State Rep. James Roebuck

State Rep. James Roebuck invites West Philadelphia residents to three events he will host this fall, starting with his “Report to the People” meeting about the state budget, 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 13 at the Kingsessing Recreation Center, 5100 Chester Ave. He hopes “you’ll bring your neighbors and your questions, too.”

Roebuck will also sponsor two other events this fall:

A free document-shredding event will be held from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 24, at Roebuck’s district office, 4712 Baltimore Ave. This will help people to protect themselves from identity theft by safely disposing of unneeded documents that contain personal information, such as Social Security numbers, bank or credit card account numbers, credit card applications, canceled or unused checks, insurance and income tax records and pension information. Please note that digital or electronic media, such as computer discs, CDs or DVDs, will not be accepted at the event.

A veterans’ event will take place from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 7, at the University of the Sciences, McNeil Science and Technology Center, 4320 Woodland Ave. Representatives of federal, state and local government agencies will be available to answer questions about benefits and other veterans’ services.

For more information on any of these events, please call Roebuck’s office at 215-724-2227. For updates, check out Roebuck’s legislative Facebook page or Twitter.

Police released information on a gunpoint robbery that took place on Sunday night on the 4400 block of Osage Ave. A 29-year-old man was talking on his cell phone outside of his residence at approximately 7:45 p.m. when an unknown male approached him from behind and pointed a black pistol at his face, according to a police report. He then told the victim to turn around, lie down and empty his pockets. The robber fled with the victim’s cash (approximately $15), according to police.

The suspect is described as a black male, around 30 years old, 5’9″ to 6″, thin to medium build. He was dressed in a dark hoodie (with the hood up) and dark pants.  Continue Reading

Halloween is less than a month away and the Woodlands Cemetery and Mansion (40th and Woodland) is once again presenting a series of fun and spooky events for kids and adults alike. More information is below. Also, Bindlestiff Books (4530 Baltimore Ave.) is accepting donations of children’s books for All Hallow’s Read: a spooky book swap that will be held at the Woodlands on Sunday, Oct. 25, from Noon to 4.

HollyWoodlands Movie Night featuring Ghostbusters
Saturday, Oct. 17
Doors open at 6:30 p.m., film starts at 7 p.m.
Requested donation: $10 for adults, $2 for children under 12yrs
Household Level Members and up: Free entry

The Woodlands will provide the firepits, you bring the s’mores, blankets and chairs. PB & Jams and Happy Hippy will be onsite to provide all your snacking needs.  Continue Reading

Monday, Oct. 5 is the last day you can register to vote in the November 3 election. You can register online, too. Please click on the image below to register if you haven’t done it yet.

Image provided by Resource Generation Philly chapter.

The local chapter of Resource Generation, a group of 18- to 35-year-olds who have pledged to leverage their wealth or class privilege for social justice, is holding an open house on Thursday, Oct. 15.

Over the past year the group has committed to providing more than $27,000 in funding to promote racial justice, splitting the money between the Organization for Black Struggle in Ferguson and the Bread and Roses Racial and Economic Justice Fund in Philadelphia. Its members have also hosted meetings on radical investing and regenerative finance, transferring capital and resources to communities impacted by economic inequality.  Continue Reading

Grandparents and other relatives who are raising children are invited to the 3rd biennial Helping Hands Kinship Care Conference this Saturday (Oct. 3). The conference, which will take place at the West Philadelphia High School, is organized by Sen. Anthony H. Williams in partnership with the Philadelphia Kinship Care Committee.

The conference will feature a presentation on the new Community Umbrella Agency system (CUA) and workshops on issues that may be relevant to your family, such as Custody and the Law, Family Dynamics of Kinship Care, and Behavioral Health Resources.

This is a free event, but registration is required for lunch: Please call and leave a message for Adele Struble at Turning Points for Children at 215-528-3499 or Grand Central at 215-557-1554. Please provide the following for registration: Name, Address, Phone, Email, Kinship Caregiver relationship to child.

Date: October 3, 2015
Time: 9:00 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.
Location: West Philadelphia High School, 4901 Chestnut St.