Here are a couple of shots from the neighborhood featuring volunteers cleaning up Cedar Park and wonderful spring blossoms.

Unfortunately, another shooting has been reported in West Philadelphia. A 44-year-old man was fatally shot Friday night at approximately 5:30 p.m. near 52nd and Chester. The victim, who was found in a car, had been shot multiple times, police said. Police believe he was the target.

UPDATE: Guncrisis.org is reporting that two men approached the man as he sat in a red Dodge Charger and fired 15 shots at close range. The man was pronounced dead at the scene.

Fatal shootings were down considerably during the first few months of 2013 compared to last year, but they are rising again quickly. Guncrisis.org reports that there have been 33 shooting incidents in the city over the past 48 hours, including at least seven fatalities.

– Mike Lyons

A turkey has been trotting around the neighborhood south of Baltimore from 45th to 49th streets the last few mornings. Several folks have spotted the bird. A neighbor, Claire, snapped the photos below this morning at about 7:30 a.m.

Be careful out there, little buddy!

Photos by Claire King.

This photo of a turkey strolling down 50th street near Springfield is courtesy of @Kayasinfo on Twitter.

This Saturday (Apr. 13) between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m., many residents will be joining forces to clean and beautify their neighborhoods as part of the citywide initiative. Residents and community groups were asked to register their cleanup projects on the Streets Department website and over 500 projects have been posted throughout the city, with dozens in West Philadelphia.

If you would like to volunteer in one of the organized efforts please click on the map below to go to the projects page. Or you can just step outside and clean around your home, office, school, in a nearby park, or an empty lot.

Nora Nafaa, a graduate student from France, is doing research on the school system in Philadelphia with focus on West Philly schools. As part of the study, she is seeking parents’ input. She put together an online survey that takes only about 10 minutes to complete. The survey is anonymous (your name will not be used in the study) and Nora hopes to get most honest responses. Some of the things Nora is interested in is school choices, what help children receive at and outside of school, quality of schools, and school closings.

To access the survey, click here.
 

Last fall we wrote about a new development project in Cedar Park – the conversion of an old warehouse near 49th and Pentridge into office and studio space called The Cedar Works. The renovation of the historic building at 4919 Pentridge Street, which took a full year, is now complete and residents are invited to the Grand Opening party this Saturday (Apr. 13), at 7 p.m. to check it out.

Andy Peifer, one of The Cedar Works’ owners and long-time Cedar Park resident (his family lives just around the corner), says that the 15,000-square-foot property has had occupancy since February and now has 17 of the 21 studios rented. The tenants are a mixture of artists and professionals with a variety of media and work represented: pottery, spinning and dyeing of wool, jewelry and leather working, mental health therapy, guitar building, oil painting, sketching/drawing, web development, photography, interior design, printmaking, and writing/publishing.

At the grand opening party guests can meet local artists and visit their studios and check out the new community meeting and event space. This space is also already being well used for events, such as Philadelphia Folklore Project, Honoring our Elders, etc., training (Training for Change, Action United), and meetings (Quaker meeting, AIDS Policy Project).

“We are looking forward to becoming an additional resource for the Cedar Park neighborhood,” said Andy.

For more information about The Cedar Works, visit: thecedarworks.com.