Latest News
Fahmee Shabazz on the fight to save Overbrook Elementary
This spring, Philly’s Board of Education voted to close 17 schools as part of a plan to invest $3 billion into the 169 of the school’s remaining campuses. Many community members and Philadelphia City Council members pushed back to keep neighborhood schools from closing. Fahmess Shabazz has been part of the effort to save Overbrook…
Little Yenta Books
Passyunk Avenue in South Philadelphia. Is home to a vibrant community of coffee shops, restaurants, and stores. One of the newest is Little Yenta Books, a secondhand bookstore that is fostering conversation among readers and developing its own community.
Philadelphia sues gun maker Glock over deceptive marketing
Over the years, lawsuits seeking compensation from gunmakers for the harms caused by their products have rarely succeeded. That’s because of special protections Congress has extended to the gun industry.
But a handful of states and cities think they have found a work-around. They’re seeking to exploit a wrinkle in a federal law that was…
The high cost of mental health care… for mental health workers
Therapy can be expensive. And federal funding cuts and work requirements for Medicaid recipients could make it even harder for thousands of Philadelphians to pay for mental health care.
But patients aren’t the only ones struggling with the costs of care. Mental Health workers are also feeling the weight of this work.
Whisper’s Cabaret and the importance of queer nightlife
Philadelphia’s queer nightlife is about more than a night out. For many performers and audience members, these spaces are places to create, earn money, build community, and fully be themselves. Ashley Whiteside, takes us inside Whispers Cabaret, a recurring burlesque. And poll show to find out what makes events like these so special.
Save the Academy coalition pushes back against closure of the nation’s oldest natural history museum
The Academy of Natural Sciences museum is set to close its doors to the public in a week. But as soon as Drexel University announced plans earlier this month to close the museum and move its archives to the university, a coalition of scientists, museum professionals, and supporters formed the Save the Academy Coalition in…
A history tour of the Bellevue Hotel
There’s a historic building on Broad Street, just a few blocks south of City Hall, that many Philadelphians may only know as an exclusive hotel.
But Around the Block reporter Alisha Miranda recently took a tour of this spot, and found out how it plays a unique role in Philadelphia’s story as a city…
Latest Episodes
October 18, 2026 (Around the Block)
On this episode, we hear about a new book shop in South Philly, and we have a conversation about the impact of school closures with Fahmee Shabazz, a parent organizing against the closure of Overbrook Elementary School in West Philadelphia.
Around the Block is a community news program from the Block by Block team at…
October 7, 2026 (Block by Block)
This episode features stories on city of Philadelphia lawsuit against gun maker Glock over deceptive marketing, the challenges facing mental health professionals, how some community members are helping fill the…
September 20, 2026 (Around the Block)
This episode features stories from reporters Milan Parker and Alisha Miranda about how communities are stepping up to fill a gap left by the small number of Philadelphia schools staffed…
August 16, 2026 (Around the Block)
This episode features a story about efforts preserve the character of Philadelphia’s historic buildings and neighborhoods from unchecked development, and an interview with Philadelphia City Council Education Chair Isaiah Thomas…
July 19, 2026 (Around the Block)
This episode features a story about events that took place around the July 4th holiday to call attention to the ugly truths behind the some of the nation’s foundational stories,…
June 21, 2026 (Around the Block)
This episode features reports from our community journalists about a program bringing soccer to kids in Southwest Philly, an effort to keep AI data centers out of the region, and…