The 2022 tax season will officially begin on Monday, Jan. 24 with community-based tax preparation and filing sites opening again across Philadelphia, including several locations in West Philly. The sites are run by The Campaign for Working Families (CWF), a non-profit organization that provides free tax preparation to working families and individuals and helps connect them with valuable tax credits, such as child tax credits, EITC, childcare credits, and more.

Due to COVID-19 restrictions, all sites will operate by appointment only. All appointments are for a brief visit so that individuals can drop off their documents for CWF tax experts to prepare. Click here for more information and to schedule an appointment. Continue Reading

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day is this Monday, Jan. 17 and many events celebrating his legacy have been scheduled around the city, virtually and in-person. Here’s a list of some events and volunteer opportunities happening in West and Southwest Philadelphia and on-line. Also, check out the list compiled by the Office of Councilmember Jamie Gauthier.

To explore additional MLK Day volunteer opportunities in Philadelphia, click here.

Thursday, Jan. 13 & Friday, Jan. 14:

Sam Pollard Film Screenings – Virtual Event

Scribe Video Center is hosting an online screening of two films by acclaimed filmmaker Sam Pollard. On Thursday, Jan. 13 at 7:00 p.m., join Scribe for a presentation of MLK/FBI, and on Friday, Jan. 14 at 7:00 p.m. there will be a presentation of Two Trains Runnin’, followed by a conversation with Sam Pollard. The screenings and conversation will be presented through the Crowdcast platform. Click here for more information and to register. Continue Reading

PEC staff member James Wright at a pop-up food distribution event (Photo courtesy of PEC)

People’s Emergency Center (PEC) staff are distributing free food and hosting the Penn Medicine COVID-19 mobile testing unit at 39th and Baring Streets on Thursdays this month (Jan. 13, Jan. 20, and Jan. 27).

Neighborhood residents are welcome to come by for a fresh box of produce and testing. The events are part of PEC’s work with the community to improve health outcomes for everyone. To learn more about the Penn Medicine mobile testing unit, run by Dr. Antonio Dávila Jr., click here.

Food distribution begins at 10 a.m. and continues while supplies last. The mobile testing unit will be onsite from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Small businesses along the 4700 block of Spruce Street are closing to make way for a 12-story apartment building.

The City’s Department of Licenses and Inspections issued a zoning permit on December 30 for a 170-unit building that will include some 37,000 square feet of commercial space on the first and second floors. The building, which will include three roof decks, will occupy nearly the entire south side of Spruce Street between 47th and 48th Streets.

Businesses have already begun closing or relocating to make way for the building. Ezra’s Auto Repair at the corner of 48th and Spruce (see photo below) has already relocated to Baltimore Avenue and businesses in the low rise strip to the east began closing late last year. Continue Reading

UPDATE (1/9/2022): Thirty-six more schools, in addition to the 46 schools announced on Friday, will shift to virtual learning from Monday, Jan. 10 through Friday, Jan. 14. The updated list is available here.

At the beginning of this week, the School District of Philadelphia temporarily shifted dozens of schools to virtual learning due to staffing challenges caused by the current spike in COVID-19 cases. Over 90 District-led schools reportedly switched to virtual learning by the end of the week. The District announced today that 46 schools will shift to virtual learning from Monday, Jan. 10 through Friday, Jan. 14.

The list of schools that will shift to 100 percent virtual learning starting Monday, Jan. 10 can be found here.

“It’s important to know that shifting any school to virtual learning is always a last resort,” Superintendent William R. Hite said in a statement. “Our schools are more than just institutions of learning.” Continue Reading

The University City District has released its “State of University City,” the annual report that details home price increases, population shifts and research, retail and office space successes in the area roughly 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.

The report includes data from 2020 (and some employment data from 2021) and shows a substantial increase in new construction and renovation square footage in 2020 following a steady decline in building since 2016.

This uptick in overall construction is attributed to academic and residential buildings on the campuses of the University of Pennsylvania and Drexel University, office space near the universities – particularly along Market Street – and several residential buildings along Chestnut Street, between 40th and 45th Streets. Continue Reading