The deadline to request a mail-in ballot for this year’s primary election is Tuesday, May 26. You can request a mail-in or absentee ballot here. Your request must be made before 5 p.m. on Tuesday.

If you have waited until now to request your ballot, the turnaround will be tight. The Board of Elections ballot must receive your mail-in ballot by 8 p.m. on June 2, the date of the primary. Postmarks are not honored. So, if you are applying now, get your ballot back in the mail as soon as possible after receiving it. Also, a ballot drop box has been recently installed at City Hall (see more info below).  Continue Reading

Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolfe announced on Friday that Philadelphia will move from the “red” to the “yellow” coronavirus re-opening phase on June 5. The yellow phase is the first re-opening phase and most businesses can reopen under state safety guidelines. This includes:

• Childcare centers and day camps
• In-person retail (curbside pickup and delivery are encouraged)
• Pet groomers
• Manufacturers

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The Pennsylvania Department of Health has released data that shows that nursing home facilities accounted for more than two thirds of the state’s death toll of just over 4,620 so far. That percentage is lower in Philadelphia, which accounts for the largest percentage of the cases in the state. The long-awaited numbers show that at least 40 people died in West Philly nursing homes.

The following nursing and rehabilitation centers have reported COVID-19 cases and deaths among their residents:  Continue Reading

Restaurant owners and operators are no doubt planning ahead while we wait for CDC guidelines and city and state guidance on re-opening. In the meantime, the University City District (UCD) wants to help restaurants prepare to re-open once they’re permitted to do so, and to hear from owners about their needs during the recovery.

UCD has been working with the Commerce Department and business improvement districts throughout the city to think through options for local restaurants. They’ve put together a survey to help get a better sense of the needs of restaurants so they can help them get operational as soon as possible. UCD is asking for restaurant operators to take a few moments to complete a short survey. The information provided will help UCD target efforts to aid the University City restaurant community.

They have already heard from some restaurants, but are encouraging many more to participate in the survey.

Too access the survey, click here. It only takes a few minutes to complete.

POP volunteer laying the groundwork for the new orchard. (Photo courtesy of The Woodlands)

The Woodlands has recently announced a very exciting project in partnership with the Philadelphia Orchard Project – the POP Learning Orchard! (You may have noticed new trees planted in the fenced in area along Woodland Avenue.)

The POP Learning Orchard space is designed to provide West Philadelphia residents with educational, nutritional and recreational opportunities. It will also help transform The Woodlands, which has a rich horticultural history, closer to how it would have functioned in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.  Continue Reading

Pennsylvania’s primary election is just over two weeks away. Here are a few things to know.

Originally scheduled for April 28, the election was pushed to June 2 and now includes a mail-in ballot option. Polls will likely be open on June 2, but counties across the state have been given the authority to consolidate polling locations, so your usual place may not be open.

The registration deadline has been bumped up to May 18. You can register here and can check your registration status here.  Continue Reading