Samantha Melamed

Andre Harvey, imprisoned 41 years for a murder in North Philadelphia — a conviction tainted by a police “sex for lies” scheme exposed in an Inquirer investigation — was freed Wednesday.

Common Pleas Court Judge Mark B. Cohen made Facebook posts skewering Republicans and praising Democratic politicians despite repeated warnings from superiors he was breaking judicial rules.

The family of Michael McKinnis, 61, want answers about how he died on a unit with no staff. “We both know Michael well enough to know he is going to scream for help," his brother said.

Amanda Cahill, of Roxborough, was one of 34 people arrested Wednesday during a coordinated sweep in Kensington. She was found dead in a jail cell Saturday morning.

The senior housing complex in Philadelphia’s Wynnefield section that fell into disrepair under the ownership of the Puretz family, linked to a sprawling fraud scheme, will sell for $24 million.

Two inmates tested positive this week at the State Correctional Institution - Phoenix, a spokesperson said. The inmates are being treated and are reported in stable condition.

The order came a month after a federal judge found the city in contempt of its 2022 settlement agreement in a class-action lawsuit filed over "horrendous" conditions in Philadelphia jails.

Kensington's drug crisis has taken root in properties left vacant and unsecured by speculators. Residents say the city's law-and-order response is lacking without a plan to fix the blight.

Experts say Philly's brand-new Juvenile Assessment Center, or JAC, is crucial to the goal of diverting kids from the juvenile justice system. Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel has a different plan.

The Puretz family took out huge, often subsidized, loans to buy affordable housing complexes, then cut maintenance, didn't pay utilities, and let them slide into ruin, an Inquirer investigation found.