July 4, 2021
Holiday
by
John Kopp
The first July 4 celebration took place in Philadelphia on Independence Day in 1777. The festivities included a 13-gun salute from ships on the Delaware River, a Congressional dinner and plenty of fireworks. The first fireworks were crude, with elaborate aerial displays becoming more common in the 19th Century.
July 4, 2021
Protests
by
John Kopp
Patriot Front, a white supremacist group that evolved from Vanguard America following the 2017 "United the Right" rally in Charlottesville, has increased its activity in Philadelphia over the last month. The racist group marched through Center City on July 3, 2021, carrying flags and fighting with bystanders. That came a month after its members defaced a George Floyd mural in Olney.
July 1, 2021
Arts & Culture
by
John Kopp
An 1823 printing of the Declaration of Independence sold for $4.42 million at Freeman's Auction in Philadelphia. The print is one of 201 copies produced by engraver William J. Stone and was presented to Charles Carroll, the last surviving member of the original document. The estimated value of the document prior to the auction was $500,000 to $800,000.
June 20, 2021
Parenting
by
John Kopp
DadLab, a support group run by Einstein Healthcare Network in Philadelphia, provides a safe space for new dads to discuss the challenges they face as first-time parents. The group meets each Thursday at 6 p.m. and is open to any fathers-to-be, new fathers and their partners.
May 24, 2021
Mental Health
by
John Kopp
The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia will provide telehealth services for Girard College as part of an effort to improve access to mental health services for students with undiagnosed anxiety, depression and other conditions. The effort is being funded by the Independence Blue Cross Foundation.
May 14, 2021
Health Stories
by
John Kopp
Thomas Williams is one of several COVID-19 patients who have received organ transplants at Temple University Hospital in Philadelphia. The South Jersey resident received a new lung four days after being placed on the lung transplant list – an unusually quick turnaround partially prompted by his severe condition.
May 14, 2021
Health Stories
by
John Kopp
Health systems increasingly are turning to organ transplants to save some of the most severe COVID-19 patients — and Penn Medicine and Temple Health are at the forefront. Both systems have performed several lung transplants on coronavirus patients since Fred Rahmanaian became the first in Pennsylvania to receive one.
April 22, 2021
Women's Health
by
John Kopp
The Blue Cross Blue Shield Association is establishing a new strategy aimed at reducing racial health inequities in maternal health, behavioral health, diabetes and cardiovascular conditions. It first seeks to reduce the disparity in the maternal mortality rate — Black women are 2.5 times more likely to die while pregnant or in childbirth than white women.
January 7, 2021
Protests
by
John Kopp
Rep. Susan Wild, of Pennsylvania, was one of the last lawmakers evacuated from the U.S. Capitol when a mob of pro-Trump supporters breached security Wednesday as Congress was certifying the Electoral College results.
December 18, 2020
Prevention
by
John Kopp
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorized Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine Friday for adults ages 18 and over. That will give the United States two coronavirus vaccines. The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is currently being administered to health care workers across the country.