Photo courtesy of Clark Park Youth Soccer.

From daily jogging to youth soccer to boot camps, Clark Park is a great place for physical activities. But, does it need any improvements?

The next Clark Park General Membership meeting will take place Monday, Jan. 30 at the University of the Sciences, where Friends of Clark Park (FoCP) members and all interested community members are invited to ask questions and voice their concerns or ideas about the park. The focus of the upcoming meeting is how the park can contribute to the health of its users.

“The discussion will go beyond general environmental health sources such as tree cover and air quality, focusing more acutely on opportunities for evaluating the physical attributes of the park and healthy programming for all ages,” according to a message on the FoCP website.

So, if you would like to participate in this discussion and share your thoughts and ideas for improvements to the park-built environment and programming, come USciences’ Griffith Hall (43rd and Woodland) on Monday. The meeting will begin at 7 p.m. More information can be found on the Friends of Clark Park website.

What do you think defines a great neighborhood? We think this. This yard sign was spotted on S. 46th Street.

A new affordable housing project has been completed in West Powelton. 4050 Apartments, a 24,350 square feet three-story building, is designed for low-income artists, families, and others. The new building, which contains 20 one-, two-, and three-bedroom units, has replaced a large vacant lot.

The grand opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony for this project will take place on Wednesday, Jan. 25, from 2-3 p.m. Attendees will be asked to create artwork together, including a large map of the local neighborhoods and a rope of cloth strands braided together to represent the impact of developments that incorporate the arts, community and housing available to all.  Continue Reading

A 35-year-old man died after being shot outside of a bar at 46th and Walnut, according to police. The man was found unresponsive with a gunshot wound shortly before 2 a.m. on Monday in South Philadelphia. His friends drove him to a relative’s home while he was still alive not realizing he had been shot, according to a report by 6ABC News. The victim was taken to Presbyterian Hospital where he was pronounced dead at 2:10 a.m. Police believe the man was shot somewhere near the bar at 46th and Walnut.

So far there have been no arrests and there are no suspects. The investigation continues.

Unfortunately, this was the third shooting in the area in less than a week. One resulted in another fatality.

A 38-year-old man was shot on the 5100 block of Irving Street on Tuesday, Jan. 17. He was found unresponsive on the sidewalk at about 6:30 p.m. by two police officers who were in the area and heard the gunshots. The victim was shot twice, in the head and neck. He was transported to Penn-Presbyterian medical Center by police and was listed in extremely critical condition. He died of his wounds on Wednesday, according to reports.  Continue Reading

Here’s an opportunity to learn about future development of two properties in Powelton Village – Hawthorne Hall and the United Bank building. People’s Emergency Center (PEC) will present updates on the potential uses of these two properties at tonight’s community meeting, and neighbors are invited to participate in the visioning process.

The meeting will be held at the United Bank building (3750 Lancaster Ave.), beginning at 7 p.m.

Hawthorne Hall (3849 Lancaster Ave) was built in 1895 and serves as a landmark for the Powelton Village/Mantua neighborhoods. Now vacant property is listed on the Philadelphia Register of Historic Places. It was bought by the People’s Emergency Center (PEC) in 2012 for $385,000.

UPDATE (5:25 p.m.): Panda has been found and is back home!

“Panda”, a black and white, 43lb, neutered male Australian cattle dog, is missing in West Philadelphia. He was last seen on Jan. 18 at 7:00 p.m. on Chester Ave near the 49th Street Regional Rail station. He’s with a stubby tail and has no collar (he slipped out).

He is very shy and will likely run if approached or chased. He may come to you, however, if you get down on a knee and allow him to approach.

Please call Ben at 215.992.2484 if you find this dog.