Venezuelans in Philadelphia react, Eagles playoff preview, and two new schools coming to the city

Yeah, I think that's a pretty safe bet. I would say most people, especially in the local Venezuelan community in Philadelphia, across the U.S., Venezuelan communities across the world, I think it's pretty safe to say that they were happy to see him go, just considering kind of what he represented in the country. And just, you know, a lot of those, a lot of people that, you know, here in the U.S., you know, they fled the kind of the regime that he represented. And he was in power illegitimately, right? I mean, he originally was elected, but this last election they have, I think, pretty well everyone has accepted that he stole it despite losing in a landslide. Yeah, there's a lot here. So, I mean, Nicholas Maduro had been president. of Venezuela since 2013. And it was in 2013 when the previous president, Hugo Chavez, who had been in power for 14 years himself, passed away of cancer. You'll hear people say Chavismo. It's really in reference to Hugo Chavez. Maduro was kind of a continuation of Chavismo. He was a continuation of Hugo Chavez. He branded himself a Marxist, socialist. But I think really at the core of that is really just this sort of... anti-American imperialism that, you know, we've seen over the years in Latin America. Hugo Chavez started many of the things that Nicholas Maduro continued, particularly, you know, in relation to elections, like the eroding of sort of democratic institutions within Venezuela. You know, he jailed political opponents, barred them from running. He shut down news organizations that questioned him. And Maduro in this 2024 election did that. I mean, in going into it, the major opposition leader that was thought to have the most support, Maria Corina Machado. Maria Corina Machado, she was barred from running in that election, the 2024 election. So the opposition had to come up with a leader to kind of fill the space, and they came up with a man named in Mundo Gonzalez. And that election went off. It was under a lot of intense international scrutiny because of what Maduro did to Maria Corina Machado. The opposition was able to prove at the end of that election that Gonzalez, you know, and they provided evidence of like state ballot boxes that Gonzalez had won. in a kind of a landslide, but the state election authority that was run by the Maduro government, and they, without providing any evidence, basically said that Maduro had won by a slim margin. And so he maintained power, and Maria Corina Machado had to flee. The story from there was that, you know, that he kind of just manipulated and maintained power. So, yeah, I mean, internationally. For sure, like he was in an illegitimate power because it was condemned by the EU, condemned by the Biden administration, the Trump administration. I mean, just everybody. So now let's bring this locally. Who did you talk to? What did they have to say? And let's start, because I'm sure there are differing feelings. Let's start with the actual removal of Maduro. What did you hear from people?

There's like a cautious optimism, I think is how I termed it in the story that I did. I spoke to Casa de Venezuela. I spoke to one of their leaders. His name is Emilio Bitrago. He's been in the United States for a while. You know, he still has family in Venezuela. They actually heard and they saw the helicopter flying by. It seems like it took place very quick. It was no more than half hour, but it was massive of explosions. I mean, he basically said that, like, everybody knew, especially in the community here, everybody knew Maduro was corrupt and he was, you know, he needs to go. The European Union, the U.S. government, both president and Biden and President Trump have recognized, I mentioned that Maduro is a dictator. But, you know, do they necessarily agree that Venezuela had to get bombed, had to get attacked? There, you know, I think there's a bit of contention over that. And then there's, you know, as there's also just sort of the question of what's next because the Trump administration hasn't really answered that question clearly yet. No, and to that point, the rest of the regime was left in place for now. So as far as feelings for the future, is it kind of a mixed bag? I'm sure there's some hope, but also some fear and also some, well, why should we expect any change when the same people, for the most part, are still in place? One of the main things that I talked about with Emilio was that he pretty much said that he was happy that Maduro was gone, but he, but the Trump administration has left Delci Rodriguez in his place. Delsi Rodriguez was the vice president to Maduro and has now, you know, since been sworn in as the interim president. And basically he painted her as part of the same exact Chavismo regime that Maduro represented. They're part of the same team. They're part of the same group of members part of the veterans who in the regime. You know, regardless of the U.S. control of it, with her remaining in power, he doesn't see it changing at all for the Venezuelan people. And I think that's where a lot of the concern comes in from especially the community here. All right. Thank you very much, Nigel. KW's Nigel Thompson joining us. We're just getting started on this edition of the week in Philly. More to come right after this.

