A car traveling eastbound entered the trolley tunnel at 40th and Baltimore on Thursday morning at 11:30 a.m. and caused a temporary disruption of service when routes 10, 11, 13, 34 and 36 were put on diversion, according to SEPTA spokesman Andrew Busch. SEPTA riders using those routes could take the trolleys as far as 40th Street, then transfer to the Market-Frankford Line to continue their trip, which is customary when there is a disruption to service in the tunnel.

The fire department, police and SEPTA personnel were called to the scene. The vehicle was removed, and the tracks and other infrastructure were inspected for any potential damage. No problems were found, and service was restored at approximately 12:15 p.m.

The police didn’t identify the driver since there was no collision involving the vehicle and SEPTA trolleys and there were no injuries reported.

The crazy thing is that this happens kind of frequently.

“It’s not that uncommon,” said police spokesperson Tanya Little.

Neighbor Neal is looking for a good home for one of his foster dogs, tentatively named Tyga (Neal and his partner have three other dogs that they have rescued).

Tyga was found by Neal’s neighbors belted to a fence at the rec center across from their house. Tyga is a wonderful dog. His size and big ol’ pittie head scare people, but there is no reason to be scared. He is sweet as pie. He’s been around cats, dogs, chickens, rabbits, and kids by the dozens and does great with all of them. He does get jumpy when excited, so a home with little kids may not be best.

He’s never shown any food aggression, though he is a little food obsessed. He surely went without at times. He really needs some basic obedience and attention. He is crate trained and house trained, though vigilance is necessary.

He is neutered and vaccinated and ready for a home he can call his own. Please consider this guy. He might not be the cutest, but he’s the sweetest. PAWS has been a godsend in Neal’s stray filled house and neighborhood, so he only asks for a donation to them.

Please email Neal at nealsantos1 [at] gmail.com and tell him about yourself.

Canadian haute rock band Young Empires has recently stopped by Sweetgreen at 40th & Walnut to present the restaurant’s first “Sweetlife” music session. The guys seemed to enjoy their short stay (and Sweetgreen salads). See snippets from their live set and a brief interview below.

Sweetgreen’s Sweetlife sessions were launched earlier this month and already featured two bands giving free performances. There will be some more great bands coming through West Philly soon. Keep an eye on our Events calendar for announcements.

Young Empires sweetlife session from sweetgreen on Vimeo.

This amazing photo of Clark Park has been submitted by Eva Beloukis.

Send us your photo(s) of the neighborhood at editor@westphillylocal.com

Thanks to the joint efforts of several community organizations and over 300 volunteers, residents of the 3800 block of Aspen Street in Mantua are getting their homes improved and their block beautified.

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The volunteers and vendors, who are providing repairs to 20 homeowners on the block and working on greening and beautifying the block, will get together this Saturday, March 31, at the Green Block Party Open House. The open house will be held from 10:00 a.m.- noon and will include the house tours to see improvements in progress. There will also be an opportunity to learn more about healthy homes, meet the program partners, and hear local leaders and residents speak. Update: If it’s raining the open house will be held at the Mantua Community Improvement Committee building, 619 N. 35th Street – between Mt. Vernon and Haverford.

The project is carried out by the Green Block Build Collaborative, a coalition of community organizations including Philadelphia LISC, Rebuilding Together Philadelphia, The Partnership CDC, and a wide variety of other community partners. It is also supported by Drexel University and the University of Pennsylvania.

The Green Block Build strategy is to improve low-income households, block-by-block, house-by-house by building on the strengths of each partner organization. Each home on the block will receive multiple critical repairs or energy efficiency upgrades, energy assessments, education around home health issues, and financial education. Other home improvements include the installation of green and cool roofs, rain barrel installation, the removal of allergy and asthma triggers such as mold and dampness, weatherization improvements, and overall greening.

The projects are designed to specifically meet the needs of each homeowner. For example, one homeowner with physical handicaps will receive repairs to his home that make the bathroom, backyard, and other rooms more handicap-accessible.

Once the renovations are complete, Drexel University will conduct an analysis of the program’s impact.

“Lord have mercy, we’ll enjoy living in our neighborhood again!” said Barbara Hall, the block captain, when she learned about the Green Block Build Program, “This has given me so much hope.”

See more, including photos, on Plan Philly.

Have you recently taken a great photo of the neighborhood? Would you like to share it with your neighbors? Please email it to us at: editor@westphillylocal.com and we’ll publish it on our site and Flickr page. Please don’t forget to include your name and your photo’s title or caption.