Power went out to hundreds of homes concentrated around 44th and 45th Streets from Pine to Chester at about 7:45 p.m. on Wednesday night. Scattered outages have been reported as far west as 48th Street and as far south as Springfield Avenue.

A PECO spokesperson said that crews were on the scene of an “equipment issue” in the neighborhood. They estimated that the power would be restored by 11 p.m. Wednesday night.

Please feel free to leave a comment below to describe your situation and if your power is restored.

A train carrying crude oil and sand derailed overnight on a bridge across the Schuylkill River near Penn Park, according to various reports. The incident happened around 1 a.m., Philly.com reports. The train was traveling from Chicago to Philadelphia. Seven freight cars derailed. It’s not currently known what caused the derailment. No leaks from the derailed cars have been reported.

West Philly Local reader Algernong Allen sent over this photo he took this morning.

A new voice in support of more and better biking has been added. The University Bike Collective is holding its first information session tomorrow (Wednesday, Oct 23), according to the group’s Facebook page. The info session, “powered by pizza,” will be held at the University of Pennsylvania’s Meyerson Hall, B6 (210 S. 34th St.) beginning at 12:30 p.m. and interested folks outside of the Penn community are also invited.

The University Bike Collective will introduce their plans for the year, including fun social rides to explore the city, research and advocacy efforts, and workshops. Susan Dannenberg of the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia will share updates on the latest in Philadelphia bike advocacy.

Come to the session if you:

• Are looking for fun bike-related events, avec free pizza;
• Want to see more bike lanes and bike parking.
• Ever thought about biking in Philly, but you’re not sure how to get started.
• Interested in perfecting the art of layering clothes to avoid over-sweating on your ride to class.

For more information and to RSVP, visit the event’s Facebook page.

Photo by Michael Persico.

The news has spread like wild fire and we’re also happy to let our readers know – Philly’s homegrown fried chicken and donut shop Federal Donuts has set its eyes west of center and is expected to open a location at 3428 Sansom Street, which is on Penn’s campus. This will be the third location for this popular local chain. The somewhat bad news is that the new shop is not expected to open before early 2014. We’ll keep you posted on the date when we know more.

Th American Red Cross does tons of great work in the city. In our neck of the woods, they run the Red Cross House at 4000 Powelton, which provides families displaced by disaster in the area a well-appointed, private, free place to stay. This Saturday the Red Cross is gathering about a dozen barbecue vendors in the parking lot at 39th and Market streets for a cook-off.

This thing runs from noon to 4 p.m. and will feature a cook-off among some of the area’s leading BBQ restaurants and vendors. Several local bands will provide the music and there will be plenty of activities for kids.

All proceeds will benefit Red Cross House and Red Cross disaster relief efforts.

In the last 24 hours, 34 people needed Red Cross assistance after their homes were destroyed by fire. 32 of those people are now staying at the Red Cross House in West Philly.

Click here for ticket info.

Renderings of Hub II by Platt Associate Architecure

After five years of sitting on the shelf, Philadelphia-based developers Teres Holdings, LLC have resurrected plans to construct Hub II, the Hub’s sister building at 3939-41 Chestnut Street. The long-awaited project, originally approved in 2008 under the old zoning code, will cost $11.5 million to construct, and will see the demolition of Thai Singha House’s old home at 3939 Chestnut Street.

According to the blog Philadelphia Real Estate, Teres Holdings was granted zoning “relief” to proceed with Hub II by the Zoning Board of Adjustment on July 31. Since construction of the project is happening under Philadelphia’s new zoning code, which passed last year, landowners University of Pennsylvania, the developers, and Hub II architects, Platt Associates Architecture, have altered the plans, removing one floor and 14,600 square-feet from original building design. Hub II is now 40,100 square feet with seven floors—the first two floors are held for commercial use, including cafes, salons, health clubs, and office space, with the remaining stories housing 65 residential units, reported the blog. Projected date of completion is unknown.

Platt Associates, the New England-based company behind the original Hub’s design, claim on its website that the new Hub II will help “define a new urban node at the corner of 40th and Chestnut Streets”, with the adorning space between the hubs suggesting “an intimate, winding medieval passage with angling walls and a variety of materials punctuated by narrow tower forms.”

The current plans are relatively similar to original blueprints Spruce Hill Community Association approved back in 2008 (but are an improvement to the overall design), so the community organization decided not to impede on the project’s new zoning process, said SHCA Zoning Committee Chair Barry Grossbach. SHCA did, however, raise issue with the materials to be used for the building’s facade, and since the group and the developers could not come to an agreement before the ZBA hearing occurred, SHCA issued a letter of understanding stating that, if zoning is approved, Teres Holdings and Platt must meet with SHCA in a period of 60 days. That meeting takes place on Monday, Sept. 23, Grossbach told West Philly Local.

As for Thai Singha House, Hub II’s plans called for the restaurant’s relocation and the demolition of its former home from the beginning, Grossbach said. In July, we reported that Thai Singha House is relocating to 3900 Chestnut Street and plans to reopen in September—its website, however, now states that it’ll open at the new location “sometime in late October.” There are also talks of erecting a third “hub”, said Grossbach, to complete a three-building center at 40th and Chestnut Streets, but nothing has been brought to the drawing board for that project yet.

Teres Holdings could not be reached for comment.

–Annamarya Scaccia