Penn’s New College House West will be built near 40th and Walnut (Photo by West Philly Local).

It looks like the green space behind the Walnut Street library near 40th and Walnut will not remain open for too much longer. Penn has announced plans to build a new 250,000-square-foot residential building, New College House West, in the space where 40th Street summer concerts are held. The design for the building was approved last week. The University of Pennsylvania Board of Trustees approved the design of the building last week.

View of the New College House West from 40th St and Locust Walk (rendering image by Bohlin Cywinski Jackson Architects)

The new undergraduate college house will occupy a site bounded by Locust Walk, Walnut Street and 40th Street. The new construction will not affect the West Philadelphia branch of the Free Library of Philadelphia, which will remain open.

The new project will serve as a “new western gateway to campus,” according to Penn President Amy Gutmann.

The project is designed by Philadelphia-based Bohlin Cywinski Jackson Architects, the company that recently completed the New College House at Hill Field. The 450-bed residence will include a mix of 6- and 5-bedroom two-bath suites and 4-, 3- and 2-bedroom one-bath suites and will house sophomores, juniors and seniors.

The construction of the $163-million project will begin in Spring 2018 and is expected to be completed by Fall 2021. More information can be found here.

        Winnie Harris

Police have issued an arrest warrant for a second suspect in the murder of well-known community advocate Winnie Harris.

Isaiah Reels, 30, is wanted in connection to the February 2017 murder. Earlier this week, police announced the arrest of 39-year-old Nelson Giddings, who was already in police custody in Delaware County on unrelated charges. Giddings has been charged with murder, robbery and weapons offenses.

Police say Giddings and Reels broke into Harris’s home late on Feb. 2 and shot her when she confronted them. Harris, 65, was found in her home on the 300 block of North Holly Street the following day.  Continue Reading

                   Jamie Gauthier

Jamie Gauthier, a Garden Court resident, has been named the executive director of the Fairmount Park Conservancy. The organization made the decision on September 13 and announced it on October 9. She had been acting director for several months.

She first joined the Conservancy, a nonprofit that promotes and improves Philadelphia’s parks in conjunction with the city, in January 2017. Prior to that, she had directed Philadelphia’s Sustainable Business Network (SBN), which she described as a kind of chamber of commerce for socially conscious businesses. While at SBN, she became drawn to “Rebuild,” City Hall’s $500 million program to revitalize neighborhoods. That eventually compelled her to leave SBN and join the Conservancy.

“Rebuild is the biggest neighborhood-centered initiative I can recall, so I had to be involved in it,” she said. “So that’s why I ended up leaving SBN, so that I could help the Conservancy connect to Rebuild in some way.”  Continue Reading

Winnie Harris (center) during MLK Day of Service in January 2017 (Photo courtesy of UC Green).

Police say they have a suspect in custody in connection to the murder of West Philly activist Winnie Harris, who was found shot to death inside her home on the 300 block of North Holly Street on February 3, 2017. The suspect was arrested on Friday while in detention for another, unrelated matter, according to police. Charges against the suspect are pending. More details about the suspect have not been released as of Monday afternoon.

Harris, 65, was a longtime Powelton resident and green space advocate. She worked as the executive director of West Philadelphia based nonprofit UC Green at the time of her death.

In May, police released and distributed a flyer asking for the public’s help with information on two persons of interest in relation to the murder.

We’ve previously reported on energy companies that go door-to-door in West Philly to market PECO alternatives that allegedly save you money. Now, a Philadelphia law firm wants to take some of them to court, arguing that they deceive their customers by charging low rates in the first few months and then raising fees.

In August, the firm Kohn, Swift & Graf announced they are looking for customers to join a class action lawsuit. The firm specializes in class action, and they have already sued some of the companies involved in other states, like Just Energy in New York and Direct Energy in Illinois. In the latter case, KS&G argues that the Direct Energy is “luring consumers into switching energy suppliers with false promises.” The firm has previously reached a settlement with Pennsylvania Gas & Electric in a similar case.  Continue Reading

Photos via Capogiro’s Facebook page.

The popular Italian frozen treat shop, Capogiro Gelato, is closing its location on the 3900 block of Walnut Street after eight years of operation. Philly Mag broke the news early Thursday afternoon and a few hours later, Capogiro posted the following message on their Facebook page:

“It is sad but true – this Saturday is the last night the neon will be all lit up. It has been a wonderful 8 years scooping for the University City community and we want to thank you for your support!”

So, hurry up and get a scoop or two before the Penn’s campus location at 3925 Walnut St. closes on Saturday, Sept. 30, at midnight. Or check out Capogiro’s other locations in the city.