Junk fee transparency legislation bill proposed
State Rep. Elizabeth Fiedler and state Sen. Nick Pisciottano introduced legislation in the state House and Senate to create price transparency for consumers in Pennsylvania. The Pay the Price You See legislation would require platforms for event tickets, lodging and food delivery to list the full, final price of their products upfront, allowing consumers to make informed decisions.
Junk fees are the unexpected, mandatory fees added to the price of a good or service at checkout, often associated with online purchases for items like concert tickets. These fees can add up to 30 percent more to the original price, and they cost the average American family more than $3,000 per year.
“At a time when costs are rising nationwide, Pennsylvanians deserve the ability to see real prices upfront, so they can make informed decisions that work for their budgets,” Fiedler said. “Baseball season is back, and families like mine will be heading to the ballpark. We should all be able to make plans and have fun — whether it’s seeing a Phillies game or booking a vacation — without the fear of corporations slapping hidden fees on tickets.”
The concept is intended to protect Pennsylvania consumers against “bait-and-switch” pricing practices, while allowing small businesses to compete with the artificially lowered prices advertised by dominant, national corporations.
School district proposing changes to school bus safety
The School District of Philadelphia is launching a pilot program designed to deter dangerous driving and support student safety by mounting cameras to the stop arms of school buses to record any motorists who illegally pass the bus. According to Pennsylvania’s School Bus Stopping Law, motorists are required to stop at least 10 feet away from school buses either when they are behind, or approaching an intersection, where a bus has its red lights flashing and stop arm activated, and must wait until the red lights have stopped flashing and the stop arm has been withdrawn.
The National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services estimates that there are more than 45 million stop-arm violations annually in the United States, which poses a danger to students. According to Bus Patrol data, districts have seen a decrease of up to 30 percent year-over-year in stop-arm violations.Â
The district has secured two vendors, Bus Patrol and Gatekeeper Systems, to mount cameras on the stop arms of 20 school buses, at no cost to the district. When a school bus stops, cameras will automatically activate when the bus stop-arm is extended and the camera will capture the vehicle and license plate of any motorist who illegally passes the bus. Violations are then reviewed by a vendor for accuracy. While citations will not be issued during the pilot, weekly violation reports will be shared with the district.
Buses for the pilot were selected based on routes that have stops on major roadways, multi-lane highways and busy intersections. The pilot will run through the end of the school year.Â
Celebrating St. Katharine Drexel
The Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament invite supporters and friends to gather for the 2025 Annual Gala, a special afternoon honoring the enduring legacy of their foundress, St. Katharine Drexel, on Sunday, April 27, at 3 p.m. at The Buck Hotel, 1200 Buck Road, Feasterville.
This year’s gala commemorates the 25th anniversary of St. Katharine Drexel’s canonization. The event will feature a keynote address by Robert Gutherman, whose miraculous healing led to the first recognized miracle attributed to St. Katharine Drexel.
Sponsorships and advertisements for the gala can be purchased.
For more information or to attend the gala, visit https://www.katharinedrexel.org/news-events/gala-2025/, contact the SBS Gala Committee at sbscm.cfgp@gmail.com or call 267-592-6711. ••
Garden day and plant sale
The Philadelphia County Penn State Master Gardeners’ annual Garden Day & Plant Sale returns for the 10th year on Sunday, April 27, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Fairmount Park Horticultural Center, 100 N. Horticulture Drive.
On sale will be a variety of affordable seedlings and native plants with blooms. Prices range from $4 for small vegetable starter plants to $30 for well-established, exotic house plants. Choose from hundreds of varieties of unique veggies, herbs, native plants and pollinators for all kinds of light and moisture conditions. All plants have been carefully cultivated by Penn State Master Gardeners or local farms and nurseries, and proceeds will support educational programs in Philadelphia.
Philadelphia Master Gardeners will also host garden tours and gardening workshops and demonstrations throughout the day.
This is an outdoor event and will be held rain or shine.
For workshop details and the schedule of activities, visit https://extension.psu.edu/programs/master-gardener/counties/philadelphia/annual-plant-sale ••
Germantown Jazz Festival April 25-27
The Germantown Jazz Festival will take place from April 25-27. Venues are Germantown Friends School, Vernon Park, First Presbyterian Church and The Nile Cafe. There will be performances, workshops, food vendors, children’s activities and cultural experiences. For more information, visit GermantownJazzFestival.com or call Sherri Pennington at 267-882-7385. ••
Sign up for free Review newsletter
The South Philly Review has a new website: https://patimes.media/
The website includes news, arts and entertainment, crime, sports, opinion and ways to subscribe and sign up for a free newsletter that will bring stories to your inbox.
