Philadelphia Officials Vote for School Closures

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The School Reform Commission voted to close down 23 schools this past Thursday night. They managed to save four schools after hearing emotional pleas from the protests, however the SRC made the final decision.

The Chairman of the SRC, Pedro Ramos visited the Al Día offices back in July, where he spoke about improvement within the community. However, the commission reportedly had to borrow $300 million to make ends this year and by closing the schools down, the district would save about $24 million each year.

Though Philadelphia has witnessed a radical decline in student enrollment, officials say that the closures will affect about 14,000 students. Some may be merged into the existing schools, others will have to wait. Parents, teachers, and students held protests outside the School District, but the SRC claims they already revised their closure list from 37 to 23.

New Adventures!

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Last week I started my new internship in Production and Programming at WPVI-TV 6abc! I have been so busy with my final semester of undergrad, but am so excited to be starting a new experience. At WPVI-TV, I will be working closely with producers on shows such as Visions, FYI Philly, and North Broad Revitalizations. I hope to post some of my work and share my experiences on the website, so stay tuned!

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Lew Klein Alumni in the Media Awards

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Yep, that’s who you think it is.

This past Thursday I had the honor of attending the Lew Klein Alumni in the Media Awards at Temple University. The “Lewy’s”, as we call them, are presented to those who exhibit excellence in our industry through print, radio, and television. Some of my favorite professors and reporters in Philadelphia were honored throughout the event. But most importantly, Anderson Cooper was awarded the highest Lewy of them all: Excellence in the Media.

I could not be any more thankful for being a part of such an amazing institution.

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Middleton Makes Generous $16.2M Donation to Philadelphia Schools

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A couple weeks ago, the Mayor of Philadelphia Michael Nutter announced John and Leigh Middleton’s generous donation of $16.2M to various Philadelphia schools and programs. The Mayor’s wife, Lisa Nutter outlined the eight new educational initiatives that will span over the next four years.

So will the programs better prepare the youth of Philadelphia for the career force and/or increase the job rate in the years to follow? I guess we’ll have to wait and see.

Judge Louis Freeh Releases Penn State Reports on Sandusky

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This morning Judge Louis Freeh held a press conference in Philadelphia releasing the official report he and his law firm, Freeh Sporkin & Sullivan, LLP, published on the investigation of child sex abuse conducted by former Penn State University employee, Gerald A. Sandusky.

“The evidence shows that these four men also knew about a 1998 criminal investigation of Sandusky relating to suspected sexual misconduct with a young boy in a Penn State football locker room shower. Again, they showed no concern about that victim. The evidence shows that Mr. Paterno was made aware of the 1998 investigation of Sandusky, followed it closely, but failed to take any action, even though Sandusky had been a key member of his coaching staff for almost 30 years, and had an office just steps away from Mr. Paterno’s. At the very least, Mr. Paterno could have alerted the entire football staff, in order to prevent Sandusky from bringing another child into the Lasch Building. Messrs. Spanier, Schultz, Paterno and Curley also failed to alert the Board of Trustees about the 1998 investigation or take any further action against Mr. Sandusky. None of them even spoke to Sandusky about his conduct. In short, nothing was done and Sandusky was allowed to continue with impunity.” – Louis Freeh 

I was sent out to shoot the conference at the Westin Hotel for Al Día News. Here is the footage from earlier today where Freeh responds to reporters’ questions as to why the situation was actively concealed and what this means for Penn State University.

 

Philadelphia SRC Pedro Ramos: How to Improve our Schools

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This past Monday Chairman of the Philadelphia School Reform Commission, Pedro Ramos visited the Al Día offices for an interview at the Round Table. Our reporters asked the Commissioner about the challenges Latino students face in the Philadelphia School District, and what the district must do in order to improve.

Below are a few video segments from the Round Table.

Article link coming soon.

¡Viva Viernes!

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This week’s edition of Al Día covers issues regarding the undocumented immigrants in the US. If you’re in the Philadelphia area or happen to be passing by the newspaper box, be sure to pick up a copy. If you’re not residing in the best city in the US (just kidding) you can always read the articles online at ponte al día. Happy Friday! 

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DREAM Activists PA React to Obama’s Announcment on New Immigration Policy

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On June 15, 2012 President Obama announced a new immigration policy that will allow some undocumented students to continue their education, receive work authorization, and most importantly avoid deportation.

Around 1 million young people could benefit from the deferral. To be eligible, applicants have to be between 16 and 30 years old, live in the U.S. for five years, and maintain U.S. residency. People who have one felony, or minor misdemeanors will be ineligible to apply. “Deferred action” will last for two years and can be renewed, depending on who will take office in the upcoming election.

The Development, Relief and Education of Alien Minors, or DREAM Act, would allow undocumented citizens brought here as children to have the ability to gain legal citizenship. Some of the DREAM activists from PA were able to join Al Día this week and offered their insight on the new policy and explained why they aren’t ready to celebrate just yet.

To read the full story click here.

Mayor Michael Nutter Delivers Progress Update for Greenworks Philadelphia

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Yesterday afternoon, Philadelphia Mayor (and now President of Conference of Mayors) Michael A. Nutter released Greenworks Philadelphia progress update for 2012, marking the midway point in the plan’s goal for Philadelphia to be the “greenest city in American by 2015″. 

The full Greenworks Philadelphia Update and 2012 Progress Report can be found at http://www.phila.gov/green.