AltWeeklies Wire
In Their Own Wordsnew

Two Mexican immigrants speak out.
Pittsburgh City Paper |
Andrea Kamouyerou |
10-28-2011 |
Immigration
Tags: Pennsylvania
Reality Check: Pennsylvania's Rape Laws Perpetuate the Mythsnew

It’s easier to get away with sexual assault in Pennsylvania than anywhere else in U.S.
Philadelphia Weekly |
Tara Murtha |
06-22-2011 |
Policy Issues
Why Are Steven Brigham's Dangerous Abortion Clinics Still Open?new

Steven Brigham has overseen abortion procedures in Pennsylvania for decades, and he's run afoul of the law throughout his career. Abortion providers and women's health advocates say they've alerted the state repeatedly to concerns over Brigham's clinics.
So why are his clinics are still open?
So why are his clinics are still open?
Philadelphia City Paper |
Holly Otterbein |
04-05-2011 |
The War on Women
Petty's Island, a Fin-Shaped Slice of Strange in the Delaware Rivernew

Never heard of Petty's Island? It's littered with colorful characters — Pennsylvania founder William Penn, Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez, a man who declared himself the island's king, and even the pirate's pirate himself, Ol' Blackbeard.
Philadelphia City Paper |
Holly Otterbein |
02-02-2010 |
Economy
Keystone United: Kinder, Gentler Skinheads?new

The eight-year-old group wants to "break the stereotypes of skinheads being alcoholic thugs and violent, drug-addicted criminals," according to its website. It simply believes that the white race is superior to all others, and that white people should not mingle with people of color -- and really, what's so wrong about that?
Philadelphia City Paper |
Julia Harte |
10-20-2009 |
Race & Class
Will Medical Marijuana Come to Pennsylvania?new

Here in Pennsylvania, my friend Barry the Pot-Dealing Samaritan is risking his freedom to provide a sick person with the medicine he needs to fight cancer. Prison time. Fines. A criminal record that would follow him for his entire life.
Philadelphia Weekly |
Brendan Skwire |
08-10-2009 |
Drugs
Little Kid, Life Sentencenew

Pennsylvania has more juvenile lifers than any other state in the union. This year the U.S. Supreme Court will make decisions that could completely change the existence of people such as Stacey Torrance, who has been in jail since he was 14.
Philadelphia City Paper |
Matt Stroud |
08-04-2009 |
Crime & Justice
Advocates Work to Tranform Community-Based Care in Pennsylvanianew

The majority of disabled people in need of long-term care want to live at home. To do so, they need people like Brenda McFadden to help them get through the day. But the working conditions are intense and poorly remunerated.
Philadelphia Weekly |
Daniel Denvir |
06-15-2009 |
Business & Labor
Modern-Day Gold Rush Comes to Pennsylvanianew

Natural gas drillers are buying mineral rights from property owners across the state, but environmentalists worry about the price to be paid.
Pittsburgh City Paper |
Bill O'Driscoll |
04-27-2009 |
Environment
Is Poker Illegal in Pennsylvania? It Dependsnew

According to a couple of recent court rulings, it may depend on where you play and what the appellate court eventually decides.
Pittsburgh City Paper |
Charlie Deitch |
02-20-2009 |
Policy Issues
Tags: Pennsylvania, politics, gambling, poker, government, Act 71, legality, poker players alliance, PPA, precedence
Justice Is Curbed in the Peggy Reber Casenew
Will a conflict of interest keep a small town from reaching closure on a 40-year-old murder mystery?
Philadelphia Weekly |
Kevin Uhrich and Martha Shaak |
12-17-2008 |
Crime & Justice
Transgender Pennsylvanians Say 2009 Crucial for Equal Rightsnew
At a recent forum, transgender people and their supporters concluded that next year would be crucial for securing equal rights and protections from Harrisburg.
Pittsburgh City Paper |
Marty Levine |
11-24-2008 |
LGBT
Mystery Disease That's Killed Thousands of Bats May Have Moved South to Pennsylvanianew

Researchers across the state are keeping a close watch on Pennsylvania's caves this winter for signs that a mysterious New England bat plague could be moving south. In the past two years, tens of thousands of bats in Vermont, Connecticut, Massachusetts and New York have died.
Pittsburgh City Paper |
Adam Fleming |
11-11-2008 |
Animal Issues
No Second Chances for These Locked-Up Kidsnew
Why does Pennsylvania lead the nation in juvenile lifers?
Philadelphia Weekly |
Jamaal Abdul-Alim |
09-29-2008 |
Crime & Justice
One Year After Minneapolis Bridge Collapse, Are Pennsylvania's Bridges Improved?new
One year later, attention has abated, but the problem hasn't. And despite increased investments, significantly more funding will be needed to repair all of the state's insufficient bridges.
Philadelphia City Paper |
Boyce Upholt |
08-05-2008 |
Transportation