The City of Philadelphia’s Health Department has declared a heat health emergency for Monday, July 20 due to an expected high heat index. The city will be opening sites where Philadelphians can cool off safely, including libraries, schools, SEPTA buses, and spraygrounds.

In West Philadelphia, Haddington Library at 446 North 65th Street will be open to all residents from 1 to 5 p.m. on Monday. West Philadelphia High School at 49th and Chestnut Streets will also be open from 1 to 5 p.m. to everyone who wants to cool off. Visitors to both places will be required to abide by social distancing guidelines and wear a mask while inside.  Continue Reading

Hundreds of protesters gathered near the site of MOVE bombing at 62nd and Osage on Saturday afternoon to remember the victims and “protest Philadelphia police terror.” They then proceeded to march to Malcolm X Park at 52nd and Pine (see the video below). The peaceful protest was organized by Black Lives Matter Philly (Facebook page), the MOVE Organization, Philly for REAL Justice, and other organizations.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CBYlPn3DqFp/

Thursday’s year-end City Council meeting has wide-ranging implications for several parts of West Philly.

The council will consider several bills from Councilwoman Jannie Blackwell that will change zoning in several neighborhoods, including a controversial measure in Garden Court. The bills would rezone swathes of properties during Blackwell’s last meeting as representative of the 3rd District.  Continue Reading

Drexel Square and Bulletin Building.

Schuylkill Yards, the building complex planned near 30th Street Station, has its first project completed. On Monday, developer Brandywine Realty Trust and Drexel University officially opened Drexel Square park with a ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by Mayor Jim Kenney, Drexel University President, John Fry, Councilwoman Jannie Blackwell and others.

The new 1.3-acre community park is located directly across from 30th Street Station at the corner of 30th and Market Streets – a former parking lot transformed into a green, community gathering space. The park is the first of several public green spaces that will eventually make up 6.5 acres of the 14-acre Schuylkill Yards neighborhood. These green spaces will eventually connect 6.9 million square feet of office and residential space. Continue Reading

A patriotic lighting installation will greet the thousands of people expected to visit 30th Street Station before, during and after the four-day Democratic National Convention (July 25-28). The programmable system of color-changing LED fixtures will sweep stars and swaths of red, white and blue across the station’s 29th Street facade.

This light show is sponsored by Amtrak and the University City District and is one of several across the city to welcome DNC attendees.

The lights will be projected onto the station’s 29th Street facade from 8:00 p.m. – 3:00 a.m. every night through July 31.

A tall elegant chimney on this Victorian twin at 424 S. 42nd St. collapsed into a heap of bricks on Saturday, at about 11 a.m. Neighbors said the chimney had been leaning for a while.

The three-story 7-bedroom single-family house was sold in February for $410,000 to a property developer.

Here’s an earlier photo of the house pulled out from Google Street View: