These middle-aged sweethearts have a lot to offer their prospective new families, including: the promise to catch on to housebreaking quickly, the ability to recognize the difference between their toys and your shoes with just a little guidance and most importantly, unconditional love and gratitude for saving them!

Pete is a 5-10 year old American Bulldog mix who was surrendered to the shelter because his owner fell ill and could no longer care for a pet. Pete isn’t letting his new life in the shelter phase him too much, mainly because he’s getting lots of attention from his new staff and volunteer friends. Pete is a big, tall guy, weighing around 80 pounds, but it appears as though his big, kissable head accounts for a fair amount of that weight.

Pete has quickly become a favorite at the shelter because of his low-key, easy-peasy demeanor. Despite his size, he’s pretty easy on the leash. While he loves to spend time with his human friends, Pete also did well when meeting other dogs at the shelter. He was tolerant of pushy, goofy play styles and was comfortable spending time with other low-key dogs as well. Pete has reportedly lived with other dogs AND cats in his past home. He’d be a great addition to any family looking for a big, easy-going companion. Interested in meeting him? Grab your resident dogs and stop by!

If you you searching for a sweet easygoing dog who is past all that “puppy” nonsense then Nikol is your girl. She is a full-figured, middle-aged girl who is looking for love and a forever family. She’s a low-key sweetheart who would enjoy curling up with you on the sofa on a cold day, or hanging outside with you enjoying the sunshine.

Nikol very much enjoys going for long walks to explore the great outdoors! She loves attention and will let you pet her for as long as you are willing. She is also very tolerant of her penpals putting her in costumes. Come meet her and maybe you will fall in love with her just like her volunteer friends. Bring the whole family, including any children and resident dog(s), if you have them at home already, so everyone can meet her at the same time to see if she is the right match to be a part of your family.

Interested in fostering or adopting one of these great dogs? They are currently residing at ACCT Philly located at 111 W. Hunting Park Avenue. For more information, click here: http://www.acctphilly.org/.

Dr. Wan Yanhai.

Dr. Wan Yanhai, a prominent Chinese AIDS activist, will be in West Philly this Friday to tell his story of fleeing his country in 2010 and discuss human rights in China. Dr. Wan will join West Philly AIDS activist Kate Krauss in the discussion. A portion of the film “The Central Plains” will also be screened.

Dr. Wan organized China’s first HIV/AIDS telephone hotline and was instrumental in advocating for the rights of tens of thousands of families who became infected with HIV/AIDS in Henan Province due to illegal blood selling practices. He later expanded his work to advocate for the health of injection drug users, sex workers, and other marginalized groups affected by AIDS.

Dr. Wan is also a co-founder of the Beijing LGBT Center, the first gay community center in China. He has won numerous human rights awards and is currently the director of the country’s foremost AIDS-awareness group, the Aizhixing Institute of Health Education. He has been detained by the authorities three times in the past 12 years, including a month-long detention in 2002 that made international headlines.

On May 10, 2010, Wan Yanhai together with his family fled China and moved into the home of Ms. Krauss in West Philadelphia, where they stayed for several months before continuing on to various academic appointments. Dr. Wan currently lives with his family in New Haven, Connecticut.

Katie Krauss.

Katie Krauss is Executive Director and Founder of the AIDS Policy Project and has worked on a wide range of AIDS issues, from AIDS vaccines to Medicaid and housing for people with AIDS in Philly.

The event will be held at the A-Space gallery (4722 Baltimore Ave) beginning at 7 p.m. Snacks will be available. A $5 donation is suggested. To RSVP please email: info@AIDSPolicyProject.org.

The 18th Police District is organizing a crime prevention event this Friday, March 29, where community members can learn about new programs designed to help combat property related crimes. The event will be held from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the Sayre High School parking lot located at 5800 Walnut Street.

