The City of Philadelphia has recently received $25 million in federal funding for the “Great Streets PHL” project, which aims to make safety improvements to high-crash corridors in historically disadvantaged communities and areas of persistent poverty.

The funding comes from a Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability & Equity (RAISE) Grant, funded by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.

The funding will make improvements along seven high-crash corridors in the city, including the following streets in West Philadelphia: Continue Reading

The second annual Back-to-School Celebration and Bus Tour, organized by the School District of Philadelphia, kicked off today. The tour, which features a specially-wrapped school bus, will make a total of 10 stops comprised of four mega-events and six pop-up events across Philadelphia.

Students and their families are invited to attend these events for an opportunity to receive a free backpack, school supplies and important back-to-school information. Parents and guardians can also register their children for pre-Kindergarten through grade 12 and sign up for the Parent Portal.

In addition to opportunities provided at the pop-up event, at each mega-event families will have opportunities to receive free state-mandated immunizations and the required school and sports physicals as well as free COVID-19 vaccinations. Mega-events will feature food trucks, ice cream and interactive, educational activities for children.

The following Back-to-School events will take place in West Philadelphia: Continue Reading

Greensgrow opened their West Philly hub in 2016 (archived photo).

Greensgrow West, the West Philly branch of Greensgrow Farms located at 51st and Baltimore, ceased its operations on Friday, July 22 after the nonprofit urban farm announced a financial crisis earlier this month. The flagship location in Kensington closed in early July.

“This past month, Greensgrow was the victim of a counterfeit check scheme that leaves us struggling to keep our doors open through July,” reads their Instagram post dated July 15. “Although, we typically close in the start of August, this season we are working with bankers and law enforcement to try to recoup $33,000 in lost revenue.”

To help ease the dire financial situation, which made it difficult for the management to meet the next payroll for their workers, Greensgrow has launched a fundraising campaign. Continue Reading

On Friday, July 22, a group of local youth enrolled in higher education institutions, received Cedar Park Neighbors (CPN) Gary Bronson Memorial scholarships. The awards were presented during intermission at the Jazz in Cedar Park concert. Darryl Bundrige introduced the scholars.

Scholarships are provided by the Gary Bronson Memorial Scholarship Fund, which is named in honor of the visionary Cedar Park resident who founded the CPN Scholarship Committee in 1988. The awards have been given for 33 years to young adults living in Cedar Park who are committed to pursuing higher education. This was the first in-person award ceremony since 2019.

Here’s a video of the ceremony taken by Patrick DiGiacomo:

This year’s first Heat Health Emergency has been declared in Philadelphia due to forecast heat index values. The heat emergency is scheduled to begin at 12 p.m. on Thursday, July 21 and end at 8 p.m. on Thursday, July 21. It may be extended if the forecast worsens.

A declaration of a Heat Health Emergency activates the City’s heat emergency programs, which include the Philadelphia Corporation for Aging’s (PCA) Heatline, cooling centers, home visits by special field teams, enhanced daytime outreach for people experiencing homelessness, and the City’s reminder to the public to safely check on older friends, relatives, and neighbors from a distance. Continue Reading

One of University City’s most popular restaurants, Distrito, has closed its doors while chef Jose Garces, who owns the establishment, is “re-evaluating the business,” according to reports.

The upscale-casual Mexican restaurant, which opened in 2008 at 40th and Chestnut, was struggling financially due to the lack of customers during the summer months and closed abruptly on July 9th, according to a report by The Philadelphia Inquirer.

There is hope though that Garces will reopen the restaurant in late August when students return to campus after the summer break. By that time he hopes to have a “solid business plan going forward.” Garces did not give a definitive answer and said he would make the decision based on the economic situation (rising food costs, etc.) at that time.

The Distrito staff who lost their jobs as a result of the closure will be offered jobs at other restaurants owned by the famous chef, according to the report.