Voters will go to the polls on Tuesday, Nov. 5 to vote for Mayor (a formality), At-Large City Council seats (not a formality this year) and a controversial ballot measure focused on crime victims’ rights.

The drama for City Council District 3 ended in May with the victory of upstart Jamie Gauthier over longtime incumbent Jannie Blackwell. Gauthier has no opponent in tomorrow’s vote. But several third party candidates are keeping the At-Large races interesting.

Seven At-Large candidates will be elected during Tuesday’s general election (polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.). History shows that the five Democratic At-Large candidates – incumbents Allan Domb, Derek Green, Helen Gym, as well as Katherine Gilmore Richardson and Isaiah Thomas – will all likely win easily. Democrats outnumber Republicans seven to one in the city.  Continue Reading

A 29-year-old man has been charged in shooting deaths of four people, including a 7-year-old boy, whose bodies were found on Wednesday inside a home on the 5000 block of Walton Ave., according to police. The tragedy happened on Tuesday night when the man allegedly shot and killed his four family members – his 52-year-old mother, 56-year-old step father, and two half-brothers, ages 18 and 7.

The police found the suspect, who reportedly suffers from mental health problems, at home when they arrived to check on the well being of the adult family members after they didn’t show up at work on Wednesday, according to a report by NBC10. He was arrested and charged with four counts of murder after allegedly confessing to the killings.

Philadelphia Water customers finally have an option to switch to paperless billing and pay their bills online. The City’s Water and Revenue Departments have recently launched a new, paperless e-billing service for water bills. Customers are urged to create e-billing accounts at www.phila.gov/waterbill.

Users of the new e-billing site can:

• Set up automatic payments for free
• Opt-out of paper bills
• Sign up for reminders and alerts
• Look up past bills

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The “Baltimore Crossing” condo construction project is underway near 51st and Baltimore. This is a three-unit building north of Baltimore (Photo courtesy of Holly Mack Ward & Co).

Folks looking to buy a home in West Philly have usually had two options: a pricey Victorian or a more affordable (but still pricey) rowhome. Developers have mostly been reluctant to build condos – essentially apartments that are for sale rather than for rent. That might be starting to change with “Baltimore Crossing,” a new condo development project currently under construction near 51st and Baltimore.

The project includes three buildings – a three-unit building north of Baltimore (at 717 S. 51st St), a five-unit building south of Baltimore (at 732-734 S. 51st), and a townhouse at 5135 Webster St. The construction of the north building is in an advanced stage, and the foundation has been laid for the south building.  Continue Reading

State Rep. Movita Johnson-Harrell will welcome her constituents to her new district office location during an open house Saturday.

The open house will take place from noon to 5 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 26 at 550 N. 52nd St.

Johnson-Harrell and her staff will be available to show constituents around the new office location, to answer questions and provide help with state government-related programs.  Continue Reading

The development boom along the 4200 block of Chestnut Street will continue with a seven-story, 102-unit building that will likely begin construction early next year.

Developers presented the plan to the Spruce Hill zoning committee last night as part of the city’s Civic Design Review process required for buildings of a certain size and use. But neither the SHCA nor the city itself has much oversight over the “by right” project, the second major “by right” project on that block this year. A 278-unit building is underway nearby at the former site of the Christ Memorial Church at 43rd and Chestnut.  Continue Reading