One of the most common kind of questions on West Philadelphia-local mailing lists, forums and Facebook communities has to do with what to do about lost, stray or injured animals. Here are some official resources that can help if you find one of those animals and want to help:

If you find a lost or stray dog, cat, or other household pet, ACCT (Animal Care and Control Team) Philadelphia are the most likely to be able to take a found animal. You can visit http://www.acctphilly.org/foundpet/ for more information. Make sure to fill out the ACCT Found Pet Report: http://www.acctphilly.org/foundpet/foundreport/. If you can’t keep the animal until its family can be located, ACCT will accept it at their central location. They are not a no-kill shelter.  Continue Reading

The University City District (UCD), the University City Science Center and Drexel University have been awarded a $5 million grant from the Lenfest Foundation to expand programs that train and place unemployed West Philadelphia residents in jobs, including UCD’s nationally-acclaimed job training program, the West Philadelphia Skills Initiative.

The program will connect nearly 600 previously unemployed residents to careers over three years and will reportedly result in over $16 million in wages generated in the community. More than 200 adults and high school students in West Philadelphia will also attain credentials, certifications, and exposure to STEM careers, setting them on meaningful pathways to employment.

Continue Reading

Here’s a little update on ReAnimator Coffee‘s West Philly location, which is in the works in Garden Court Plaza on the 4700 block of Pine Street. The popular Kensington/Fishtown coffee shop was expected to open its West Philly location in mid-November, according to the owners, but the new space renovation somehow stalled at the end of last year, and still hasn’t finished.

The good news is that the new shop set up seems to have sped up in the last few weeks. We saw a counter and other furniture finally being installed earlier this month. So, according to a worker, the shop is now expected to open by the end of March. We’ll keep you posted.

A new retail and community services complex is coming to West Philadelphia’s Haddington-Cobbs Creek neighborhood. New Market West is a four story, 135,700 square foot hub which will be built on a 1.5 acre vacant site at 5901 Market Street, half a block from the 60th and Market Street El stop (see rendering).

The new building will house organizations focused on early childhood education, workforce development, educational and emergency support services, behavioral health service, and will include community-serving retail.

Governor Tom Wolf joined other state and city officials and representatives from local community organizations in a groundbreaking ceremony for the complex on Friday morning. During the ceremony, the governor announced the approval of $10.5 million in tax credits to support the project, in addition to the state’s $5 million Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program investment announced in December. Continue Reading

A family was robbed and carjacked at gunpoint on the 4600 block of Larchwood Avenue on Wednesday at about 1 p.m., according to the University City District.

Two young adult males approached a family that was exiting their vehicle on the block and asked for money. The family refused to give them any money, and one of the males produced a gun and demanded valuables. The two young men also stole the family’s vehicle.

Two males with the same description attempted to carjack another vehicle a block away about 10 minutes earlier, according to UCD. The driver in that incident refused to exit his car, and the two men fled.  Continue Reading

West Philly’s Curio Theatre kicks off the new year this week with David Adjmi’s Marie Antoinette, a modern take on one of European history’s most infamous characters.

Adjmi’s take on the French queen introduces us to a woman who embodies artifice, excess and privilege while the mood in the streets grows hostile.  Continue Reading