PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Philadelphia became the first major American city with a soda tax on Thursday despite a multimillion-dollar campaign by the beverage industry to block it.
The City Council gave final approval to a 1.5 cent-per-ounce tax on sugary and diet beverages. The tax is set to take effect Jan. 1.
STATE HOUSE — The Senate on Thursday unanimously passed a bill aimed at increasing veterans' access to public housing and providing other supports for current and former military service members and their families.
"It is our duty as American citizens to honor our dead, but it is equally important to honor our living veterans for their service, and this bill does both of those things," said Sen. Michael Rush, a West Roxbury Democrat who co-chairs the Veterans and Federal Affairs Committee and serves in the Navy Reserves.
