💵 Parker wants hotel tax to fund shelters

Proposed Hotel Tax to Increase Homeless Services

Among the priorities in her budget address, Mayor Parker proposes a 2% increase in an existing hotel tax. Funds from the tax would support the expansion of shelter beds as part of a larger effort to end homelessness in the city. But such a change could be held up in Harrisburg. [🎧 City Cast Philly]

Terminal Closed at PHL Ahead of Spring Break Travel

I may have spoken too soon about those TSA lines. Wait times are likely to worsen today as the partial federal government shutdown continues and some airport employees go without pay. The airport announced yesterday that Terminal C is temporarily closed due to staffing constraints. [CBS Philly]

• Related: Catching a flight? Learn about new upgrades at PHL, the best ways to get there, and where to grab food. [🎧 City Cast Philly]

Market East to Get Major Upgrades Thanks to $1.85 Million Grant

In anticipation of crowds for the World Cup and the semiquincentennial, the Sixers and Comcast are delaying plans to demolish a stretch of properties along Market East. The corridor will host art installations and pop-up retail shops thanks to a city-funded grant. The city will also invest in other beautification efforts along the corridor. [ 🔒 Philadelphia Business Journal, NBC10]

Philly Schools Could Get Emptier

The School District of Philadelphia’s controversial closure plan addresses a persisting problem: enrollment. In the past 10 years, the School District of Philadelphia’s headcount dropped by 17,000 students. Due to declining birth rates and parents opting for cyber charter schools, enrollment is expected to drop by 10% over the next decade. [🎧 City Cast Philly, Chalkbeat]

It’s quiz time! Have you been paying attention to the podcast this week? Play to test your Philly knowledge.

Which Philly neighborhood has one of the largest concentrations of original 18th-century buildings in the United States?

1. Queen Village
2. Society Hill
3. Germantown