Claudia Vargas
Philly Inquirer
Philadelphia, PA, United States
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Past articles by Claudia:
From Pa. science fairs to coronavirus response coordinator: Deborah Birx’s path to the White House
She excelled at Carlisle High School in Cumberland County, graduating after her junior year and putting herself on an accelerated path to medical school. Now she is at President Trump’s side at news conferences. → Read More
Thank babies and immigrants for Philly narrowly escaping a population decline
The Philadelphia suburbs are growing faster than the city which almost saw a population decline last year. → Read More
More than half of Philly government workers are on duty during the coronavirus crisis. They’re getting paid extra.
Mayor Jim Kenney's administration hopes to recoup much of the cost of paying essential personnel 50% extra from the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Public Assistance program following the crisis. → Read More
Philly epidemiologist says his planned departure leaves ‘no gaps’ in coronavirus response
Raynard Washington's exit had been expected since last month, was not related to the coronavirus pandemic, and “has not hampered our work in any way,” a city spokesperson said. → Read More
Free breakfast and lunch begins but not many students in North Philly bite
The Philadelphia schools have made 30,000 meals available for students to pick up each day for breakfast and lunch. On Monday, there was more supply than demand - community activists cited language barriers. → Read More
Gov. Tom Wolf claims expansive powers as coronavirus crisis deepens
Wolf has shut down schools in Pennsylvania, put counties in lockdown, and said he could even order businesses to shutter their doors. Such are the powers the Democratic governor has since declaring a disaster emergency on March 6. → Read More
500 properties Philly sold for $1 are blighted or owe nearly $900,000 in back taxes
As Philadelphia's population shrunk and property values declined, the city gave away houses and lots for $1. Today, hundreds of thousands in taxes are overdue. → Read More
Sold for $1, resold for riches: How Philly gave away $54 million in properties
Philly’s $1 land deals have turned into a profit-making venture for those who get them. Hundreds of lots flipped for $54 million. → Read More
New Philly archbishop wore flannel, escaped the nuns for dinner, and other stories from his time at St. William
Parishioners at the church in Philadelphia’s Lawncrest section recalled incoming Archbishop Nelson J. Pérez as a personable and kind pastor who led their church through a major transition period in the 2000s. → Read More
‘What a nightmare’: How police, parking authority and tow companies lose cars ‘courtesy’ towing
It’s an antiquated system that can be comically inefficient, plagued by vague and conflicting policies and shoddy recordkeeping. → Read More
Man killed in Frankford shootout with police was on probation for gun charges in Rhode Island, sources say
Claude Fain's criminal record included 16 months in Graterford prison between 2013 and 2014 in connection with his probation in Rhode Island, law enforcement sources said. → Read More
Republicans ‘got greedy’ in drawing Pennsylvania congressional maps, new documents say
A trove of documents recently released by the daughter of a deceased GOP strategist includes some clues about what Republicans were thinking almost a decade ago when they redrew Pennsylvania’s congressional maps in a way that was later ruled unconstitutional. → Read More
Danielle Outlaw’s long journey to Philadelphia
The nearly 20 years she spent in Oakland’s police department, and several with the Portland Police Bureau, show Outlaw, 43, to be a study in contrasts. → Read More
More Philly unions eye lawsuits over flaws in the city’s OnePhilly payroll system
The legal wranglings mark the latest pushback from city workers in a bid to correct a new system critics say has miscalculated overtime, vacations and shorted paychecks. → Read More
More Philly unions eye lawsuits over flaws in the city’s OnePhilly payroll system
The legal wranglings mark the latest pushback from city workers in a bid to correct a new system critics say has miscalculated overtime, vacations and shorted paychecks. → Read More
Why Philly structure fires doubled and response times worsened
After the Philadelphia fire commissioner ordered his department to count all fires following national standards, the number of structure fires and response times for firefighters and ambulances spiked. → Read More
Refinery employees honored for heroism during fire by Philly firefighters union
The Philadelphia Energy Solutions employees were credited with preventing the massive fire on June 21 in South Philadelphia from becoming deadly. → Read More
Housing at N.J. blueberry farms was approved despite fire safety and sewage violations
Six of the Labor Department-approved farms were later cited for having illegal septic systems that failed to capture hundreds if not thousands of gallons of sewage each day that drained into the groundwater near the fields. → Read More
5 years before police shootout in North Philly, the alleged gunman and this cop crossed paths
Officer Edward Wright and alleged gunman Maurice Hill traveled decidedly different paths from their first encounter in Southwest Philly to their eventual reunion during a dangerous standoff in Tioga. → Read More
N.J. blueberry farms house workers in storage sheds, pollute groundwater
Recent violations reveal a negligent farming practice that has been going on for years, maybe decades, at some of New Jersey’s 51 commercial blueberry farms. → Read More