From left to right: Rachel Gluck as Lenny, Tessa Kuhn as Babe and Colleen Hughes as Meg (Photo by Rebecca Gudelunas)

Curio Theatre opened its 13th season in September with free outdoor performances of “I, Peaseblossom” at The Woodlands. Beginning Friday, Nov. 17, the award-winning theater invites the public to its principal location at 48th and Baltimore to witness Crimes of the Heart, a Pulitzer prize winning play by Beth Henley.

The Magrath sisters, Lenny, Meg, and Babe, are reunited at their family home in Hazlehurst Mississippi after Babe shoots her husband. Each one is facing down her own demons, past and present. Lenny cares for the grandfather who raised her, as he approaches the end of his life. Meg grapples with dreams that didn’t come true, and Babe squares off against her husband. It’s a portrait of a dysfunctional family, but Beth Henley play finds laughter within tragedy.  Continue Reading

Police have arrested two suspects for the violent attack and robbery of a male Penn graduate student on Nov. 5 on the 400 block of South 43rd Street. The 26-year-old victim was beaten with a brick during the robbery and suffered serious head injuries, including a fractured skull, according to police.

Twenty-year-old Lance Ryan was arrested Thursday and charged with robbery and assault. Dajuan Dantzler, 18, was arrested Friday after he turned himself in, according to reports. He was also charged with robbery and assault, according to police.

Philadelphia mayor Jim Kenney will be a featured speaker at an upcoming Spruce Hill Community Association’s annual meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 14 at the Penn Alexander School Cafeteria (43rd and Locust). The mayor will address the future of the former Provident Mutual Life Insurance Building at 4601 Market (pictured).

The site was chosen by former mayor Michael Nutter administration for the new police headquarters and has been undergoing renovations since 2014. But, the Kenney administration canceled the plans to relocate the Police Headquarters to the site in the spring of 2017. In August, the city began seeking a new developer for the site.  Continue Reading

The University City District released its annual “State of University City” report on Thursday night. It shows what most of us already know: home prices are up; new retail spots are opening left and right; and the population is growing and getting younger.

UCD roughly defines “University City” as the area bounded by the Schuylkill River to the east, 50th Street to the west, Market Street/Powelton Avenue/Spring Garden Street to the north and Woodland Avenue/University Avenue to the south.

Here’s what the report, which covers trends through 2016, shows in key areas:

Real Estate Development

During 2016, 28 projects were either completed or made significant strides toward completion. These include academic, commercial, medical and residential projects. Curbed Philly has a handy map with many of the new projects covered in the report.  Continue Reading

A second suspect in the shooting death of West Philly community activist Winnie Harris has been arrested, according to a report by Philly.com. Police arrested 31-year-old Isaiah Reels, 31, at a home in Southwest Philadelphia on Thursday.

A well-known community advocate and executive director of UC Green, Winnie Harris was found shot to death at her home in West Powelton on February 3, 2017 in, what police believe, a case of mistaken identity. She was 65.

Another suspect, 39-year-old Nelson Giddings, was arrested last month, and police also named Reels as a second suspect and issued an arrest warrant for him in October. Police believe Giddings and Reels may have targeted a different residence, but broke into Harris’s home on the 300 block of North Holly Street late on Feb. 2 and shot her when she confronted them. Harris was found dead in her home the following day.

Schuylkill Yards, rendering image.

Drexel University and developer last year Brandywine Realty Trust unveiled their plans for “Schuylkill Yards,” a $3.5 billion development project, which includes development of 14 acres of parking lots and concrete space west of 30th Street into eight high rises, green public spaces and retail. On Wednesday, this ambitious project, which will take from 15 to 20 years to complete, broke ground.

The first phase of the master plan will include construction of Drexel Square, a 1.3 acre a public park on the corner of 30th and Market called Drexel Square, and mixed-use development along JFK Boulevard.  Continue Reading