Just last week we published a story about a community activist being attacked by two robbers on bikes in the Cedar Park area and now we want to alert neighbors about a similar incident on Monday. A reader who asked not to be identified reported an attempted robbery that took place Monday night, at 9:10 p.m., at 50^th and Warrington:

“I was walking home alone from the trolley when a young man, who had ridden past me twice already on his bike, rode past again when I turned a corner that was more isolated, and accelerated on his bike, and grabbed my purse as he went by my left side. He did not get it and eventually let go, and kept riding.”

The reader, a female, filed a police report immediately after the incident. She believes that the suspect was scoping the 34 trolley for victims like herself.

Ramen Bar is softly opening today at 4040 Locust Street and will serve lunch from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and dinner from 4 to 10 p.m. Stay tuned for our review.

Curio Theatre is hosting a Benefit Gala and an auction to raise funds for Curio’s new, second stage located in the basement of the Calvary Center. The event will take place on Saturday, Sept. 15 at St. Francis DeSales (47th and Springfield) and will include a live and a silent auction, an open beer and wine bar, a meal catered by The Gold Standard Cafe, and live jazz music from Dr. Ketchup. Tickets are $50 (adults), $45 (students/seniors), $90 (couple), $450 (table/10 tickets). If you would like to donate an item to the auction, please call (215) 525-1350.

For more information and to purchase tickets please visit this page.

Bikram Yoga instructors Jill Holden, Schuyler Ferguson and Ammie Ferguson.

A Bikram Yoga studio is opening this Wednesday (Aug. 29) at 42nd and Chestnut and offering free classes through Tuesday, September 4. The brand new 5,000-square-foot studio space was built this year as a second level of the one-story building housing West Philadelphia Locksmith Co. The studio includes a 1,500-square-foot yoga room and space for a planned juice bar and organic foods store.

Bikram Yoga is the original form of “hot” yoga practiced in a heated room, so the studio has a custom built heating system, allowing it to maintain a 105-degree temperature and 40 percent humidity for every class. Although conditions like that may seem daunting, we hear that Bikram is the world’s fastest growing form of yoga. People of all ages and skill levels are welcome in the studio, local residents and students alike. A staff of eight Bikram certified instructors with extensive training and in-class experience will guide you through classes.

For more information on classes at Bikram Yoga University City, visit their homepage bikramyogaucp.com or Facebook page.

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.

The Penn Alexander School last year warned parents hoping to register their children that there were “no guarantees” that spots would be available, even if they lived in the school’s much publicized “catchment.” This year, that warning became a reality for many parents. Not a single parent this year was able to get their child enrolled in grades 1-4, even those who waited in line for more than 24 hours.

Instead the parents were placed on a waiting list that includes students who were unable to secure a spot last year. Enrollment in Penn Alexander classes is capped lower than most other District schools as part of an agreement with the University of Pennsylvania, which subsidizes the school.

The School District of Philadelphia confirmed that the list includes students from last year who were unable to get a spot last year. A large number of parents in line last year were able to enroll their students, but not this year. Continue Reading