There’s a new map out showing more than 150 Black-owned restaurants in Philadelphia and the region.

The project began when local food writer and editor Kae Lani Palmisano put together a database of Philly restaurants open during the coronavirus pandemic. In the aftermath of George Floyd’s death and in support of the Black Lives Matter movement, the focus shifted to Black-owned restaurants. The project is crowdsourced and the map was created by South Philly resident and IT specialist Charles Rumford, according to BillyPenn. As the database keeps growing the map will also get updated.  Continue Reading

People’s Emergency Center (PEC) and the Islamic Cultural Preservation and Information Council (ICPIC) this week launched Westphillyhistory.com, a website that includes an interactive map which pinpoints sites of historic significance in the area ranging from the Lenape Indian settlements in the 1600s to Malcolm X and the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in the 1960’s – up to the present day.

Visitors to the site can take a virtual tour, filter events by categories such as arts and culture or social movements, or walk through history using the timeline.

“West Philadelphia has often attracted national and international attention for its prominent role in our nation’s history. These neighborhoods west of the Schuylkill River have a rich cultural identity unique to the city of Philadelphia, making it a place of significance within a ‘city of firsts’,” reads a statement on the website.  Continue Reading

Homestead Exemption Map created by Aaron Kreider. Source: http://www.campusactivism.org/

Have you applied for the Homestead Exemption yet? Just a reminder that this exemption can save homeowners up to $400 on their annual taxes and the deadline for application is on Saturday, Sept 13.

Aaron Kreider, the West Philly based activist and programmer who built JusticeMap.org, has recently created a Homestead Exemption Map. The map is an estimate of qualified properties in the city that haven’t applied for the homestead exemption. The map is based on Philadelphia Office of Property Assessment data from April 2014.

“A while ago I read a NewsWorks story that an estimated 30% of homeowners haven’t applied for the homestead exemption,” Kreider wrote in an email. “So I decided to do a small project to encourage people to apply.”

Kreider, who is working with the West Philly Socialists (the West Philly branch of the Philly Socialists) who are committed to economic equality, points out that you can see on the map how low-income areas have a lower application rate (red shows eligible households who haven’t applied for the exemption; green indicates households who applied and received full homestead exemption).

Check out the map and more information at: http://www.campusactivism.org/blog/node/423

To apply for the homestead exemption online, visit this page. You call also apply over the phone: 215-686-9200.

Here’s some good news for local moto owners. Starting this month and through October 2014, a new pilot program launched by The Philadelphia Parking Authority (PPA) (we hear it was pushed by the Motorcycle and Scooter Coalition) will address the parking needs of motorcycles and scooters in University City and Center City. The program makes it possible to park your motor vehicles on sidewalks in residential areas and in specially designated corrals on commercial streets. Here are some more details, according to the PPA website:

For the duration of the program, motorcycles and scooters are permitted to park on sidewalks in front of the operator’s residence with a valid Residential Permit Parking (RPP) permit for that district. A Day Pass or Temporary RPP permit issued to a resident’s visitors will also be honored. On unregulated residential blocks motorcycles or scooters may park in front of their home without a permit.

On commercial streets not designated with RPP, sidewalk parking is not allowed. Instead, to accommodate the motorcycle and scooter parking needs, the PPA has installed 47 corrals in Center City and University City to provide parking spaces for 180 motor vehicles (check out the map). We noticed that on the left bank of the Schuylkill there are only three corrals available, so there may be a need for more. Suggestions for additional corrals can be submitted through the PPA Facebook page.

Here’s what you should know if you’re using a corral (from the PPA website):

“Because securing scooters was a major priority for those representing scooter riders, corrals will be equipped with a mechanism to lock the motorcycle or scooter to a post at the curb.

• During the trial period, there will be no charge to park motorcycles or scooters in the designated corrals.  Those individuals who purchased virtual permits to park on the street may apply for a refund of the prorated remaining value of the permit.

• Motorcycles or scooters parked in metered spaces outside of the designated corrals must pay the required meter fee or abide by other posted parking restrictions.

• The Philadelphia Parking Authority will increase enforcement of other vehicles illegally parked in motorcycle/scooter zones.”

The PPA welcomes feedback from motorcycle and scooter riders during the pilot program and encourages them to use their social media (here’s also their Twitter page). For more details about the program, visit this page.