The holidays turned out to be not so happy for some West Philly residents and guests. We received two reports of robberies, including an armed robbery, in the area over the past six days. We’ll start with the more recent one.

A 25-year-old man was robbed and pistol-whipped on Sunday, Dec. 27 on the 4500 block of Spruce Street. The victim told police that he was walking home shortly after 9 p.m. when he was approached from behind by two males, one of whom placed him in a choke hold and forced him to the ground, while the other male hit him in the head with a handgun.

The male with a handgun then took an iPhone from the victim’s pocket and both males ran toward 46th Street, got on bicycles and fled westbound, according to police. The victim’s phone was tracked to the area of May Street and Haverford Avenue before it was powered off. The firearm’s magazine, which fell during the robbery, was turned over to police by the victim. It was determined that the magazine belongs to a BB gun. The suspects are described as black males, 25-30 years old, medium build, about 5’9″-6’0″ tall. One suspect was wearing a grey hoody and light colored pants. The second suspect was wearing a black hoody and dark colored pants and was armed with a black BB gun. Continue Reading

Good news for Philadelphia residents: this year, you don’t have to wait two weeks to dispose of your trash and recyclables if your collection falls on Christmas Day (Friday, Dec. 25). Set out your materials to be picked up on the following day – Saturday, Dec. 26. Fri, Jan. 1 collections will be picked up on Saturday, Jan. 2. UPDATE: Stay tuned for information on how to recycle your Christmas tree and waste from celebrations and presents.

Also, SEPTA has released its Holiday schedule. There will be some changes starting Thursday, Dec. 24 and through Friday, Jan. 1:

Thursday, Dec. 24 – Christmas Eve

• City Buses and Trolleys will operate on a modified weekday schedule. Amended timetables are available online at: http://www.septa.org/schedules/modified/modified-holiday-schedules.html.
• Suburban Buses, Trolley Routes 101/102 (Media Sharon Hill Lines), and the Norristown High Speed Line will operate on normal weekday schedules.
• On Regional Rail, a Midday Schedule providing earlier service from Center City will operate on selected trains. For details, go to: http://www.septa.org/schedules/rail/special/christmas-eve.html.
• The Market-Frankford and Broad Street Lines will operate with overnight train service Dec. 24 into Dec. 25.

Friday, Dec. 25 – Christmas Day: All SEPTA services will operate on a Sunday/Holiday schedule.  Continue Reading

The Lucien E. Blackwell West Philadelphia Regional Library, which serves the communities of Cedar Park, Walnut Hill, West Market, Mill Creek, Dunlap, and West Park, is set to close for maintenance at the end of the day on Thursday, Dec. 31, according to a recent announcement. The maintenance work, which may take many months to complete, will include a complete replacement of the building’s heating and air-conditioning system. Also, new ceilings and a new electrical system will be installed. Check the Blackwell Library’s Facebook page for updates.

The West Philadelphia Regional Library opened in 1976 and was the second regional library in the city, providing West Philadelphia with a larger collection of books, magazines and newspapers than neighborhood branches. Designed by architect William Mann, the library was built on the site of the Rivoli Theatre.

West Philadelphia neighborhood library branches include:

Blanche A. Nixon/Cobbs Creek, 59th and Baltimore
Charles L. Durham, 34th and Haverford
Haverford, 56th and Haverford
Kingsessing, 51st and Kingsessing
Walnut Street West, 40th and Walnut

University City-based startup Margo wants to simplify what has become a stressful process.

With changing government regulations and the introduction of the Affordable Care Act, there are many new factors to consider while shopping for insurance. That’s where Margo comes in. 

Founder Zach Robbins and the company have built a service that makes buying insurance a little less formal, less “salesy.”

“At the end of the day we believe that everyone more or less needs insurance and we’d like to make the process as convenient as possible. Being such an arduous task, it doesn’t need to be more complicated,” said Robbins.

Here’s how it works: A consumer contacts Margo through text message, e-mail or online chat. No 1-800 numbers. A good start.

After the customer makes the initial contact, the company’s Insurance Advocates run the data past carrier partners and follow up with the best insurance quotes. The process is entirely digital. While carriers are the parties with the most control over insurance rates, Margo’s Insurance Advocates make sure to notify users when their rates change and can also help them determine if there is a need for a policy change.

Oh, almost forgot, the service is free. The insurance carriers pay Margo.

In Margo’s early planning phase, the team worked with The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania’s Small Business Development center for early stage assistance. Undergraduate and graduate students were paid to help lay the groundwork for select new ventures.

To learn more about the digital insurance agency, visit www.getmargo.com.

– Rana Fayez

A 20-year-old man was shot in the chest and wounded overnight near 52nd and Spruce. Police were patrolling the area at around 12:40 a.m. on Saturday when they heard 8-10 gunshots coming from 52nd and Spruce. When they approached the intersection they saw a male with a handgun, according to a police report. The police ordered the man to drop the gun, but he fled east on Spruce approximately 20 feet and threw the gun under a parked car.

The police stopped the man and he stated that he was involved in an altercation with two other males and was shot. He also said that the gun was taken from one of the other males during the altercation. While handcuffing the man they observed two males wearing dark clothing running east on Spruce. The man was bleeding from the right side of his chest and was transported to Presbyterian Hospital. His condition is unknown. Police say he was charged with unlawful possession of a firearm.

Police also retrieved surveillance video of the incident showing the victim and two males in the street having what appeared to be a conversation, which “turned into a running gun battle,” according to the report. The investigation continues.

New 3-story apartment building with ground floor retail space at 4619 Woodland Avenue (photos West Philly Local).

Commercial and residential changes in recent months are beginning to reshape a couple of blocks of Woodland Avenue a block from the south end of Clark Park. Here is a look at some of the developments:

• A boxy, 3-story apartment building next to Gold Star Pizza and Chicken with ground-floor retail at 4619 Woodland Ave. is complete. No businesses have opened in the storefronts yet, but the apartments upstairs, which are aimed at University of the Sciences students, are open for business. The retail rental seems pretty reasonable at $15 per square foot. The apartments range from two to five bedrooms and rents are reportedly running between $800 and $3,200 per month.

“Our vision for building in the University City area is to bring a higher quality of housing to neighborhoods, which may be in need of additional housing options,” Ashley George from HOW Properties, the property manager, told West Philly Local back in April 2014. “There is not an abundance of student housing in the University of the Sciences West Philadelphia corridor.”  Continue Reading