As you may have heard, today is the drop-dead deadline to sign up for health insurance under the Affordable Care Act (aka “Obamacare”).

The easiest way to do that is to go to the website here. As we have mentioned before, if you need some help navigating this thing, call a Free Library of Philadelphia branch, set up an appointment for today and get in there. There is a Certified Application Counselor Designated Organization at many library branches. They can help you.

Here are some pertinents:

• Charles L. Durham Library | 3320 Haverford Ave. | 215-685-7436
• Lucien E. Blackwell West Philadelphia Regional Library | 125 S. 52nd St. | 215-685-7429
• Walnut Street West Library | 201 S. 40th St. | 215-685-7671

Here is what you will need when you sign up (via the Free Library):

• Social Security Numbers (or document numbers for legal immigrants).
• If employed, your employer and income information for every member of your household who needs coverage (for example, from pay stubs or W-2 forms—Wage and Tax Statements).
• Policy numbers for any current health insurance plans covering members of your household.
• A completed Employer Coverage Tool form: For every job-based plan you or someone in your household is eligible for, you’ll need this form.

To speak directly with a customer service representative from the Health Insurance Marketplace please call 1-800-318-2596. Assistance is available in multiple languages.

The Obama administration has been really going after “The Young Invincibles,” you all between 18-29 who think it’s a wise financial move not to pay for insurance. Obama has a message for you.

AUNI alumni (Photo via AUNI website).

The wonderful young folks from the Agatston Urban Nutrition Initiative (AUNI), a school-based program of the University of Pennsylvania’s Netter Center for Community Partnerships, are hosting a delicious fundraiser on Saturday, March 29. The annual Eats and Beats community dinner is an event that showcases youth leadership and skills and also helps raise funds for AUNI’s High School Internship Program.

West Philly Local wrote about AUNI’s youth efforts to grow and sell organic food in West Philadelphia. AUNI also offers healthy cooking lessons to high-school students and older community members and teaches how to tend to school gardens and operate farmers markets and CSAs.

Eats and Beats serves a locally sourced, 4-course organic meal prepared and grown by youth interns, featuring ingredients from local farms, restaurants and businesses, including Bon Appetit, Franklin Fountain, Guacamole, Milk and Honey, Lancaster Farm Fresh, John and Kira’s Chocolates, Little Baby’s Ice Cream, Pure Fare and Tara’s Catering. The event will also include live entertainment and speakers, a silent auction and raffle with gift certificates to restaurants, yoga, fitness and cooking classes, and locally-made arts and crafts.

The event will take place at the Mantua Haverford Community Center (631 N. 39th Street) from 5:30-8:30 p.m.. Suggested minimum donation is $25. Click here for more information and to RSVP.

The heart of Cedar Park (Photo by Annamarya Scaccia / West Philly Local)

Over the past 10 years, West Philly has undergone a semi-orchestrated revival, with the last five of those years seeing rapid — and, in some areas, dramatic — change. New businesses started popping up along the Baltimore Ave Corridor while young professionals and grad students began moving out further and further from the confines of 40th Street.

And, as with any other metropolis experiencing accelerated regrowth, West Philly has also seen an increase in housing and rental prices throughout those years. But nothing as dramatic as the spike in monthly rents that’s happened in the Cedar Park area over the last year: an 18 percent jump from 2013 to 2014.

As Technical.ly Philly reported last week, rental listings from the San-Francisco-based rental service Lovely showed that, in Southwest Cedar Park, the monthly median rent price went from $900 in January 2013 to the current $1,100 medium—the highest increase among neighborhoods in Philadelphia.

“It is troubling that the rents went up that high. I’m surprised to see that it went that high,” Michael Froehlich, president of the Cedar Park Neighbors association, told West Philly Local. Although he knew the rents were rising in the area, he said, he didn’t think they were “the highest” in the city. Continue Reading

Power went out to hundreds of homes concentrated around 44th and 45th Streets from Pine to Chester at about 7:45 p.m. on Wednesday night. Scattered outages have been reported as far west as 48th Street and as far south as Springfield Avenue.

A PECO spokesperson said that crews were on the scene of an “equipment issue” in the neighborhood. They estimated that the power would be restored by 11 p.m. Wednesday night.

Please feel free to leave a comment below to describe your situation and if your power is restored.

Photo via Greensgrow West Facebook page.

Community members are invited to check out the newest location of the urban farming hub Greensgrow Farms beginning Thursday, April 3. The opening party will be on Saturday, April 5!

Last month, we wrote about Greensgrow Farms’ plans to open a West Philly location at 4912 Baltimore Avenue, the former home of Elena’s Soul Bar & Lounge destroyed by fire in December 2012.

Greensgrow West will include a garden center featuring veggie starts, soils, tools, annuals and perennials, fruit trees, and expert help. The new location will also have a seasonal farmstand and CSA pick-up every Friday. Finally, Greensgrow West is planning to offer educational workshops for the community.

Greensgrow West hours, starting April 3, will be:

Garden Center: Thursday-Sunday 11:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.
CSA Pick-up & Farmstand: Fridays 3:00-6:00 p.m.

For more information, visit http://www.greensgrow.org/ or facebook.com/GreensgrowWest

The annual May Fair organized by the Spruce Hill Community Association (SHCA) is one of the year’s highlights in the neighborhood. This year, the event will mark the 56th anniversary! The date is set for Saturday, May 10.

As always, the SHCA is inviting individuals and groups to have a table at the event. Especially invited are crafts people and artisans from West Philadelphia, and local groups and organizations that would like to promote the work they are involved in. Local businesses may also take part, according to SHCA’s executive board member Mark Wagenveld.

The cost of a table for the day is $30 for non-profit groups and $40 for individuals and groups who are selling things. The SHCA will provide vendors with tables and chairs.

The fair runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in Clark Park (43rd & Chester Ave) and will also feature live music, food, games for children, a used book sale and a raffle with prizes offered by local merchants.

If you are interested in becoming a vendor please call 215-349-7825 and leave a message with your name and contact information. A form will be mailed out to you. Space is limited and all requests for a table must be in by April 25.