A crew from University City District is installing a “parklet” on 44th Street in front of Honest Tom’s Tacos and Lil’ Pop Shop. This is the second parklet in the University City area. The first parklet was installed last summer at the corner of 43rd and Baltimore in front of Green Line Cafe and returned this summer.

A parklet gives people a chance to sit and enjoy life in a space previously used by parked cars. The parklet at 43rd and Baltimore was removed last November, but this year UCD is exploring options to keep parklets warm during the cold months, Naked Philly reports.

Update (8 p.m.): Rafy’s dad contacted us in the evening with great news – Rafy was found. We have removed the missing person flyer from this post.

Rafael de Luna III is was asking for public help in locating his son, Rafy de Luna IV. Rafy lives on the 1200 Block of S. 46th Street and went missing on Sunday. He was last seen around noon.

The de Luna family own Guacamole Mex-Grill restaurant at 46th and Woodland and Rafy would often work the register at the restaurant with his uncle. Rafael de Luna III said that many of their patrons would recognize him.

About 1,500 cheering Barack Obama supporters packed the Bobby Morgan Arena at the University of the Sciences on Thursday for a rousing get-out-the-vote speech from First Lady Michelle Obama.

Obama was preaching to the proverbial choir in West Philly, a longtime Democratic stronghold. And her speech, aimed at rallying campaign supporters, even felt like a Sunday morning sermon. Obama punctuated a few of her most resonant points – on things like universal health care and education equity – with “Can I get an Amen?”

Obama’s day-long swing through eastern Pennsylvania will also take her to Montgomery County and Bethlehem to help keep Pennsylvania behind President Obama, who won the state in 2008.

“It’s all on the line,” she said. “Everything is at stake. That’s why we’re here.”

First Lady Michelle Obama will visit West Philly on Thursday, August 9. She is expected to speak at the University of the Sciences’ Bobby Morgan Arena (730 South 43rd Street) at 2 p.m. As of 12:30 p.m. today, tickets (first-come, first-serve) were still available at the Obama West Philadelphia Headquarters, 209 South 52nd Street (between Walnut and Locust). As far as we know, stopping by and picking them up is the only way to get them.
 
 
 

Update: We are getting conflicting reports about the man’s university affiliation, so we have removed that detail until we can clarify.

Police say a recently dismissed professor jumped from the 4th floor of a brownstone apartment building at 4114 Spruce Street in an apparent suicide this morning. Police say the 44-year-old man lived on the 4th floor. He was pronounced dead at 6:49 a.m.

Update (08/06): A three-story residential building at 4238 Chestnut Street was on fire, the Fire Commissioner’s Office confirms. The fire was reported about 4:10 p.m. on Sunday and extinguished by 4:50 p.m. No injuries were reported.

A reader, Mike, reported a fire on Sunday at about 4:00 p.m. on the 4200 Block of Chestnut Street. Mike said that over a dozen fire trucks responded to the fire: “I saw the fire and tried to break in before the fire Dept. arrived. Smoke detectors were sounding and large flames were pouring from the side windows at the rear. But I could not open the door pounding on it with a large piece of lumber (about a  4′ piece of 4×10″). Fire department was on scene within moments and took over.”

It’s not known if anybody was injured in the fire. Stop back for more information.

Photo by Mike Lynch.