Peter Danelski as Billy (“the cripple”). Photo by Rebecca Gudelunas
The Curio Theatre Company will wrap up its 11th season with the dark comedy The Cripple of Inishmaan by Martin McDonagh.
A Hollywood film crew invades the tiny island of Inishmaan off the west coast of Ireland to shoot a documentary about the place and its people. We soon learn about the dark side of living on a blustery island with just a few hundred people can be like, especially for the gentle Billy (“the cripple”) who vies for a part in the documentary.
A production of The Cripple of Inishmaan on Broadway garnered a bunch of accolades in 2014 with Daniel “Harry Potter” Radcliffe playing Billy. Continue Reading
A 27-year-old man who was struck by a motorist in a hit and run collision near 45th and Market early Saturday morning has died, according to police.
Jamal Morris, a 2011 Drexel graduate who lived near 53rd and Market, was pronounced dead at about 10 a.m. Monday morning. Police found him unresponsive along the street at about 3:45 a.m. on Saturday and he was taken to Presbyterian Hospital, where he remained in extremely critical condition through the weekend.
Police say that the damage to his bike suggests he had been struck by a vehicle. Police have made no arrests and, so far, have no suspects.
Morris was originally from Warwick, New York and graduated from Drexel with a degree in mechanical engineering, according to his social media profiles. He worked for the international engineering firm Amec Foster Wheeler.
Police are asking anyone with information about the case to call 215-685-3180 or 911.
SEPTA will soon be looking for 10,000 people to test out their new fare payment system – SEPTA Key Card – starting in June.
We know what you’re thinking … you’ve heard this before. But this time SEPTA appears to be almost ready to go. The 10,000 early adopters will be issued a Key card on June 13 and will be able to purchase monthly or weekly passes (just passes for now) on buses, trolleys, the El, the Broad Street Line and the Norristown High Speed Line.
SEPTA recently announced that every bus and trolley now has a card reader on board. There are also 175 fare kiosks around the city and so far 187 turnstiles have been set up for the subway lines.
So stay tuned for more information on how to become an early adopter. Meanwhile, here is a little video SEPTA put together about the Key Card.
The developers who want to build a 21-unit apartment building at 46th and Spruce make another presentation at the Spruce Hill zoning committee last night.
The owners of the property that includes a burned-out building at the corner of 46th and Spruce were back in front of the Spruce Hill Community Association (SHCA) zoning committee last night with their plans for a new 21-unit apartment building that had many nearby residents concerned about parking and aesthetics.
The proposed brick and metal panel building at 4534-36 Spruce St. would include 21 mostly two-bedroom apartments, ground-floor retail and a rooftop deck. The developers need several variances from the Zoning Board of Adjustment, including one to build 21 units and another for the building’s height – 44 feet.
A point of contention between some nearby neighbors and the property’s owner is over whether the site, which is actually several smaller parcels, is where an apartment building should be allowed regardless of size. It is zoned for single-family duplexes and minimal retail. But the property owners are arguing that the current building, which was most recently a transitional housing facility and at one point a small grocery store, and the construction of apartment buildings on adjacent properties have long ago made that designation practically obsolete. Continue Reading
USciences unveiled plans to build a large dormitory on the site of the former Alexander Wilson School at a public meeting last month.
UPDATE (April 14, 2016): After reading this post, SHCA zoning chair Barry Grossbach wrote to clarify the new boundaries. He wrote:
“Read your description of our proposed boundary expansion and it might be a bit misleading. It suggests that we are expanding into neighborhoods south of Woodland Avenue. To the contrary, we specifically said that we did NOT want to encroach on West Shore, and that our concern was to have some say on development on the south side of Woodland Avenue. There are specific criteria that City Planning has to use in drawing RCO boundaries, so they followed the procedure that imposes the most minimal intrusion into any residential area ( a block or two adjacent to USciences campus). Almost all of what would be designated as West Shore is NOT included in this proposed expansion.”
The Spruce Hill Community Association (SHCA) passed a resolution on Tuesday night that extends its jurisdiction as a “registered community organization” (RCO) to the neighborhoods south of Woodland Avenue. That means it now will likely weigh in on important zoning issues along Woodland, including the University of the Sciences’ plans to build a large dormitory complex on the site of the former Alexander Wilson school at 46th and Woodland.
RCOs are in place around Philadelphia to facilitate public debate over proposed development and while their recommendations are not binding, they are considered during Zoning Board of Adjustment hearings.
SHCA zoning chair Barry Grossbach told the organization’s board last night that the city’s Planning Commission supports the boundary extension. The commission will have to approve the resolution.
SHCA’s boundaries as an RCO, which had previously stopped at the northern side of Woodland Avenue, will extend south to the train tracks south of the USciences’ campus. USciences plans to construct several buildings over the next decade or so and it has been unclear which RCOs would consider the proposals.
An organization tasked with helping to settle Afghan, Syrian and Congolese refugees arriving in the city is looking for donations of everything from mentorship and language teachers to dishes and used furniture.
Jess Hinchey of the Nationalities Service Center (NSC) told the Spruce Hill Community Association Board last night that some 600-800 refugees a year settle in Philadelphia, many in West Philly.
She said that the organization is always looking for volunteer help and donations.
An SHCA board member suggested taking advantage of “Penn Christmas,” when departing students leave behind furniture and other items on the street at the semester’s end, to provide items for refugees.
More information about volunteering and donations is available at the NSC website here. You can also email Michelle Fauber at: mfauber@nscphila.org
Recent Comments