💸 How much is City Hall’s marketing costing you?

🗳️ The Verdict is Yours: Philly Votes Next Week for Judges

With the primary election just around the corner, you may be well aware of the names Larry Krasner and Pat Dugan. But can you name anyone running for judge? If not, we have you covered. On today’s episode of City Cast Philly, we break down who’s on the ballot for Municipal Court, Court of Common Pleas, and Commonwealth Court – and why voting in these races is vitally important. [🎧 City Cast Philly]

⚖️ Proposed Law Would Place People With Substance Use Disorder in a 120-Hour ‘Psychiatric Hold’

At the request of Mayor Cherelle Parker, State Sen. Anthony Williams has introduced a bill to classify substance use disorder as a mental illness and allow those considered a danger to themselves or others to be involuntarily committed for treatment. Williams believes this version of the bill, which he tried to introduce before, has more political backing, but experts say there’s not enough evidence that involuntary treatment works. [Kensington Voice]

📃 Philly’s Multimillion-Dollar Price Tag on Self-Promotion

Where have some of your tax dollars gone? According to an Inquirer investigation, every year $5.3 million goes to 70 staffers handling media, communications, and PR for the mayor and City Council members. The mayor’s office alone has a nine-person, $1.1 million comms operation – that’s the same number of staff as Gov. Josh Shapiro, who of course communicates with an entire state. And unlike the mayor, Shapiro doesn’t have an outside taxpayer-funded company handling further promotion. [🔒The Inquirer]

🌊 Why Is Wissahickon Creek Green?

If you’ve taken a walk in Wissahickon Valley Park, you may have noticed the creek looking suspiciously green. Friends of Wissahickon debunked fears of an anti-freeze spill, stating the Philadelphia Water Department was testing for contamination with stormwater drains. The non-toxic dye (which is also the dye used in Chicago’s waterways on St. Patrick’s Day) tracks the creek’s flow. [Friends of Wissahickon, 🔒 Philly Mag]