The Pennsylvania chapter of the National Coalition of 100 Black Women is hosting a live online forum on Thursday, May 28 for candidates running in next Tuesday’s primary for the state House of Representatives 188th Legislative District seat.

The forum will run live on the coalition’s Facebook page beginning at 6:30 p.m. and Cherri Gregg of KYW News Radio will be the host.

Candidates for the seat include longtime incumbent James Roebuck, his long-time aide Karen Dunn, 51st Ward Leader and activist Greg Benjamin and community organizer Rick Krajewski.

Originally scheduled for April 28, the Pennsylvania primary was moved to June 2 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Your favorite food trucks may be coming back soon as the city has started lifting some restrictions on business operations imposed at the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak in March. Pennsylvania governor Tom Wolf announced on Friday that Philadelphia will move to the “yellow” re-opening phase on June 5 when many businesses can reopen (under state safety guidelines), including retail stores, childcare centers, and day camps.

While dine-in service at restaurants will still be prohibited, the City of Philadelphia has lifted restrictions on walk-up service in the yellow re-opening phase. Walk-up customers will be required to wear facial coverings and practice social distancing. Lines may not exceed 10 customers.  Continue Reading

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.