Photo by Shepard Ritzen.

The mystery of the lifestyle art sculptures that recently appeared on an empty lot on the 4700 block of Market Street has been (somewhat) solved. The statues are by well-known New Jersey-based artist Seward Johnson, and the lot, owned by the Daniel Veloric Foundation, is a future site for a museum with some public meeting space, according to a recent report by Philly.com.

It’s not clear yet when the construction will begin, but reportedly “soon.” The Veloric Foundation, whose owner Daniel Veloric is 91 years old and lives in the suburbs, purchased the entire block in 2017. Some demolition work on the site has already been done, according to the report. The organization has reportedly allocated $1.3 million for the project.  Continue Reading

Democratic nominee Movita Johnson-Harrell easily won Tuesday’s special election for the 190th House District seat.

Johnson-Harrell, who was most recently the head of the victim service unit in the District Attorney’s Office, won with about two-thirds of votes cast. She replaces Vanessa Lowery Brown, who was forced to resign in December after being convicted of bribery charges.

Amen Brown, a Democrat who was running as an independent, finished second, according to reports. Pamela K. Williams, a pastor from West Philly running in the Working Families Party, finished third and Republican Michael Harvey finished fourth.  Continue Reading

The 190th House district.

A special election will be held tomorrow, March 12, to fill the state 190th House district seat left vacant after Vanessa Lowery Brown was forced to resign. This is the only race on the ballot.

The 190th district includes some neighborhoods around Malcolm X. Park and west of 52nd Street as well as Belmont, Carroll Park, Cathedral Park, Mill Creek, Haddington, East Parkside, West Powelton, Allegheny West and Lehigh West.

Go here to find your polling place and to figure out if you live in the 190th. Polls are open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.  Continue Reading

New details are emerging about the police shooting of a 25-year-old Temple University graduate student on Wednesday evening on the 4900 block of Hazel Avenue.

Police said they were called to a home on the block to investigate a reported stabbing. Police said that the victim, identified by CBS Philly as Kaleb Belay, approached them with a “kitchen knife” and ignored warnings to drop it before one officer shot him several times.

Police found no stabbing victim.  Continue Reading

Police cars at the crime scene this morning near 49th and Catharine (Photo by Brian M. Villa)

Police say a 36-year-old man was found shot to death inside a pick-up truck on the 4900 block of Catharine Street early Thursday morning.

Officers arrived on the block at just after 3 a.m. on Thursday to find the man shot several times. He was pronounced dead on the scene. The truck was still running.

Police are reviewing footage from nearby video surveillance, but have not announced any suspects.

Three blocks north on Wednesday evening, a police officer shot a man who police say advanced on them with a knife. The man was shot four times and is in critical condition. Police were responding to a report of a stabbing in a home on the 4900 block of Hazel at about 6:30 p.m. They say a man emerged from the house with a “kitchen knife.” He ignored warnings to drop the knife and one officer shot him four times, according to a police report. No stabbing victim was found, according to reports.

An internal investigation into the shooting is underway, according to police.

Police are looking for a male suspect who shot and wounded a 37-year-old man on Monday night near 52nd and Hazel. The man, who works as an attorney for Ballard Spahr, according to reports, was walking home at around 10:20 p.m. when an unknown young male ran up to him from behind and shot him in the chest when the victim was “ready to fight,” according to an interview with 6ABC.

Police believe it was an attempted robbery. The suspect fled the scene right after the shooting, according to police.

The victim was able to call the police and was taken to the hospital. He is expected to survive.  Continue Reading