geno's Steaks following a wedding. When one of their friends asked the group of guys to a bum a cigarette, that question somehow triggered the violent brawl. "I got punched in the nose, then I got punched in the back of the head, I got two...

The Dirty Bernie supporters/delegates are holding a massive bean-dinner the night before and are encouraging everybody who's anybody to eat beans, show up, and let the world know that the way the Dem elections were run, some say defrauding Dirty Bernie of his rightful place as the Dem Candidate for POTUS (law suits in several States) really stinks. Just a few of the plethora of sources: http://www.truthdig.com/eartotheground/item/worlds_largest_fart-in_planned_for_hillary_clintons_acceptance_speech_in_ph http://www.topix.com/forum/philly/T8T2D4QDQC3LC9N3D http://www.democraticunderground.com/10141493594 Read more at http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=26f_1466305429#60PhfxET8WEmKuX9.99

But Frank Stelmach of Double Tap Shooting Range and Gun Shop invited me, videographer Michael Sheridan and reporter Adam Shrier to come down. Stelmach is not like many gun lovers. He admires his weaponry, yes, and has difficulty explaining why law-abiding citizens need a gun that can empty a 40-round magazine in a few seconds. But he also hates the idea that “bad people” get a hold of a gun like this and use it to kill without difficulty. “There should be expanded background checks — extending into your family, friends and associates,” he said. “And there should be a...

I doubt they see the irony. In Philadelphia, where American freedom was born, they’re taxing soda pop. That’s because it’s bad for you. Too much sugar, too much carbonation, too much freedom. So the city council has imposed a tax. It’s being seen as a victory over evil soda pop corporations. Somewhere along the way, apparently, Coca-Cola became the antichrist. And somewhere along the way, apparently, people became incapable of running their own lives. And in the city where men in Independence Hall declared that humankind is endowed at birth with liberty and the right to pursue a self-determined happiness,...

During the Revolutionary War, our new nation faced a financial crisis. The colonies had no money to pay for the war and the prospects of raising funds were dismal, at best. Colonial troops had not been paid the money due them, so protests ensued. Some officers even surrounded the Continental Congress and held it for ransom, trying to get what was promised the troops for years of hardship, struggle and deprivation. Our young country was very near imploding after all the years of bloodshed, sacrifice and valiant commitment to the dream of liberty. Enter Robert Morris: the richest man in...

A Telemundo reporter in Philadelphia was punched in the face on the air during a live broadcast, video shows. Iris Delgado was concluding a report outside City Hall on Thursday night when she was approached by Waheedah Wilson.

Donald Trump called for the Republican Party to fall in line behind his presidential bid Saturday during campaign swings through Florida and Pennsylvania, attacking skeptical members of his own party along with Democratic rival Hillary Clinton. “We have a war to win against a very crooked politician. The Republican Party really should get their act together,” Trump said here Saturday. “They have to come together. We have to win. And if for no other reason, the Supreme Court, remember that.”

Hillary told Univision (the Mexican Cable TV Station) that we should be “building bridges, not walls.” Of course in reference to Donald Trump’s stand that we need to secure our borders with a ‘wall.’ So in preparation for the DNC Convention in Philadelphia, they are erecting a huge fence to keep out…Sanders supporters? Wait, isn’t a fence like a wall? If they can build one, why can’t we? “I think the idea of building walls as an answer to issues that confront our country is just not the right approach. We should be building bridges, we should be building understanding.”...

After spending an hour meeting with President Barack Obama at the White House, Bernie Sanders vowed to stay in the race for Tuesday's District of Columbia primary while acknowledging that he would work with Hillary Clinton to defeat Donald Trump in the general election. Sanders ticked through a list of his priorities, promising to take those issues to the convention in Philadelphia next month.