Today is the last day to register for the May 19 Primary Election, which will very likely determine the next mayor of the city.

You can find your registration status here.  More info on registration is available at the Committee of 70 site here and you can find your polling place for the primary here. Also, here is a Committee of 70 “one pager” (it’s actually two pages) on the Primary.

St. Francis de Sales Church (4625 Springfield Ave.) is holding its annual Red Cross Blood Drive on Saturday, April 18.

The drive runs from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the school auditorium. Feel free to swing by on Saturday to donate or you can set up an appointment by calling the church rectory at 215-222-5819.
 

UPDATE (April 10, 12:43 p.m.) Two men have been charged in the shootings that resulted in the lengthy shutdown of the 40th Street trolley portal late yesterday afternoon. A witness who was sitting in a South Philly park told police he heard several gunshots and saw two vehicles parked side by side near 25th and Wolf streets. The vehicles then fled in opposite directions. One vehicle was found at 40th and Woodland, near the trolley portal, with several bullet holes. A passenger in the car had been taken to the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and is listed in stable condition. That person, a 22-year-old man, is under police guard at the hospital and faces firearms and other charges. A second man, 26 years of age, who police say was in the other vehicle was also apprehended and faces similar charges.

UPDATE (8:30 p.m.): Trolley service resumed around 7 p.m. with residual delays. There are conflicting reports about where the shooting took place. A car with bullet holes was found near the portal, and the driver was taken to the hospital. We’ll update when we have more information.

Several trolley lines were diverted at about 5 p.m. following a shooting near the trolley portal at 40th Street and Baltimore Avenue, according to police.

Philly.com is reporting that an argument between two motorists near 25th and Wolf streets in South Philadelphia ended in gunfire in West Philadelphia at the trolley portal. One person was reportedly injured and has been taken to the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.

Trolley lines 11, 13, 34 and 36 in both directions have been diverted.

Alumni from the Yale Russian Chorus, a storied all-male singing group that specializes in Russian and Slavic songs, will perform at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church (3916 Locust Walk) on the Penn campus on Saturday, April 18.

A small group of students studying Russian at Yale started the chorus in the 1950s, during the early days of the Cold War when more Americans were trying to understand the culture and people of the then Soviet Union. The group took its first of many trips to Russia in 1958 where members performed impromptu concerts on Moscow street corners. They were soon dubbed “Yale’s singing ambassadors.”

Under the musical direction of co-conductors Brock Holmes and Bruce Lieberman, Saturday’s concert will be a rare opportunity to enjoy seldom-performed Russian and Eastern European musical masterpieces for male-voice choir. “Expect powerful music, thrilling solos, exceptional ensembles, and top-notch musicianship,” according to a press release from the chorus.

The chorus sings folk and religious music in Russian, other Slavic and East European languages, and occasionally in English. Its repertoire includes works by Kastalsky, Rachmaninoff, and Tchaikovsky.  Continue Reading

Some past scholarship recipients (photo from Cedar Park Neighbors).

It’s that time of year again when all sorts of friends and neighbors gather together to eat good food, have fun, and raise college scholarship money for Cedar Park neighborhood kids.

This year’s annual Gary Bronson Memorial Scholarship Fund fundraiser will be held April 12 from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the St. Francis de Sales Parish School auditorium (917 S. 47th St.).  The event will feature food and drink from local restaurants, including Gold Standard Cafe, Fu Wah, Aksum Cafe, and others. It will also feature live music from West Philly based singer-songwriter Gretchen Elise, kids activities and music from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m.; prizes from local West Philly artists; gourmet gift baskets; and gift certificates to West Philadelphia businesses.

Tickets are $40 and sponsorship packages are also available. Go to the Cedar Park Neighbors website here for tickets and more details.

This is one of our favorite events of the year and the money goes to support terrific young people. Since it began the scholarship fund has raised thousands of dollars and given out 149 scholarships to 71 young Cedar Park residents. Last year’s event raised $10,000 to provide scholarships for eight students.

Portraits by West Philly photographer JJ Tiziou are featured in a campaign against anti-Muslim ads appearing on buses around the city.

West Philly photographer JJ Tiziou is helping push back against the anti-Muslim ads posted around the city by providing portraits that showcase Philadelphia’s diversity.

Tiziou, who became known citywide with his amazing How Philly Moves murals, has been photographing Muslims in Philadelphia as part of the Dare to Understand initiative, a collective community response to anti-Muslim ads posted on buses around the paid for by a New Hampshire based organization.

The response includes a digital billboard on the Schuylkill Expressway featuring portraits by Tiziou that will run through April 12. The Interfaith Center of Greater Philadelphia, which fought the posting of the anti-Muslim ads through the courts, has launched a fundraising campaign to bolster the response.

“Our message has been clear: Not here. Not now. Not in our city,” a statement by the group reads.

Tiziou’s billboard photographs are part of his Everyone is Photogenic project, which he has revived as part of the Dare to Understand campaign. Learn more here.

The campaign is in response to ads on some 84 SEPTA buses sponsored by the American Freedom Defense Initiative. They feature the slogan “Islamic Jew Hatred: It’s in the Quran.” A federal court earlier this month ordered SEPTA to post the ads on free speech grounds. The ads will run for a month.

– Mike Lyons