When the weather heats up and folks start opening their windows and doors more, many pets venture outside and many go missing. You can’t always prevent your cat or dog running out the door or sneaking out the window, but it’s easier to find them if they are microchipped and tagged.

If you want to microchip your pet, PAWS clinic might be a good option, especially for folks on tighter budgets. PAWS does microchipping for $20, which is about a third of what vets usually charge. PAWS is located at 2900 Grays Ferry Avenue. No appointments needed on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. For more information, visit their website or call 215-298-9680.

It is also important to have an ID tag on your pet. The style of tags and the amount of information on them may vary, but they should include your pet’s name and your phone number. Baltimore Pet Shoppe (4532 Baltimore Ave) has a new engraving machine and can now make pet ID tags instantly. Visit the shop’s website for more information and for tips on finding lost pets.

(Thank you Linda Lee for contributing to this story. See more in Comments).

Torin Myer of the 3900 block of Baring Street was apprehended early yesterday near 34th and Hamilton, a few blocks from the Drexel University campus. Police said he is not a student.

Police say Myer was exiting a convenience store and getting on a bicycle near 34th and Hamilton when Drexel University police Captain Fred Carbonara apprehended him. Myer had a BB gun, a knife, gloves and ski mask in his possession. Carbonara recognized Myer from the surveillance video made public last week.

“We had the area saturated yesterday,” said Detective Joe Murray from the Southwest Detectives.  “There was no way he was going to be able to walk around without getting caught. Just wish we had him sooner.”

Murray said Myer confessed to all four robberies.

Myer lived about four blocks from the Green Line Cafe at 3649 Lancaster Ave., which police say he robbed on April 30 and again on May 4. He is charged with robbery, assault and weapons charges in connection to those two robberies, one on April 26 at the Green Line Cafe near 45th and Locust and the May 6 robbery at the Chipotle Mexican Grill at 3925 Walnut St.

Police say Myer suffered from a “drug problem,” which in part explained his motives in the robberies.

He is scheduled to be arraigned later today.

CPN (Cedar Park Neighbors) is accepting applications for 2012-2013 scholarships for youth attending college or vocational school. To be eligible, students must live in the Cedar Park boundaries. Cedar Park is bounded by 46th Street, Kingsessing Avenue, the R-3 tracks, 52nd Street, and Larchwood Avenue.

The deadline for applications is Friday, June 1.

For more information and to apply, click here. If you have questions about your eligibility, please contact the scholarship committee at scholarships@cedarparkneighbors.com.
 

Police have confirmed that a “person of interest” has been detained in connection with the robbery spree over the last two weeks at two Green Line Cafe locations and the Chipotle Mexican Grill.

Rumors began circulating this afternoon that police had caught the so-called “Green Line robber.”

“There is a person of interest that we are speaking with,” said Lt. John Walker of the Southwest Detectives. Another police source said that warrants will soon be issued in the case. “It’s him,” the source said.

As of 1:30 p.m. no charges had been filed.

The Green Line Cafe on Lancaster Avenue in Powelton was robbed at gunpoint twice last week and the location at 45th and Locust was robbed on April 26. Police believe the suspect in that case also robbed the Chipotle Mexican Grill at 3925 Walnut St. on Sunday night.

We will pass along more details when we get them.

 
Now you can have dessert after your tacos. Lil’ Pop Shop, a locally owned artisan popsicle shop, officially opened today at 265 S. 44th Street, between Honest Tom’s Taco Shop and Tampopo. The owner, Jeanne Chang, lives right around the corner and said that she was very excited about opening the shop in the neighborhood.

The shop hours are Tuesday-Saturday 12-9 p.m., Sunday 12-5 p.m., maybe longer or shorter depending on how traffic is, Jeanne said. Also, a mobile cart will be out starting Wednesday and hours and locations will vary.

The popsicles are made on the premises using mostly locally grown ingredients.

The current popsicle flavors include Chocolate w/ Salted Caramel Brownie, Lime Mint, Strawberry Rhubarb Lemonade, Lemon Blueberry Buttermilk and many others. All flavors sell for $3 each.

Jeanne is still working on her online presence. We’ll pass that along once it’s up and running. For now, the shop can be reached at 510-919-0784.

Spruce Street traffic is being diverted between 40th Street to 34th Street as Penn students pack up for the summer. That section of Spruce Street will be closed from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. today and tomorrow.

The eastbound 42 bus is turning down 42nd Street to Baltimore Avenue. Even bicycle traffic is being diverted on parts of Spruce.

The upside of the traffic diversion is that it’s almost “Penn Christmas” – the curbside rummaging that accompanies the student move out at the end of every school year. To lighten the load on the landfill, Penn is once again organizing donations from students – everything from clothes to microwaves to television – that will be sold to the public on June 2. For more information on that, visit the PennMoves website.