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Archive | November, 2012

Election Day is tomorrow and here are a few things to know

November 5, 2012

voteHere are a few things to keep in mind as you head to the polls on Tuesday:

• Polls are open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

• An easy way to find your polling place is to go here and plug in your street address.

• Besides the race for President, voters tomorrow will also decide on a U.S. Senator, U.S. Representative, Attorney General, Auditor General, State Treasurer, State Senator (odd districts only) and State Representative. You can find some information on the candidates here.

• There are several places to find out info on this year’s ballot questions. Philadelphia Magazine‘s blog, Philly Post, has some background on the ballot questions here. Philadelphia Weekly has its take on the questions here. The Committee of 70’s rendering of the ballot questions into plain English is here.

• If you observe some hijinks at your polling station, call 215-686-9641 to report it.

• The Voter ID law is NOT in place for this election. BUT those voting for the first time and those voting in a new polling place will have to show some form of ID (it doesn’t have to be photo ID). These include: driver’s license or state-issued photo ID, passport, armed forces ID, student ID, employee ID. Non-photo ID: voter registration card, gun permit, current utility bill, current bank statement, current paycheck (note: must have full name and current address.)

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Found young black & white cat (44th and Pine)

November 5, 2012

This young male cat followed our reader, Tekla, home from the area of 44th and Pine on Saturday morning. If this is your cat, please email Tekla at: teklalb@gmail.com.

 

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Bill Clinton to speak at Palestra this afternoon

November 5, 2012

Former President Bill Clinton is scheduled to speak at a rally of Obama-Biden supporters and volunteers at the Palestra Arena at the University of Pennsylvania (215 S. 33rd St.) this afternoon as part of his final campaign swing through Pennsylvania on behalf of the Democratic ticket. The rally begins at 4 p.m. and Penn Public Safety has issued a heavy traffic advisory in this area from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.

If you’re interested in attending this rally, tickets are available online here.

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2012 Pumpkin Carving Contest: Here are the winners!

November 3, 2012

The votes have been tallied and the judges have made their decisions. You, the community, voted for the Reader’s Choice and an esteemed panel of judges picked the winners in the other categories. So here we go.

The Reader’s Choice winner is Nate Johnson and his remarkable Edgar Allan Poe pumpkin, which received 100 of the 283 total votes cast. Congrats Nate! You win our main prize package – a gift card from Sabrina’s Cafe ($40), a gift card from Four Worlds Bakery ($30), a copy of BATMAN: The Long Halloween from Locust Moon Comics, and a prize from Penn Museum (two general passes to the Museum + a MAYA 2012 t-shirt + a copy of the latest issue of Expedition Magazine).

The Kids Category winner is Nadia Salamon and her Starry pumpkin. Nadia is only 4 1/2 years old and we were blown away by her non-traditional approach to pumpkin carving. She didn’t want to do a Jack-O-Lantern with a face but wanted one big star on each side and little stars around it! Very cool! Nadia wins a gift card from Lil’ Pop Shop ($30) and a gift card from Four Worlds Bakery ($30).

The Funniest category winner is Ellis M. Mumford and her Grumpy Cat pumpkin. Good job, Ellis, on using one of the most popular memes these days! Ellis wins a Green Line Cafe gift card ($20) and a goodie basket from Mariposa Food Co-op.

The Philly-themed category winner is Katrine Lvovskaya and her Zombie Ben Franklin pumpkin. Nice work, Katrine! You and Ben Franklin win a gift certificate from Honest Tom’s Taco Shop ($20) and two Curio Theatre tickets.

Finally, the Scariest category winner is Bimal Desai (our last year’s Reader’s Choice winner, by the way) and his “Halloween 1982” pumpkin featuring Michael Jackson from the “Thriller” video. Bimal’s pumpkin also finished second in our Reader’s Choice voting with 78 votes cast for it. Bimal wins a gift card from Dock Street Brewery ($20) and a gift card from VIX Emporium ($20).

Congratulations to all the winners! We’ll be contacting you shortly about your prize delivery. And thank you to all who participated in this contest! We loved all your pumpkins, but there had to be only five winners. Who knows, you could be a winner next time.

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West Philly Cooperative School collecting donations for Sandy victims

November 2, 2012

The West Philadelphia Cooperative School (4625 Baltimore Ave.) will be collecting donated items for victims of Hurricane Sandy after its open house tomorrow – from 1:30 p.m. to 3 p.m.

Volunteers are specifically asking for clothing, linens and cleaning products, but all donations will be accepted. The donation drive begins after the school’s open house, which runs from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Donated items will be distributed to shelters on Staten Island.

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Woman killed in Brooklyn during Sandy had West Philly connections

November 2, 2012

A young woman who died on Monday night in Brooklyn when a tree fell on her during Hurricane Sandy had West Philly connections.

Jessie Streich-Kest, 24, graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 2010 and spent many hours working with homeless families and tutoring neighborhood children. She was a member of Penn Haven, a campus group “dedicated to people suffering homelessness and economic injustice,” according to its website.

Streich-Kest, a Brooklyn native, was walking her dog with a friend, Jacob Vogelman, during the storm when a tree fell on them. Neighbors discovered the two several hours later, Ditmas Park Corner reported.

Friends and relatives have flocked to Ditmas Park Corner to post tributes to Streich-Kest and Vogelman, including Streich-Kest’s former classmates from Penn. Here’s what one of them wrote:

“Jessie Streich-Kest was an extraordinary person, and I am tremendously privileged to have been her friend. No one I have ever met has devoted more of her life to service, to social equity, and to her friends than Jessie. Whether it was tutoring students in West Philadelphia, working to help the homeless, or dropping everything to listen to your problems, Jessie always strove to leave a positive mark on the world.”

If you knew Jessie, feel free to leave a comment.

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