From November 16 – 19, the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society (PHS) and over 90 of its PHS Tree Tenders groups, community organizations, and neighborhood volunteers will come together to plant 1,770 trees throughout the Greater Philadelphia region, including in West Philly neighborhoods.

Through this semi-annual initiative, PHS creates and enhances tree canopy in neighborhoods across the Philadelphia region to promote healthier, greener communities. These trees will help develop vital tree canopy in the region, where tree canopy averages only 20 percent, with some neighborhoods having as little as 2.5 percent tree canopy coverage.

Volunteers are still needed to help plant trees in their neighborhoods, and no prior experience is necessary to participate in a planting event. All interested participants can sign up to get involved with a planting event near them at https://phsonline.org/programs/tree-programs/get-involved.

Continue Reading

Lil Pop Shop owner Jeanne Chang photographed at her newly opened shop in 2012 (Archive photo/West Philly Local).

After more than 11 years of operation, Lil Pop Shop, the popular local business offering small-batch seasonally-inspired ice pops and pies, is closing their original location at 265 S. 44th Street, according to an announcement posted on social media by owner Jeanne Chang.

This location was the last remaining brick-and-mortar location for Lil Pop Shop after the business closed its Rittenhouse shop three years ago. After closing the West Philly shop, Lil Pop Shop will focus on catering at local events (you have probably seen the Lil Pop Shop truck at West Craft Fest, Nature Nights at The Woodlands and other events).

Continue Reading

Beginning Monday, Nov. 6, SEPTA will conduct a trolley track renewal project on a portion of Filbert Street, and the construction work will affect local traffic. The project will involve excavation and renewal of existing corroded and broken rail on Filbert Street between 38th and 40th Streets. Intersections within this area will be closed to through traffic during the work period from November 6 through December 9, 2023.

The project will be broken into three phases, each with parking lane restrictions and accommodations. Traffic detours will be posted and maintained around the work area in progress. Access to medical facilities, businesses or private property will not be hampered.

Normal construction hours are Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., but on some weekdays crews may work past 3:30 p.m. Occasional weekend work may also be needed to maintain or advance the project’s timeline.

For more detailed information about each phase of the project, visit the SEPTA website.

The Streets Department’s 2023 Leaf Recycling Program begins on Monday, Nov. 6 and runs through Saturday, Dec. 16. The program is one of several services provided by the Streets Department that helps reduce the amount of materials that reach the waste stream.

During the six-week program, bagged leaf drop-off will be offered citywide at various locations. West Philadelphia residents can drop off bagged leaves at 54th & Woodbine Avenue or 43rd & Powelton Avenue on the following Saturdays, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.:

Continue Reading

Come Tuesday, hundreds of costumed tots and their parents or guardians will descend upon West Philly streets for trick-or-treating. Neighbors usually buy a lot of sweet treats to give away but do they always buy the “right” sweets?

As you may have noticed, many kids are very selective about what kind of candy they want. This Halloween, a group of University of Pennsylvania students will be conducting a Halloween Data Project, trying to identify the most popular candy for West Philly kids.

“The general plan is to walk around on Tuesday during trick or treat, get permission from parents/guardians first and then ask kids their favorite candy,” writes Ethan Markwalter, a senior at Penn studying statistics. “We were also thinking about noting their costume too. For example, that way we know Batman likes snickers.”

Continue Reading

UPDATE (10/27/2023): Transport Workers Union (TWU) Local 234, the union representing 5,000 Philadelphia-area transit workers, has reached a tentative agreement with SEPTA for a new one-year labor contract to expire in November 2024.

The tentative agreement reached today provides TWU members in the City, Frontier and Suburban Divisions of SEPTA with:

• Across the board wage increases
• Increases in pay for new and recently hired operators
• A signing bonus for all active union members
• Retention bonuses to incentivize employees eligible to retire to remain on the job for at least another year
• An increase in the pension for those that retire in the next year and a doubling of the long-neglected disability pension benefit.

Continue Reading