The 68th Annual Spruce Hill May Fair is scheduled for Saturday, May 9 in Clark Park. As always, the Spruce Hill Community Association (SHCA) is inviting vendors, artisans and community groups/organizations seeking to do outreach and promotion to set up their tables at the event.

Space is limited and priority will be given to local community organizations and artisans (please no second-hand good or commercial products). This is a day to showcase works that local artisans have produced themselves. Also, vendor applications from businesses/organizations that plan to sell prepared food or beverage items at tables will not be accepted due to Health Department regulations. Food vendors with a free-standing and separately permitted truck/cart may still be able to participate (please contact SHCA).

Continue Reading

A tax preparation volunteer is working with customers at ACHIEVEability.

The Campaign for Working Families (CWF) is once again offering free tax preparation services to West Philadelphia residents this tax season. Now through April 15, residents can schedule an appointment via CWF’s website to receive expert assistance from trained nonprofit professionals.

In partnership with ACHIEVEability, which is serving as one of the host locations for the program, the free services will be held at 5901 Market Street. Appointments are available Mondays through Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on select Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Last year, with the support of ACHIEVEability and CWF, more than 1,000 residents received tax assistance, resulting in a combined total of $855,292 in refunds for those who used the free service.

Continue Reading

Manakeesh, the Lebanese cafe and bakery at 45th and Walnut, has permanently closed after 15 years of operation due to a “sharp increase in rental costs,” according to an Instagram post. The cafe’s last day of operation was Tuesday, Feb. 17. The closing was timed with Ramadan, which began on Tuesday evening.

However, there is some good news: Manakeesh is looking for a new location and will temporarily operate as a cloud kitchen accepting online orders.

“One silver lining from this, we are not totally going away,” reads the post on Instagram. “We will be moving and continue to offer our menu online and for extended hours in Ramadan and thereafter insha’Allah. We are hoping to keep Manakeesh up an running for the next generation with your support, and not just a memory.”

Named for the Lebanese flatbread sandwiches it serves, Manakeesh opened in 2011 in the renovated bank building at 45th and Walnut (see photo).

Here’s some great news for SEPTA’s T5 Trolley Modernization Project. The T5 Trolley Route (former Route 36), which serves people in West and Southwest Philadelphia, is receiving $2 million for its modernization, including new vehicles, on-street stations and infrastructure, as well as new traffic signals, pedestrian safety bump-outs, and accessibility and stormwater drainage improvements.

The funding is part of a $27 million state investment in transportation safety. It was received through Pennsylvania’s ARLE (Automated Red-Light Enforcement) program, which aims to improve safety at intersections with traffic signals by providing automated enforcement at locations where data shows red-light running has been an issue. Fines from red light violations at intersections in Philadelphia are used for grants.

The T5 Trolley Modernization Project kicked off in 2024 and is currently in its design phase, with construction expected to begin in 2027. For more details, visit: https://wwww.septa.org/trolley-modernization/t5.

The new apartment building at 818 N. 40th Street (see Instagram video below).

HopePHL and Mt. Vernon Manor Community Development Corporation (MVMCDC), two West Philadelphia community organizations, today celebrated the grand opening of 40 new apartments along the North 40th Street corridor — a milestone development that transformed 11 long‑vacant properties between Lancaster and Mantua Avenues into long‑term affordable rental homes for local families.

The North 40th Street Corridor Revitalization Project brings new life to a once‑blighted stretch of West Philadelphia at the borders of the Mantua, Belmont and East Parkside neighborhoods. The initiative represents a first‑of‑its‑kind partnership between HopePHL and MVMCDC.

Continue Reading

The American Red Cross is currently experiencing a severe blood shortage and urging people to take action now to help offset the severe impact of recent winter storms on the blood supply. Donors of all blood types are asked to make a blood or platelet donation appointment as soon as possible. As a thank-you, all who come to give through Feb. 28 will receive a $20 e-gift card to a merchant of choice. See RedCrossBlood.org/Heart for details.

Philadelphia residents can donate blood at the following locations:

Continue Reading