A community forum at the Kingsessing Recreation Center (4901 Kingsessing Ave.) on Friday, Dec. 8 will focus on life-without-parole sentences and include speakers ranging from legislators and family members of victims to recently released “juvenile lifers.”

The Community Educational Forum on Life Without Parole, which will run from 6:15 p.m. to 8:15 p.m., will include discussion of state legislation that would provide parole eligibility for men and women serving life sentences. Under current law, anyone convicted of first- or second-degree murder in Pennsylvania receives a mandatory sentence of life without parole.

Forum organizer Gregory Benjamin said that he used to be skeptical of providing parole eligibility to lifers, but changed his mind after meeting with prisoners at Graterford, the maximum security prison 25 miles outside of Philadelphia.  Continue Reading

This holiday season, we’ll be sharing information on how community members can give back and help those in need.

University City District has just launched a new holiday pop-up at The Porch at 30th Street Station, which will run through Dec. 22. The pop-up is a collaboration between UCD, Project HOME and Schmear It and contributes to the fight against homelessness in Philadelphia.

From noon to 6 p.m. on weekdays, Project HOME will run a holiday shop selling items made by Project HOME residents. The HOME shop offers homemade candles, homemade soaps, and holiday cards with artwork created by Project HOME residents. The shop is a part of a social enterprise where the residents earn income from the sale of their unique items. This pop-up is an ongoing partnership between UCD and Project HOME.  Continue Reading

After Black Friday and Cyber Monday comes Giving Tuesday when people are encouraged to support not-for-profit organizations. There are so many great nonprofit organizations with many great causes in our area. We don’t want to point out any specific ones, but you can check out our Civic Life page and choose one or more organizations with a cause you’re most passionate about. Here are also Twitter messages from some local non-profits:  Continue Reading

Cedar Park Neighbors in cooperation with area churches and other nonprofit organizations, will again prepare and distribute food baskets for those in need during the holiday season. The 2017 CPN Holiday Food Drive is currently underway. The suggested donation is $36. Support at this amount will help CPN supply meals for two families.

In 2016, CPN was able to reach over 150 local families.  Continue Reading

Several West Philly businesses, including Siddiq’s Water Ice, Dynamite Pest Control, Royal Mane Boutique and others, have partnered this Thanksgiving holiday to serve a special “Giving Thanks” community dinner on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 23. The dinner will be served at Siddiq’s Water Ice location at 264 S. 60th Street (in a heated tent between Locust and Spruce) from noon to 3 p.m. The food is catered by Ol’ Boys Soul Food.

Siddiq Moore has been serving real fruit water ice, ice cream and frozen yogurt near 60th and Irving since July 8, 2017 when he opened his first brick-and-mortar location, but he has been in the business since mid-90’s when he started running a water ice cart at Temple University. After opening in July, Siddiq’s Water Ice (Facebook page) received its own street marker, “Siddiq’s Water Ice Way”, from the city, recognizing Moore’s efforts to revitalize 60th Street Corridor.

An assistant to the French-Tunisian artist eL Seed puts the finishing touches on a new mural at the corner of Preston and Market (Photos by Mike Lyons, West Philly Local)

If you’ve been up around 40th and Market in the past few days, you may have noticed a lot of activity near the corner of Market and Preston. The French-Tunisian “calligraffiti” artist el Seed is painting a mural.

eL Seed and two assistants have been working on the mural day and night since Monday and, despite the theft of their paint earlier in the week, the mural will be unveiled officially tomorrow (Saturday, Nov. 18) at 11 a.m. Mural Arts Philadelphia and Al-Bustan Seeds of Culture co-sponsored the piece.  Continue Reading