You have the power, and I've got your backs. And together, we will win this reelection. We will. And go birds. This is the week in Philly, and this week we saw Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro officially announced he would indeed be running for re-election. For more, let's bring in KW Suburban Bureau Chief Jim Melward and Jim absolutely no surprise at all here. Yeah, zero surprise of formality that may be left only the question of how he'd do it, though even that may have been a bit predictable as Josh Shapiro put out a preview video before the announcement. If you've been following along, it opened with, you guessed it. We cut through the red tape to get I-95 rebuilt in record time. We did it using materials from a Pennsylvania... Josh Shapiro followed that up with his favorite line, though opting for the uncensored version. But it wasn't just there. We've gotten done all across our Commonwealth. To make a real difference. So when it comes to the actual message that Josh Shapiro is going to kind of build the re-election campaign, is it the getting stuff done? Yeah, that'll be kind of the heart of it, focusing on small businesses, the economy and employment, education permitting reform. lifting the college requirement for many state jobs, things that he accomplished in his first term. Also hitting on things that you could say he crossed the aisle on, for example, things like Sunday hunting, focusing on rural PA, on voters in rural PA. And also he'll lean heavily on anti-Trump messages, as he called Trump's leadership, chaos, cruelty, and corruption. Josh Shapiro obviously has presidential ambitions, most likely in 2028. So I am curious, he is a heavy favorite, I think, at this point in 2026 to win reelection. But is just winning enough for the kind of the way the pieces are on the board for him? Does he have to win an impressive fashion this year in reelection to maintain any presidential momentum? Like if he underachieves, does that undercut? His presidential hopes? That's a good question. Obviously, a big win doesn't hurt, but remember Pennsylvania is the fifth most populous state. It's... Basically, the biggest swing state as PA and population is behind California and New York, both typically written into the win column for Democrats, while Texas and Florida are both generally considered GOP wins. So I think any win would be beneficial, obviously, if that win can be double digits. I mean, right now has approval rate of 60%. So I would think that if it were a narrow victory, something happened between now and then.

to really kind of undercut him. So I think... I think we would know going in that there was an issue rather than what the numbers would show. Being it's a midterm election with the Republican in office, I would expect a double-digit win here. Now, on the GOP side, one potential gubernatorial candidate decided to not get into the race. What were the details behind Doug Mastriano's decision? Yeah, this was long awaited. No one really knew what Mastriano, who's often a wild card, would do. He took to Facebook live showing Well over 45 minutes of raw videos from rallies past where he challenged Governor Wolfe for his COVID showdown policies, which is kind of when he burst on the scene going from really a backbencher to a front and center provocateur. He also showed rallies for a millennie question of results of the 2020 election. Then after a lengthy intro walking down memory lane with his wife, Rebbe beside him, Mastriano finally ended the suspense. We prayed a lot. We fasted. We've discussed it a lot with each other a lot. And many of you reached out to us, you know, beseeching us and urging us to run this season. But we believe a full peace in our hearts of God has not called us to run for governor this year. Maybe in the future. We aren't saying never. We're just saying our answer for the here and now, which God says he's only going to light the path for your next step, right? And so our next step is not the governor's run. So on the GOP side, without Mastriano, Stacey Garrity is the heavy favor to win the nomination. Are we expecting anyone to really give her a challenge in the primary, or is the field going to clear? Yeah, I'd say it's very unlikely that a challenger comes out. She has very strong support from state Republicans, and Mastriano was sort of the question mark. Could someone else try to jump in? Sure. But unlikely it would be anyone with statewide name recognition like Mastriano's. And to back that up, you can even see the foundation being laid by Republicans right now, the state legislature on social media where they're repeatedly talking about transgender women competing in women's sports, something that they want to pin Josh Shapiro down on where he's kind of said, you know, that's up to things like the PIA or the NCAA. That's their decision to make. The state is not going to make that decision for them. But it ties into what could be the vanguard of Garrity's political attacks on Josh Shapiro, as she says he talks down to women. She uses his comments that he made about Kamala Harris and the VP talks before last year's election. Also saying he's covered up harassment by a high-ranking staffer. So all the way of saying it should be an interesting year here in PA.

