One of the biggest slates of candidates in recent memory is running in the May 21 municipal primary election. On the ballot are races for mayor, sheriff, all 17 seats of Philadelphia City Council, city commissioners and register of wills.

The most crowded race is for at-large council seats. Here's a full list of the 34 Democrats and 7 Republicans who are running.

And that list includes names that are well-known in Philly politics for all kinds of reasons. Here are some of the better-known people running:

Erika Almiron: The leader in the Latino community is longtime executive director of Juntos, a large nonprofit. (She has taken a leave while running for office.) She is one of the strongest voices for pro-immigrant rights in Philadelphia, a sanctuary city.

Latrice Bryant: The former top aide to onetime Councilman Wilson Goode Jr. was infamously busted by Fox29 for allegedly taking care of personal business while on city time. She then held up a sign during a Council session calling the news station racist.

Sherrie Cohen: Her name has been on ballots before, and her last name rings throughout City Hall because her father, David, was an institution on Council for decades, and died in office at 90 years old in 2005. During this campaign, she says, her platform is to run and become the first LGBTQ member of Council.

Bobbie Curry: After all official petitions were filed and counted Tuesday evening by the Board of Elections, two very similar names emerged in two different races. Bobbie Curry with an "ie" filed petitions to run for an at-large seat as a Democrat. Bobby Curry with a "y" filed petitions to run for the ninth district seat against incumbent Cherelle Parker. Both candidates list the same Northwest Philadelphia address. In a short phone interview Wednesday, Bobby Curry said he’s running for the ninth district seat. Still, we're not yet 100 percent ready to write off Bobbie in the at-large race.

Sandra Dungee Glenn: Her resume includes a stint as chairwoman of the now-defunct School Reform Commission, Philadelphia’s former state-controlled board of education, appointed by Gov. Ed Rendell. She also has deep ties to imprisoned former U.S. Rep. Chaka Fattah, having served as head of Fattah’s former educational nonprofit and his chief of staff during Fattah’s time in the Pennsylvania Senate.

Bill Heeney Sr.: The Republican ward leader from the Torresdale section of Northeast Philly announced his candidacy in November at the city police union’s headquarters. Then a report surfaced showing a controversial social media history. 

Asa Khalif: The face of #BlackLivesMatter in Philadelphia and city police agitator exploded like a volcano on the political scene in 2017. His campaign could push back against the city Democratic party’s entrenched blue-collar establishment.

Mike Stack: A longtime prince of Northeast Philadelphia politics is trying to make a comeback. The former state senator won statewide office in 2014 as Pennsylvania’s lieutenant governor. But with great height comes potential for great fall. He self-imploded as Gov. Tom Wolf’s first mate, and lost re-election last year to John Fetterman.

Isaiah Thomas: Third time is the charm? That’s what the former City Controller’s office staffer is hoping this year. Often described as one of city politics' up-and-comers, he just barely missed out in 2015 when he finished sixth in the race for five Democratic at-large seats.

MORE ON THE 2019 PHILADELPHIA MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS:

Here are the other candidates for at-large Council seats:

Ethelind Baylor, Democrat

Beth Finn, Democrat

Justin DiBerardinis, Democrat

Allan Domb, Democrat (Incumbent)

Irina Goldstein, Republican

Billy Thompson, Democrat

Adrian Rivera Reyes, Democrat

Bobbie Curry, Democrat

Vinny Black, Democrat

Helen Gym, Democrat (Incumbent)

Edwin Santana, Democrat

Derek Green, Democrat (Incumbent)

Katherine Gilmore Richardson, Democrat

Eryn Santamoor, Democrat

Matt Wolfe, Republican

Sandra Dungee Glenn, Democrat

David Oh, Republican (Incumbent)

Al Taubenberger, Republican (Incumbent)

Fareed Abdullah, Democrat

Dan Tinney, Republican

Fernando Trevino, Democrat

Drew Murray, Republican

Deja Lynn Alvarez, Democrat

Janice Tangradi, Democrat

Wayne Edmund Dorsey, Democrat

Joseph Diorio, Democrat

Wayne Allen, Democrat

David H. Conroy, Democrat

Mark Ross, Democrat

Willie Floyd Singletary, Democrat

Ogbonna Paul Hagins, Democrat

Melissa Robbins, Democrat

Hena Veit, Democrat

Devon Cade, Democrat

Here is a list of candidates for mayor, sheriff and Council district seats:

Homicides in Philadelphia are up once again. But overall violent crime is down -- and city officials say that shows the city is actually safer.

