University City-based startup Margo wants to simplify what has become a stressful process.

With changing government regulations and the introduction of the Affordable Care Act, there are many new factors to consider while shopping for insurance. That’s where Margo comes in. 

Founder Zach Robbins and the company have built a service that makes buying insurance a little less formal, less “salesy.”

“At the end of the day we believe that everyone more or less needs insurance and we’d like to make the process as convenient as possible. Being such an arduous task, it doesn’t need to be more complicated,” said Robbins.

Here’s how it works: A consumer contacts Margo through text message, e-mail or online chat. No 1-800 numbers. A good start.

After the customer makes the initial contact, the company’s Insurance Advocates run the data past carrier partners and follow up with the best insurance quotes. The process is entirely digital. While carriers are the parties with the most control over insurance rates, Margo’s Insurance Advocates make sure to notify users when their rates change and can also help them determine if there is a need for a policy change.

Oh, almost forgot, the service is free. The insurance carriers pay Margo.

In Margo’s early planning phase, the team worked with The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania’s Small Business Development center for early stage assistance. Undergraduate and graduate students were paid to help lay the groundwork for select new ventures.

To learn more about the digital insurance agency, visit www.getmargo.com.

– Rana Fayez

A 20-year-old man was shot in the chest and wounded overnight near 52nd and Spruce. Police were patrolling the area at around 12:40 a.m. on Saturday when they heard 8-10 gunshots coming from 52nd and Spruce. When they approached the intersection they saw a male with a handgun, according to a police report. The police ordered the man to drop the gun, but he fled east on Spruce approximately 20 feet and threw the gun under a parked car.

The police stopped the man and he stated that he was involved in an altercation with two other males and was shot. He also said that the gun was taken from one of the other males during the altercation. While handcuffing the man they observed two males wearing dark clothing running east on Spruce. The man was bleeding from the right side of his chest and was transported to Presbyterian Hospital. His condition is unknown. Police say he was charged with unlawful possession of a firearm.

Police also retrieved surveillance video of the incident showing the victim and two males in the street having what appeared to be a conversation, which “turned into a running gun battle,” according to the report. The investigation continues.

Photos courtesy of Calvary Church.

The annual festive evening of Swing, Jazz, Salsa, Gospel and Christmas music returns on Sunday, Dec. 20 to the Calvary United Methodist Church (48th and Baltimore). The concert will feature original compositions and traditional favorites performed by Calvary UMC’s very own Greg Scott and his big band, Big Push, along with Philadelphia-area choirs.

Also featuring in the concert are vocalists Russell Thompkins of The Stylistics, Tony Perez, Mike Upshaw, Zara Simms and more! Tickets/suggested donations are $10 at the door, $5 for children. All proceeds from the concert will benefit the Cedar Park Neighbors Holiday Basket Drive in addition to other local hunger initiatives. Individual or institutional sponsors are also needed to help underwrite the concert, which always draws a huge crowd.

If you would like to help out, please go to the Donate page on the Calvary website (please indicate “Christmas Concert 2015” in the Comments/Questions section) or mail/deliver a check (payable to “Calvary UMC” – please indicate “Christmas Concert 2015” on the memo line) to the Calvary office at 801 S. 48th Street, 19143. There is no minimum amount to sponsor; all gifts are appreciated.

The concert starts at 7 p.m.

Two stray dogs have been reported in the area and need some help.

The first report is of a stray dog that was hit by a car on Thursday at 54th and Chestnut:

“Around 11:40 a.m. on December 17th a stray female white pitbull was hit by a grey Toyota sedan at the intersection of 54th and Chestnut. After being hit, the dog rolled and took off running south down 54th St. She didn’t look injured as I didn’t see her limp while running but I don’t know if there was any internal damage. She also looked to be pregnant or having recently given birth.

I stopped my car and tried to locate the dog but was unsuccessful. I immediately called Philadelphia Animal Care and Rescue but they were also unable to locate her.

Could you please put a message out to the neighborhood to be on the lookout for the dog? I feel horrible after seeing that happen and I wasn’t able to help. If someone locates her please call the ASPCA or Animal Care (to make sure she gets the help she needs.”

Two reports of a golden retriever wandering the neighborhood came in this morning. The dog was first seen near 50th and Spruce at around 12:30 a.m. on Friday. Another person spotted the dog at 43rd and Locust at about 1 a.m. The sighting was reported to Philadelphia Animal Care & Control Team (ACCT). The person followed the dog but lost its sight at 45th and Spruce.

To report a dog on the loose to ACCT, call (267) 385-3800. Also, check out this page.

New 3-story apartment building with ground floor retail space at 4619 Woodland Avenue (photos West Philly Local).

Commercial and residential changes in recent months are beginning to reshape a couple of blocks of Woodland Avenue a block from the south end of Clark Park. Here is a look at some of the developments:

• A boxy, 3-story apartment building next to Gold Star Pizza and Chicken with ground-floor retail at 4619 Woodland Ave. is complete. No businesses have opened in the storefronts yet, but the apartments upstairs, which are aimed at University of the Sciences students, are open for business. The retail rental seems pretty reasonable at $15 per square foot. The apartments range from two to five bedrooms and rents are reportedly running between $800 and $3,200 per month.

“Our vision for building in the University City area is to bring a higher quality of housing to neighborhoods, which may be in need of additional housing options,” Ashley George from HOW Properties, the property manager, told West Philly Local back in April 2014. “There is not an abundance of student housing in the University of the Sciences West Philadelphia corridor.”  Continue Reading

A zoning meeting for a potentially highly-valuable piece of property on the 5000 block of Hazel Avenue is scheduled for Thursday, Dec. 17. Residents are invited to hear the proposal to build a three-story single-family home on a vacant lot at 5023 Hazel Avenue, between two other three-story homes. The meeting is organized by Garden Court Community Association’s Zoning Committee and will be held at Ahimsa House, 5007 Cedar Ave., starting at 7:30 p.m. Everyone who has questions or concerns about this proposal is welcome to attend the meeting.

The 2,200 square foot lot was purchased for $60,000 in July 2015 by Elkins Park based company HSSK LLC, which is planning to build a semi-detached structure with a roof deck and a pilot house for access to the roof deck, according to the information posted on the City’s Office of Licences and Inspections website. The cleaning of the lot ahead of the construction has already begun (pictured).