In other news, you had the chance to talk with Pennsylvania Republican Senator Dave McCormick. What were the highlights there looking back at his first year in office? I've got to say, Matt, McCormick is interesting to listen to. He's a throwback in a way that he actually explains his positions and how and why he makes his decisions. I'd say we made a lot of progress on the promises. There's still some work to be done. Even if you don't agree with his politics, it's refreshing to hear someone, even when he is towing the party line. give his own thoughts and his reasoning. I guess it's kind of odd. That's an outlier, but I guess that's also politics in the mid-2020s. The American military is unmatched. You know, President Trump says, we're going to do something that you should, you know, think there's a real chance we're going to do it. He took a page from his time as CEO and put together a letter to Pennsylvanians modeled after sort of what a corporate exec would put together for shareholders. He lists his successes, obviously landing over $90 billion of planned investment in AI and energy, his energy summit that he hosted in Pittsburgh. We've made great progress on that with the Energy and Innovation Summit. Huge amounts of investment committed $92 billion. The president came, the cabinet came, Governor Josh Shapiro, Senator John Fetterman. And so there's more to be done there. There's more to be done at the state level, but there's more to be done in permitting reform at the federal level. And I think that's got to be a big focus. And that's a heavy lift. He also pointed out things that he learned along the way, like the tone early on, being overly partisan, how he kind of learned to listen. And again, the way that he sort of explains his positions now. So interesting, interesting interview. All right. Thank you very much, Jim. That's KW Suburban Bureau Chief Jim Melward joining us. Much more to come on this edition of The Week in Philly from KYW News Radio. We're coming right back. It's the week in Philly, sponsored by your Delaware Valley Honda dealers. Get a deal you'll like on a Honda you'll love. Welcome back to the week in Philly and this week, the city's annual state of the schools event took center stage on Wednesday. And for more, let's bring in KW education reporter Mike DeNardo. Mike, the name obviously pretty self-explanatory. But tell us a little bit more about what this state of the school's address is all about. Yeah, it's an annual public statement about where the school district is and where it's going. Mayor Parker and Superintendent Tony Watlington have done this each of the last three years now. Wednesday's two hours. plus event. Matt was at Edison High School. And the headline this year, two new schools in North Philadelphia, right, but these won't be just any kind of school. You are right. The district says they would be year-round schools modeled after the Harlem Children's Zone in New York. Watlington said it's the first time that that cradle to college program, which has been around since the 90s, will be officially replicated outside of New York. The program is designed to help children living in poverty by providing not just academics, but community and social schools.