The site includes an option to read the current issue in “flipbook” style.
Readers are also encouraged to follow the newspaper on Bluesky, on Facebook at South Philly Review and on X @SoPhReview.
In addition to the Review being delivered to homes, the paper can be found at these spots: https://patimes.media/pickup-locations/#spr. ••
Dugan to air campaign ad
The first ad in the Democratic primary for district attorney was scheduled to air citywide on left-wing cable news channels CNN and MSNBC, sharing the story of challenger Pat Dugan, a former Army paratrooper and Municipal Court judge.
The ad, “Clothes Make the Man,” is able to run due to Dugan’s major fundraising advantage over DA Larry Krasner.
Recent filings show Krasner’s campaign has less than $165,000 in cash on hand, compared to Dugan’s campaign, which has raised more than $700,000, with more than $500,000 cash on hand.
The ad says, “I’m Pat Dugan. I wear my heart on my sleeve and my story on my back. A city champ jersey, growing up in Frankford; body armor protecting me in Iraq and Afghanistan; a black robe in my courtroom; green on game days – Go Birds! Now I’m running for D.A., to make our city as safe as it is great.”
A woman says, “Pat. He’s the real reformer. A second chance for nonviolent offenders.”
A second woman says, “Safer neighborhoods for our families.” ••
Taekwondo competition
The Red Tiger Cup will take place on Saturday and Sunday, May 3-4, at Bucks County Community College, 275 Swamp Road, in Newtown. The fee is $80. Call 215-969-9962, email redtigertkd@gmail.com or visit red-tiger.com. ••
Theater performance of Honk!
The Star Players, of the city Department of Parks and Recreation, will present Honk! The Ugly Duckling Musical on May 30-31 and June 1, at 7 p.m., at Venice Island Performing Arts Center, 7 Lock St., in Manayunk. Tickets are $15 in advance and $20 at the door. Group rates are available. Tickets can be purchased on Venmo @TheStarplayers or at Holmesburg Recreation Center, 4500 Rhawn St. For more information, follow @starplayersPPR on X, like the group’s page on Facebook or contact director Bill Arthur at 215-685-8714 or Starplayers2013@gmail.com. ••
Host foreign exchange student
World Heritage International Student Exchange Program is seeking local families to host foreign exchange students. World Heritage students come from countries such as Italy, Denmark, Spain, France, Germany, Ukraine, Japan and Australia. They are ages 15-18. Host families may be single parents, couples and single persons.
The exchange students have pocket money for personal expenses and full health, accident and liability insurance.
If interested in hosting an exchange student, call Debra at 800-888-9040, visit www.world-heritage.org or send an email to info@world-heritage.org to request more information or start the application process. ••
VFW looking for members
Bustleton-Somerton/CTR1 Michael J. Strange VFW Post 6617 meets on the third Wednesday of every month at American Legion Post 810, 9151 Old Newtown Road.
Meetings start at 7:30 p.m.
If you are a military veteran who served in a designated combat zone, you are eligible to join the VFW.
Call Commander Israel Wolmark at 215-725-0630 if you would like to join the post. ••
Pacific Wine Country tour
The Bristol Cultural and Historical Foundation is going on a Pacific Wine Country cruise aboard the Sapphire Princess, May 10-17. Ports-of-call include Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, Astoria (Oregon) and Victoria and Vancouver (Canada). Rates range from $3,048 to $3,578 per person, double occupancy, which includes round-trip airfare from Philadelphia, port charges, government fees, taxes and transfers to and from the ship. Call 215-788-9408 for more information. ••
Trip to Niagara Falls
Polish American Cultural Center is sponsoring a Niagara Falls, New York & Made in America Store trip from Thursday, July 10, to Sunday, July 13. There will be a canal Cruise and lunch, boat ride, underground railroad tour, wine testing, a visit to the Our Lady of Fatima Shrine and casino trip, with $25 slot play. The trip will be by motor coach, and there will be a three-night hotel stay with buffet breakfasts and dinners. The cost is $1,100 per person double occupancy, including taxes and gratuities. For more information and reservations, call Theresa Romanowski at 215-813-2780 or 215-922-1700. ••
City promoting STI testing
The city Department of Public Health’s Division of HIV Health has launched its “Funky Junk” communications campaign focused on increasing citywide awareness of, and regular testing for, sexually transmitted infections. Messaging was strategically rolled out in mid-March to establish the campaign and start building local momentum ahead of national STI Awareness Week (April 13-19).