As of Tuesday, there were 63 reported homicides in Philadelphia this year, seven more than at this time in 2018 and up 13 percent from this time in 2016. The city is now on track to exceed the 351 homicides that happened last year — which was more than a decade-long high.

The rise has been largely attributed by various city officials, including Mayor Jim Kenney, to drug-related crimes as the city grapples with the opioid epidemic.

Critics, however, blame Kenney and reform-focused District Attorney Larry Krasner for enacting policies that they say contribute to a more dangerous city.

In February, U.S. Attorney William McSwain singled out Krasner and his policies as contributing to the rise. "You cannot ignore the correlation," he said.

Despite the increased homicides, the total number of violent crimes has steadily decreased in recent years, according to Philadelphia Police Department data.

Last year, the total number of violent crimes was down 5 percent from the year prior, and 2017's overall violent crime rate was 3 percent lower than in 2016.

District Attorney Spokesman Ben Waxman says those numbers suggest that despite the current homicide rate, the city is actually safer under Krasner's policies.

"We wouldn't be doing the things that we're doing if we didn't think that they made the city as a whole safer and a better place for everybody," Waxman said.

Some of what the district attorney's office is doing includes shorter sentences, cash bail reform for lower-level crimes and investigating nonfatal shootings within the office's homicide unit.

The goal is to head off homicides before they happen.

"The key is to try to intervene in people's lives before they start escalating into really serious criminal behavior," Waxman said.

Guns do play an outsize role in the city's slayings. Of the 63 homicides this year, 55 involved guns, according to PPD numbers.

And a big problem remains unsolved slayings; the homicide clearance rate sits just above 61 percent, Philadelphia Police data shows.

Kenney cautioned that the gun violence prevention plan he announced in January is in its nascent stages and could yet yield positive results.

"I don't think you can judge the numbers at this point. Yeah, they're up and they're troubling, but I don't think you can judge it for a whole year," he said. "We have to wait and see how our plans and efforts reduce it, if possible."

A man who owned a now closed suburban day care is accused of sexually assaulting several young children.

James Anthony Battista, 64, is charged with rape of a child, unlawful contact with a minor, aggravated indecent assault, indecent assault and endangering the welfare of children.

Pennsylvania State Police first received a report on June 14 of last year that Battista had sexually assaulted a 3-year-old child who was attending Little Friends Daycare on the 2700 block of Newark Road In Penn Township, Chester County. Battista operated the in-home day care with his wife at the time, investigators said.

Investigators say they determined Battista also sexually assaulted three other children who ranged from 3 to 7 years old, at the day care.

"To have a pedophile so close, you know, it's sickening. Those children, little, tiny kids all around here," Sandra Laxton, Battista's former neighbor, told NBC10.

The alleged assaults occurred between 2006 and 2009. Little Friends Daycare was also located close to Penn London Elementary School and Avon Grove Intermediate School in West Grove. 

The day care was closed and Battista moved to Delaware County in 2010, according to police.

Battista was arrested on Wednesday during a traffic stop in Drexel Hill. He was arraigned and remanded to the Chester County Prison on $500,000 straight bail pending a preliminary hearing on March 19.

State Police say more victims could be out there based on their investigation and interviews. They encourage anyone who may have been victimized by Battista to call Trooper Stefano Gallina of the Pennsylvania State Police – Avondale Barracks at (610) 268-2022.

A ShopRite in Philadelphia's Overbrook neighborhood will close its doors on Thursday. Store owner Jeff Brown claims to have lost lots of money because of the soda tax. City officials have refuted Brown’s claims.

She said she was poor and needed money for diapers for her baby -- but she was carrying a $500 purse with an iPhone X and jewelry inside.

Now police in Union Township, New Jersey, are warning motorists to be wary of other out-of-town roadside scammers. 

Union police posted a picture of the woman on their Facebook page Monday, saying she was seen walking in and out of traffic at the exit to Route 78, carrying a sign with a picture of a baby and asking for money.

