The 4700 block of Sansom Street, pictured here, and several other blocks remained closed Saturday morning (Photo by West Philly Local).

UPDATE (Sept. 17, 2016, 6:40 p.m.): Two police officers were shot and two civilians were killed, including the suspect, near 51st and Sansom Friday night in what started as an ambush of a police sergeant at about 11:20 p.m., police said.

Others shot included two people outside a bar near 51st and Sansom and two people inside a car nearby, according to police commissioner Richard Ross in an early morning press conference. A 25-year-old woman in the car was also killed, according to police, and the driver was in critical condition.

Police have identified the shooter as Nicholas Glenn, 25, of West Philly.

What Ross called a “completely bizarre situation” began when Glenn fired 18 shots at police Sgt. Sylvia Young as she sat inside her police cruiser at 52nd and Sansom. Young suffered a gunshot wound to the arm. Bullets also hit her protective vest. The suspect then shot four civilians and a University of Pennsylvania Police Department officer. Both police officers were in stable condition, according to police.

Police shot and killed Glenn after a foot pursuit that lasted a couple of blocks. The Penn police officer and other confronted the suspect along 48th Street between Sansom and Walnut and opened fire. The Penn officer was shot in the leg and the suspect was killed, Ross said.

Several blocks around 51st and Sansom were still closed to traffic and pedestrians on Saturday morning as the police investigation continued.

Police flooded into the area after a citywide alert went out requesting assistance. All public transportation was also shut down. Police reopened the search area, from 47th to 53rd Street and Market to Pine at about midnight.

Glenn had a long criminal record and police said they found a note on him in which he expresses animosity toward police.

#BREAKING – Police shut down West Phila – 47th to 53rd, Pine to Market after shooting of Sgt. No one in or out. pic.twitter.com/2yp1aOGhwE

— Action News on 6abc (@6abc) September 17, 2016

There was also shooting along 48th Street between Walnut and Sansom, where police continued the investigation Saturday morning (Photo by West Philly Local).

Photo via Drexel.edu

A new public middle school has opened in West Philly, in an area that definitely needs one. On Tuesday, Sept. 20, the School District of Philadelphia, Drexel University and Inquiry School will celebrate the opening of the new Science Leadership Academy Middle School (SLA-MS) at Drexel’s Dana and David Dornsife Center for Neighborhood Partnerships in the Powelton neighborhood.

Drexel University and Philadelphia School District officials, including Superintendent Dr. William R. Hite, will join SLA-MS students, staff and families at a ribbon-cutting ceremony, which will begin at 10:30 a.m.

Dornsife Center (3509 Spring Garden) is just a temporary location for the new school while plans are underway to build the school’s permanent home on the site of the now demolished former University City High School and Drew Elementary School near 38th and Filbert. Most of the fifth grade students who enrolled in SLA-MS came from nearby Samuel Powel Elementary, a highly rated K-4 school.

Drexel’s School of Education supports the middle school with help in planning and executing the curriculum, similar to the arrangement Penn has with the Penn Alexander School.

Park(ing) Day is coming to Philadelphia on Friday, Sept. 16 and local activists, designers and citizens will transform street or metered parking spots into temporary public parks (aka “parklets”). So far here’s what’s happening in West Philly, and everyone is welcome to stop by and enjoy the following parks:

• Repair the World Philadelphia will create a parklet on the 200 block of S. 40th St.
• People’s Emergency Center (PEC) will create parks at 3750 and 4116 Lancaster Ave. There will be a seating area open to the public and activities throughout the day.

Many more parklets will be created throughout the city this Friday, so check out this interactive map.

The event will be held from approximately 9 a.m. until 5 p.m.

Park(ing) Day is a worldwide event held on the third Friday in September.

And just a reminder that there are several more permanent parklets in University City that pop us every spring, so we hope you’re enjoying them while the weather is still warm. If you need a reminder where they are, check out this post.

One of the largest and longest running community porch sales, the Hamilton Street Porch Sale, will be held this Saturday (Sept. 17), from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. Every year, more than 100 vendors sell their wares, such as household items, clothes, cookware, books, and many other items at this four-block long porch sale, from 34th to 38th Streets in Powelton Village. There will also be food and drinks prepared by neighbors and local organizations.

Hamilton Street Porch Sale began in 1981 and is still going strong! The sale is usually held on the 2nd Saturday after Labor Day every, but this year was postponed by one week. Rain date is Sunday, Sept. 18.

Check out the event’s Facebook page for more information and photos. If you would like to get involved, email: HamiltonStreetPorchSale@gmail.com

A light brown male pit bull mix was found on Tuesday morning near 43rd and Chester. It appears that the dog had chewed through his leash. He had a collar but no tags when he was found. ACCT is scheduled to pick him up on Tuesday. The person who found the dog says that he was starving and very thirsty.

If you know the dog’s owner please call Daniel at 860.508.3644.

Photo from the Wiota St. Garden’s Facebook page.

Community members are invited to attend a rally in West Powelton on Sunday, Sept. 18 in another attempt to save the Wiota Street Community Garden from development. The garden was established in 1984 on a vacant lot at the corner of Wiota St. and Powelton Ave. and has been providing area residents with fresh produce for eight months of the year since then. Plans were revealed in 2014 to build housing on the site of the garden, but tenuous community consensus to preserve the garden was reached at a December 2014 public meeting with Councilwoman Jannie Blackwell. However, the garden has again come under threat as reported recently by Hidden City.

The rally will be held at the garden (4022 Powelton Ave.), beginning at 4 p.m., and the organizers are asking the participants to bring a picnic.  Continue Reading