Photo courtesy of The Woodlands.

There is some exciting news at the Woodlands. The historic century cemetery and mansion has been working on some improvements at and near the Carriage Yard located on the west side of the grounds. Once this work is completed the Carriage Yard will be used as an outdoor event space for public and private events, according to Emma Max, Program and Operations Manager.

The work went underway last month and temporarily caused closing/detour of a portion of the running path adjacent to the construction site (see photo above). So far the drainage in the area has been improved. Continue Reading

The next Spruce Hill Community Association’s Zoning Committee meeting will take place Thursday, Aug. 19 at 6 p.m. (see more details below). The meeting will focus on several development projects proposed along Chestnut Street – from 40th to 46th Street:

4519-45 Chestnut Street: Six-story residential development with 327 units is being proposed on an existing parking lot at West Catholic High School.

4145 Chestnut Street: A residential building with 136 units and ground floor commercial/retail;

4301-29 and 4331-37 Chestnut Street: A seven-story mixed use complex with 275 residential units. Continue Reading

Theatre in the X is returning to Malcolm X Park after a year hiatus and will present three evenings of a new production, The West Philly Meeting. The new play by the innovative Black theater troupe was created with the West Philly community in mind and is based on the community input.

The process began in early 2020 with in-person West Philly community meetings that helped devise the new theatre piece. Two significant and tragic historic events are the basis for the new play – the 1985 MOVE bombing and summer 2020 protests and teargassing of protesters by the police on 52nd street, according to an article by The Philadelphia Inquirer.

The new piece, written by Dwayne Alistair Thomas and directed by Katrina Snobe, brings the characters and the audience together to find “the solution to heal what ails them.” Continue Reading

Philadelphia officials have announced a new indoor mask mandate to fight the latest surge in COVID-19 cases in the city. The new requirements will come into effect Thursday at 12 a.m. on and will only effect businesses and institutions that do not require proof of COVID-19 vaccination for their staff and customers, according to today’s announcement by Mayor Jim Kenney.

Some Philadelphia area restaurants have been asking their customers to show proof of vaccination to be served at their business since the delta variant began spreading last month. Those restaurants that do not have such rules will have to ask their staff and customers to wear masks inside unless they’re actively eating or drinking. Continue Reading

William “Will” Lindsay was tragically killed in a hit-and-run accident last summer while riding his bike in Philadelphia. This summer, to commemorate the anniversary of Will’s tragic death, Neighborhood Bike Works (NBW), the West Philadelphia based non-profit organization, has installed a permanent bike repair stand outside of their shop at 3939 Lancaster Ave.

Will’s loved ones started a Go Fund Me campaign to honor him and raise awareness of cycling safety. They raised over $65,000 and split the funds between the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia and Neighborhood Bike Works. This generous funding will help NBW in their efforts to provide cycling opportunities to as many Philadelphians as possible. Continue Reading

Scribe Video Center is bringing back its free outdoor screening series Street Movies! this month. The series is returning for its 24th season with nine screenings scheduled across Philadelphia and New Jersey.

Screenings will be held in West Kensington, West Philly, West Oak Lane, Lawnside, Southwest Philly, Hawthorne, North Philly, and South Philly. Live performances start at 8:00 p.m., followed by a presentation of short films at 8:30 p.m. Performers include Sonic Liberation Front, Instituto de Puertorriqueño Música, Max Swan, SNACKTIME Philly, Bethlehem and Sad Patrick, Monnette Sudler, and Alfie Pollitt. Continue Reading