Police are investigating the origins of a package received at West Philadelphia High School this morning that contained racist materials and a news article about the killings at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn.

A police spokeswoman would only say that the material in the package, which was delivered just before 9 a.m., was “not so good.” She did confirm that the materials were racist in nature. Philly.com is reporting that the package also contained a note that read “you are next.”

We’ll update with details when we get them.

Locust Moon Comics (34 S. 40th St.), our favorite neighborhood comics shop, is hosting the first ever Locust Moon Comics Festival this Sunday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. at The Rotunda (4014 Walnut St.). Refreshments will be provided by Kung Fu Hoagies and Little Baby’s Ice Cream.

The festival will host a bunch of exhibitors, including artists and publishers. Here are some:

· Brandon Graham
· Farel Dalrymple
· J.G. Jones
· David Mack
· Jim Rugg
· Terry LaBan
· Box Brown
· Benjamin Marra
· Ed Piskor
· Jeffro Kilpatrick & The Philadelphia Cartoonist Society
· Ad House Books
· Meathaus Enterprises
· Secret Acres
· Koyama Press
· Locust Moon Press

A full list of exhibitors is here. Admission is free, though a $5 donation is suggested. You can RSVP at the Facebook event page here.

Lastly, this might be the coolest announcement graphic we have ever published:

The School District of Philadelphia yesterday proposed the closure of 37 schools across the city, one sixth of the City’s public schools. Some 17,000 students would be affected. Now it’s time for members of the public to have their say.

A series of community forums is scheduled over the next couple of months “to help the public understand how we got here, the proposed recommendations, and where the District is headed,” the announcement on the District’s website reads. The School Reform Commission will vote on the proposed closure list, which includes Alexander Wilson Elementary at 46th and Woodland and University City High School, in March.

The full facilities master plan is available at the bottom of yesterday’s story, here. A full list of the community forums is available here. You can watch Superintendent William R. Hite Jr.’s announcement of the proposed closings here.

In West Philly, a forum will be held Monday, Dec. 17 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Sayre High School at 58th and Walnut.

The forums will continue after the holidays. Here are others scheduled for West Philly (all run from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.):

• Jan. 22, Overbrook High School, 5898 Lancaster Ave.
• Jan. 23, University City High School, 3601 Filbert St.
• Feb. 19, Overbrook High School
• Feb. 20, University City High School

Read more on the proposed closings here:

“Across Philadelphia, strong reactions to school closings plan,” Philadelphia Public School Notebook.
“For adults and children, shock over school closings,” Philly.com.

Several schools in West Philadelphia, including Alexander Wilson Elementary and University City High School, will be recommended for closure next year, according to a School District of Philadelphia facilities plan expected to be released later today.

The plan, which The Philadelphia Public School Notebook reports was sent to district employees this morning, calls for the closure of Wilson, a K-6 neighborhood school at 46th and Woodland, and the transfer of students from there to Lea Elementary at 47th and Locust. The plan also calls for the closure of Shaw Middle School at 54th and Warrington, which includes grades 7-8. Students there will be offered spots at Tilden Middle School, Longstreth Elementary and other nearby elementary schools that include grades 7-8.

Wilson students and their parents rallied last fall to keep the school open during the first round of closures, which shuttered Drew Elementary at 38th and Powelton. Wilson stayed open, but it was clear that District officials were still trying to figure out how to reconfigure schools in the area.

The West Philly Coalition of Neighborhood Schools released a statement this morning that expressed concern about the closing of neighborhood schools.

“We believe that every child should be able to walk to school and that a neighborhood can be strengthened by its elementary school and an elementary school by its neighborhood,” the statement read.

WPCNS also called on the School Reform Commission to fulfill the requirement to hold community hearings on the closures.

“Transparency, community inclusion and the opportunity for school communities to make their cases in opposition to closure are of the utmost importance,” the statement continued.

Some 37 schools in all are on the list to be shuttered as the School District of Philadelphia looks for ways to consolidate resources and cut costs (see the full document below). If approved the schools on the list would close their doors for good at the end of this school year.

University City High School (36th and Filbert) is one of eight high schools across the city to be slated for closure. Students at the school, which includes grades 9-12, will be given the option to transfer to schools elsewhere in the city or transfer to neighborhood high schools, including West Philadelphia High School, High School of the Future, Sayre High School or Overbrook High School. Bok, Germantown and Strawberry Mansion high schools are also on the closure list.

The Philadelphia Inquirer is reporting that no teachers will lose their jobs as a result of the closures, but that other school personnel could.

Superintendent William Hite is expected to announce the full list of closures today at 2 p.m. You can watch the press conference live on PSTV Comcast Channel 52, Verizon Fios Channel 20, or online here.

The full list:
School Closures and Reconfigurations – 2013-2014

Update: A former employee said last night that Café Cláve will close permanently. This is sad for a couple of reasons. First, they had good coffee and a good atmosphere that contributed to the diversity of cafés in the neighborhood. Secondly, that building has been in their family for a long time, since Gooch’s father, Carlos, ran an electronics shop in the same space in the early 1960s. Carlos is still listed as the primary owner of the building though he died several years ago. Café Cláve was, in a way, a homage to Carlos and Norma, who were well-known on the Salsa dance scene in Philadelphia.

Many readers have been asking what has happened to Café Cláve, the popular Cuban-themed coffee shop at 4305 Locust Street that has been closed for several days. It’s not good news. Shop co-owner Armen Terzian, known by many as “Gooch,” has been charged with a variety of crimes stemming from an incident late last month.

Terzian, 41, has been charged with aggravated assault, ethnic intimidation, possession of an instrument of crime, terroristic threats and simple assault. He allegedly brandished a machete and uttered several racial slurs during an argument with another man who was cleaning the street outside the shop on November 28.

Police issued a warrant for Terzian’s arrest soon after the incident. Terzian, who was on probation, turned himself into police on Sunday, according to court records.

His preliminary hearing is scheduled for December 24. No word on when (or whether) Café Cláve, which Terzian co-owns with his mother Norma, will reopen.

Police inspect one of the two vehicles involved in an accident this evening near 46th and Hazel.

A collision near the intersection of Hazel Avenue and 46th Street was the result of a driver trying to elude police, an officer at the scene said.

The accident occurred at about 7:15 p.m. on Saturday. A police officer at the scene said the driver of one car “panicked” when he saw a police car, sped up and collided with another car. The officer said there were no serious injuries.

Witnesses said that one person fled the car being chased and another was arrested. We’ll pass along more information as we get it.