The Streets Department has changed the block party approval process to include police pre-approval.

Street event applications, handled by the Right of Way Unit, will now require pre-screening approval from local police districts in advance of being processed. This change applies to applications submitted for approval on or after August 1, 2018. Applicants seeking approval to close their street to host a block party or another street event must submit a Block Party Authorization Approval Form to their local Police District before applying for a permit with the Streets Department.  Continue Reading

Though it opened a few months ago, many West Philly Local readers may not be familiar with Hadramout Restaurant, a Yemeni eatery located at 136 S. 45th Street (between Walnut and Sansom, just across from the AICP mosque).

Hadramout serves generous portions of traditional Yemeni dishes, many of which feature ingredients and flavors not often seen in American eateries. Among these dishes are molokhia chicken (chicken with cooked greens), saltah with holba (beef stew with fenugreek topping, served with fresh-baked flatbread), haneeth (pressure-cooked lamb) and Yemeni milk tea (shahi haleeb). All the meat is halal, slaughtered in accordance with Islamic dietary law.

Hadramout offers both takeout and dine-in options, with delivery a possibility for the future. The restaurant is open until 10 at night, 7 days a week.

– Mike VanHelder

The City is ready to unveil the green infrastructure improvements at Malcolm X Park. New green tools installed at the park will manage approximately 84,000 gallons of stormwater runoff from surrounding streets each time the neighborhood gets an inch of rain.

The reconstruction of the sidewalks around the perimeter of the park also included planting nearly 30 new trees that are specially designed to hold enough stormwater to fill three water tanks the size of SEPTA buses. These trees will filter millions of gallons of captured runoff over the course of a year.

A special ribbon-cutting event with the participation of City officials and representatives of neighborhood organizations will take place tonight (Wednesday, Aug. 2), beginning at 5:30 p.m. and will be followed by a free concert featuring Tony “TNT” Jones & Beyond the Dream as part of the bi-weekly Jazz Heritage Series.  Continue Reading

The annual Street Movies! program by the West Philly-based media arts organization Scribe Video Center that celebrates the cultural histories of Philadelphia neighborhoods, returns this month for its 21st season. The program features free outdoor film screenings and live performances at public parks across the city. This year, Scribe will present a range of short films, from internationally recognized award-winning fiction, documentary, and animation to local community- and youth-produced works.

Live performances will be by some of our region’s most talented artists, including Philadelphia’s first Poet Laureate Sonia Sanchez (who will be at Malcolm X. Park!), poet and recording artist Ursula Rucker, experimental music project Moor Mother by Camae Ayewa, bomba and plena group Los Bomberos De La Calle, Chinese dance studio L&M Dance Studio, singer and sound artist Jacqueline Constance, award-winning lyricist and author Lyrispect, and dance group Cambodian American Girls Empowering (CAGE).  Continue Reading

University City District’s West Philadelphia Skills Initiative, the program that connects unemployed West Philly residents with local employers, is recruiting Certified Medical Assistants for a training program with the Drexel University College of Medicine (DUCOM).

The program is seeking applicants who possess a high school diploma or GED; are currently unemployed; and live in the West Philadelphia zip-codes of 19104, 19131, 19139, 19143, or 19151. Applicants should be goal-oriented, motivated Certified Medical Assistants with a history of providing quality patient care and high-level customer service, and should have computer confidence. Program participants will earn a performance-based stipend while in training at WPSI.  Continue Reading

Photos by Mike VanHelder

A West Philly branch of the Fishtown taco jawn Loco Pez has been threatening to open for months now. Taco lovers will be happy to know that the time is finally upon us! The bar & restaurant on the ground floor of the Montrose building at 47th and Baltimore had a soft opening with limited hours on Saturday. The official opening night is tonight (Monday, July 30).

The menu features most of the same dishes as served at the original Fishtown location, along with a full bar that has both draft and bottled beer and wide selection of tequila. There are options for both vegetarians and non-vegetarians, but unfortunately no options for credit-card users. Loco Pez is cash-only with an ATM on-site, and management has no plans to add credit card service at this time. Current hours are 5 p.m.-1 a.m., with eventual plans to expand to daytime service and weekend brunch.  Continue Reading