UPDATE: Tonight’s curfew will begin at 8:30 p.m. to allow residents time to vote and return home after voting.

It’s Election Day across Pennsylvania. In West Philly, voters will cast primary ballots for competitive races for state House of Representatives and Auditor General, select delegates to this year’s party conventions and respond to two ballot questions related to Philadelphia.

Polling places around the city have been consolidated, so find your polling place here if you aim to vote in person. Polls are open until 8 p.m. If you are in line by then, you will be able to vote.

There are a couple of things you can do if you still have your mail-in ballot. You can still mail it in following Gov. Tom Wolf’s emergency declaration extending the mail-in ballot deadline a week to June 9. Or, you can drop off your ballot at one of the several drop-off points around the city, including the Lucien E. Blackwell West Philadelphia Regional Library at 125 S. 52nd St. (52nd and Sansom).  Continue Reading

The Pennsylvania chapter of the National Coalition of 100 Black Women is hosting a live online forum on Thursday, May 28 for candidates running in next Tuesday’s primary for the state House of Representatives 188th Legislative District seat.

The forum will run live on the coalition’s Facebook page beginning at 6:30 p.m. and Cherri Gregg of KYW News Radio will be the host.

Candidates for the seat include longtime incumbent James Roebuck, his long-time aide Karen Dunn, 51st Ward Leader and activist Greg Benjamin and community organizer Rick Krajewski.

Originally scheduled for April 28, the Pennsylvania primary was moved to June 2 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Pennsylvania’s primary election is just over two weeks away. Here are a few things to know.

Originally scheduled for April 28, the election was pushed to June 2 and now includes a mail-in ballot option. Polls will likely be open on June 2, but counties across the state have been given the authority to consolidate polling locations, so your usual place may not be open.

The registration deadline has been bumped up to May 18. You can register here and can check your registration status here.  Continue Reading

The race for the 188th state house seat is beginning to heat up. The community is invited to hear from all four candidates – incumbent Rep. Jim Roebuck, Karen Dunn (Facebook page link), Gregory Benjamin, and Rick Krajewski – at a community forum/debate organized by the Penn Democrats (Facebook page link) on Monday, March 2.

The 188th House District (map) includes parts of Spruce Hill, Squirrel Hill, Walnut Hill, Spruce Hill, Garden Court, Beige Block and University City. Roebuck has held the seat since 1985.

The event will take place at the University of Pennsylvania Houston Hall (3417 Spruce St), Room 218 (Ben Franklin Room), starting at 5 p.m. Here’s the event Facebook page.

The slowly crumbling sidewalks around the perimeter of Clark Park will be replaced thanks to a grant secured by State Rep. Jim Roebuck, according to an announcement by his office.

Roebuck announced that $110,000 in state funding has been awarded to the University of the Sciences, which is across the street from the park, for its sidewalk improvements.

“These funds should help bring pedestrian safety improvements and make the area more accessible for everyone in the community,” Roebuck said in a statement. “I am pleased that this grant money was awarded so that more residents can take advantage of the outdoor spaces at Clark Park.”  Continue Reading

Kingsessing Library (Photo from freelibrary.org).

State Rep. Jim Roebuck recently announced that $480,000 is on its way to the Kingsessing Library to repair and upgrade the building, which is located at 1201 S. 51st St.

The Kingsessing Library opened in 1919 and was last renovated in 1999.

The funding is part of more than $3 million in state Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program funds that will be used to fund projects in the 188th legislative district.

Project funds also include $2 million to the Community College of Philadelphia’s West Philadelphia Regional Campus to develop a Career and Advanced Technology Center.