Photo by Andrew Gormley

West Philly singer-songwriter Gretchen Elise is sharing her story of rebuilding, recuperation, and gratitude. A car crashed into her home on S. 47th Street on Christmas Eve, which spawned a GoFundMe campaign to recoup losses and record a song called “Grateful Love.”

The Fox 29 clip of the hit and run went national. Fortunately, no one was hurt.

“The driver took out a tree, 4 cars, backed into our house, and fled,” Gretchen said. “We have not had any follow up from the police on our case and unfortunately with the time consuming process of repair, we haven’t had time to pursue it.”

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Kenny and Nina outside of their restaurant (Facebook photo).

Longtime owners of Pasqually’s, a popular Spruce Hill pizza and beer shop, are saying good-bye after more than 23 years. Kenny and his wife Nina have shared their news of leaving the restaurant in a long and emotional Facebook post.

“Pasqually’s has been more than just a restaurant to us,” reads the post. “It’s been our second home, and in many ways, it’s been where life happened. We came in every day to cook and serve, but what we really found was a community that embraced us, supported us, and grew alongside us here in the West Philly neighborhood.”

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One of the city’s oldest recreation centers has reopened after a two-and-a-half-year long renovation. On Friday, Mayor Cherelle L. Parker, city and state officials, representatives of the Philadelphia Eagles, and Kingsessing community members celebrated the reopening of Kingsessing Recreation Center with a ribbon-cutting ceremony.

Through its Rebuild Philadelphia program, the City has invested $27 million to modernize the facility, which originally opened in 1916, while preserving its historic character. Upgrades include renovated interior spaces, a new artificial turf field, an accessible playground, and improved community gathering areas.

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The City has renamed the 4700 block of Wyalusing Avenue, where the historic Philadelphia Masjid is located, “Philadelphia Masjid Way.”

Elected city and state officials, including Councilmember Jamie Gauthier (3rd District), Council President Kenyatta Johnson (2nd District), and State Rep. Joanna McClinton, and the Philadelphia Masjid leadership and worshippers gathered at 47th and Wyalusing for the street renaming ceremony and to celebrate Eid-al-Fitr on Friday morning.

The Philadelphia Masjid is one of America’s most historic predominantly-Black masjids – it has served as a community cornerstone for more than five decades. This street renaming recognizes over 50 years of faith, service, leadership, and community excellence.

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4055 Market Street

University Place Associates, who have been developing lots along Market Street between 40th and 42nd as a life-sciences campus, have scrapped their plans for a new lab and office building at 4055 Market Street, according to reports. Instead, the developer is now planning to build a residential tower aimed at senior residents (55 and older) at that location (it is now a surface parking lot formerly occupied by a Rite Aid).

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SEPTA is planning to implement the New Bus Network this year, with Phase 1 beginning in August, according to a recent announcement. The initiative, formerly known as Bus Revolution, launched in 2021 with the goal to comprehensively redesign the entire bus network, but had to be postponed a couple of times.

This new network was approved by the SEPTA Board in May 2024, following a large community engagement effort, which included 150 in-person events, 40 virtual meetings and 10 public hearings. About 20,000 residents provided feedback for the project over a 3-year period.

The plan will be implemented as part of SEPTA’s Annual Service Plan process, which will include additional hearings on April 15 before a Board vote in May.

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