Newly updated Market Street Bridge (Photos by Ben Tran)

The Market Street Bridge, which is used by more than 6,000 pedestrians every day, has just received some nice updates. University City District (UCD) once again teamed up with Groundswell Design, the landscape architecture firm behind the revamped Porch at 30th St. Station, to create enhancements to the pedestrian experience on the iconic bridge connecting West Philadelphia and Center City.

These new pedestrian-friendly elements include 120 custom, lightweight planters with lush greenery; bleacher seating that offers great views of the Schuylkill River; and four large gateway pergolas positioned at the main points of entry. The new features also help soften noise from vehicular traffic on the bridge.  Continue Reading

Here’s some good news out of the Community College of Philadelphia (CCP). The college recently received a $3 million grant to help African American males succeed in college.

The college, which has a student population of more than 34,000, will use the grant to help fund its Center for Male Engagement, which provides access to academic coaches, computers and other education resources. The grant was provided by the Department of Education’s Predominately Black Institutions Program.

“This is a place where men gain the confidence to be successful in life and in their studies,” CCP President Donald Guy Generals said in a statement.

Minority students make up about 76 percent of CCP’s student body.

CCP’s West Regional Center, where the college’s Automotive Technology programs are based, is located at 4725 Chestnut Street.

A Penn Alexander eighth grader was robbed at gunpoint on Thursday evening near 42nd and Locust by two boys, police said.

The eighth grader and a witness told police that at about 7 p.m. he got into an argument with two other boys, ages 11 and 12, when one produced a handgun and asked the victim to hand over his iPhone 6. The two boys fled and were later apprehended near 46th and Spruce. No gun was found, but police retrieved the phone.

We are not releasing the names of the any of the boys involved because of their ages.

This weekend, the city of Philadelphia will greet Pope Francis, an exciting time for Philadelphians and guests, but also stressful for many local residents. Here’s our summary on various closures, restrictions and cancellations associated with the papal visit. The schedule of events and activities during the Papal visit on Sept. 26 & 27 is available here. Also check out these useful links: Papal Visit Playbook, Philly Pope Map, Papal Visit FAQs. There will also be live streaming of events from the World Meeting of Families and the Papal visit stream (click here).

We will update this post as more information becomes available. Feel free to post comments or email us (editor-at-westphillylocal.com) if you know of any closures or cancellations not included in this post.

Highway Closures, Traffic Restrictions (“Traffic Boxes”)

Some road closures and parking restrictions have already begun ahead of the visit, but major highway closures and traffic restrictions will start on Friday night. Mayor Michael Nutter has announced Papal “traffic boxes” for parts of Center City and West Philadelphia, beginning on Friday, Sept. 25 at 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. respectively. Vehicles will be allowed to exit the traffic box area, but will not be allowed to re-enter it (except for emergency vehicles). There will be no SEPTA bus or trolley service within the boundaries of the traffic box, but there will be no restrictions to bicycle and pedestrian traffic. Here are the boundaries for the West Philadelphia Traffic Box:  Continue Reading

Renata’s Kitchen co-owner Kate Aiq at the grand opening on Wednesday.

UPDATE (11/16/2015): Starting Monday, Nov. 16, Renata’s Kitchen will be serving dinner every night from 4 – 10 p.m. Renata’s owners are also sending a reminder that their restaurant is a BYOB!

9/24/2015: Renata’s Kitchen (formerly Café Renata) opened its doors to the public at their new location at 4533 Baltimore Avenue last night. A sizable crowd turned up to celebrate the grand re-opening of the restaurant that suffered a devastating fire at their former location near 43rd and Locust last spring.

Starting this Friday, the restaurant, which serves Mediterranean and American-style breakfast, lunch and brunch, will be open daily: Mon-Fri 7 a.m. – 6 p.m.; Sat & Sun 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. Renata’s co-owner Kate Aiq said that they’re also planning to introduce a dinner menu in a couple of months after they settle in at the new location. Also, the restaurant is currently hiring, mostly line cooks. Resumes are accepted at: jobs.caferenata@gmail.com  Continue Reading

A series of gunpoint robberies committed by what looks like the same two suspects took place on Wednesday night on South 50th street, according to police.

The first robbery was reported near 50th and Walton. A 24-year-old man told police that he was walking in the area around 9:50 p.m. and talking on his cell phone when he was approached by two unknown males who had white T-shirts covering their faces. One of the males pointed a black handgun at the man and said: “Where’s the money? Where’s the phone?”, according to a police report. The man handed the robbers his Samsung flip phone and his wallet containing his credit and debit cards and identification. One of the robbers also grabbed the man’s backpack, after which both suspects fled northbound on 50th street. The man was not injured. Police said that one of the suspects was wearing a white tank top. Continue Reading