The Philadelphia Department of Public Health is partnering with several West and Southwest Philly produce trucks to promote fresh fruits and vegetables for neighborhood residents. The Philly Loves Fresh initiative encourages people to buy fresh produce from the trucks since it is not often available at local retail stores. Only about 19 percent of all food stores stock large amounts of fresh produce.

The initiative encourages residents to meet the owners and visit their trucks more often. Run by African immigrants or their families, some of these trucks have been serving local neighborhoods for over 30 years, often in the same spot! Here’s some historical context of how these trucks came to be in Philadelphia from the Philly Loves Fresh website:

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City Council is hosting a tax relief workshop this Thursday, Sept. 12, in Southwest Philadelphia to help residents whose taxes have gone up in recent years.

The workshop, presented by Council President Kenyatta Johnson (2nd District) and Councilmember Jamie Gauthier (3rd District), will take place in the Kingsessing neighborhood, which, according to an analysis by the Philadelphia Inquirer, saw the highest increase in property tax bills for single-family homes anywhere in the city.

The workshop will be held at Salt and Light Church (5736 Chester Ave) from 6-8 p.m.. Residents can get in-person assistance with tax relief programs and property assessment appeals.

To keep families in their homes, City Council provided more homeowners with property tax relief than ever before. Council and the Mayor enacted Councilmember Gauthier’s low-income property tax freeze, which keeps property taxes for eligible and enrolled homeowners at their current (pre-2024 assessment) level. Council President Johnson also led the successful expansion of the Homestead Exemption from $80,000 to $100,000.

For more information on these and other real estate tax relief programs, visit: https://www.phila.gov/services/payments-assistance-taxes/taxes/property-and-real-estate-taxes/get-real-estate-tax-relief/

SEPTA has announced proposed fare changes, including the elimination of the 50-cent fare discount for Key card and contactless media users, which means that they will have to pay the full amount of $2.50 per ride.

SEPTA officials say that the transit authority is facing a $240 million budget deficit after runnning out of COVID funding and getting less state funding than expected.

The $2.50 fare is the same as a single fare cost of a Quick Trip ticket, which can be purchased at SEPTA kiosks with cash. Transfers would remain free and SEPTA is not expected to raise the cost of daily, weekly and monthly passes. The last fare increase was adopted in 2017.

SEPTA will hold two public hearings on October 16, at 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., where the proposed fare adjustments will be presented.

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Kilimandjaro Restaurant is set to reopen on the 4300 block of Chestnut St.

UPDATE (9/3/2024): Kilimandjaro’s grand opening at 4301 Chestnut St. is scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 12 at 4 p.m. Visit the restaurant’s Facebook page for updates (@kilimandjarorestaurant).

Here’s some great news for lovers of West African cuisine. The popular Senegalese restaurant Kilimandjaro is set to reopen soon on the same block of Chestnut Street but in a new building. The restaurant will reopen at 4301 Chestnut St., on the ground floor of a new, recently completed apartment building.

Kilimandjaro owner Youma Ba (right) meeting with Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, at Youma Restaurant. (Facebook photo)

Kilimandjaro, owned and operated by Youma Ba, a Senegalese-born businesswoman, operated on the 4300 block of Chestnut since 2005 but closed in early 2022 because the strip mall where it was located was being demolished to make room for the new apartment building.

Kilimandjaro will reopen next door to the recently opened urban discount supermarket, University City Grocery Outlet.

Youma Ba also owns Youma Restaurant on the 4500 block of Baltimore Avenue.

Stay tuned for more details on the reopening. You can also visit Kilimandjaro’s Facebook page for updates.

Black Dragon Takeout has opened at 5260 Rodman St. (Black Dragon Takeout Instagram photo)

UPDATE (8/30/2024): Due to the overwhelming support for their grand opening on Thursday, Black Dragon Takeout will be closed on Friday, Aug. 30 to “regroup” and “stock up for more fantastic meals.” The restaurant will reopen on Saturday, Aug. 31 at Noon. Follow their Instagram page for updates (@blackdragontakeout).

If you’d like to try Chinese food with an innovative twist, check out Black Dragon Takeout, a “Black American Chinese” restaurant that has just opened on South 53rd Street near Cedar Avenue (5260 Rodman St). The restaurant, led by chef and community activist Kurt Evans, offers a fusion of Asian and soul food with some American/Philly staples, including such unconventional Chinese restaurant menu items as Collard Green and Cheesesteak Egg Rolls, Mac & Cheese and Jerk Chicken Dumplings, Oxtail Lo Mein, Sweet Potato Sour Chicken, and more.

The concept for the restaurant was born after Evans saw a “troubling trend” of many local Chinese takeout restaurants closing down in recent years, especially in Black communities where many residents had relied on them for quickly served hot meals. While seeing this opportunity, Evans also wanted to “innovate and bring something new to the table,” according to the Black Dragon website.

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You may have seen the road work and digging on 51st to 54th and Cedar to Walnut Streets in recent months. The Philadelphia Water Department (PWD) wants to talk about it. The PWD will hold a community meeting on Monday, Aug. 26 to tell West Philly residents about its new green stormwater infrastructure (GSI) projects planned for the area.

These projects are part of “Green City, Clean Waters,” the City’s 25-year plan to reduce the volume of stormwater entering Philadelphia’s combined sewer system, which covers about 60 percent of the city and often overflows during wet weather. The citywide project, which is expected to be completed by 2036, will help make local waterways cleaner and neighborhoods greener.

The meeting will take place from 5:30-6:30 p.m. at Lucien E. Blackwell Regional Library (52nd and Sansom).

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