April 24, 2014
The annual Penn Relays started today, with the first running event held at 10 a.m. this morning at the University of Pennsylvania’s Franklin Field (see the full schedule here). The Penn Relays means thousands of guests on and around Penn’s campus, so we wanted to alert our readers to watch out for a lot of traffic and closed streets in the area.
33rd Street from South Street to Walnut Street will be closed for approximately one hour, on Saturday from 6 to 7 p.m., according to a traffic advisory by Penn Public Safety.
This Philadelphia institution is being held for the 120th time and will draw over 18,000 competitors from more than 60 countries to participate in 425 events. The event will be held through Saturday, April 26.
April 24, 2014
A fire that broke out in a rowhome on the 3600 block of Spring Garden Street Wednesday night displaced about 15 residents, according to reports. Smoke was reported coming from the first floor of the three-story building at 6 p.m. The fire quickly spread throughout the building, according to a report by Philly Fire News. The building was evacuated. The blaze was placed under control shortly after 7 p.m. No injuries were reported.
The American Red Cross responded to the fire to assist the displaced residents. Two people required Red Cross help. One of them spent the night at Red Cross House, according to Red Cross spokesperson Dave Schrader.
Red Paw Relief was also on the scene and helped at least two displaced pets.
April 16, 2014
Although we’re seeing a little setback with the weather, here’s some great news: University City District began re-installing “parklets” (outdoor seating platforms), throughout the neighborhood. Yesterday, the UCD installed two of them – one by the Green Line Cafe on Baltimore Ave and another one by Little Baby’s Ice Cream in Cedar Park:
Overall, five parklets will be installed in the neighborhood, all near trendy local shops, cafes and restaurants (though, like parks, they are public spaces so you don’t have to buy anything to sit in them):
Parklet by Fu-Wah Market on S. 47th St. (archived photo).
• 4040 Locust St (hosted by Ramen Bar)
• 261 S. 44th St (hosted by Honest Tom’s Tacos and Lil’ Pop Shop)
• 4239 Baltimore Ave (hosted by Green Line Cafe)
• 810 S. 47th St (hosted by Fu-Wah Market)
• 4903 Catharine St (hosted by Little Baby’s Ice Cream and Hibiscus Cafe)
The city’s first parklet was installed on 43rd Street near Green Line Cafe in the summer of 2011. Parklets, which are a wood and metal platform with tables, chairs and planter boxes, usually pop up in April and remain through October or until the cold weather sets in. Although enjoyed by many, parklets have also received some criticism, since they take up parking spots, which are hard to find in our area.
March 31, 2014
Photo by West Philly Local readers Karen and Peter.
A house fire was reported in the Cedar Park neighborhood on Saturday, around 7 p.m.. A house on 48th Street between Baltimore and Cedar Avenues was engulfed in smoke. Multiple fire trucks and lots of firefighters responded to the fire that was shortly taken under control. The building was still smoking and it looked like it may have suffered serious damage, according to one West Philly Local reader.
UPDATE (3/31/2014): The fire was at a three-story twin at 615 S. 48th St. It was reported at 7 p.m. and brought under control in 27 minutes at about 7:30 p.m., according to a fire department spokesman. No injuries were reported. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
March 26, 2014
Power went out to hundreds of homes concentrated around 44th and 45th Streets from Pine to Chester at about 7:45 p.m. on Wednesday night. Scattered outages have been reported as far west as 48th Street and as far south as Springfield Avenue.
A PECO spokesperson said that crews were on the scene of an “equipment issue” in the neighborhood. They estimated that the power would be restored by 11 p.m. Wednesday night.
Please feel free to leave a comment below to describe your situation and if your power is restored.
March 13, 2014
A large tree snapped and fell into the middle of the 4300 block of Spruce at about 5:45 p.m., damaging two cars waiting for a red light.
High winds no doubt played a part in the down tree. No injuries were reported.
“The wind has been blowing and this tree has been dead for a long time and the city hasn’t done anything about it,” said the driver of one car. “This is what you get.”
As of 6 p.m. the both lanes of the 4300 block of Spruce are closed.
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