Residents in the Powelton/Mantua/Belmont neighborhoods had a chance last week to try the City’s new voting machines during a neighborhood advisory committee election (see photo). This and next week, residents in Cedar Park, Cobbs Creek, Spruce Hill and adjacent areas are invited to new voting machine demonstration events.

On Wednesday, Oct. 9, State Sen. Anthony H. Williams and the 60th Ward Executive Committee will hold a new voting system demo event at Global Leadership Academy at 52nd and Pine. This is a non-partisan event and is handicap accessible. The event will take place from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. in the school auditorium.  Continue Reading

Indie-Life Media, the Baltimore Avenue based creative agency and co-working/event space, is inviting community members to their First Friday events in celebration of the Arts in West Philadelphia. This Friday (Oct. 4), 5-9 p.m., they will be showcasing the work of local artists Elizabeth Skoufalos, Nathan Grayson, Essence Hampton and Jonathan Metz (see flyer). The family-friendly event also includes arts & crafts for kids and sounds from DJ Rocdaspot. There will also be snacks and drinks for all to enjoy.

Indie-Life, founded in 2014 by local event planner/entrepreneur Rasheed Abdellah, will be convening visual artists to connect and create together at their creative studio at 4616 Baltimore Ave. Indie-Life’s goal for this series is to highlight West Philadelphia as an arts corridor, and to give more artists and makers the opportunity to showcase their work.  Continue Reading

The election of the new Neighborhood Advisory Sub-Committee for People’s Emergency Center (PEC) took place on Monday, Sept. 30. The NAS functions as a liaison between the community and the larger PECCDC (Community Development Corporation) board. NAS members are elected to the committee by their neighbors, colleagues and friends –  that live, work or worship within the service area (West Powelton, Powelton, Saunders Park, Belmont, Mantua and Mill Creek).

There were 16 candidates, 14 of whom were elected onto the NAS. Voters got a chance to use the City’s new touch screen voting machines (that will be used in the November election citywide) for the NAS election:  Continue Reading

                Photo by Hanbit Kwon

The future of the building housing an auto body shop and second-floor martial arts gym damaged by fire late last month is still unclear. The City’s Department of Licenses and Inspections deemed the building “unsafe” soon after the Sept. 24 fire.

Damage from the fire caused the closing of Ren’s Auto Repair and Collision and 8 Limbs Academy, a popular kickboxing school and fitness facility.

The building’s owners have indicated that they are interested in repairing the building.  Continue Reading

EveryBody studio space at 4305 Locust St. (Photo by Sahar Coston-Hardy)

A new movement and wellness studio, EveryBody Movement and Wellness, is officially opening next week at 4305 Locust Street, a space across from CVS.

Starting Monday, Oct. 7, EveryBody Movement and Wellness will offer a wide range of small group movement classes including Pilates, suspension training, high-intensity interval training, yoga, kettlebells, Barre, dance, and more. People of all sizes, ages, genders, and abilities are welcome. In addition to group classes in the main studio space, there is also a private Pilates room and a wellness room that is being used for a variety of mind-body modalities (massage, reiki, therapy, etc). Some classes will be offered on a sliding scale.  Continue Reading

Photo from the Woodlands Facebook page.

Here’s great news for the Woodlands cemetery’s numerous visitors: The Woodlands has now brand-new restroom facilities – in the Carriage House (Stable) building, located next to the Community Garden (see map here).

A ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new facilities will take place this Saturday, Sept. 28 at 11:30 a.m. The bathrooms will be open for all events at the Woodlands, and whenever there is staff on-site.

Funding for the new restrooms came largely from the William Penn Foundation.  Continue Reading