Fire officials are still investigating the cause of an apartment building fire on Tuesday that killed a 4-year-old boy (a 5-year-old, according to some reports). The fire broke out at about 1:30 p.m. at the West Park Apartments, a 19-story public-housing building on Busti and Holden streets.
The child’s mother and 3-year-old brother were injured in the fire. The mother and a male resident of the building saved the younger child from the apartment engulfed with fire. Then the woman returned to the apartment and tried to rescue her older son but was badly hurt, Philly.com reports. The firefighters found the boy alive under a bed, but he later died in the hospital.
Fire officials said a burst main near 42nd and Market streets that required the evacuation of a fire station across the street from high-rise slowed response time.
Our fine feathered friends at Spruce Hill Bird Sanctuary need more food to make it through the toughest months of the year, so Spruce Hill Community Association is organizing a Fall Bird Food Drive. Residents are asked to donate a bag of sunflower seeds, suet cakes, or good quality general bird seed. Bird food is available at pet stores, supermarkets or local garden centers and nurseries.
You can drop off the purchased bird food at the following locations: Baltimore Pet Shoppe (4532 Baltimore Ave), Milk and Honey (45th and Baltimore) and Spruce Hill Community Association (257 45th St., call 215 349-7825 for open hours).
The sanctuary has four posts that hold 15 feeders. You might see over a dozen different kinds of birds there. The entrance is next to 233 S. Melville and it is open to the public. For more information, click here.
Over the summer we wrote about the Future of Cedar Park survey distributed in the neighborhood by the Cedar Park Neighbors association. If you live or own a business in Cedar Park and haven’t participated in the survey yet, you are encouraged to do it this week. The deadline is Friday, Oct. 12, 5 p.m.
Neighbors’ input on the future of the neighborhood is very helpful as a committee of Cedar Park Neighbors board members is preparing for an important meeting with the Philadelphia City Planning Commission which will be convening a steering committee to create a new plan for Southwest Philadelphia and University City.
“Already, we’ve heard from 400 Cedar Park Neighbors about what they want for their community. If you haven’t responded yet, please do so today. It only takes a couple minutes and we want to make sure your voice is heard!” wrote Cedar Park Neighbors president Michael Froehlich in an email.
To access the survey online, please follow this link.
Locust Moon Comics shop, which recently moved into a new, spacious location near 40th and Chestnut, is celebrating the release of its first book this week. Locust Moon Press has teamed up with Dark Horse Comics to release the 430 page science fiction fairy-tale anthology titled Once Upon A Time Machine. This is a long-awaited release – the book represents the culmination of three years of collaboration in Philadelphia and beyond.
The project began in the summer of 2009, when Locust Moon’s creative director Chris Stevens came up with the idea for a collection of futuristic stories based on classic myths and fairy tales. He began reaching out to local creators and established an online presence to make contact with artists and writers across the world. As an Internet buzz began to build about the book, an unexpected email came from Dark Horse Comics and the project which began with no money, artists, or scripts, became a major release from one of the biggest comic book companies in the world.
“Locust Moon is a place built on the passions of a lot of people,” says publisher and co-owner Josh O’Neill. “It’s living proof that with an open heart and open doors you can create something much bigger than the sum of its parts.”
The book release party is on Wednesday (Oct 10) at 7:30 p.m. where many of these parts will be on display. The party will feature a gallery show of original pages from the book, signings by dozens of the book’s authors, and a hell of a bash, in general.
The national Bain Worker Bus Tour is visiting Philadelphia on Monday and Tuesday and this afternoon the bus will make a stop at a Dunkin’ Donuts branch at 55th and Chestnut at 2 p.m. The bus tour is traveling through swing states to warn voters of the dangers of a “Romney Economy.” Bain Capital is the private equity firm founded by Mitt Romney and Bain workers on the tour include current and former employees from Dunkin Donuts, Sensata, Burlington Coat Factory, Michaels, Outback Steakhouse, and other national chains. They will speak on their experiences working for Bain-owned companies.
The tour includes colorful street theater that will feature a Mitt Romney character who will be challenged by a group of protesters and former Bain workers.
On Tuesday, the bus will be at a center city Staples store at noon.
Update (9:30 am): Woodland Avenue between 42nd and 43rd Streets is still closed. Shuttle buses are operating from 49th and Woodland to 40th Street.
Oct. 7, 11:03 am: Philadelphia Water Department crews are out fixing a water main break at 43rd and Woodland this morning. Due to the break, the eastbound lane of Woodland Avenue is closed and the Route 36 and 11 trolleys are diverting onto Chester Avenue from 40th – 49th Streets. Some buildings in the area temporarily lost water service but it was restored by 9:10 a.m. Stay tuned for updates.
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