After officers stopped her, the woman claimed to be Romanian, living in Queens and desperate. At that point they confronted her over the thousands of dollars in merchandise she was carrying.

"Their investigation led her to admit that she and several other women got dropped off to panhandle throughout NJ," the Facebook post read. 

The woman received a ticket for impeding traffic and a summons for soliciting without a permit, police added. 

The FAA made the decision to ground all Boeing 737 Max Jets, just as a Southwest flight landed safely at the Philadelphia International Airport on Wednesday. Now airlines are in a hurry to rebook cancelled flights.

Warmer weather and daylight saving time mean that spring is right around the corner — and there are plenty of things to get excited about.

Wednesday, March 20, you can celebrate the beginning of spring with free treats at some of your local ice cream shops.

Rita’s Water Ice and Dairy Queen will be offering their annual freebies with the addition of some new promotions.

Here are some of the deals you can find on the first day of spring and after:

Rita’s Water Ice:

Rita’s is continuing its tradition offering free cups of regular water ice to customers on the first day of spring, regardless of the weather. This year, Rita’s is giving customers the chance to win free water ice for a year. To enter, post a picture on March 20 of your first day of spring at Rita’s with the hashtag #RitasFirstDayofSpringContest.

Find your local Rita’s here.

Dairy Queen:

Dairy Queen is giving out small vanilla soft-serve cones for free Wednesday on their annual “Free Cone Day.” After March 20, DQ is offering small regular or dipped soft serve cone for $.50 through their app until March 31.

Find your closest Dairy Queen here.

Baskin Robbins:

Not exactly free, but to “Celebrate 31,” Baskin Robbins is holding a promotion where customers can get any size scoop of ice cream for $1.70 or two pre-packaged quarts of ice cream for $7.99 on Sunday, March 31.

You can find your local shop here.

Ben & Jerry’s:

“Free Cone Day” at Ben & Jerry’s is Tuesday, April 9. Dessert lovers can grab a free cone of ice cream, including vegan ice cream, from noon to 8 p.m.

You can find your closest Ben & Jerry’s here.

Butterball is recalling nearly 80,000 pounds -- 39 tons -- of raw ground turkey products that may be contaminated with a certain strain of Salmonella.

Federal officials investigating a multistate outbreak of Salmonella Schwarzengrund infections found Butterball ground turkey samples closely related, genetically, to samples taken from four of five patients in two states, officials said Wednesday.

The prepackaged raw ground turkey was produced on July 7 and shipped to institutional and retail locations nationwide. Authorities say they're concerned the turkey could be in people's freezers -- and if that's the case, they're urging the turkey be thrown out or returned to the place of purchase. 

The following products are subject to recall:

• 48-oz. plastic wrapped tray containing “BUTTERBALL everyday Fresh Ground Turkey WITH NATURAL FLAVORING (85% LEAN/15% FAT)” with sell or freeze by date of 7/26/18, lot code 8188, and UPC codes 22655-71555 or 22655-71557 represented on the label.
• 48-oz. plastic wrapped tray containing “BUTTERBALL everyday Fresh Ground Turkey WITH NATURAL FLAVORING (93% LEAN/7% FAT)” with sell or freeze by date of 7/26/18, lot code 8188 and UPC code 22655-71556 represented on the label.
• 16-oz. plastic wrapped tray containing “BUTTERBALL everyday Fresh Ground Turkey WITH NATURAL FLAVORING (85% LEAN/15% FAT)” with sell or freeze by date of 7/26/18, lot code 8188 and UPC code 22655-71546 represented on the label.
• 16-oz. plastic wrapped tray containing “BUTTERBALL everyday Fresh Ground Turkey WITH NATURAL FLAVORING (93% LEAN/7% FAT)” with sell or freeze by date of 7/26/18, lot code 8188 and UPC codes 22655-71547 or 22655-71561 represented on the label
• 48-oz. plastic wrapped tray containing “Kroger GROUND TURKEY FRESH 85% LEAN – 15% FAT” with sell or freeze by date of 7/26/18, lot code 8188, and UPC code 111141097993 represented on the label.
• 48-oz. plastic wrapped tray containing “FOOD LION 15% fat ground turkey with natural flavorings” with sell or freeze by date of 7/26/18, lot code 8188 and UPC code 3582609294 represented on the label.

