University City District’s West Philadelphia Skills Initiative, the program that connects unemployed West Philly residents with local employers, is recruiting Certified Medical Assistants for a training program with the Drexel University College of Medicine (DUCOM).

The program is seeking applicants who possess a high school diploma or GED; are currently unemployed; and live in the West Philadelphia zip-codes of 19104, 19131, 19139, 19143, or 19151. Applicants should be goal-oriented, motivated Certified Medical Assistants with a history of providing quality patient care and high-level customer service, and should have computer confidence. Program participants will earn a performance-based stipend while in training at WPSI.  Continue Reading

Photos by Mike VanHelder

A West Philly branch of the Fishtown taco jawn Loco Pez has been threatening to open for months now. Taco lovers will be happy to know that the time is finally upon us! The bar & restaurant on the ground floor of the Montrose building at 47th and Baltimore had a soft opening with limited hours on Saturday. The official opening night is tonight (Monday, July 30).

The menu features most of the same dishes as served at the original Fishtown location, along with a full bar that has both draft and bottled beer and wide selection of tequila. There are options for both vegetarians and non-vegetarians, but unfortunately no options for credit-card users. Loco Pez is cash-only with an ATM on-site, and management has no plans to add credit card service at this time. Current hours are 5 p.m.-1 a.m., with eventual plans to expand to daytime service and weekend brunch.  Continue Reading

The Citywide Street Resurfacing project continues in West Philadelphia with overnight street improvement work now being scheduled along 40th Street. The work will begin tonight at 7 p.m. and will include temporary street closures and parking restrictions in the area. The work is expected to be completed by late August, but weather or special events in the area may alter the work schedule, according to an announcement by the Streets Department.

The contractor, James J. Anderson Construction Co, Inc., will perform resurfacing on 40th Street from Girard Avenue to Market Street and from Walnut Street to Baltimore Avenue.  Continue Reading

Shakespeare in Clark Park’s new production, Twelfth Night, opened last night in the park’s “Bowl” near 45th and Chester. Although, the official opening night was on Wednesday, it was moved indoors due to rain. So, SCP’s actors and musicians participating in this glam rock-inspired production, presented the first outdoor show to a big crowd on Thursday (see more photos below).

Catch the remaining shows at Clark Park (or Annenberg Center, 3680 Walnut St., in case of inclement weather) through Sunday, July 29, beginning at 7 p.m. All shows are free and family-friendly.  Continue Reading

This is a reminder that SEPTA will stop selling paper transfers beginning August 1st.

Paper transfers for travel on buses, subways and trolleys will stop being issued at the end of the service day on Tuesday, July 31. Starting August 1, to receive a qualifying $1 transfer, customers will need to use a SEPTA Key Card with Travel Wallet. Customers who are eligible for reduced fare travel will need to use a SEPTA Key Card with Travel Wallet to receive the half-fare $0.50 transfer.

This is the latest effort by SEPTA to encourage more customers to switch to the Key Card, which was launched in June 2016. The majority of SEPTA customers have already made the switch.

After eliminating token and magnetic stripe TransPass sales at SEPTA-operated locations in the spring, SEPTA will also end third-party retail sales of tokens and magnetic stripe passes by Aug. 1.

For more information about the SEPTA Key Fare program, visit: www.septakey.org.

Police have released surveillance video (see below) and are seeking the public’s assistance in identifying the vehicle involved in a fatal hit-and-run in West Philadelphia over the weekend. The victim, a 61-year-old man, was struck near Lancaster Avenue and Aspen Street on Sunday, July 22, at 3:14 a.m. The vehicle that struck him was traveling at a high speed west on Lancaster Avenue from Fairmount Street and fled the scene after the accident.

The victim was found lying in the bicycle lane by officers patrolling the area and was transported to Penn Presbyterian Medical Center where he later died.  Continue Reading