Google Maps has been publicly demoing a new version of what is arguably the most popular mapping app in the world, with some pretty interesting upgrades. In addition to lots of user interface improvements and the like, the new version now features…

The ranks of Curby Buckett, Safety Paws and other city government mascots you’ve never heard of, will soon grow by one as the Philadelphia Water Department searches for a new “spokesdog” (ha ha, get it? DOG!). It gets even better:…

Follow on twitter @rw_briggs … if you want your own luxurious spending questioned. Chaka “Chip” Fattah, Jr. started following me on Twitter after I tweeted a link to an Inquirer article about a questionably ethical “legal defense fund” former Governor…

Last spring, Alex Dingley ran across a problem in his home recording studio, in Norristown’s Cigar Factory loft building. At first, the audio engineer thought something was wrong with his 1976 Fender Telecaster — connected to an amp, it emitted…

Perhaps mirroring the reputation Philadelphia’s building trades have garnered from recent and not so recent events, labor leader Johnny “Doc” Dougherty’s bar in Pennsport has been assailed on Yelp for being “not very ‘safe'” and, at times, downright violent. To…

A blighted building in Old City that we told you about last month is finally showing some signs of new ownership, following rumors of its acquisition by a (formerly) super secret real estate investor. In recent weeks the south face…

In November, part of a $1.1 million state grant was used to raze a row of homes and businesses on Farragut Street in West Philly, across from the 46th Street El station. In its place, there’s now a sprawling empty…

Follow on twitter @rw_briggs A high-profile East Falls developer, Mark E. Sherman, owes the city nearly $900,000 in back taxes, according to Office of Property Assessment records. Sherman is a major landowner in the area, notably of the former Dobson…

As spring makes a tentative appearance in Philly, office workers might wonder what ever happened with plans outlined last fall to shake up outdated regulations that limit operations of lunch trucks in the city. The short answer: not much.  Six…