services as well. The schools would be within what will be established as the North Philadelphia Promise Zone, encompassing one of the poorest sections of the city. Watlington mentioned two new schools, a K-08 and a high school. He said those schools would have the best principals and the best teachers to demonstrate how to improve achievement and how to do it faster. We're going to set these schools up to demonstrate for all the rest of us. how to not only get better, but get better faster than our district average. We're going to make sure the school is staffed with the very best, most effective principals. We're going to assure that these schools are staffed with the very best, most effective teachers. Now, there was no word as to how the schools would be staffed. Teachers Union President Art Steinberg in a statement to K.Y. DeVille News Radio said he was surprised to learn of a plan to open two year-round schools. He said any changes in working conditions would need to be negotiated and that his members would not agree to anything requiring them to work additional days or hours. So specifically, North Philadelphia, where are we talking? We don't know yet. Hasn't been publicly announced, but one thing Watlington did say is that the schools will be housed in existing district facilities. No new buildings would be constructed. And keep in mind, this comes as the district is also preparing to release its facilities recommendations on which schools should be rehabbed, merged, or closed. That is expected later this winter. Whatlington did tap Bethune Elementary School Principal Alia Katach Bradley to be a special. administrator to oversee those two new schools. And what's the timeline for these schools opening? Whatlington only said this year there was no firm timeline given. He did say, though, that the K-08 school would open first. Also at this event, Mayor Shirel Parker talked about wanting to use vacant buildings in the district for her housing initiative. What's the details here? Mayor Parker's desire to create 30,000 affordable housing units has been well documented. She repeated that the school district has 20 vacant schools across the city that the district is maintaining, and she wants the district to turn those vacant schools over to the city. For the city, school district, to allow these buildings to be persistently vacant in these communities for so long that they become public health and safety hazards, right here in our city. Not on my watch. The school board, Matt, has already approved a resolution directing the district to look into transferring the vacant school buildings to the city. Anything else of interest come out of this event? Yeah, speaking before a room full of elected officials and school administrators, Watlington pointed to the improvements in student test scores and graduation rates and a drop in the number of dropouts. Despite that modest progress, the majority of students, though, are not proficient in reading in math, and Watlington said he won't be satisfied until every student is reading on grade level. The superintendent also said the district has been a good steward of the funding it's received, noting that Moody

has issued the highest credit rating the district has ever received. He did say the district was facing a fiscal cliff in the coming year, but he was confident the district could eliminate its structural deficit by 2030. All right. Thank you very much, Mike. That's KW education reporter. Mike DeNardo joining us. Much more to talk about on this edition of the Week in Philly from KYW News Radio, and we will get to it right after this. This is the week in Philly, and this week we got some really encouraging news on the crime front from Camden. For more, let's bring in KW South Jersey reporter Mike Daugherty and Mike City officials say they had the fewest number of homicides in 2025 since 1984. What are the details here? Yeah, 12 homicides last year, down from 17 in 2024. And you might remember from the summer, September, they said this was the first summer in... 50 years without a recorded homicide. So it was just, you know, sort of building off of that progress. Now, we should say, and I. I always worry that we fall into a trap when we talk about things like homicide. Like one is too many and even a small number leaves families and communities shattered. But a decline like this, this is truly encouraging in the big picture, no? Yeah, for sure. And the city officials, they said that. And we also heard from the police chief, Gabe Rodriguez. We had 12 homicides last year, which is something to celebrate, but also we had 12 families that suffered because of those deaths. But 10 of those 12 homicides were solved. When I first became a police officer, no one came forward. No one wanted to talk. You get a sense of accomplishment, some satisfaction from city leaders. They wear this. And the work they're doing, it's obvious to everybody involved, they care. And they're doing the job to make the city safer and they feel good about it. And it wasn't just homicides that were down, right? We're focusing on that, but it's pretty much crime across the board, if I understand correctly. Yeah, violent crime across the board down in significant numbers. We saw reductions in rape, robbery, aggravated assault. In total, there were about 3,000 crimes last year, and that's less than half of the total of 6,100 or so in 2012, so quite a bit. Yeah, and kind of building off that, a lot of times when we do these kinds of stories, we focus from one year to the next. But that number you gave us, kind of gives us context overall how far the city has come. Do you have anything more you can kind of add to give us even more? Yeah, so it was good to notice. And there was a press conference this week at the Camden Police headquarters, the mayor, the police chief, they both grew up, born and raised in Camden. We never encountered police unless someone was shot, robbed, or being chased down is when we saw cops. They tried to do a little police force in Maguire Gardens. Individuals burnt the police vehicles down. They didn't want them there. And the police fled. And they talked about the solve rate, which for last year was 83%, but in two years prior, it was 100%. Yeah. And so Mayor Vikkar-starfen says they've really earned the public trust, whereas the relationship between the police and the public was...

