Dominique Oglesby

Police have made an arrest in the killing of 23-year-old Penn State student Dominique Oglesby on March 18 near 52nd and Market. Julius Scott, 25, was arrested on Wednesday morning on the 5700 block of Pine Street, just a couple blocks from the 18th District police station.

Oglesby, who was a senior at Penn Sate and was expected to graduate this spring, was shot and killed outside the Galaxy West Bar and Grill at 52nd and Market on a Sunday afternoon. She was reportedly involved in an altercation with the shooter and another woman inside the bar and called her family for help. After her father and grandfather arrived to help her they were all shot. Oglesby was shot once in the back and died later that day at the hospital. Her father and grandfather survived the shooting.

Police released information on the suspect last month.

The holy month of Ramadan begins this week, and here’s what’s happening at two popular Muslim-owned businesses.

Saad’s Halal at 45th and Walnut will be closed for a little over a month while the owners take their annual vacation. The restaurant closed its doors on May 14 and will reopen on Monday, June 18, according to a sign posted on the window (see photo).

Manakeesh, the Lebanese cafe and bakery across the street from Saad’s, will have special hours until June 16. The restaurant will be closed during the day, but open nightly – from 8 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.. Check out their Facebook page for updates.

The 2018 primary election results are in, and there are no surprises this year for West Philly Democratic candidates.

Incumbent Jim Roebuck beat his opponents, lawyer Jeff Curry and the president of the Kingsessing Area Civic Association Diane Settles, for the State House of Representatives District 188 seat, which includes parts of Spruce Hill, Squirrel Hill, Walnut Hill, Spruce Hill, Garden Court, Beige Block and University City. Roebuck received 56.17 percent of total votes, according to Philly Election Results, the website reporting unofficial election results.

Vanessa Lowery Brown, the incumbent seeking her fifth term in the State House of Representatives, District 190, which includes parts of Cobbs Creek, Belmont, Carroll Park, Cathedral Park, Mill Creek, Haddington, East Parkside, West Powelton, Allegheny West and Lehigh West, beat her opponents Raymond H. Bailey and Wanda Logan. Brown received 64.92 percent of total votes, according to Philly Election Results.

Candidates Joanna McClinton (District 191) and Morgan Cephas (District 192) were running unopposed.

For more election results, including the results by ward and division, go here.

3.0 University Place rendering (via www.30universityplace.com)

It looks like the developers are finally ready to proceed with the construction of 3.0 University Place at 41st and Market, five years after the project was announced.

Construction site at 41st and Market (Photo West Philly Local). 

This environmentally-friendly office building is on the way from University Place Associates, the developers behind the 2.0 University Place building at 41st and Powelton. 3.0 University Place is being built where the old Pep Boys used to be at 41st and Market St. The developers tout the new building’s LEED v4 Platinum environmental certification, and claim that tenants can take advantage of energy- and water-efficient systems, as well as cleaned and filtered indoor air.

3.0 University Place is the latest in the trend towards upscale, tech-oriented buildings pushing ever westwards into West Philadelphia, following developments like Cira South, Schuylkill Yards, 3675 Market, the Pennovation Center, Campus Commerce Center, and Penn Medicine’s Center for Healthcare Technology.  Continue Reading

This neighbor had an interesting experience this afternoon when she found that her car, which had been parked near 45th and Spruce, was “courtesy towed” by the Philadelphia Parking Authority due to road work. Spruce Street between 44th and 45th, was closed all day on Tuesday due to the work. If your car has also been towed from that location and you can’t find it, this story may be helpful.

“When I parked my car at that location during the early afternoon [on Monday], I did not see any signs posted about parking restrictions for [Tuesday],” Emily writes. “I called PPA and was told that my car had been “courtesy towed”… and to call my local police district to find out where it was. I called district 18 and was told that they were aware that a number of cars had been “courtesy towed”… around the neighborhood, but they had not been given a list of where all of the cars had been “courtesy towed” to by PPA like they were supposed to. They said that some cars had been towed to the area around 49th and Springfield, but that other cars from the area around 45th and Spruce may be in different locations.  Continue Reading

Don’t forget to vote in the primary election this Tuesday (May 15), when Pennsylvanians from both parties will choose candidates for Governor, Lt. Governor, the U.S. House of Representatives and the state legislature. Only registered Democrats and Republicans can vote for party candidates in the primaries. Independents can only vote on the ballot questions.

First thing’s first. Go here to check your voter registration status. If you’re not sure what district you live in for state legislature or congressional races (it can get confusing with all the redistricting), check here. Go here to find your polling place.  Continue Reading