Jake Blumgart
@jblumgart.bsky.social
3.5K followers 430 following 1.2K posts
Reporter for the Philadelphia Inquirer https://www.inquirer.com/author/blumgart_jake/
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jblumgart.bsky.social
As City Council struggles to confront skill games, fake weed, and kratom stores--which are regulated (or not) rom Harrisburg and D.C.--local legislators are increasingly using broad brush tools that effect other small businesses too: www.inquirer.com/real-estate/...
New bill would ban new convenience stores and pharmacies from opening in Kensington
The new zoning restrictions on new pharmacies and convenience stores come in the wake of a curfew bill that sought to crack down on "nuisance businesses."
www.inquirer.com
jblumgart.bsky.social
"At the end of 2024, some 100,000 people were employed in the motion picture industry in Los Angeles County, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Two years earlier, there were 142,000." www.wsj.com/business/med...
L.A.’s Entertainment Economy Is Looking Like a Disaster Movie
Work is evaporating, businesses are closing, longtime residents are leaving, and Los Angeles’s creative middle class is hanging on by a thread.
www.wsj.com
Reposted by Jake Blumgart
inquirer.com
A New York capital management firm is planning a soaring tower on the Delaware River with 620 units. The project is legally possible due to the unique zoning incentives available along the central riverfront.
Apartment tower planned for Columbus Boulevard could be the first of three
The proposal is the latest for a parcel that has seen multiple failed development plans in the last decade.
www.inquirer.com
Reposted by Jake Blumgart
Reposted by Jake Blumgart
inquirer.com
Philadelphia regional airports are contending with staffing shortages as the federal government shutdown drags into a second week — and union officials warn the situation could worsen quickly if the government doesn’t reopen soon.
Worker absences and flight delays at Philly regional airports could worsen amid the government shutdown
So far, the budget impasse has not led to chronic traffic snarls on the runway at PHL, but absences are already up.
www.inquirer.com
Reposted by Jake Blumgart
Reposted by Jake Blumgart
byerussell.com
The head of Vancouver’s transit agency can sum its ridership recovery in one word: Frequency.

“Running the bus every 30 minutes isn’t going to cut it if you want to grow ridership.“

Many Vancouver 🚌 run every 5min or less, and the SkyTrain runs every 3-4min, via @davidzipper.bsky.social
The Secret to Vancouver’s Public Transit Ridership Recovery
The Canadian city’s transit agency, TransLink, bounced back from Covid even as other North American systems have struggled. Its leader explains why riders returned.
www.bloomberg.com
jblumgart.bsky.social
"The section tasked with public corruption investigations is down from 30 prosecutors to two full-time, and the national security division has lost about half its personnel; both were involved in cases against Trump or his allies." www.wsj.com/politics/pol...
Inside the Justice Department Where the President Calls the Shots
The president has executed a wholesale transformation of the Justice Department, taking control in ways he could have only dreamed of in his first term.
www.wsj.com
Reposted by Jake Blumgart
cbgoodman.co
Pretty sure some version of this was proposed when I lived in Philly in 2012. Though it could have been any number of other failed riverfront tower proposals.
Reposted by Jake Blumgart
daveweigel.bsky.social
A 2024 detail I keep thinking about... the Trump campaign saw a growing problem where voters thought he'd be obsessed with revenge if he got back into office. They fixed this w a Fox town hall (campaign got Qs in advance) where he said of course he wouldn't do that. www.nytimes.com/2024/01/10/u...
jblumgart.bsky.social
Currently there is a sprawling encampment along the bike trail next to this parcel, and at the neighborhood meeting last night developer representatives said a sweep is planned for next Tuesday. Our story on a similar situation there from last year: www.inquirer.com/news/philade...
Encampment residents along the Delaware River brace for a clearing, but they don’t know when or how it will happen
Confusion about when the sweep at 1341 S. Christopher Columbus Blvd. might take place and who will be running it has left residents grappling with uncertainty.
www.inquirer.com
Reposted by Jake Blumgart
jimsaksa.com
One takeaway from the F&M poll of Pa voters for me:
People are super anxious about AI and want to see AI regulated.

All the hype from AI boosters could bite them in the butt if politicians realize AI regulations would be very welcome by voters.
October 2025 F&M Poll Results
The first poll since the 2024 election explores a number of issues, including AI, democracy, and the state Supreme Court retention election, along with the mood of Pennsylvania's voters and their rati...
www.fandmpoll.org
Reposted by Jake Blumgart
riegerreport.bsky.social
"Agents were seen choking a Black man on the West Side and conducted a raid outside a homeless shelter in Bronzeville..They shot and wounded a woman Friday, hospitalized at least two people over the weekend, handcuffed a Chicago alderperson" southsideweekly.com/federal-agen...
Federal Agents Storm South Shore Building, Detaining Families and Children
Families were woken by flashbangs and helicopters as hundreds of federal agents raided their homes. Days later, neighbors are still searching for the missing.
southsideweekly.com
Reposted by Jake Blumgart
benjysarlin.bsky.social
In related news, let me know if you or someone you know has any interesting work opportunities!
davejorgenson.bsky.social
The Post laid off seemingly the remaining of their liberal-leaning staff members on Opinion last Thursday, when some of them were observing Yom Kippur.

from @oliverdarcy.bsky.social for Status
status.news/p/washington-post-opinion-cuts-adam-oneal