Penn’s student newspaper, The Daily Pennsylvanian, has a story today on the McDonald’s at 40th and Walnut Street, which Penn officials characterize as a scourge in the neighborhood around campus.

The article’s author, Rachel Baye, writes:

Those involved with past and present development of the corner say McDonald’s is a hot spot for crime and a source of malnutrition. Getting rid of it, they say, will bring economic growth and make the neighborhood safer.

Baye quotes many Penn officials as saying that they would love to oust McDonald’s and add more upscale housing and shops. McDonald’s, apparently, is not interested in moving. The Daily Pennsylvanian included an article last week on the problems with public transportation near campus as well. Race and class, of course, are at the heart of the conversation in both stories.

Philadelphia schools Superintendent Arlene Ackerman will meet with concerned West Philadelphia parents and others on Monday, January 24 at the Philadelphia Business and Technology Center (5070 Parkside Ave., first floor) at 1 p.m. West Philadelphia Coalition for Neighborhoods and Businesses is organizing the talk and Ackerman is expected to discuss, among other things, the district’s strategic plan – Imagine 2014 – and community involvement in schools.

The meeting organizers want to remind those interested in attending that the entrance is on Columbia, not on Parkside.

Here’s a story from NBC 10 on the tireless work by City Kitties, a West Philadelphia based feline rescue organization, to help cats lost and found from the Jan. 10 Windermere Court Apartments fire. The organization has a list of recovered and missing cats, including photos when possible, on its website here. Well over 100 people were made homeless from the fire at 48th and Walnut Streets.

Cool photo from Clark Park at sunrise this morning. This is from the Clark Park twitter feed @clarkpark. The slopes, at least as we define them in West Philly, are indeed open. Schools are not.

Clark Park at sunrise on Wednesday. (Photo from @clarkpark. See the original here.)

At least three or four surviving cats have been pulled from apartments devastated by fire yesterday at Windermere Court Apartments. The feline aid organization City Kitties is offering help to pet owners whose cats survived the fire. The West Philadelphia-based organization has established an emergency fund for boarding, pet sitting, follow-up veterinary care, food, litter, carriers, and other basic needs.

For those affected by the fire, a form is available here to apply for funds. That same link provides a Pay Pal button for those who want to donate to the fund.

They write:

“We will not be able to write checks directly to victims, but will be able to purchase supplies for you, reimburse expenses, or pay vendors directly (veterinarians, boarding facilities, etc) up to a specific amount.”

Many residents were able to take their pets with them when they evacuated, but don’t have a place for them now. The PSPCA is housing many of those and the vet hospital at Penn is providing free medical care.

Mayor Michael Nutter will marry a couple around Valentine’s Day aboard the Market-Frankford El as it rumbles through West Philly as part of a tour of Market Street rooftop murals known collectively as “A Love Letter for You.”

SEPTA and the Mural Arts Program run tours of the murals from aboard the train – the best viewing spot – each Saturday. These tours have included at least one marriage proposal in the past. In February, Nutter will marry a couple chosen in a contest sponsored by SEPTA and the Mural Arts Program.

This is from the Mural Arts Program website:

Tell us why you would be the perfect couple to be married on the Love Train. Attach a video, a photo, a poem…be creative, be artistic! The winner will be selected by City of Philadelphia Mural Arts Program and SEPTA. To enter, email: events@muralarts.org

West Philly native Steve Powers and a collection of artists created the murals in the summer of 2009. Love Letter is a series of 50 rooftop murals running along the El tracks from 45th to 63rd Streets. The murals have also been captured in book form.

Here is a partial “map” of the murals (click to enlarge):