Here are a few important Presidents Day reminders.

• City offices, public schools and libraries are closed today and will reopen on Tuesday.

• Post offices are closed, and there will be no mail delivery today.

• There will be no trash and recycling collection today. Please set out your trash on Tuesday at your regular location. Collections will be one day behind for the remainder of the week.

• SEPTA trolleys and buses are operating on a modified weekday schedule (click here for more information).

Fire crews were battling an intense fire early Monday morning inside the three-story Locust Medical Center building located at 249 S. 52nd Street (see video below). The fire broke out around 4:45 a.m. and was brought under control around 6:30 a.m., according to reports. The building reportedly houses a pharmacy and several doctors’ offices. No injuries have been reported. The cause of the fire is currently unknown.

We’re very sad to report that a two-year-old boy was struck and killed by a SEPTA trolley this afternoon. The incident happened at around 1 p.m. at the intersection of 51st and Lancaster and the Route 10 trolley was involved, according to various reports. The child was pronounced dead at the scene.

The boy was reportedly with his family and ran in front of the trolley. Witnesses told police that the child’s family moved to the block just a few weeks ago.

SEPTA officials said that they’re also investigating the accident.

The large sinkhole that opened up on the 4600 block of Spruce Street about three weeks ago has finally been filled in, and this portion of the street has reopened for traffic. Water Department crews though are still working on the street surface around the spot where the sinkhole used to be. Parking is still not allowed in the area, because the ground is unstable.

This photo was taken on January 18, 2015.

Photo courtesy of 8 Limbs Academy.

UPDATE (3/11/2015): 8 Limbs Academy opened on March 3, 2015. Here’s a short update from Coach Kate:

“We are scheduling FREE intros but are booked all through March, and we are starting to fill April. We are offering early morning ALL female kickboxing at 6 a.m. and evening classes starting at 6 p.m. The children’s classes start at 4:15 p.m., and there is an after school program for them starting at 3:00 p.m. Here is a link to our schedule: www.8limbsacademy.com/8-limbs-current-schedule.”

Here’s some exciting news for local martial arts and fitness fans. Partners and coaches Charlie Cottone and Kate Allen are opening a Muay Thai Kickboxing school, 8 Limbs Academy, on Baltimore Avenue in March. For those who are not very familiar with kickboxing, Muay Thai or Thai boxing is a national sport of Thailand. It is a physical and mental discipline also known as “the art of eight limbs,” because eight points of contact are used in the combat: fists, elbows, knees, and shins.

Eight Limbs Academy is expected to open in the first week of March, and coaches Charlie and Kate have already started preregistering folks, kids and adults alike, for their programs, which include All Female Kickboxing, Adult Muay Thai, and Kids Muay Thai programs. They will also offer an after-school program for kids who can come and spend time in the gym after school, including doing their homework, before their Muay Thai lesson. In addition to that, the owners hope to work closely and be involved with the West Philadelphia community. Continue Reading

WePAC head David Brown reads to Kindergartners at the Hamilton School (Photo from WePAC’s Facebook page).

The West Philadelphia Alliance for Children (WePAC) has reopened another public school library, this time at the K-8 Andrew Hamilton School (57th and Spruce). Students there have not had regular access to books in the school library, which will reopen one day a week, for 10 years, according to WePAC.

WePAC replaced most of the books, including non-fiction titles that were up to 85 years old, and spent hundreds of hours getting the library ready for Hamilton students. The library is the 13th that the organization has helped revamp, reopen and staff. Another 20 schools are on WePAC’s waiting list.

There are currently about 125 volunteers at WePAC who help operate the school libraries, which serve about 6,000 students weekly.

Most of the libraries that WePAC staff operate are on a modest schedule, opening one or two days a week. Part of WePAC’s strategy is to get libraries restocked and operating so that parents and community members can build on their work to keep the library going.