broken back when he was a kid. We had fears growing up and we had a mentality of how we dealt with police officers because we didn't have interactions and residents didn't talk to police officers. That just didn't happen. You talk about solve rates now because residents are speaking up. So specifically, what do officials think is responsible for these numbers, this decline? I am sure it's not just one thing, but what are they crediting? Well, yeah, you know, it's an across-the-board effort top to bottom, starting with... the revamped police department. So, you know, we mentioned 2012. Things got better little by little after they sort of started focusing on doing the little things. Like, you know, it sounds silly, but cops playing basketball with the kids and doing ice cream truck stops. They made an effort and, you know, covering the city for 15 years plus now myself, there's an effort to show up. And it's just started snowballing, showing up every day. earning it little by little, and that's how they did it. Mayor Carr Starfin says he's really proud of that. With the atmosphere is being created now, this same 10-year-old now is going to grow up when they're an adult and have a totally different perspective. Growing up in a space in a community where officers cared, where community cared, where they were able to talk, relate with police officers. And that changes the entire mindset. All right. Thank you very much. Mike KW. South Jersey reporter, Mike Dardy, joining us. We have to step away. We've got more of this edition of the week in Philly coming your way right after this. It's a new season. Got everything you want in front of you. We are continuing to get better. You know, I think that it's shown in these last games. It's playoff football. It's time to get to it. Time to turn up a night. It's electric. Goose bumps. You just have to be there. You have to see it for the first time what January football in Philly's like. This is the week in Philly, and the Eagles are getting ready for the postseason. The defending Super Bowl champions will host the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday at 430 at the link. And to talk about what is possible for the birds in the postseason, let's bring in KW's Dave Uram and Dave Eagles win the NFC East. They are the three-seat in the NFC. But it was a weirdly kind of unsatisfying regular season because of the inconsistent offense. How would you kind of categorize what we saw during the 17 games? Up and down, 11 and 6 records, pretty good, not bad. They're the only repeat division winner from last season. They had a what I believe was a tremendously difficult schedule. They had a two-game losing streak. They had a three-game losing streak. They were officially five and four after the bye week. That's an up-and-down result. So I'm really curious to see what's yet to come, and the Eagles have certainly earned the respect that they are a team that can get hot and go on a run, but this would come after what's been an up-and-down regular season. So the matchup with the 49ers, what jumps out to you here?

Christian McCaffrey. He's their star on offense. They're running back. He's their leading rusher. I believe he's their leading receiver. I think it's super important that they get after Brock Purdy, their quarterback, you know, making life difficult for him with pressure, whether that's, you know, not bringing any blitzing, whatever Vic Fangio thinks is necessary. And then I'm really interested in terms of the chess match. of the coaches. You know, Eagles defensive coordinator, Vic Fangio, versus 49ers head coach, offensive play caller, Kyle Shanhan. Eagles, offensive coordinator, Kevin Petulow against 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Sala. And then Nick Siriani, of course, the head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles, the guy who runs the show in there as well against Kyle Shanahan. I'm really interested to see how the Eagles coaches scheme and coach in-game against the... well-respected 49ers coaches. What do you think is key for the Eagles if they are going to make a run this postseason? Obviously, it would start with a win over the 49ers, but looking big picture, if they are to get back to the Super Bowl, what do you think is the key? I think it's important that they got to establish the run on offense. Running the football, having balance on offense, good balance between run and pass. time-sustaining drives, especially against the 49ers, keep that talented 49ers offense off the field as much as possible. And I think that's the recipe for success. And, of course, is always win the turnover battle. You know, the Eagles, I believe, in the Siriani era, have a record of... 42 and 3, I think their record is when they win the turnover battle. You know, the numbers speak for themselves. That is a large sample size. Those are, I think, essential keys right there. Is there any reason to think that we won't see... the same offensive struggles that we saw during the regular season. I think a lot of people are putting their hopes that they're going to flip the switch, and I don't know how realistic that is. It's the same people calling plays. It's the same scheme. I find it hard, unfortunately, to see them putting a run together the way they've been playing offense this year. when you're trying to play the best teams that are still standing. I agree with you. I agree with you a lot, Matt. Let's not sugarcoat things. San Francisco has a better record than the Eagles. San Francisco's 12 and 5. The Eagles are 11 and 6. San Francisco played in a better division. this season than the Eagles, right? San Francisco played in a division that also has two other playoff teams in the postseason field right now on the Rams and the Seahawks. And if the 49ers would have beaten the Seahawks at home to close the regular season, the 49ers would be the number one seat in the NFC right now. So that's the 49ers. At the same time, the 49ers are banged up.