The goal of the event is to spread awareness and encourage participation in the following programs (information provided by Philly Police Blog:

OPERATION I.D. is a Property Identification Program developed to aid in the prevention of crime and identification of personal property in the event that it is lost or stolen (e.g. cell phones, computers televisions, GPS, DVD headrests, car stereos, etc.).

The B.O.N.D. [Business Owner Notification Decal] Program is a program that registers local business owners with the police department in the event of a burglary or other emergency and ensures the owner is contacted immediately.

The S.A.V.E. [Stolen Auto Verification Effort] Program is an effort in which citizens register their vehicles with the police department for the application of a special decal to their car window. Enrollment in the program permits officers to stop their vehicles and conduct an ownership investigation when the vehicle is being operated on the streets of Philadelphia between the hours of 12:00 a.m. and 6:00 a.m., seven days a week.

VIN ETCHING [Vehicle Identification Number Engraving] is an effort to prevent theft of vehicles and theft of glass parts from vehicles in which the VIN is professionally etched on the car windows. Etching can be done on side mirrors and on some headlights.

All the programs are free to the public and are very effective, according to police. Residents are invited to participate in all or some of them. Friday’s event will also provide other crime prevention information.

For more information please contact P/O Andrew Campbell (CPO) or P/O Mike Davis (CRO) at 215-686-3180 or 215-686-3181.

Spring Break is here for most city schoolchildren and we wanted to pass along information about some free activities for West Philly kids this week. The Free Library Hot Spots at select West Philly locations will offer some fun events from Monday, March 25 through Thursday, March 28, where kids, tweens and teens can learn how to make video games online, spice up their wardrobe with e-textiles, practice their DJ skills, make videos, and more.

At Blackwell Regional Library (52nd and Sansom), teens and tweens ages 12 and up can visit the Hot Spot to get creative. On Tuesday, March 26 from 2-4 p.m., teens at Blackwell can create and play video games. On Wednesday, March 27 from 1:45-3 p.m., there will be creative digital freeplay, from making beats to editing photos and making videos.

From Monday, March 25 through Thursday, March 28, teens, tweens, and kids ages 8 and up are invited to visit the Free Library Hot Spot at Heavenly Hall located at 4015 Poplar Street (Hours: 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. and 1:30-4:30 p.m.) to make video games, edit music, create an e-textiles project, or edit photos. Also, from 1:30-4:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 28, there will be a dance party to close out the week.

If you have questions about these events, please email Jazmin at: idakaarj@freelibrary.org

Police are investigating another shooting outside of a residence in the Cedar Park neighborhood last night, on the same block where a man was shot and wounded last Friday. Police say shots were fired Thursday night around 6:30 p.m., on the 4900 block of Catharine Street.

Officers from the 18th District responded to a call of “a person with a gun” and found eight shell casings. Police say no victims were present. The investigation continues.

Photo by Kyle Cassidy.

Starting this Wednesday, Curio Theatre will begin showing Madville, a new play written by West Philly playwright and Curio’s Artistic Director Paul Kuhn. This is his first original work produced by Curio since co-writing 2009’s A Funeral Farce.

Madville is the world created by children living in the Canadian woods who return as adults and struggle with memories of surviving in this remote location. They share stories from their experience trying to connect with or understand their shared past and disagreements arise over whose memories are more accurate. The audience will face this puzzle along with the characters.

“For me, it’s about madness,” says Kuhn. “It’s that time that you look back on your past and how crazy it was, that you weren’t even realizing you were steeped in madness at the time… Hopefully the audience will see something in their own childhood, that moment of, ‘Oh my God, why didn’t we die?’”

Madville is directed by Rosemary Fox who is making her directorial debut at Curio Theatre. The cast includes Jennifer Summerfield, Paul Kuhn, Rachel Gluck and Harry Slack of West Philadelphia.

Paul Kuhn’s “Madville”

March 20-April 13, 2013 
at the Calvary Center, 4740 Baltimore Avenue
Tickets: $15-20 ($5 off for preview tickets: March 20-21)
Thursday’s, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m.