Consumption of food contaminated with Salmonella can cause salmonellosis, one of the most common bacterial foodborne illnesses. The most common symptoms of salmonellosis are diarrhea, abdominal cramps, and fever within 12 to 72 hours after eating the contaminated product. The illness usually lasts four to seven days. Most people recover without treatment. In some people, however, the diarrhea may be so severe that the patient needs to be hospitalized. Older adults and infants are more likely to develop a severe illness. Get more details here. 

A new Gas Buddy study ranks Philadelphia in second place, behind only Los Angeles, for the most aggressive drivers in the United States. The new study looked at frequency of speeding, hard breaking and swift acceleration.

Thursday is Pi Day, a national celebration of the mathematical concept, which is the ratio of a circle's circumference to its diameter and equals 3.14... Four years ago, 3-14-15, was the only day this century that matched pi, commonly approximated as 3.14159. 

Schools and museums often plan events to celebrate the concept, which has fascinated humans for centuries. And, some people celebrate by eating a piece of pie or an entire pizza.

In the spirit of the holiday, here are 3.14 things you may not know about pi:

1. No one is certain who discovered pi as we know it today

But we do have some ideas. It seems that the Egyptians used pi in the construction of the Great Pyramid because when the perimeter is divided by its height, one gets a close approximation to 2π. It’s the same result if one divides the circumference of a circle by its radius.

But the most significant pi research might have come from the astronomer, Archimedes, around 250 B.C.

His mathematical calculation showed that pi was "between three and one seventh and three and 10 seventy firsts,” Steven Strogatz, an applied mathematics professor at Cornell University, told NBC in a 2015 interview. “He approached that putting a six-sided figure into a circle, then made it 12 sided, and went all the way up to a 96-sided polygon.”

He proved that pi was found somewhere between these two numbers, which applied to all circles.

2. You can find your identity in pi

One myth is that since pi is a continuation of numbers, people’s identities can be found in the pattern: like social security numbers or birthdays.

This theory, which had circulated around Reddit for years before getting a popularity jolt from a George Takei Facebook post (that post appears to have been taken down), posits that all number combinations can be found within the digits of pi. 

A version of this theory posted on Reddit says of pi: "Converted into a bitmap, somewhere in that infinite string of digits is a pixel-perfect representation of the first thing you saw on this earth, the last thing you will see before your life leaves you, and all the moments, momentous and mundane, that will occur between those two points."

But Professor Strogatz stressed that the meme is misleading.  Even if it is true (which is not yet known), the digits in pi would tell us nothing about a person's life or identity, because along with correct social security numbers and birthdays, there will also be wrong social security numbers and birthdays.

3. Proving pi with matches

You can prove pi exists with matches, toothpicks, a pen, or anything else that is the same length, explained Johnny Ball, the author of “Why Pi? (Big Questions).”

“There’s a wonderful way to find pi for yourself. You find a floor with parallel lines; you find matches, pins, pens, exactly the same length. If you drop a hundred of them at random on the floor, the points touching a line will equal pi,” Ball said.

The matches' length must be equal to the distance of the two parallel lines. After the matches are dropped, you multiply the number of matches thrown down by two and divide it by the total number of matches that touched a line, which will equal pi.

This problem was discovered in the 18th century by French mathematician Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon.

Check out this video on Dr. Tony Padilla's YouTube channel Numberphile where he demonstrates Buffon's Needle Problem:

3.14...Legislating against pi

In 1897, Indiana state legislators tried passing a Pi Bill that legally defined pi as 3.2. Edward J. Goodwin, a physician, convinced a well-known mathematical monthly newspaper that he had solved what mathematicians had tried to do for generations: squaring the circle. Simply put, squaring the circle is the impossible task of finding the area of a circle by finding the area of a square around it. Goodwin claimed that pi was 3.2 instead of a continuous number. The bill never became a law thanks to Professor C. A. Waldo who convinced the Indiana Senate that Goodwin’s discovery was not possible.

Philadelphia City Council did a very Philly thing and officially declared March 15 through 17 Meek Mill Weekend.

