Former Provident Mutual Life Insurance building at 4601 Market St (archived photo).

Three West Philly neighborhood organizations have written to Mayor Jim Kenney to express their disappointment with the decision to pull the plan to move police headquarters to the old Provident Mutual Life Insurance Building at 4601 Market St, calling the decision “stunning.”

In May, the city canceled plans devised during the Nutter administration to relocate the police headquarters. Instead, it will reportedly move to the former Philadelphia Inquirer building at 400 N. Broad St. The city has spent about $50 million to purchase and renovate the 90-year-old Provident building.

The community associations of Garden Court, Spruce Hill and Walnut Hill neighborhoods also asked that the city continue to renovate the building and include the community in decisions about its future use.  Continue Reading

A 15-year-old girl, Leneisha Buchanan, has been missing for several days, according to her family, who live in Mantua. She was last seen on Friday, Aug. 11 in West Philadelphia, near the Philadelphia Zoo. She is between 5’4″ and 5’6″ and 130 to 140lbs. Click here for more information on how to contact her family if you have any information about Laneisha.

A 20-year-old man is in critical condition after being shot multiple times near 52nd and Pine Streets on Tuesday night, according to police. The shooting happened shortly after 8 p.m. in Malcolm X Park. 18th District police officers found the victim suffering from gunshot wounds to his back and shoulder and took him to Penn Presbyterian Hospital where he was listed in critical condition.

Police say the victim was walking through the park when an unknown male walked up to him and started shooting. He fired several more shots at the victim after he fell to the ground and then fled.

The suspect is described as a black male, 20 to 25 years old, heavy build, 5 foot 7 inches to 5 foot 9 inches tall. He was wearing a burgundy or orange colored hoody and black pants. He was last seen running north on 51st street.

If you have any information about this crime, please contact Southwest Detective Division at 215-686-3183/3184 or call 911.

Police have closed off the 4800 block of Cedar Avenue as they investigate an alleged marijuana growing operation. (Photo by West Philly Local)

Police and fire crews have responded to a report of a strong odor coming out from a home on the north side of the 4800 block of Cedar Avenue on Monday, at around 5:30 p.m. Several residences were evacuated and the block is closed to traffic while police are searching for a marijuana growing operation on the block, according to reports.

NBC10 is reporting that marijuana was growing on “all four floors” (apparently including the basement) of the home.  Continue Reading

Police are investigating an overnight shooting in the Mantua section of West Philadelphia, which left four people injured, one critically. An unidentified gunman opened fire near 39th and Melon at around 11:15 p.m. Sunday, just as a block party was winding down nearby. Four people were taken to the hospital with gunshot wounds. One victim, a 24-year-old man, was shot multiple times and was listed in critical condition, according to a police report.

The other three victims, an 18-year-old man and two 21-year-old men, were listed in stable condition, according to police.

A total of 31 shell casings were recovered at the scene of the shooting, according to police.

Police say the gunman fled the scene in a vehicle. The motive is currently unknown and no arrests have been made.

The old two-story brick building at the corner of 41st and Chestnut may soon become home to an Amazon warehouse, according to a recent report by Naked Philly. The approximately 35,000 square feet building with a large parking space was purchased in 2011 by Campus Apartments, but has been sitting vacant since then. Before the purchase, the building had been occupied by Graphic Arts Inc. for decades.

No more information is currently available, like what type of warehouse it will be (general storage or Amazon Fresh grocery delivery service) and when it might open. We’ll keep you posted when we have more details.

Just a reminder that Amazon also opened a pickup store on Penn’s campus last year.