🚧 Old City is getting a makeover

🚧 Old City Is About To Look Like New City

From Second to Sixth Street, Market Street is getting a makeover. There will be a new pedestrian plaza and protected bike lanes. Officials say the remodel will reduce traffic-related injuries and deaths under the city’s Vision Zero plan. They also say to expect traffic delays and parking restrictions until construction is complete in the summer of 2026. [🔒The Inquirer]

💵 Local Pharma Company Avoids Billions in Penalties for Selling Opioids

A new investigation from ProPublica and The Inquirer has found that Endo Health Solutions, a pharmaceutical company based in Malvern, avoided paying billions of dollars for its alleged role in the country’s opioid epidemic. Over the course of two decades, it injected 33 billion opioid pills into the market, but it pulled some corporate maneuvering to hand out $95 million in executive bonuses before seeking bankruptcy protection and paying just a fraction of the $7 billion owed to the government. [ProPublica / 🔒 The Inquirer]

🇺🇲 Trump’s A.G. Pick Was Major Pennsylvania Election Denier

Pam Bondi, former Florida Attorney General, is President-elect Donald Trump’s second pick for U.S. Attorney General – and four years ago, she was one of the most notable voices behind the false and dangerous allegation that Democrats stole the election in Pennsylvania from Trump. “We won Pennsylvania,” Bondi said in Philly at the time. (They didn’t in Pennsylvania.) [The Washington Post]

We love a Christmas movie, but sometimes we just want to keep it real. We’ve curated a list of Philly-based documentaries, mostly new ones, to catch up on during the holidays.

Michael Jack Schmidt

This MLB Network documentary looks into the career of former Phillies third baseman Mike Schmidt. This Philadelphia sports icon played for the Phillies from 1972 to 1989 – his only team! Schmidt’s achievements got him inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1995. The documentary depicts the highs and lows of Schmidt’s career, a man who is often said to be one of the greatest third basemen in history.

Finding Carlesha

This NBC10 documentary tells the story of Carlesha Gaither Freeland, a Philadelphia woman who was abducted after getting off a SEPTA bus in 2014. Held captive for days, she was the focus of a nationwide manhunt. It's a true-crime story that's both horrifying and inspiring. Look out for an interview with the reporter who made the documentary, Claudia Vargas, coming up on City Cast Philly in January.

Kenyatta: Do Not Wait Your Turn

Pennsylvania has had 53 senators; all have been white men. This documentary follows Malcolm Kenyatta’s campaign in 2022 for a U.S. Senate seat in Pennsylvania. Kenyatta was the first openly LGBTQ+ person to be elected to the state General Assembly, and his run for higher office sheds light on the challenges of navigating the political landscape while representing multiple identities. Kenyatta lost a bid this year for state auditor general.