The School District of Philadelphia students and staff will again be required to wear masks during the school and work day starting Monday, May 23 and until further notice.

The decision to return to mask wearing at District schools was made due to a growing number of COVID-19 cases in the city and after consultation with the Philadelphia Department of Public Health (PDPH). Masks will also be required while riding transportation coordinated by the District.

The School District will continue to work with PDPH to closely monitor COVID case counts.

As of May 16, Philadelphia averaged 364 new COVID-19 cases per day. 142 people were hospitalized with the infection as of May 18.

The Free Library of Philadelphia is teaming up with an award-winning docuseries, Philly D.A., to present a series of civic dialogue events. The docuseries is an eight-part “epic, inside look at the tumultuous first term of Philadelphia’s unapologetic District Attorney, Larry Krasner,” according to the film’s website. The civic dialogue series, titled Let’s Talk: Philly D.A, will share the experiences, questions, and concerns of Philadelphians via eight screenings and discussions at Free Library locations citywide.

Each screening is presented in partnership with community leaders seeking solutions to some of the most pressing issues facing Philadelphia.
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Last year’s “Everyday Places” program participant Karen Smith-Sistah’s Laying On Hands (photo courtesy of Barnes West).

The Barnes Foundation and People’s Emergency Center (PEC) have announced seven West Philadelphia-based social-impact artists who have been selected to participate in the second annual Everyday Places Artist Partnerships initiative: Nikki Brake-Sillá, Shanina Dionna, Gigi McGraw, Anssumane Silla, Jaime Wiesner (Instagram page) & Joanna Booth, and Yidan Zeng.

This year’s cohort of artists will partner with “everyday” locations in the neighborhood—public parks, civic centers, businesses and community organizations—to build interactive, participatory projects that engage with the business or site and residents. The 2022 Places are:

• University Square Complex
• Malcolm X Park
• Urban Art Gallery
• ​​New Africa Freedom Center/Square
• Clark Park
• Mantua Civic Association
• Drexel University Dornsife Center Continue Reading

A community meeting on the 13-story, 170-unit apartment building proposed on the 4700 block of Spruce took place yesterday over Zoom. Organized by the Garden Community Association Zoning Committee, the meeting was advisory and included the developers’ (Spruce Street Development) lawyer and building architect. Residents could make non-binding suggestions about the project, which will likely begin construction in the fall.

Here are some key points from the meeting:

• The demolition of the existing one-story commercial structures on the block to make room for the new building is not expected to begin until at least late summer, contingent on the approval by the City’s Civic Design Review Committee. Some neighbors voiced concerns over possible air and soil pollution as a result of the demo work at the adjacent communit garden project. Continue Reading

Them That Do!, a visual arts and activism project that centers conversations and artmaking on community building and mutual aid, is inviting all interested folks, age 18 and older, to be a part of a new, free workshop series. Two library branches, the Kingsessing Library and the Blanche A. Nixon/Cobbs Creek Library, will each host four 90-minute workshops led by a visual artist and a mutual aid activist.

Participants will receive an introduction to digital photography or lessons in drawing and illustration. Mutual aid activists will join the artmaking while sharing information about their projects in Philadelphia and information about how to get involved, and the value of building grassroots support networks.

The project will culminate with a pop-up exhibition of the work created in the courses that will be shown at each participating library branch. Continue Reading

Penn students will be moving out of their dorms this week, as the Spring semester comes to an end at the university. As usual, to accommodate this process, Spruce Street will be closed between 34th and 40th Street to all vehicular traffic on the following dates and times:

Tuesday, May 10 and Wednesday, May 11
from 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

SEPTA buses will be on diversion on these two days and traffic delays should be expected in the area. Just a reminder that the street will also be closed to bicyclists unless they walk on sidewalks with their bikes.

Penn Police will be on site to assist with traffic flow.