Police say that the U.S. Marshals and Philadelphia law enforcement officers have apprehended a 49-year-old man they say robbed several West Philadelphia businesses, including several Rite Aid stores and the McDonald’s at 52nd and Chestnut.

Cartel Wright was arrested at about 2 a.m. on Friday on the 2100 block of College Avenue in North Philadelphia after a struggle with Marshals.

Police say Wright’s crime spree began in late September when he robbed a Rite Aid on City Avenue. Wright is a suspect in the following robberies:

• September 30, 2014, at 5:18 a.m., Rite Aid located at 5000 block, City Avenue
• December 18, 2014, at 2:00 a.m., Rite Aid located at 5000 block, City Avenue
• December 18, 2014, at 7:20 p.m., Rite Aid located at 5200 block, Baltimore Avenue
• December 27, 2014, at 5:25 a.m., Rite Aid located at 5000 block, City Avenue
• December 28, 2014, at 9:50 p.m., CVS located at 7500 block, City Avenue
• January 1, 2015, at 4:35 p.m., Family Dollar located at 5800 block, Woodland Avenue
• January 11, 2015, at 3:45 p.m., Rite Aid located at 5440 Lansdowne Avenue. The suspect then carjacks a 2004 Chrysler PT Cruiser from the parking lot after leaving the Rite Aid. The vehicle was later recovered on the 1400 block of North 56th Street.
• January 11, 2015, 5:25 p.m., McDonald’s located at 7500 City Avenue
• January 12, 2015, at 5:30 a.m., McDonald’s located at 5200 Chestnut Street

– Mike Lyons

Shuttle buses will replace Route 34 Trolley on Sunday, Jan. 25, due to overhead wire work, SEPTA has announced. Shuttle bus operation will begin at 2 a.m. Sunday and will continue throughout the day, until the end of service.

SEPTA has posted the following advisory for the route:

Westbound Service (towards 61st St. & Baltimore Ave.):

Customers should board Trolleys in the Tunnel and transfer to the Route 34 Shuttle Bus at 40th St. Portal for service towards 61st St. and Baltimore Ave.

Eastbound Service (towards 13th & Market Sts.):

Customers should exit the Route 34 Shuttle Bus at 40th St. Portal and transfer to Trolleys for service towards 13th & Market Sts.

The demolition of Charles Drew Elementary School has begun. Photo by Marina Krikorian.

Demolition work has begun on buildings at University City High School site, which was purchased by Drexel University last year. The 14-acre property, which also includes the shuttered Charles Drew Elementary School building (pictured), was acquired from the School District of Philadelphia last summer. Drexel’s nearly $1 billion development plan for the location includes construction of a K-8 public school surrounded by residential, retail, and recreational space. The construction project, led by Drexel University City Development, LLC, is expected to create 4,300 construction jobs, and to house 3,700 employees after its completion.

Nafis O’Neil (photo from Twitter).

Funeral services for Nafis O’Neal, the 14-year-old who died after being stabbed by a schoolmate on Jan. 16, are scheduled for Saturday. Nafis has been remembered this week by family, friends and neighbors as a respectful young man who was eager to help other people.

A freshman at West Philadelphia High School, Nafis was raised by his grandmother on the 3800 block of Haverford Avenue. Friends and family gathered on Monday evening for a vigil on the block near 46th and Market where he died when a 16-year-old student stabbed him once in the chest in what appears to be the continuation of a fight that started earlier in the day at the West Philly High cafeteria.

Police say they found a knife and bloody clothing at the suspect’s home on the 3800 block of Haverford Avenue. The 16-year-old was arrested within hours of the stabbing and was charged with homicide and related charges earlier this week. We are not releasing his name because of his age. It is unclear whether he will be tried as an adult.

Morgan Zalot of the Philadelphia Daily News wrote a nice tribute to Nafis here, including words from his aunt.

Nafis was riding his bike when he was killed. He spent a lot of time at Neighborhood Bike Works, the West Philly-based non-profit that helps kids develop leadership skills and responsibility through repairing and riding bikes. The organization tweeted photos of Nafis yesterday:

Nafis will be missed by all of us here at NBW who were fortunate enough to have worked with him.

— NeighbrhoodBikeWorks (@NeighBikeWorks) January 21, 2015

Nafis was a leader among his peers & impressed us with his repertoire of self-taught mechanics, positive humor, and drive to help others.

— NeighbrhoodBikeWorks (@NeighBikeWorks) January 21, 2015

The viewing for Nafis will be held at St. Jude Baptist Church at 632 N. 38th Street on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. Arrangements are being made through Mitchum-Wilson Funeral Home.

– Mike Lyons

Tax season is here, and here’s some useful information for those who didn’t make a lot of money last year and need help filing their taxes. Starting Monday, Jan. 26, and through April 15, 2015, 20 free tax sites managed by the Campaign for Working Families will be open throughout Philadelphia. The sites will be offering free tax preparation and e-filing services to families who earned less than $53,000 in 2014 and to individuals with an income under $20,000.

Here are the locations of free community tax sites in West and Southwest Philadelphia:

West Philadelphia

Drexel University Dornsife Center for Neighborhood Partnerships, 3509 Spring Garden (wheelchair accessible)
Monday & Wednesday 2:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Friday 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.  Continue Reading

The Frank Furness-designed church buildings at 47th and Kingsessing were days away from demolition but are now undergoing renovation. (Photos by Mike Lyons / West Philly Local)

Renovation has begun on the 114-year-old Frank Furness-designed church at 47th and Kingsessing to convert it to commercial space that will likely house schools and save it from demolition.

The church building had fallen into such a state of disrepair that neighbors feared it may collapse. The City agreed and condemned the building, erected a chain-link fence and “cleaned” and “sealed” the building last June. Demolition seemed days away, but a local landlord, a historic preservationist and former Mayor Wilson Goode Sr. joined forces to convince the city to allow it to be sold and renovated.

After attempts to persuade the Department of Licenses and Inspections to remove the demolition decree didn’t work, Guy Laren, who owns several properties in West Philadelphia, and Penn historic preservation professor Aaron Wunsch asked for some help from Goode, who is chair of Partners for Sacred Spaces.

“What ultimately saved the church was Aaron’s unwillingness to give up,” said Laren by e-mail, who bought the main church building and the adjacent parish building.

The “Parish House” building adjacent to the main church building.

Laren said Wunsch boarded up windows to keep scrappers out and then courted Goode, who helped usher the purchase through the Department of Licenses and Inspections.

“The skies suddenly cleared,” said Laren.

They now have time to do the necessary repairs to shore up the church and hopefully satisfy L and I. Laren said he attracted two tenants, both schools, to occupy the space.

“I have two excellent potential tenants for most of the space inside the church,” he said. “Hopefully their tenancies will allow me to pay to renovate and restore the church.”

“If everything works out as I hope, there will be some additional space in the sanctuary that I can try to build out as either residential apartments or some other commercial use.”

The church’s latest tenant was the small congregation of St. Peter’s Church of Christ, which had occupied the church since 1979 and was reluctant to consider leasing the space to help pay for renovations.

– Mike Lyons