especially on defense. A lot of injuries on defense this season. Two of their better players on defense. Fred Warner, Nick Bosa, are not going to be playing in this game. So the folks who are optimistic are looking at this and going, the Eagles offense is a chance to do really well against a suspect 49ers defense. I think when it comes to the playoffs, the players say clean slate for a reason. I think anything, anything is open to happen. in the postseason. And I do agree with you that there is certainly a possibility that the Eagles, despite the optimism and despite being at home, which traditionally when the Eagles are home in the postseason, they typically win. I think their home record in postseason games is 20 and 8, all time and pretty good at the link as well. All those things are working in the Eagles favor. All right. Thank you very much, Dave. KW's Dave, Uram, joining us. We will have more of the week in Philly coming up. Stay with us. This is what this whole situation is causing, panicking children, of trauma in children. For us, it's to keep the families safe. This is the week in Philly, and this week we learned that for the second year in a row, a popular Mexican celebration that was set for April right here in Philadelphia will not happen. For more, let's bring in KYW Community Impact reporter Raquel Williams. And Raquel, first off, tell us what this event is and what it's all about. Well, El Carnival de Puebla celebrates Mexico's victory over French occupiers in 1862 at the Battle of Puebla. So every year, there is a celebration in Philadelphia where there are wonderful costumes, colorful, dancers, music, everything. big giant carnival that commemorates that moment. It's something that draws about 15,000 people to the area. People come from all around just to come to Philadelphia is because it's one of the biggest on the East Coast. So you've got people coming here from all around knowing that this is the huge fun celebration, El Carnival de Puebla, and this is the second year in the row. that this has been canceled. So why the decision to cancel again and is it the same as last year? Last year, they were really stressing the ICE situation. They didn't want any incidents. happening on their watch with regards to ice. And this year is that same sentiment. But when I spoke to Olga Renteria, she serves on the board of Carnival de Puebla. She was really talking about keeping families safe. We do not want one incident to happen. She said that's the main reason. She wants the families to feel safe. They don't want anyone, you know, to.

you know, experience any kind of issues when it comes to the immigration and customs enforcement, the aggressive deportation directives that continue across the country. And to that point, it sounds like they had an incident earlier this year that kind of crystallized the fear that people are feeling. Renteria told me that earlier this year during an outdoor event where teenagers who were affiliated with a dance group with Carnival de Puebla, they were practicing, they were having a good time. It was a big crowd out there. People were selling their wares and things of that nature. And someone yelled out ice. In that moment, she said, people just took off in different directions. They started running when they saw other people running. They were going towards the streets. They were just afraid. People dropped what they were doing. And the... kids ran out into the street. I mean, they saw everyone else running and they started running too and they were just full of fear. And she said, you know, that trauma and that kind of fear, they just don't want that on their watch. And it's just not worth it to have that kind of fear and trauma for the kids to go through. They want to show off what they are. They want to show where they come from and they want to feel proud. But at the same time, they feel like sad. It's really something that the kids really look forward to every year and they're disappointed that they have to cancel it. but they really don't want anyone heard. They don't want anyone to experience any traumatic events. And, you know, that little incident was just was pretty telling. Do I understand they did? get the chance at least to take part in the mummers parade? Yes, they were very pleased. They were able to participate in the mummers parade. It was something that made them feel included. She was saying, you know, we're not excluded here. And it was great that the mummers kind of embraced them. That made us feel a little bit better. The children, they were like, wow, we get to show off our costumes and this big, immense parade. So they were very excited. A lot of the people in the mummers parade, a lot of their families are They're kind of part of the Carnival de Pueblo as well. So they wanted to bring them in and embrace them and allow them to show off a little bit of their culture. Is there confidence that they will eventually get back to a place where they feel comfortable holding this celebration? I mean, there's going to be at least three more years of the Trump administration. And there's no reason to think that. they're going to change. And a lot of times once these things are stopped, sometimes it can be difficult to restart them. People kind of find other outlets and stuff like that. Are they confident that we will eventually see this again? Well, you know, it's such a huge celebration and it's dependent upon a lot of the participants and a lot of the people that are sponsors.

