The West Philly chapter of ACTION United is holding a public meeting on Thursday, March 10, to discuss improvements to schools and city services in the Cobbs Creek section.

“We need to come together to fight for the services and institutions our neighborhood needs,” Chinara Bilaal, an ACTION United member, said in a statement. “From streets and schoolyards to vacant lots and homes, we’re getting ignored. We need to make our voices heard as a group.”

The meeting will begin at 6 p.m. at the Sayre Morris Recreation Center (5835 Spruce Street). Light refreshments will be served.

Members of ACTION United in West Philadelphia organized last week’s rally calling for improvement of safety on and around the property of West Philly’s Andrew Hamilton Elementary School located at 57th and Spruce Streets.

Thursday’s meeting will be the first public meeting of this new group.

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

Shakespeare in Clark Park (SCP), the immensely popular annual outdoor theater event, will return in July to the park’s “Bowl” near 45th and Chester. The company recently announced its new production for the Summer 2016 season and provided some other interesting details. The Two Gentlemen of Verona, Shakespeare’s classic romantic comedy, is set to run July 27 – 31 and will bring together Philadelphia’s finest actors.

The show is directed by Kathryn MacMillan, a Philadelphia-based theater director who has earned a reputation for directing classical and contemporary works with freshness and clarity and shaping great acting ensembles. She has directed over 25 productions in the Philadelphia area and is currently working on the development of a world premiere musical.  Continue Reading

Councilwoman Jannie Blackwell was at a building site at the corner of Farragut and Sansom this morning as a modular apartment building was being dropped into place.

Another pre-fab, modular apartment building is going up along Sansom Street. This one is behind the Sunoco at Sansom and Farragut.

Even Councilwoman Jannie Blackwell was on hand when they started dropping the pieces in place on Tuesday morning.

The building’s units were dropped in one by one by a crane parked along Farragut Street.  Continue Reading

The Penn Alexander School’s first and only principal, Sheila Sydnor, will retire at the end of this school year, and The School District of Philadelphia has announced a search for a new principal to lead the school starting from the 2016-2017 school year.

                     Penn Alexander School

Sydnor has served as Penn Alexander School Principal since it opened in 2001. A veteran district teacher and administrator, she was selected from a pool of 60 candidates. Under her leadership the University of Pennsylvania-assisted neighborhood school has earned a reputation for educational excellence. The school was named as the best K-8 school in the district in the 2014-2015 School Progress Report.

On Wednesday, March 9, community members are invited to join in the conversation regarding the search for a new principal. A meeting with the search committee, which is chaired by Sean Conley, assistant superintendent for Neighborhood Network Two of the School District of Philadelphia, and Dr. Pam Grossman, dean of the Penn Graduate School of Education, will take place from 7 – 8 p.m. in Penn Alexander’s cafeteria.

The committee is holding a series of outreach meetings with key stakeholders. These meetings are an opportunity for community members to learn about the search process and voice their ideas.

When: Wednesday, March 9, 7-8 p.m.
Where: Penn Alexander School Cafeteria; Enter on 43rd street (between Locust and Spruce)

Developers present plans for a 21-unit apartment building at 46th and Spruce to the Spruce Hill Community Association zoning committee on Monday night. (Photo by West Philly Local)

Plans to build a four-story apartment building to replace the burned-out, single-floor building on the corner of 46th and Spruce drew concerns about parking and the flurry of new nearby apartment building construction last night during a meeting of the Spruce Hill Community Association (SHCA) zoning committee.

The proposed brick and metal panel building at 4534-36 Spruce St. would include 21 mostly two-bedroom apartments, ground-floor retail and a rooftop deck. The developers need a variance from the Zoning Board of Adjustment to get to the building’s proposed height – 44 feet.

A 2011 fire gutted the current structure, a transitional housing facility. The building has been vacant since the fire.

Parking was the biggest concern at last night’s meeting. The proposal does not include on-site parking, and nearby residents are concerned that this building along with the new 40-unit apartment building at 46th and Walnut, and the 15-unit building built between two Victorian twins on the 200 block of S. 45th Street will make finding a spot exceedingly difficult.  Continue Reading

A police pursuit of a vehicle led to a crash this afternoon near 52nd and Catharine, according to reports. The pursuit, which began in Delaware county shortly after 4 p.m., ended in West Philadelphia when the suspects’ vehicle crashed. The police then chased two suspects on foot. One person was arrested, and another man remains at large, 6ABC reports.

One civilian was injured during the chase, according to reports. It’s currently unknown what led to the pursuit. Stay tuned for more information.

UPDATE: NBC reports that at least four people were hurt after the fleeing driver struck multiple vehicles near 53rd and Cedar.