University City District’s West Philadelphia Skills Initiative, the program that connects unemployed West Philly residents with local employers, is teaming up with SEPTA for Bus Operator training. The program includes no-cost Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) training and testing.

This is the Initiative’s first recruitment open to Philadelphians of all zip codes, not just West Philadelphia residents. Applicants must possess a high school diploma or GED and be currently unemployed and must have a valid driver’s license with a clean driving record for at least the last three years. Successful program graduates will have the opportunity to apply for Operator positions with SEPTA. The program also offers a performance-based stipend during the training.  Continue Reading

All Philadelphia public schools will be closed on Wednesday, Feb. 20 due to the forecasted inclement weather, which includes snow and sleet throughout the day, according to an announcement by the School District of Philadelphia.

All after-school activities, including all athletic programs and professional development sessions scheduled for Wednesday, are canceled as well. All District early childhood centers will also be closed.

The decision regarding administrative offices is expected to be announced by 5 a.m. on Wednesday. Visit the School District website for more information and updates.

                         Click to enlarge.

According to a University City District (UCD) crime update released last week, 43 serious crimes were reported in the boundaries that UCD covers in January, including five gunpoint robberies, three unarmed robberies, two aggravated assaults with a gun, and four residential burglaries. There were also multiple thefts from cars last month, according to the report.

Three arrests were made last month – one in connection to a robbery, and two for an aggravated assault. Most of the crimes were concentrated between 41st and 49th Streets (see the map).  Continue Reading

Photo by Rebecca Gudelunas

Three Sisters, By RashDash, After Chekhov opened to  an open house at Curio Theatre Friday night. The production is a progressive, “punky” look on the Russian classic, featuring absurdist comedy and musical cabaret numbers while asking the audience vital questions. This is the North American premiere of the play by British feminist theatre collective RashDash.

The play focuses solely on the women characters – sisters Olga, Irina and Masha – played by long-time Curio Theatre Company members Colleen Hughes, Rachel Gluck, and Tessa Kuhn (they also played three sisters in last season’s Crimes of the Heart at Curio). The show is directed by Meg Trelease. Check out this review by Broad Street Review.  Continue Reading

An artist’s rendering of 4306 Market St. The city approved the adjacent building to the right in October.

The 4300 block of Market Street, which includes a Checkers, some vacant lots and a handful of row homes, will likely look completely different by next summer.

A proposal for a six-story, 22-unit apartment building at 4306-4310 Market St. met with a favorable reaction from the Spruce Hill Community Association zoning committee on Monday. The building would be fit in between a cluster of existing row homes and another building, 4312 Market St. that was approved last year. The two projects are related.

The proposal would combine three lots into one for the building (one is the former site of the Dirt Factory). The proposed building would include 13 two-bedroom apartments, 5 one-bedrooms and 4 three-bedrooms. No information was available on proposed rent prices, but developers said the apartments would be “higher end” and not aimed at students. There are no affordable housing units proposed as part of the project, which several zoning committee members asked developers to reconsider.  Continue Reading

After more than five years of operation, The Farmacy, the popular brunch spot at 45th and Spruce, has closed. The restaurant closed at the beginning of the month, and “For Rent” signs have been displayed in the windows since then.

The owners, local chefs Ross Scofield and Danielle Coulter, want to focus on their new restaurant in New Jersey, according to Foobooz.  Continue Reading