Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker Says You All Need to Go Back to the Office. Now.

Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker, who says all Center City office workers need to return (image courtesy of 6 ABC)

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Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker Says You All Need to Go Back to the Office. Now.

Some of you reading this who worked in an office as of March 19, 2020, probably haven’t been back to that office, at least not full-time, since March 19, 2020. That was the day when then-Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf (remember him?) ordered all non-essential businesses to close. But that was 2020. COVID is, of course, still a thing. But it’s now a thing sort of like the flu and RSV are things. And Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker says enough is enough.

Last week, Parker told many city officials in Philadelphia to get off their couches and back to the office full-time. She fully expects the 25,000 or so other city employees to eventually do the same. And now, Parker has expanded her call, telling all Philly businesses to get their workers back to the office.

She said so at a Wednesday meeting of the Chamber of Commerce of Greater Philadelphia, telling the business owners and executives in attendance that she’ll do everything she can to make sure their employees have a clean and safe Center City to come back to. But, Parker insisted, a bright new future for Center City is “only sustainable” if all those workers head back to the office.

Thanks to COVID, pedestrian traffic in Center City went way, way down, as any Center City store, café, restaurant or bar will attest. But things have improved. Pedestrian activity is now up to about 85 percent of what it was before COVID knocked us out. Parker is hoping her back-to-the-office agenda will bring that stat up to 100 percent or even higher.

You can read Parker’s remarks here. One thing’s for sure: She knows how to give a speech.

Speaking of Cherelle Parker…

She also just appointed a “2026 director,” the person in charge of making sure Philly is ready for all the things happening here in 2026, including the World Cup and the 250th anniversary of America in the place where it all started.

And One More Cherelle Parker Thing…

She says she’s going to crack down on Kensington. But some Kensington neighbors have concerns.

The Unfortunate Return of Terrence Howard

As a journalist, there are ne’er-do-wells you write about who wind up rearing their ugly heads again and again. You think the story you’re working on about them might finally be the last. And then they just creep up again. One example of this would be notorious Philadelphia restaurant scoundrel Matt Swartz, who seemed to bring trouble with him wherever he went.

Another person who fits the bill is actor Terrence Howard, who owns a home in Plymouth Meeting. I’ve written a bunch of things about Howard’s bad acts and alleged bad acts, including the time he allegedly punched a woman at a Montco diner. There was the time police in Whitemarsh arrested Howard and charged him with beating up his first wife in a case that eventually saw Howard plead guilty to disorderly conduct. I could go on.

It’s been quite a while since I’ve written about or thought about Howard. But then came Wednesday. No, he didn’t punch anybody. At least not that I know of. News emerged yesterday that a federal judge in Philadelphia just slapped Howard with a nearly $1 million judgment for failing to pay his taxes. The IRS had been trying to get the money out of Howard for a good while, but Howard managed to elude them.

According to court records, Howard’s defense appears to be that descendants of slaves shouldn’t be forced to pay taxes.

Meanwhile, Howard just reportedly agreed to play the lead in the upcoming series Fight Night on Peacock, which is owned by Comcast. It’s good to know that woman-beating tax evaders can still get a job in this town.

The End of Verizon Hall

It shall now be known as Marian Anderson Hall. As it should be.

Did Penn Just Rehire Liz Magill as President?

Absolutely not. But a satirical email that landed in the inboxes of Penn students this week and purported to come from Penn’s board of trustees said Magill was back “after nearly three months of timeout.” One nursing student admitted to believing the emailing for a minute before realizing it was a joke. So much for the Ivy League.

What Did You Do on Valentine’s Day?

Probably nothing as exciting as the celebs and socialites who gathered at Lincoln Center to watch our own Yannick Nézet-Séguin conduct the New York Philharmonic through musical selections from Maestro while clips from the film played. Afterward, Maestro star and director (and noted Jenkintown heartthrob) Bradley Cooper and co-star Carey Mulligan joined Nézet-Séguin for a convo about the movie. It’s all detailed in a New Yorker feature about Cooper really, really, really wanting to win an Oscar (or a bunch) next Sunday. My favorite line from the piece: “Fairly or not, Cooper has been pegged as this year’s Try-Hard Who Wants an Oscar So Badly That We Should Probably Just Give Him One to Prevent a Psychotic Break.”

By the Numbers

40: Years that the Chinatown staple Vietnam Restaurant has been in business. The James Beard Foundation just gave the restaurant a much-deserved “American Classics” award. Bit of Philly trivia for you: The daughter of the restaurant’s founders has done pretty well for herself. She’s the wife of Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie.

15: ATVs and dirt bikes confiscated by police in just two hours on Tuesday. The police department says it’s stepping up enforcement, sending a message to riders before ideal illegal-riding weather sets in.

28: Forecasted low in Philly today. Just when I thought I could turn my heater off.

And From the Tyin’-Fightins Sports Desk …

More déjà vu all over again! In yesterday’s game, the Phils, with lots of regulars in the lineup, scored three runs in the first off the Braves thanks to a homer by J.T. Realmuto:

J.T Realmuto goes yard in his first spring at-bat!pic.twitter.com/nQf0HpAbpK

— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) February 28, 2024

And one from Alec Bohm.

Guys I’m dangerously close to believing in Alec Bohm realizing his potential help

I mean.. LOOK AT THAT SWING pic.twitter.com/FUxa6pclwv

— Philly Sports Sufferer (@mccrystal_alex) February 28, 2024

But starter Tyler Phillips gave up two to the Braves, who won our division last year, in the second, and Nick Nelson allowed another in the third. We pulled ahead again, 7-4, with two more runs in the fourth and two in the sixth, then saw it all go to hell as Atlanta poured on three in the ninth against Austin Brice for a 7-7 tie. Next up: The Blue Jays, this afternoon at 1:05. Surely that won’t wind up a tie, too.

And in College Hoops?

The La Salle Explorers, playing in Pittsburgh last night, were ahead of Duquesne 34-31 at halftime, but the Dukes had the upper hand in the second half and wound up with the 75-63 win. Meantime, in honor of the late, lamented Flaco, it was Owls vs. Owls as Temple and Rice faced off in Houston. The two teams kept it close through the early minutes, but Temple pulled away to make it 28-19 at the half, and the good Owls were even hotter down the stretch, winding up with a 65-43 win. Hysier Miller was high scorer again, with 16. Tonight, Stony Brook comes to University City to play Drexel at 7 p.m.

All Philly Today sports coverage is provided by Sandy Hingston.