Articles by Steven Gilchrist

Last month, on the day before Thanksgiving a 55-year-old woman was shot several times on a street in South Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The woman eventually died from the wounds that she sustained. Her death marked a tragic milestone for the city since it was the 500th homicide of the year. The last time that the city of Philadelphia reached 500 homicides was in 1990.  At 499, the 2020 total for homicides was the second-highest on record. City leaders expect for 2021 to be the deadliest year in Philadelphia's history. As of December 24, 2021 there were 547 homicides this year in Philadelphia. In 2019 there were 356 homicides and in 2018 there were 353 homicides. City law enforcement data shows that the total amount of violent crimes have decreased; however, the number of homicides in Philadelphia have been on the rise. Civic and community leaders are examining methods for how to reduce the number of homicides in Philadelphia. The state of Pennsylvania has a preemption law - which pr...

Frances Slanger plaque - MA State House   Boston, MA. - In Nurses Hall at the Massachusetts State House there is a plaque dedicated to Frances Y. Slanger - a nurse who served during World War II. Born in Poland in 1913, Slanger emigrated to Boston, Massachusetts with her family in 1920. Slanger eventually became a nurse serving as a 2nd Lieutenant in the U.S. Army Nurse Corps. Slanger served in the 45th Field Hospital unit in Normandy after the D-Day invasions. She died as a result of artillery fire. She was the first American nurse killed in action after the D-Day invasions. After her death, Slanger was awarded the Purple Heart medal.