A group of West Philly residents who patrol their neighborhood from 47th to 49th Streets between Baltimore and Kingsessing will receive a commendation tomorrow for their help in catching a phone thief recently.

Patty Bulack, Charles Hamilton and Bruce Dorpalen, who are active members in the 48th Street Neighborhood Town Watch, will receive commendatory letters from Penn’s Department of Public Safety. All three were crucial in the apprehension of a man wanted in connection with the April 8 knifepoint robbery of a Penn student at 42nd and Spruce. A cell phone was taken in the incident. An arrest warrant was issued for a man that the Town Watch group spotted the day before in their neighborhood. When they spotted him again the following night they alerted police.

Here is a description of their actions from an e-mail posted by Bulack on the group listserv:

Last night Bruce, Charles and I went out on our usual 9 to 10 pm walk through the neighborhood. During that walk, Officer Vallette texted me to tell me that there was a warrant out for the arrest of the young man that we had seen on Saturday because of an investigation involving details of the knife point robbery that pointed directly to him. As we were walking south on 49th St. between Windsor and Springfield, he passed us on the sidewalk going north and Charles knew it was him. After calling 911, we called Officers Olesik and Vallette, and Olesik came and picked up Charles to continue finding him. They did find him on 48th St at Larchwood, with the phone he had taken.

Soon after they apprehended the suspect, Hamilton’s wife went into labor and police drove him to the hospital, where his son was later born.

Saturday was an amazing day around the City. Tons of folks were out for Philly Spring Clean-up. It was also a great day at Woodlands Cemetery for the Go West! Craft Fest, which was a Cedar Park staple until new regulations on events in public parks prompted a change of plans this year. But Go West! didn’t skip a beat. The Woodlands turned out to be a great spot. Tangle Movement Arts and the Tiny Circus were on the grounds. Give and Take Jugglers were on the scene. Sour Mash (Facebook page) played a set. And a bunch of artists and artisans were selling their wares. Check out the slideshow below.

The primary campaign for West Philly’s 188th House District between incumbent James Roebuck and newcomer Fatimah Muhammad has drawn attention around the city and even the state because of the influence of school voucher proponents – and their money – into the race.

West Philly residents will have a chance to hear the candidates tonight at the Kingsessing Rec Center (5100 Chester Ave. Enter on 50th Street) from 6-9 p.m. Roebuck and Muhammad have confirmed their attendance at tonight’s event.

Muhammad’s campaign has made a visible impact in West Philly, with signs and billboards featuring her portrait in a Photoshopped style that closely resembles posters featuring President Barack Obama during the 2008 campaign. Her campaign has also been linked to a series of postcards mailed to many West Philly residents that blame Roebuck, the ranking Democrat on the House Education Committee, for limiting school choice for students. One postcard even blames him for the cap at Penn Alexander School.

Many residents have spoken out against the postcards on several neighborhood listservs and message boards.One person even vowed to make a contribution to the Roebuck campaign for each postcard she received.

Roebuck is opposed to vouchers, which would provide tax dollars for students to attend private and parochial schools. The opponents of vouchers argue that they would undermine the funding and enrollment at public schools, while proponents, including Gov. Tom Corbett, say they would provide students with a better choice of schools.

Muhammad, a Penn alum who has been the associate director of Penn’s Greenfield Intercultural Center, will undoubtedly face questions this evening about her position on vouchers.

Renovations have begun on the storefront at 4533 Baltimore Ave., which will be the location of a controversial Subway restaurant. Judging by the sign above, some people are still not happy about it.

 
Detective Joe Murray, aka “The Fuzz,” is back on Twitter, only this time with a much less catchy handle.

As of about 4 p.m. yesterday Murray is now @ppdjoemurray, a much more official name that reflects the Philadelphia Police Department’s endorsement of his social media stardom. In fact, Murray will be helping out others in the department to use Twitter more effectively.

Murray received dozens of tweets welcoming him back within the first few hours that he was online. Those who followed him before will automatically be switched over to the new account.

An online petition started by West Philly resident Amara Rockar earlier this month drew attention around the city and likely factored into getting Murray back online.

The only question that remains is … Can we still call him “The Fuzz?”

Jazz great Wynton Marsalis was in West Philly yesterday to do some teaching at St. Francis de Sales school near 47th and Springfield as part of the Play On!, Philly program.

Marsalis told advanced trumpet players who performed at the school yesterday morning that the musician’s job is to tell stories that people can’t see.

“Music is the art of the invisible,” he said.

Marsalis also advised students at the school to fine-tune their listening habits and to look beyond music for artistic inspiration.

“I want you to look at the work of (painter) Henri Matisse,” he told one trumpeter who had just finished playing. “See how he uses contrast in his work. Because that’s what you want to do with this piece.”

This has been a big week for Play On!, Philly, the after-school music program begun at St. Francis de Sales that aims to bring classical music training to kids at schools across the city. Earlier this week it was reported that a Bala Cynwyd couple had donated $1 million to the organization.