Photo via Septa.org

SEPTA will soon be looking for 10,000 people to test out their new fare payment system – SEPTA Key Card – starting in June.

We know what you’re thinking … you’ve heard this before. But this time SEPTA appears to be almost ready to go. The 10,000 early adopters will be issued a Key card on June 13 and will be able to purchase monthly or weekly passes (just passes for now) on buses, trolleys, the El, the Broad Street Line and the Norristown High Speed Line.

SEPTA recently announced that every bus and trolley now has a card reader on board. There are also 175 fare kiosks around the city and so far 187 turnstiles have been set up for the subway lines.

So stay tuned for more information on how to become an early adopter. Meanwhile, here is a little video SEPTA put together about the Key Card.

UPDATE (2:50 p.m.): The man suspected in the shooting of 24-year-old police officer James McCullough has been arrested, according to police. 23-year-old Scott Griffin was in the possession of a gun when he was arrested around 1 p.m. on Monday.

A police officer was shot in the leg on Sunday while tackling a robbery suspect near 59th and Market, according to reports. Two suspects, including the gunman, remained at large as of Monday morning.

The shooting happened at around 8:50 p.m. when 18th District police responded to a call of a robbery and a car break-in on the 5900 block of Market Street. Police say three suspects robbed a man and took the keys to the victim’s car, a Ford Expedition. The robbery victim reportedly chased the suspects to a nearby SEPTA station at 60th and Market, beat up one of them and held him for the police. The other two suspects ran toward 59th and Salford and tried to get into a Dodge Durango, which they mistook for the robbed man’s car.

The wounded officer, identified by the authorities as , was flagged down by a woman, who owns the Dodge Durango, according to reports. He got out of the patrol car and tried to tackle one of the suspects when he was shot in the thigh. Both suspects, including the one who shot the officer, escaped. Police say McCullough fired his weapon three times at the suspect, but he still managed to flee.  Continue Reading

Work by Tegan Bellitta is currently on display at Gush Gallery at Jinxed (4521 Baltimore Ave.)

Artists Stephanie Slate and Sarah Thielke, co-founders of Gush Gallery, which had to close its location on the 5000 block of Baltimore Ave. last summer due to sustainability issues, are sending some great news: the gallery is very much alive and kicking at a new location in West Philly, also on Baltimore Avenue. Here’s what Stephanie wrote us in an email:

     Sarah Thielke and Stephanie Slate

“Gush Gallery (formerly at 5015 Baltimore Ave) has now teamed up with Jinxed on 4521 Baltimore Ave. Mike, the owner, has graciously offered us to take over the large brick wall in the new location. We have successfully curated two gallery shows from the new space, and have just confirmed upcoming shows with more local artists. We are VERY excited…”

The women have scheduled to have one solo or group show each month. They kicked things off in March with shows by Kate Harrold and Syd Torchio. Currently, Tegan Bellitta’s work is on display, and here is the gallery’s schedule through December, 2016:  Continue Reading

UPDATE (Thu, April 14, 2016): Another armed robbery attempt took place on Monday night on the 200 block of S. Melville St. (between Locust and Spruce) by the same person, police believe. It happened at around 9:20 p.m. A 27-year-old woman was walking up to her door on the block when a man approached her from behind, said that he had a gun and demanded money. The woman ran into the house and closed the door, and the man fled. Nothing was taken and no injuries were reported. In this case the suspect was described as a black male in his 20’s, thin build, 5 foot 7 inches, short hair, no facial hair. He was wearing a dark jean jacket.

April 11, 2016, 14:52 p.m.: The Southwest Detective Division is investigating a series of gunpoint robberies and robbery attempts on Walnut and Pine Streets in the past two months that may be connected.  The most recent incident was reported on Thursday, Apr. 7.

The first happened on February 18, when a man was walking near 47th and Walnut at around 6 p.m. and was approached by an unknown male who stated: “I have a gun, give me your wallet.” The man said “No” and the suspect threatened to shoot him, according to a police report. The victim then elbowed the attacker and ran to his residence a short distance away. Nothing was taken.

The suspect was described as a black male in his 20s, 6 feet tall, with medium length dreads, wearing all black.  Continue Reading

The developers who want to build a 21-unit apartment building at 46th and Spruce make another presentation at the Spruce Hill zoning committee last night.

The owners of the property that includes a burned-out building at the corner of 46th and Spruce were back in front of the Spruce Hill Community Association (SHCA) zoning committee last night with their plans for a new 21-unit apartment building that had many nearby residents concerned about parking and aesthetics.

The proposed brick and metal panel building at 4534-36 Spruce St. would include 21 mostly two-bedroom apartments, ground-floor retail and a rooftop deck. The developers need several variances from the Zoning Board of Adjustment, including one to build 21 units and another for the building’s height – 44 feet.

A point of contention between some nearby neighbors and the property’s owner is over whether the site, which is actually several smaller parcels, is where an apartment building should be allowed regardless of size. It is zoned for single-family duplexes and minimal retail. But the property owners are arguing that the current building, which was most recently a transitional housing facility and at one point a small grocery store, and the construction of apartment buildings on adjacent properties have long ago made that designation practically obsolete.  Continue Reading

The major redevelopment project of converting the long-vacant former Provident Mutual Life Insurance building site into a public services complex, including headquarters for the Philadelphia Police Department, has been going on for about a year and a half now. Recently we checked on the site and saw that the 88-year-old building’s facade was already partially renovated.

According to this sign posted at the site, the work on the building’s facade and roof improvements is expected to be completed in December 2016.

As we reported earlier, the whole complex, which will also house the Department of Public Health and the Medical Examiner’s Office and Morgue and will include a plaza with public art installations, is expected to be completed by 2018. The complex will stretch from 46th to 48th Street and from Market Street to Haverford Avenue.