Mummers once again strutted their stuff on Thursday, ringing in the new year in true Philly style. 

Flu cases are rising rapidly across the US, with at least 7.5 million illnesses, 81,000 hospitalizations, and 3,100 deaths reported so far this season. Holiday travel, low vaccination rates, and misinformation are contributing to the spike, according to public health experts.

A police officer shot a man who was allegedly holding a knife Wednesday morning in a North Philadelphia house after responding to a 911 call reporting a person screaming and encountered the man standing over a woman with a knife.

As we enter 2026, Metro is spotlighting a handful of Philadelphia news stories to keep an eye on in the new year. Here are some topics that are almost certain to make headlines over the next 12 months.

If there were ever a year for Philadelphia to take a victory lap, 2026 would be it. From milestone anniversaries and major cultural debuts to immersive art and blockbuster exhibitions, the city is gearing up for a calendar packed with history-making moments.

Authorities are asking for the public’s help in identifying a man who broke into the “poor box” earlier this month at a Chestnut Hill church. Investigators said the burglary happened at around 3:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 20, at Our Mother of Consolation Catholic Church.

Philadelphia, the largest city in Pennsylvania, has problems. It’s home to politicians who migrate quickly and companies that waste no time fleeing to Delaware County. Despite the visible odds, the city added 18,000 jobs in 2025. Unemployment remained steady. Is this the beginning of a comeback with new economy opportunities, or the calm before a reckoning? Let’s figure out the forces fueling a storm and the forces fueling a comeback.

Uber is planning to amend its racketeering lawsuit against a Philadelphia attorney the rideshare company alleges conspired with medical providers in an attempt to turn minor crashes into million-dollar paydays.

Meteorologists are warning residents in Philadelphia and the surrounding suburbs of a winter storm that will likely turn into a "bomb cyclone" Monday evening, bringing intense winds and plummeting temperatures to the area. 

The Philadelphia Mummers Parade will celebrate its 125th anniversary on New Year's Day and kick off a year of major citywide celebrations.

At least five people were injured in gun violence that occurred over the weekend across Philadelphia. Authorities said a man and a woman arrived wounded at Temple University Hospital’s …

As 2025 comes to a close, Metro is revisiting the top local news stories of the year. While no list can encapsulate everything that happened in Philadelphia this year, what follows are some of …

A pair of explosions and a fire, apparently sparked by leaking gas, ripped through a nursing home near Philadelphia on Tuesday, killing a female employee and a resident, and injuring 20 people, officials said.

Philadelphia building inspectors recently mandated construction be halted on more than 80 active projects associated with an unlicensed contractor, city officials said.

Friends are demanding justice and cycling advocates are calling for safety improvements after a beloved disc jockey was killed in a hit-and-run crash while riding his bike home from work early Saturday morning in Overbrook.

Philadelphia has long had the Mummers Parade and fireworks to ring in the new year, but a fresh wrinkle is being added to the city’s festivities next week. It could become a tradition.

Earlier this month, Old City District, in partnership with the Elfreth's Alley Association and support from the Old City Community Fund, announced plans to create a new public park at the corner of Elfreth's Alley and N. 2nd Street.

A trash-filled vacant lot in the heart of Kensington will soon be transformed into a community garden after Klean Kensington was awarded a $17,000 Revive and Thrive grant to clean up and maintain the long-blighted property.

Since 2022, homicides in Pennsylvania have fallen 35%, a decline that state officials say is directly tied to the expansion of hospital-based violence intervention programs.

A woman and her baby were hospitalized after someone opened fire early Sunday morning inside a West Philadelphia home, authorities said.