to get on board. And what she was telling me is that they don't want to take the risk. The sponsors don't want to take the risk. So if you don't have enough people, which is why I think they canceled this so early, it usually takes place in April. And last year, they canceled it around like the end of March, early April. But they came right out of the box this year saying we're not going to do it. I get the sense that as long as there is that threat, as long as the aggressive tactics continue. And sponsors and participants are a little sketchy about it. We probably won't see it. All right. Thank you very much, Raquel KW Community Impact Reporter, Raquel Williams, joining us. We have to step away more of the week in Philly right after this. Final segment on this edition of the week in Philly. Now we have officially entered 2026, and of course we will be celebrating America's 250th birthday this year. Now, it really will be a year-long celebration, especially here in Philadelphia, and here at KYW News Radio, one way we are celebrating is with 52 weeks of first, where each week we will look at a special first that happened here. And for more, let's bring in KW's John McDevitt, who is behind this series. And John, first off, tell us what listeners. can expect with these reports. Well, Matt, for America's 250th birthday year. Every Saturday during 2026, a Philly Original will be in the spotlight at a free festival. Or, first of all, they'll be in various locations throughout the city. It's to honor the innovations, creativity, and community spirit that happened here first and the role that they played in American history. There will be once upon a nation's storytellers, giveaways, and activities centering around the Philly Original. They'll be held again every Saturday between 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. I want to focus on the first one that we saw, and it focused on the first balloon ride, right? Tell us about that. That's right. Back in January of 1793, French aeronaut Jean-Pierre Blanchard piloted a hydrogen-filled balloon from the then Walnut Street Prison's Workyard. That's near 6th and Walnut Streets. President George Washington was in attendance, and Washington Gay Blanchard, a special letter, like a passport, basically telling those who would come encounter with this man to treat him nicely, that he is doing this in service of the country and in the service of science. There's a plaque, I believe, in the Walmart parking lot with that designating that spot. It landed there. It took about 45 minutes, and the story goes, a farmer came at Blancard with a pitchwork. You know, nobody's ever seen someone come out of the sky in this contraption. So, you know, people were alarmed, and I charge showed people his letter. He packed up his balloon, which was made of yellow silk, and the basket part was shaped like a ship. He gets onto the ferry, back to Philadelphia, and celebrates with George Washington.

And just to be clear, the Walmart wasn't there then, right? Like we're talking, the Walmart's there now, right? It was probably a barn. Okay. Just wanted to make sure there. So this is cool. What are some of the other first we can hear about coming up here in the near future? Right, so the first folk parade. That happened in 1901, and we know that as the Mumbers Parade. This is followed by the first volunteer fire company in 1736, the first professional basketball league in 1898, the first African Methodist Episcopal congregation in 1794, and the list goes on and on. It ends on December 26th celebrating Philly Food First. That's the cheese stick to water rice and bubble gum. Thank you, John. KW's John McDevitt joining us, and that is going to do it for this edition of the Week in Philly from KW News Radio, sponsored by your Delaware Valley Honda dealers. Get a deal you'll like on a Honda you'll love. This week's episode was produced by Brian Seltser, Sabrina Boyd, Circa, and Benina Mawangi. My name is Matt Leone. Thanks so much for listening and enjoy the rest of your weekend.