A 30-year-old-man was shot multiple times and killed this afternoon on the 5200 block of Cedar Avenue, according to reports. The shooting took place shortly after 2:30 p.m., according to police. The man was shot at least three times – in the head, in the neck and in his left arm.

He was taken to the hospital where he was pronounced dead at 2:59 p.m., according to police.

Police recovered a weapon on the scene. No arrests have been made as of this afternoon.

Vagrant Coffee owners Josh Dew (left) and Jared Cate (Photo from Vagrant’s Instagram page).

A new cafe, Vagrant Coffee, has recently opened on 45th and Baltimore, at the former Milk & Honey location. The owners, Joshua Dew and Jared Cate, are entrepreneurs from Baltimore who already have three Vagrant locations there. It’s a relatively young business, started in 2017, and Vagrant Coffee in West Philly is their first venture outside of Baltimore.

Vagrant Coffee is also known for bringing their mobile equipment (mobile coffee and espresso bars) to parties, events and even offices. One of the reasons why they chose the name “Vagrant” was to emphasize their mobility.

Apart from their specialty coffee and in-house made pastries, the new coffee shop offers breakfast, sandwiches and salads, all available for pick-up only at this time due to COVID restrictions. There is some outdoor seating, too.

You can check out their menu and order online here.

Vagrant Coffee is open Mon-Fri 7 a.m.-5 p.m.; Sat & Sun 8 a.m.-6 p.m.

Philadelphia officials have lifted some COVID-19 restrictions re-imposed on local businesses and activities in November due to a spike in coronavirus cases in the city. The following types of businesses and activities can now resume operations (with COVID safety protocols), according to Mayor Jim Kenney’s announcement on Tuesday:

• Museums
• Gyms
• Casinos
• Outdoor sports
• Outdoor catered events
• In-person learning for high schools  Continue Reading

The University City District’s West Philadelphia Skills Initiative is again partnering with Drexel University to offer a new no-cost Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) training program for Philadelphia residents.

Aspiring EMTs will be trained for the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians (NREMT) exam. This 13-week training program will be a blend of virtual courses and in-person sessions following CDC COVID-19 regulations at Drexel University. Participants will receive $150 weekly stipends while enrolled in this free program. Masks will be provided for in-person sessions if needed. The program will conclude with an in-person administration of the NREMT exam.  Continue Reading

UC Green, the West Philly community greening organization, is teaming up with Treeken LLC, a local arborist tree care company, to offer holiday tree collection on Sunday, Jan. 10 at Clark Park and Malcolm X Park. Tree collection in Clark Park (43rd and Kingsessing) will be held from 9 a.m. until Noon and in Malcolm X Park (51st and Osage) from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m.

UC Green is a volunteer-run organization with a 20-year history, so please bring a donation ($5-$20) along with your tree to support this organization. Donations are also accepted online at https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/ucgreenphila.

Collected trees will be mulched and used at local parks. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, please make sure to wear a mask and avoid congregating with others when dropping off your tree.

Information on other Christmas tree recycling opportunities can be found here.

As of Dec. 30, 24,390 partial doses of COVID-19 vaccines produced by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna were administered in Philadelphia, according to the data published by PennLive.

The Pa. Department of Health launched a new dashboard last week where you can check the number of COVID-19 vaccines administered daily in the state (total and by county). However, the dashboard only includes data on vaccine doses provided by the state. The Philadelphia Department of Public Health receives vaccine doses from the federal government and is keeping separate statistics, which you can view here.  Continue Reading