The School District of Philadelphia is sending its Back-To-School buses to 31 city neighborhoods starting Monday, Aug. 9. This new program will provide important information and services to students and families, including free state-required childhood immunizations at four event sites, as they are preparing for the return to in-person learning on August 31st.

Students and families will also have an opportunity to communicate with the School District’s Street Team Ambassadors to receive back-to-school information, register for pre-Kindergarten through grade 12, sign up for the Parent Portal and receive a free backpack and school supplies. Continue Reading

The School District of Philadelphia has announced updates to their Plan for Safe Return to In-Person Learning on August 31st. All students, staff and visitors, regardless of their COVID vaccination status, will be required to wear masks indoors, according to the revised plan, which follows newly revised guidelines from the Philadelphia Department of Public Health (PDPH) on Philadelphia Schools.

The School District will also have the following safety measures in place when the new academic year kicks off on Aug. 31: Continue Reading

Philadelphia health officials are urging residents, including those fully vaccinated, to go back to wearing masks in public indoor spaces as the number of new coronavirus cases in the city is growing again due to the highly contagious Delta variant. The new guidance aims to protect children under 12 years old who are not yet eligible for COVID vaccines, according to acting Philadelphia Health Commissioner Dr. Cheryl Bettigole.

There has been a “small but disturbing” increase in coronavirus  cases and hospitalizations among children in Philadelphia, according to Bettigole. The number of new COVID-19 cases overall has doubled in the city over the past couple of weeks. Continue Reading

As Philadelphia is experiencing one of the worst years of gun violence, first-term lawmaker Amen Brown, who represents Philadelphia’s 190th Legislative District, continues his efforts to tackle this devastating issue. Brown, who earlier this year negotiated an agreement with the state’s largest gun show promoter to ban sales of “ghost gun” kits at its shows, has recently announced a Gun Violence Community Survey prepared by his office.

The survey is geared to residents of the 190th District, which encompasses several West Philadelphia neighborhoods, and asks several key questions pertaining to gun violence. Continue Reading

A rendering image of CCP’s Career and Advanced Technology Center being built at 48th and Market.

The Community College of Philadelphia (CCP) today celebrated the halfway point in construction for its highly anticipated state-of-the-art teaching and learning facility in West Philadelphia. The college held a midpoint ceremony for its Career and Advanced Technology Center (CATC) located at the southeast corner of 48th and Market.

Stakeholders and community partners received updates at today’s event on the programming and learning opportunities the CATC will provide. They also signed a stud with a permanent marker to be placed within the inner walls of the building and participated in a guided tour of the facility. Continue Reading

Here’s a quick update on our last month’s post regarding the development of a 132-unit residential complex at 43rd and Baltimore (4224 Baltimore Ave) across from Clark Park.

Developers announced in June that they were finally moving forward with the construction. The work began promptly after the announcement. Street parking around the construction area was closed and trees were removed, which made the site much more open and unrecognizable. Some excavation work has also begun.

Zoning approval for the project was granted in June 2015 and building permit was issued in May 2019. Continue Reading