The campaign supports DHH’s Philly Keep On Loving, an ongoing initiative helping Philadelphians be proactive in protecting themselves and their partners from STIs and working to decrease the city’s rate of STIs, which has been on the rise during recent years. The ad series demonstrates the city’s commitment to connecting with target audiences in ways that are meaningful, resonate with them and provide a solution that fits with their lifestyle. The campaign features bold imagery accompanying headlines that pose questions such as “Drippy Ding-Dong?”, “Itchy Kitty?”, “Didn’t Wrap the Willy?”, and “Funky Junk?”
“Sometimes humor is the best approach to a serious subject because it helps people step back, realize they are not alone and feel more confident that whatever the situation is, it is more of a molehill than a mountain,” said Javontae Lee Williams, Prevention Program Manager, Division of HIV Health. “The subject of STIs is uncomfortable for many people, adding to the barriers we need to remove to elevate citywide sexual health. By using comical euphemisms and visuals, our ad campaign keeps it real for our populations most at risk. We acknowledge the discomfort of what they are going through and provide a simple solution.”
Each ad in the series, which was created by Bandujo Advertising + Design, is very light in tone and content to avoid any indication of judgment and to ensure audiences are clear in what to do: consider they may have an STI, then get tested. Ads connect people — via online clicks or QR codes — to PhillyKeepOnLoving.com, where they will find easy options for free, convenient, in-person or at-home testing, as well as other sexual wellness information and resources. The campaign includes digital ads, out-of-home displays (including bus shelters and billboards), coasters and posters displayed at bars and similar locations throughout the city, and activations in dating apps.
“Last year, Philadelphia ranked No. 1 of 100 metro areas with the highest STI rates — this year we are second highest,” said Charles Gregory Postell, Communications and Policy Coordinator for the Department of Public Health. “So yes, we’re seeing progress, but these rankings drive us to be even more aggressive, strategic and broad reaching in our campaigns. This is why Take Control Philly distributed 1 million free condoms last year and we’ve set an even higher goal this year. For us to make the necessary impact in STI control in Philadelphia, awareness and action must go hand in hand — whether that’s through condom distribution, grassroots efforts or dynamic ad campaigns.”
“Funky Junk” ads will run at least through April, which is designated as STI Awareness Month.More information about the Department of Public Health’s Philly Keep On Loving initiative, which, in addition to providing free condom kits, offers free STI testing, PrEP and other sexual wellness products, can be found at PhillyKeepOnLoving.com. ••
A demand for city money for immigrants
Immigrant youth, educators and community allies from across the city united to advocate for $4 million in the upcoming city budget to support immigrant and newcomer students as well as families facing detention. The lobby day included a morning press conference and visits to City Council offices, where community members and supporters pushed for investments intended to make Philadelphia schools and communities remain safe, inclusive and well-resourced. The funding request include $1.9 million for three new newcomer programs that provide academic, social-emotional and language support to recently arrived students, helping them navigate their new school environment and thrive in their education and the reinstatement of the Multilingual Assessment Center to ensure proper placement, language access and resources for immigrant families, and more bilingual counseling assistants; and $1.8 million for the Pennsylvania Immigrant Family Unity Project, a universal representation program aimed at providing legal support to individuals in detention, ensuring that immigrant families have access to the legal resources they need to navigate the complexities of the justice system.
“The PA Immigrant Family Unity Project is a universal representation model that means no one stands before a judge without legal help — because due process shouldn’t depend on your income or immigration status,” said Councilwoman Rue Landau’s legislative director, Jeff Serra. “Everyone deserves representation, and when I say everyone, that includes everyone, regardless of their citizenship status.” ••
Cruise in July
The Bristol Cultural and Historical Foundation is traveling on an Independence Day Celebration cruise, July 1-8. Ports-of-call include New York, Newport, Boston on July 4 and Halifax, Nova Scotia. A passport is required. Rates range from $1,920 to $2,680 per person, double occupancy. For a flyer, call 215-788-9408. ••
