Mark Squilla: Latest News

PHILADELPHIA - A statue of Christopher Columbus in Philadelphia remains hidden by a plywood box while its fate is decided in the courts, but the box has now been painted with the colors of the Italian flag.The city reportedly painted the box covering the 146-year-old statue in south Philadelphia's Marconi Plaza with green, white and red stripes at the request of Councilmember Mark Squilla, who represents the district.The new look came just in time for Columbus Day, the holiday now celebrated in Philadelphia and elsewhere as Indigenous Peoples Day.Thomas DeFino, one of the residents who gathered in the park Sunday afternoon to celebrate their Italian American heritage with a parade and festival, welcomed the change, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported."They did it for us — the Italians. It made us feel a little bit better," DeFino said.

PHILADELPHIA - Video taken by a witness captures the moments a fight escalated to a deadly shooting on South Street in Philadelphia over the weekend. Officers from the Philadelphia Police Department were called to the 400 block of South Street just after midnight Saturday for reports of a shooting. Police found a 35-year-old man shot to wounds to the head and chest, and rushed him to Jefferson University hospital where he died. Quadare Lane, 28, was later arrested by police near the intersection of 5th and Lombard streets with what police believe was the murder weapon in his possession. MORE LOCAL HEADLINESThe deadly shooting comes months after a mass shooting on South Street in June where three people died and nearly a dozen were injured. Philadelphia Councilmember Mark Squilla said the city is working to put more protections in place to help foster more businesses along one of Philadelphia's most popular thoroughfares. "We are working very diligently with the police department, they do have personal out there.  Sometimes we hear from some of the businesses that’s a deterrent for people to go there.

SOUTH PHILADELPHIA - Car break-ins and catalytic converter thefts have driven one South Philadelphia neighborhood to its breaking point."We’re at wits end!" exclaimed Shawn Brown.He has lived in the Pennsport area of South Philly for decades and says the thefts, break-ins and vandalism are out of control."Now within the past two weeks, three weeks they’re just breaking windows. Getting bricks and putting them through windows and nobody leaves anything in their car anymore.