UPDATE (11/30/2014, 5:15 p.m.): Kalis Adams, a 14-year-old boy who went missing from his home at 62nd and Carpenter on Friday, has been found and is in good condition, according to police.

Kalis Adams 14yrs old, located safe & in good condition. Thank you for the assistance in finding this young man. pic.twitter.com/4cEvq515GY

— Philadelphia Police (@PhillyPolice) November 30, 2014

Kalis Adams (Photo from Philly Police Blog)

(11/29/2014): Police are asking for the public’s help locating a 14-year-old boy, Kalis Adams. Kalis was last seen at his residence on the 6200 block of Carpenter Street at approximately 9:30 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 28.

Kalis is described as 4’10”, 93 lbs, with a thin build, brown eyes, dark brown complexion, and black short hair. He was last seen wearing a white t-shirt, blue sweatpants, and blue/black Nike sneakers.

Kalis is autistic and also has ADHD. He is known to frequent the YMCA at 51st and Chestnut.

Anyone with information on Kalis’ whereabouts is asked to contact Southwest Detective Division at 215-686-3183 / 3184 or call 911.

This piece of street art appeared over the weekend on the vacant building at 46th and Spruce, which used to be a popular spot for paste-up artists. The building is in the process of being sold to a non-profit for low-income housing and so earlier graffiti was removed. Hopefully this will stay up a while.

Snow is falling in Philadelphia and we hope that everyone who is traveling today for Thanksgiving has a safe trip. Those who will be celebrating the holiday here will probably find the information below useful. Happy Thanksgiving!

City offices will be closed this Thursday and public schools will be closed Thursday and Friday. Libraries will close on Wednesday at 3 p.m. and will remain closed on Thursday. There will be no trash and recycling collection on Thursday. Post offices will also be closed and there will be no mail delivery on Thursday. And here’s information on Thanksgiving SEPTA service and hours for some local stores, cafes and restaurants. Please note that most restaurants will be closed on Thursday but will reopen on Friday (some will be serving special brunch on Friday!).

SEPTA
Thursday – Buses, trolleys, regional rail operate on Sunday schedule. Market-Frankford & Broad Street Line service will operate on a special schedule. All night train service will be available beginning Thursday at 12:01 a.m. Regular Owl Bus service will resume Friday at 12:01 a.m.

Friday – Many SEPTA Bus and Trolley Routes will operate on a modified weekday schedule. Specific route service information is available on printed timetables and at www.septa.org  Continue Reading

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.