A man who was reportedly released on parole was shot in both legs at around 6:30 p.m. last night on the 4900 block of Catharine Street, about 20 feet from the Cedar Park playground.

Police showed up soon after shooting was reported, but couldn’t find any victims. Later they found the 32-year-old man at Temple University hospital where he had been dropped off, according to GunCrisis.org. The victim is listed in stable condition. A house near where the man was shot has been associated with criminal activity, according to a neighbor. Apparently, it was a shootout between two people.

GunCrisis.org reports that the shooting was one of at least a half-dozen across the city last night.

Some residents near the corner of St. Bernard and Springfield are reporting that they heard between four and six gunshots and screaming just before 3 a.m. this morning outside of the African Cultural Center, which has been criticized in the past for late-night parties. They witnessed a lot of people running away from the center’s entrance, towards their cars to leave. Several police cars later arrived. At this point it’s not known if any arrests were made or if anyone was injured.

Several residents worked last year to bring attention to late-night events at the cultural center, which in recent years has been rented out by the owners for cover-charge events that typically run into the early morning hours. The problem is that the center, which also occasionally hosts wedding receptions and other events, is in a residential area.

– Mike Lyons

A late-night robbery spree this week led to two arrests, according to police. Three robberies – at 46th and Chester, 45th and Larchwood, and 42nd and Osage – happened within 15-20 minutes from one another, beginning around 11:55 p.m. on Tuesday, March 12 and going into early Wednesday. The Osage and Larchwood Avenue robberies were at a gunpoint, said Joseph Murray of the Southwest Detectives (@PPDJoeMurray).

That same night, the 18th district police arrested two suspects they believe were involved in these incidents. One of the arrested men is suspected in the Chester and Osage Avenue robberies.

Here’s a chance to learn a lot about the quality soil – especially if you plan to grow something in it. The Soil Kitchen will be open in Clark Park this Saturday and Sunday, from noon to 5 p.m. Urban soil is often full of contaminants like mercury, cadmium and lead, so if you want to have it tested and see if it’s safe to use, bring a plastic bag of dried and homogenized soil (with as few stones as possible). The University of Pennsylvania Department of Earth and Environmental Science’s mobile lab will be on site to do the soil testing. The results will be provided for free and can be location-anonymous. You can also learn strategies for dealing with gardening on contaminated soil at this event.

NOTE: if it rains tomorrow, the event will be held at the lobby of Hill College House at the University of Pennsylvania (3333 Walnut St).

For more information visit the Soil Kitchen 2013 website. And here are soil sampling instructions… in comic strip form:

Mariposa celebrates a year in its new home next week.

Our friends over at Mariposa Food Co-op have had a fantastic year since they moved to their new location at 4824 Baltimore Ave last spring and to mark the first anniversary of the move the store is planning a full week of celebration that begins this Saturday, March 16 (March 17 is the actual anniversary).

Here are some things that the store is planning and inviting residents to check out:

– In-store product sampling and special sales all week

– PARTY on Sunday, March 24 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. There will be food, entertainment, raffles, and fundraising for a food justice and anti-racism library.

– Mariposa is also recruiting new members. If you are a member, each time you refer a new member your name will be entered in a drawing at the anniversary party on Sunday. Prizes include gift baskets, food and health and beauty products.

The inside of the new Mariposa location back when was all still just an idea.

It has already been a year since Mariposa opened at the new location. Here’s a quick look at how it got there:

• When it was all just a dream.
• A peak inside before renovations began.
• Mayor Michael Nutter stops by to celebrate before the renovations officially get under way.
• A video that gives sneak peak inside the store in March, a couple of days before the grand opening.

The new Cedar Park Cafe location at 2035 N. 63rd St. (Photo from Yelp)

We have some good news and bad news for those of you who enjoyed a hearty, all-day breakfast at the Cedar Park Cafe on the 4900 block of Baltimore Avenue, which was heavily damaged in the Christmas Eve fire that destroyed Elena’s Soul. The bad news for Cedar Park residents and others nearby is that the cafe has relocated to north 63rd Street near the Overbrook train station. The good news is that it might come back.

The roof collapsed at the cafe’s Baltimore Avenue location when a wall fell on it as crews demolished what was left of the adjacent Elena’s Soul building. The cafe’s owners hope to return to Baltimore Avenue later this year.

Rimedio at 45th and Spruce streets. What kind of place might make it here?

Café Renata (Facebook page) on the 4300 block of Locust opens for brunch this weekend. But the Spruce Hill neighborhood is apparently losing a brunch spot as Rimedio, the Northern Italian brunch and dinner joint, has closed. A notice is posted on the restaurant’s front door at 45th and Spruce claiming that it is several months behind in rent.

Rimedio’s apparent departure (their website is offline too) has sparked some conversation about what kind of business might succeed at the 45th and Spruce location, where two businesses have opened and closed since the original Rx restaurant, which had a lengthy spell of success, changed owners in 2010.

We’d love to hear your thoughts about what kind of place might succeed there.

The Zoning Board of Adjustment (ZBA) yesterday cleared the way for local ice cream producer and retailer Little Baby’s Ice Cream to open shop on the 4900 block of Catharine Street, across the street from Cedar Park. If all goes as planned, the shop should be open by April 1.

Little Baby’s has been wooing Cedar Park residents for a while now and even sent them an “open love letter” on Valentine’s Day. The Cedar Park Neighbors civic association loved them back with a letter of support to the ZBA, which late yesterday provided Little Baby’s with the necessary permit to convert the storefront at 4903 Catharine into the company’s first retail shop west of the Schuylkill.

The company got a massive boost in the form of a 5-year, $50,000 loan from The Enterprise Center to expand into Cedar Park.

Little Baby’s Ice Cream is handmade in their production facility in East Kensington. Their dairy comes from Trickling Springs Creamery in Chambersburg, Penna. Here is a great profile on the three musicians who turned their passion for ice cream into a successful business.