UPDATE: Yesterday, the University City District released a crime alert warning residents about airbag thefts. The report states that airbag theft is on the rise in University City, with 45 break-ins in the last month alone.

Earlier report (Friday, Oct. 11): A reader who lives near Melville and Locust streets reports that his car was broken into at about 7:30 p.m. last night and his driver’s side airbag was stolen. A string of airbag thefts took place in that area over the summer, according to police.

Airbag thefts in the city continue to be a problem, police said, adding that there are more than a dozen open cases in the Spruce Hill area alone. Hondas seem to be a particular target, police said, a sentiment that is echoed in this ABC6 report on a rash of airbag thefts in Center City in March.

Sometimes a steering wheel locking device, like a Club, will make the airbag harder to get to and deter thieves. Some new, beefed-up steering wheel locks also include devices that protect the airbag. Airbags can cost as much as $1,000 to replace and some unscrupulous repair shops will use stolen bags and charge for new ones.

“Edgar Allan Poe” pumpkin carved by Nate Johnson was last year’s Reader’s Choice winner.

Leaves are falling, the warm woolies are coming out and many SEPTA buses already have the heat cranked up as high as it will go. That can only mean one thing – fall is here and it’s time for the 3rd annual West Philly Local Pumpkin Carving Contest.

Past contests have included some pretty astounding works of art, but you don’t have to be a budding Rodin to get a sweet prize from our many sponsors. This year’s contest categories include funniest, scariest, Philly-themed and kids (carved by kids 12 and under) and, of course, the Readers Choice, which will be chosen based on your votes.

The contest opens today, Oct. 17 and runs through 3 p.m. on Oct. 31. The winners will be announced on November 3. Voting for the Reader’s Choice will run on October 31 – November 2. Note: One entry per person. We’ll put all photos in a gallery.

So here’s what you need to do:

1. Get yourself a pumpkin (we will have pumpkin alerts on Facebook and Twitter that include local places to get them).

2. Come up with a design and carve away.

3. Take a clear picture of your masterpiece. Remember that the quality of the photo could influence judging. It’s the Internet after all.

4. Submit your photo along with your name and address (West Philly residents only please and these details won’t be published) to contest@westphillylocal.com.

One entry per person please, so make it count.

This year’s sponsors include:

• Aksum
• Cafe Renata
• Curio Theatre
• Dock Street Brewing Co.
• Four Worlds Bakery
• Honest Tom’s Taco Shop
• Lil’ Pop Shop
• Penn Museum
• VIX Emporium

If you have questions, email us at: editor@westphillylocal.com.

Editor’s Note: Police have said that they have received many useful tips on this case (see the update below). This is not an easy case for us to report for a couple of reasons. First, it’s a sexual assault and that requires the utmost sensitivity to cultivate a constructive conversation that does not blame the victim. Second, the perpetrator is still at large and many neighbors are trying to help find him, which is important in a functional and vital community. But we also must be sensitive to jumping to conclusions about our neighbors who are thin, young African American males. If we’re not, we risk that functional and vital community that everyone wants.

UPDATE (10/16/13, 9:00 a.m.): Police are still searching for the suspect. “The public is really stepping up and sending us tips, videos and names. Helping a lot,” Detective Joe Murray told West Philly Local.

A woman was sexually assaulted and robbed at gunpoint at 11:45 a.m. on Monday near 50th and Hazel. The 29-year-old was the latest victim in a string of as many as a half-dozen gunpoint robberies in that area in the last two weeks.

The victim told West Philly Local that she was approached by an African American male, 18-22 years old, wearing a red t-shirt. According to police, she was robbed of cash and then taken to a nearby alley and sexually assaulted.

“(I) didn’t even think at 11:45 in the morning on Hazel that this would happen,” the victim said.

Police confirmed the uptick in armed robberies in the vicinity in recent days. The victim said her friend was approached last night by a man fitting the same description only wearing a red hooded sweatshirt with white drawstrings near 50th and Pentridge. The man said he was from Detroit and asked for directions. The person immediately called police and the man fled. Two other robberies were reported last night and the general description of the perpetrator is similar.

Detective Joe Murray said the descriptions are similar, but couldn’t confirm that the robber was the same person that attacked the woman on Monday morning. Police are investigating the case and we’ll post an update when we have more information.

Here’s a more detailed description of the perpetrator provided by the victim:

African American male, aged 18-22, 5’8, very skinny, no facial hair, short haircut, no distinguishable scars/tattoos, was wearing a red t-shirt.

Photo via schoolclosingcollective.tumblr.com.

Thankfully a lot of artists were around over the spring and summer to document the closure of Philadelphia public schools and the devastating blow those closings dealt to students, parents, teachers and neighborhoods across the city.

This Wednesday, Oct. 16, you can see the work of the Philadelphia School Closing Photo Collective up close and personal at the Scribe Video Center (4212 Chestnut St., 3rd floor) beginning at 6 p.m. The exhibit, which is free and open to the public, will feature about 50 images from schools around the city.

Also on Wednesday, you can catch the new documentary, Goodbye to City Schools (see trailer below), directed by filmmaker and Howard University lecturer Amy Yeboah for the Philadelphia Public School Notebook. The 30-minute film starts at 7 p.m. and admission is $5 (free for Scribe members). Yeboah will also be screening her film (Re)Inscribing Meaning, also 30 minutes, which is about “how closing the excellence gap for Black youth in the face of disruption begins at home with the Black family.” Yeboah will be on hand for both screenings.

Here’s a description of Goodbye to City Schools from the Scribe Video Center website:

Goodbye to City Schools focuses on experiences of staff, students, families, and community members of Germantown, Bok and University City High schools, and Fairhill Elementary school, Goodbye to City Schools reveals stories on the impact of closing 24 public schools in the City of Philadelphia. The interviews, observations and photos present a deep narrative that extends beyond the words “school closing.”
 

Trailer “Goodbye to City Schools” from Amy Yeboah on Vimeo.

A man in his 20s is in critical condition at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania this morning after being shot in the neck near 53rd and Chestnut Streets, a block from where thousands of residents will form a human chain on Saturday in opposition to gun violence.

While the number of homicides in the city have dropped considerably this year, the drumbeat of shootings rolls on. Some 1,800 shootings have been reported in the city so far this year, according to police statistics. There have been more than 2,000 gunpoint robberies so far this year. That’s why the group Hands Across Philadelphia (Facebook page) is organizing a human chain along 52nd Street on Saturday to bring awareness to the gun violence epidemic.

The chain will include many members from Mothers in Charge, moms whose children have died in acts of gun violence. The idea is to bring everyone in the community together regardless of race, ethnicity or income to highlight a crisis that impacts everyone in the community.

The event begins at noon 10:30 a.m. and the chain will run along 52nd Street between Woodland and Parkside avenues.

Th American Red Cross does tons of great work in the city. In our neck of the woods, they run the Red Cross House at 4000 Powelton, which provides families displaced by disaster in the area a well-appointed, private, free place to stay. This Saturday the Red Cross is gathering about a dozen barbecue vendors in the parking lot at 39th and Market streets for a cook-off.

This thing runs from noon to 4 p.m. and will feature a cook-off among some of the area’s leading BBQ restaurants and vendors. Several local bands will provide the music and there will be plenty of activities for kids.

All proceeds will benefit Red Cross House and Red Cross disaster relief efforts.

In the last 24 hours, 34 people needed Red Cross assistance after their homes were destroyed by fire. 32 of those people are now staying at the Red Cross House in West Philly.

Click here for ticket info.