City Council President Darrell Clarke made the proclamation Thursday morning. He was joined by State Sen. Sharif Street in praising Mill, whose legal troubles catapulted him into national stardom as a criminal justice advocate and critic of mass incarceration.

Mill became a symbol for criminal justice reform activists after a judge in Pennsylvania sentenced him to two to four years in prison for minor violations of his probation conditions in a decade-old gun and drug possession case. He spent months in prison before a court ordered him released.

He said at Thursday's announcement that he's trying to "give young kids a fair shot in the system."

The embattled rapper and Philly native will perform this weekend at Philadelphia's newly revamped Metropolitan Opera House.

Check out the full resolution here.

Shoppers made their final trip to the ShopRite on 67th and Haverford Avenue in Philadelphia's Overbook section. The store is shutting down after the owner claimed the city's beverage tax put him out of business.

Members of the New Jersey Forest Fire Service deliberately set fires in five counties Thursday in order to help prevent future wildfires.

Spring is still days away but the region got a taste of it on Thursday due to warm temperatures and plenty of sunshine. NBC10 First Alert Weather meteorologist Steve Sosna takes a look at how the region took advantage.

Many legit tax preparers are there to help you. But others may be looking for a quick buck at your expense. NBC10 Responds and Harry Hairston have tips on how to find the right person.

Gunfire led to a standoff situation in Folcroft, Pennsylvania. Five people were taken into custody for questioning and a handgun was recovered inside the home police surrounded.

A Delaware man was convicted of detonating a pipe bomb outside his estranged wife’s home.

Mark Consiglio, 49, of Elsmere, Delaware, pleaded guilty Thursday to possessing a destructive device.

On March 12, 2018, Consiglio detonated a pipe bomb at his estranged wife’s home in Elsmere before fleeing the scene. Two people were home at the time of the blast. The explosion shattered the front living room window of the house as one of the occupants slept. Shrapnel from the blast was found inside the living room.

Consiglio was detained by police nearby. Investigators searched his home and found three more pipe bombs, a .38 caliber revolver, materials used to make a pipe bomb, gun powder, a World War II-era flare launcher that had been modified to accept 9mm ammunition, and a book titled “CIA improvised sabotage devices” that was dog-eared on the “incendiary devices” page.

At the time of his arrest, Consiglio was already charged with threatening to kill his wife.

Consiglio is scheduled to be sentenced on July 2, 2019. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 10 years with three years of supervised release, a $250,000 fine and a $100 special assessment.

The city issued violations for the demolition of a property in Kensington, deeming it dangerous and illegal. NBC10 obtained video of the property collapsing.

Mayor Jim Kenney said he was "disappointed" and taken by surprise after seven city council members from both parties signed onto a bill that would evaluate Philadelphia's sweet and beverage tax and possibly change the tax rate.

If you're annoyed at people leaving their dogs' droppings on the ground in Philadelphia, a new class of public safety officers proposed under an amendment to the city's charter could help.

The amendment to the Philadelphia Home Rule Charter would establish new Public Safety Enforcement officers, who would also be tasked with helping police during special events like parades and concerts. However, unlike police officers, the public safety officers would be unarmed and would not be allowed to arrest anyone.

The hope is for police to be able to focus on more serious crimes while public safety officers take care of things like reducing traffic congestion.

The new officers would also be on the lookout for such issues as illegal dumping, cars running red lights and rideshare drivers stalling their cars in the middle of the street, City Council spokeswoman Jane Roh said.

The resolution has already received backing from the police department. "In my opinion, the enforcement officer position will create a synergy that will help us overall. So, I support the efforts," PPD Commissioner Richard Ross told NBC10.

The exact number of new officers who would be hitting the streets has not yet been established. It would fall to the city's managing director - currently Brian Abernathy - to decide on that number. Other specifics, like where the money for the officers' pay would come from and under whose jurisdiction they would fall - would be up to the mayor's administration to establish, Roh said.

Proposed by City Council President Darrell L. Clarke, the resolution passed City Council on Thursday and now heads to Mayor Jim Kenney, who will decide whether to put it on the ballot. However, the council does expect him to approve the move, Roh said.

If the resolution does make it to the ballot, voters will get to decide whether to amend the Home Rule Charter and create the Public Safety Enforcement officer position at the next elections on May 21st.