UPDATE (1/9/2019): Xavier has been found safe, according to police.

(1/8/2019): Police are asking for the public’s assistance to locate a missing endangered person. Xavier Brower, 14, was last seen on Friday, Jan. 4 at 3 p.m. on the 5000 block of Ludlow Street.

He is six foot one, 185 pounds, has brown eyes and black hair. He was wearing black sweatpants, a black t-shirt, and a coat.

Anyone with any information on Xavier’s whereabouts is asked to contact Southwest Detective Division at 215-686-3183 or 911.

The Spruce Hill Community Association (SHCA) monthly board meeting will be held this Tuesday, Jan. 8 at 7:30 p.m. at the Spruce Hill Center (257 S. 45th Street). All community members are invited and welcome to attend.

The guest speaker at this month’s meeting is Nicole Ozdemir from the City Planning Commission. She will join SHCA members to talk about the city’s efforts regarding affordable housing. This will be an informational discussion to educate and update the board on the city’s mixed-income affordable housing bill and related initiatives. Regular committee reports will follow.

Affordable housing is becoming a big problem for Philadelphia, especially in gentrifying neighborhoods like Spruce Hill.

It was reported last month that Mission First Housing Group, one of the largest providers of affordable housing in the city, decided to move ahead with their plans to sell the Arvilla apartment building on the 4500 block of Osage Avenue and elicited protests from neighbors.

Photo courtesy of The Woodlands.

Do you want to learn how to tend to planters and help beautify a historical cemetery in West Philly? The Woodlands is currently accepting applications for their 2019 Grave Gardeners program.

The Grave Gardeners are a group of volunteers who are each assigned a “cradle grave” at The Woodlands. These graves were originally designed to be planters and would have been planted and cared for by loved ones in the Victorian era. The Grave Gardeners tend to their assigned cradle grave throughout the entire growing season, from March to November. A wide variety of plant material will be provided to gardeners by The Woodlands. Group workshops, demonstrations, and planting happy hours are also scheduled throughout the season.  Continue Reading

Photo courtesy of UCD.

If you’re looking for environmentally friendly ways to dispose of your Christmas tree, there are a few options available in the area.

Philadelphia Streets Department’s Christmas Tree Recycling Program

As part of this annual program, now through January 12th, residents may drop off their trees at any of the following Streets Department Sanitation Convenience Centers (Monday through Saturday from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.):  Continue Reading

If you’re looking for something to do on New Year’s Eve and/or New Year’s Day, check out events below, plus some useful information on SEPTA service during these days.

There will be two New Year’s Eve fireworks shows on the Delaware River waterfront – at 6 p.m. and midnight. There are several locations where you can watch the show, including Penn’s Landing, Race Street Pier, and more. For more details, go here.

SEPTA will have enhanced New Year’s Eve service on Broad Street and Market-Frankford lines on New Year’s Eve:  Continue Reading

Staying in town for the holidays? Check out holiday hours for selected businesses, as well as SEPTA’s and City holiday schedules. We’ll update the list below when more information becomes available. If you’re a business and want to add your hours, please feel free to do so in the comments. Happy Holidays!

SEPTA

Dec. 24: City transit routes will operate on a Modified Weekday schedule.
Dec. 25: Buses, trains, and trolleys will operate on a Sunday schedule due to the holiday.
Dec. 26 – 28: Buses, trains, and trolleys will operate on a Modified Weekday schedule due to the holiday
Jan. 1: Buses, trains, and trolleys will operate on a Sunday schedule due to the holiday.  Continue Reading