Partial demolition of the former Good Shepherd Community Church near 46th and Spruce Streets has begun to make way for a new apartment building.

A plan to convert the 1930s stone church building into studio and one-bedroom apartments was presented in 2019. Hightop Development are planning to turn the church’s front building facing 46th Street into 17 apartments and build a second, 8-unit building in the church’s garden. The facade on what was the former entrance-way is now being removed. Continue Reading

Philadelphia authorities have expanded eligibility criteria for COVID-19 vaccines by adding people ages 65-74 to Phase 1B of vaccine distribution in the city, which is currently underway. The announcement was made earlier today and this change is effective immediately. Before this change, only Philly residents age 75 and older were eligible for the vaccines under the current phase, besides some groups of essential workers, people with chronic health conditions and people living and working in congregate settings. Continue Reading

The School District of Philadelphia has announced reopening of 45 more schools for in-person learning, in addition to the first cohort of 53 schools that have reopened today. The following schools will reopen for in-person learning on Monday, March 15:

A.L. Fitzpatrick School

Abram Jenks School

Alexander Adaire School

Andrew Jackson School

Benjamin B. Comegys School Continue Reading

The Promise Zone’s Health and Wellness Committee is hosting a virtual panel discussion about the COVID-19 vaccines on Tuesday, March 9. If you have any questions about the vaccines and their distribution in the city, this is a great opportunity to ask them.

The panelists include:

• Dr. Claiborne Childs, Medical Director of Hospital Medicine Services, Penn Presbyterian Medical Center

• Yaya Diakite, Director of Security, Penn Presbyterian Medical Center

• Dr. Annette Gadegbeku, Assistant Dean of Community Health, Drexel University College of Medicine

• Alicia Williams, Registered nurse, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia

• Kiara Benson, COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution Coordinator, Philadelphia Department of Public Health

The event will begin at 6 p.m. Registration link: https://bit.ly/3upvza3. The event will also be live on Facebook on the Philadelphia Office of Community Empowerment and Opportunity page. Questions can be submitted online here.

A FEMA-run mass COVID-19 vaccination site officially opened today at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Center City. The site will be open seven days a week from 8 a.m. until 8 p.m. through April 30. It receives its own allocation of the Pfizer vaccine directly from the federal government (separately from the city’s allocation) and has a capacity to vaccinate as many as 6,000 people per day.

The site is operating by appointment only with no walk-ups accepted. Philadelphians from phases 1A and 1B who have completed the city’s COVID-19 Vaccine Interest form are receiving invitations to register for an appointment at the site. (Check out this report by WHYY on how vaccine appointment invitation links sent out by email to eligible individuals were shared with ineligible folks who were also able to register for an appointment. The city has canceled those ineligible appointments and is working on fixing this issue for future appointments).  Continue Reading

Pre-K through second-grade students will begin returning to school buildings for in-person learning on a rolling schedule beginning Monday, March 8, according to an announcement today by the School District of Philadelphia and Philadelphia Federation of Teachers.

The announcement was made following the conclusion of the mediation process between the District and the PFT, which will allow the union to review the safety plan for each school building.  Continue Reading