West Philly musicians Sterling Duns and RB Ricks have released a single in response to the events in Ferguson, Mo. “Dr. X.” was uploaded to YouTube in anticipation of the verdict in the grand jury investigation of police officer Darren Wilson.

A handful of protests are expected today in Philadelphia. The group People Utilizing their Real Power (PURP) (Facebook page) is leading a rally, along with clergy, that is scheduled to begin at 3:30 p.m. From City Hall, the rally is expected to move along North Broad Street to Cecil B. Moore Avenue.

Here is “Dr. X”:

Fresh, healthy food is a luxury a lot of folks can’t afford, but the Powelton-based People’s Emergency Center and Drexel University have come up with a way to combine healthier food and economic opportunity with the recently launched Fresh Start Foods West Philadelphia.

The program provides unemployed young adults an opportunity to build skills through paid food service apprenticeships through Drexel’s Department of Culinary Arts and Food Science. The apprenticeships will include culinary preparation training, nutrition, meal planning and recipe development. The first cohort will begin in March.

Once fully operational, the program will be able to provide some 2,000 healthy meals each day to neighborhood school children. Organizers also plan to open a retail store next fall at 3945 Lancaster Ave.

Fresh Start Foods West Philadelphia has received more than $700,000 in federal and state grants.

UPDATE (11/24/2014): The Holiday Basket Drive continues in Cedar Park and Cedar Park Neighbors will also be sending out letters to residents asking for donations, starting this week. To donate online, visit this page.

11/6/2014: Winter holidays are approaching fast – an exciting time for all, but also worrying for many neighbors who will struggle putting food on the table during this time. In a continuous effort to help Cedar Park residents and families in need, Cedar Park Neighbors (CPN) is holding a holiday food basket drive again this year.

CPN, in cooperation with some local churches and other nonprofit organizations, will prepare and distribute food baskets during the holiday season. Last year, they were able to help over 600 people in the neighborhood. In order to make this event successful again, they are asking for help from the community.

A suggested donation is $36. This amount will help CPN and their partners feed two families. To donate to the CPN Holiday Basket Drive, go to this page.

If you have questions, please contact Michelle at mlewis1071@gmail.com.

Screen shot from the video below that was produced by the Philo Project.

Need a rake? A wrench? Some pliers? Maybe a gas-powered lawn care tool to call your very own? You’re in luck because this Saturday (Nov. 22) is the West Philly Tool Library‘s semi-annual Fall Tool Sale and Drive.

The sale is a chance to get in on some great tool buys as they thin out the inventory a little and raises some much need cash. The sale runs from 9 a.m. to noon at the Tool Library, 1314 S. 47th.

Tax deductible donations are also encouraged and coffee and refreshments will be provided.

By the way, if you are unfamiliar with the West Philly Tool Library and want to join, here’s a little video you should watch:

The city will be conducting mechanical leaf collection for the area between 38th and 52nd Streets and from Baltimore Avenue to Spruce Street this Friday (Nov. 21), so here’s a reminder of what residents in this area should do.

All leaves should be raked and ready for collection by 7:00 a.m. on Friday. Rake leaves into the street by the curb’s edge (piling is not necessary). If possible, move your vehicle to an off-street parking location on your scheduled collection day, so crews can remove leaves along the curb line. Residents in mechanical areas can also drop-off bagged leaves. After the mechanical collection, please sweep and bag any remaining leaves and place them out for the weekly rubbish collections.

There will be only one mechanical leaf collection for each area this year. For more information regarding the 2014 Philly Leaf Recycling Program, click here.

The city will unveil the locations of the most requested bike share stations tomorrow at 30th Street Station. Swing by during the day from 8:15 a.m. to 6 p.m. in the west side of the main waiting area.

As it has already been reported in city-wide and local media, the city’s first bike share program is expected to launch in the Spring 2015, bringing public bikes available for pick-up and drop-off at around 60 locations in Center City and parts of South, North and West Philadelphia. Recently, the City completed a five-week long survey where the public was asked to provide input on suggested bike share stations across the city. Around 10,000 public comments on 100 potential bike share locations were submitted through an online map, via in-person surveys and text messages and now there is an opportunity to learn more about the results of the survey in West Philly.

The first Bike Share Results Open House took place Tuesday in Center City:

Come learn about Philly #bikeshare for Spring 2015, Today at the Gallery 9th and Market Sts. until 6 PM. pic.twitter.com/acukZh05UB

— PhillyBikeShare (@phillybikeshare) November 18, 2014

Some 16 bike share stations have been proposed in West Philadelphia, most of them on and around the Penn and Drexel campuses. The westernmost location is on Walnut Street between 43rd and 44th. One location is on Baltimore Avenue (at 43rd St), three on or near Lancaster Ave (at 38th, 39th and 40th), four on Market Street (near 30th Street Station, 33rd, 37th, and 41st Streets), four on or near Walnut Street (near 34th, 36th, 40th, and 44th Streets).

These and other stations were considered based on a number of factors, including population density, bike lanes, available space, employment, shopping, cultural and recreational destinations and suggestions from stakeholders and the public.