West Philly Local readers are reporting that a porch collapsed this afternoon at around 2 p.m. at 4314-4316 Pine St. The fire department was on the scene. Neighbors say that the property has been neglected for a number of years.

“No one was home when this happened, thank goodness,” one neighbor wrote. (Photo by Deirdre Woods).

Photo from woodlandsphila.org

Last month, when West Philly Local shared details about The Woodlands’ community survey, many of our readers took to the comments section to air grievances about off-leash dogs running around the site. The general consensus is that off-leash dogs are dangerous to visitors, as well as other animals on the site.

In response, Erica Maust, The Woodlands’ program & communications coordinator, reached out both in the comment section and directly to West Philly Local to remind the community of The Woodlands’ strict no off-leash dogs policy, as well as promote its Dog Walker membership. Maust confirmed that off-leash dogs as a major concern for the grounds, and that concern was reflected in “an overwhelming number of [survey] responses from neighbors and community members.”

According to Maust, off-leash dogs are “never permitted, or welcome, at The Woodlands,” both by city law and management policy, no exceptions. All dogs passing through its gates must be leashed, and if they are not, Maust said, Woodlands staff will ask the owner to leash their dog. If they’re a repeat offender, they’re asked to leave the grounds.

“No one should feel unsafe or uncomfortable when visiting the grave of a loved one, enjoying an afternoon walk, or teaching their children to ride a bike,” she told West Philly Local. “Not everyone likes or feels comfortable around dogs, and we want all of our visitors to feel as though The Woodlands is a safe place to visit.”

But, she noted, The Woodlands employs a small staff on the 54-acre site, which makes fully enforcing its policy difficult. So The Woodlands also rely on members visiting the grounds to help implement or make other visitors aware of its leash policy when a staff member may not be present, Maust said.

In an effort to raise awareness about the policy and ways members could help, Maust said The Woodlands’ created a Dog Walker membership, good for one person and their dog(s). The benefits of this membership level, which costs $75, include invites to members-only events and Doggy “Yappy Hours”, discounted ticket pricing, occasional exclusive after-dark access to the grounds, and one “I LOVE THE WOOFLANDS” dog leash.

“The dog-walking community is an especially important membership group to us, because so many people who live nearby rely on access to The Woodlands to walk their dogs daily. We recognize this, and we love that we can allow neighbors to walk their dogs at The Woodlands,” she said. “We also hope that these neighbors and their pets recognize that The Woodlands is an incredible resource that’s right in their backyard, and will use the space respectfully.”

The Dog Walker membership also includes access to the Dog of the Month program, in which visitors can submit a photo of their dog on the grounds via social media using the hashtag #wooflands. The social media campaign “has helped us raise awareness for our leash policy for all of our visitors and our followers on social media, and we hope it will lead to fewer problems and incidents with off-leash dogs at The Woodlands,” Maust said.

–Annamarya Scaccia

Curio Theatre’s 2013-2014 season is coming to an end, with only three shows of Oedipussy remaining. Oedipussy is Curio’s North American premiere of British theater troupe Spymonkey’s hilarious adaptation of the well known Greek myth of Oedipus. Tickets are still available for this Thursday, Friday and Saturday’s shows, so grab them while they last.

The show received some great reviews.

“I can say in all honesty, it was one of the most enjoyable evenings I’’ve had in the theatre…,” writes Ellen Wilson Dilkes for Stage Magazine.

Aetna Gallagher in Oedipussy.

Oedipussy is a physical comedy. “Leaping, climbing, hurling themselves around the simple set while downing painkillers, they barrel through the tragedy in a hilarious and weirdly touching meditation on life, love, theater, and aging gracelessly,” writes The Inky‘s Wendy Rosenfield praising the actors’ physical stage fitness (three of the four cast members are nearing 50).

And here are six reasons why you should not miss this show, according to Curio’s Managing Director Gay Carducci:

1) Not one bad review
2) Standing ovations nearly every night
3) Neighbor reviews posted on telephone poles
4) Nobody is really naked
5) You will laugh…there is no doubt
6) And it’s the last show of the season!

Performances take place in Curio’s home base, the Calvary Center for Culture and Community at 4740 Baltimore Ave. at 8 p.m. Tickets ($20-$25) are available here. Parental discretion is advised.

Paul Kuhn (left) and Harry Slack in Oedipussy. Photos courtesy of Curio Theatre.

The 26-year-old Kingsessing man accused of shooting and killing another West Philadelphia resident outside of the Copabanana bar and restaurant near 40th and Spruce last month will be held for trial following a preliminary hearing on Tuesday.

Shooting victim Timothy Cary

Corey Gaynor faces a count of first-degree murder in the shooting death of 31-year-old Timothy Cary of the 5100 block of Locust Street at about 1:30 a.m. on April 14.

Police say Gaynor, who is from near 52nd and Whitby, fired as many as 10 shots from point-blank range at Cary after an argument inside the Copabanana reportedly spilled outside onto the sidewalk.

Penn police apprehended Gaynor near 40th and Pine a few minutes after the shooting. Police found a handgun nearby. Several witnesses at the scene identified Gaynor as the shooter, according to police.

Gaynor is scheduled to be arraigned on June 10 at 11 a.m. in Courtroom 1104 of the Criminal Justice Center.

All the votes are in for yesterday’s primary election and here are some local results.

In the democratic primary for the 188th District representation in Pennsylvania House, incumbent James Roebuck defeated local businessman and community organizer Algernong Allen. Roebuck garnered 69 percent of the votes (4,097) versus 31 percent (1,814) for Allen.

Spruce Hill based Republican attorney Matthew Wolfe lost his bid for a seat in the City Council to Democratic candidate Ed Neilson in the special election to replace Councilman-at-Large Bill Green, who resigned his seat to head the School Reform Commission.

The ballot question that asked voters if the city’s minimum wage of $10.88 for city contractors should apply to sub-contractors, mainly Philadelphia International Airport workers, received 93,000 “yes” votes, versus 30,000 “no” votes as of about 11 p.m. on Tuesday (97 percent of precincts reporting), according to the Office of the City Commissioners website.

Through June 15, the West Philadelphia YMCA is accepting donations of everyday necessities for local infants and newborns. YMCA is teaming up with Youth Services Inc. in this effort to help our little neighbors. The basic necessities include:

• Diapers
• Socks
• Rattles
• Bottles
• Onesies
• Receiving blankets
• Pacifiers
• T-shirts

These items can be dropped off at the designated box in the Y’s lobby. For more information, please contact Shalann K. Graves at 215-476-2700 X 2017.

The West Philadelphia YMCA is located at 5120 Chestnut Street.