We will know a lot more about which schools will close or consolidate in West Philadelphia after today’s School Reform Commission (SRC) meeting, which for the first time, will be streamed live online.

The SRC is scheduled to release its tentative master plan to address the estimated 70,000 empty seats in the district. The plan includes a list of schools that will be closed, consolidated or have grade changes. The list will be the subject of a series of community meetings over the next several months.

A leaked preliminary report that recommended that the Alexander Wilson School (1300 S. 46th St.) be closed and students transferred to the Henry C. Lea School (4700 Locust St.) fueled speculation that fairly drastic changes were ahead for schools in our area. The District responded that the leaked report was merely a rough draft that was far from the final recommendations. There was even speculation that the much-debated catchment area for the Penn Alexander School (43rd and Locust) would be redrawn, though that seems unlikely. A much more clear picture of those changes should emerge from today’s meeting.

The SRC meeting begins at 3 p.m. today and the announcement on the proposed changes is scheduled for 5 p.m. For the first time the SRC meeting will be streamed live at the District’s website. The meeting will also be broadcast on its cable channel, which is available to Comcast (Channel 52) and FIOS (Channel 20) subscribers.

A couple of dozen pumpkins entered our 2011 Pumpkin Carving Contest. The artistic endeavor and sheer jack-o-lovliness has impressed folks far and wide. Alas, there can only be a handful of winners. And here they are:

• Reader’s Choice –  Bimal Desai‘s toothy, super-freak of a pumpkin (Pumpkin 21) topped the voting (160 votes cast). Bimal wins gift certificates from Wake Up Yoga and Dock Street Brewery.
• Kids – Wyatt Baker, 8, and his super crafty use of the stem (Pumpkin 4). Wyatt wins a tote bag and a gift card from VIX Emporium.
• Philly-themed – Katrine Lvovskaya and Becca Lausch with “Fall-o-delphia”, their homage to our lovely skyline and the love that is the Love Statue (Pumpkin 17). Katrine and Becca win a gift card from Milk & Honey Market.
• Scariest –  Terry Coleman – That “Gears of War” skull freaked the judges out a lot (Pumpkin 5). Terry wins a gift certificate from Aksum cafe/restaurant.
• Funniest/Ironic/ Wow! – Nate Johnson (Pumpkin 19). There has to be a place in our awards for a pumpkin that just blew the judges’ minds. A fitting tribute to REM and Michael Stipe a couple of weeks after the band announced the (yes, we had to do it) End of their World as We Know it. Nate wins a fall food basket from Mariposa Food Co-op.

Last but not least, we want to give a hearty shout out to everyone who entered a pumpkin and all who voted.

This week’s featured cat is Jax, an adorable 12-14-week-old tuxedo kitten. Jax is currently in the window at Baltimore Pet Shoppe (4532 Baltimore Ave).

This kitten started life rough (in a weed-choked lot in West Philly), but despite that, is a super sweet, loving and trusting little guy. He has a mellow temperament, loves to play with toys, and is always happy to have his belly rubbed or be held for a cuddle.

Jax is neutered, vaccinated, microchipped, dewormed and flea treated. If you would like to meet him please stop by Baltimore Pet Shoppe, where Jax will stay for one more week. He is available for adoption through Project M.E.O.W. To request an online adoption application please email: projectmeowadoptions [at] gmail.com.

If you’re free around lunchtime tomorrow swing by 30th Street Station for the opening of “Philadelphia’s next great public space.” The celebration starts at noon and will also include the unveiling of the new name of the plaza along Market Street adjacent to the station – once a sort of dangerous and confusing mix of pedestrians dashing to make trains, taxis and Market Street traffic. Now it has trees, tables, chairs and sensible traffic patterns, making it a fitting introduction to our fair ‘burg for commuters and tourists alike.

Tomorrow’s opening ceremony will include street performances, refreshments and live music.

The Wake Up Yoga studio in West Philly (4916 Baltimore Ave.) is bringing back its Mommy & Me class beginning Wednesday, Nov. 2. This is a yoga class for new mothers who are welcome to bring their babies as they rebuild their strength and stamina. Mommy & Me includes some poses that can be practiced with the baby. The class will be taught by instructor Felicia Graham and will be offered on Wednesdays, 11:15 a.m. – 12:45 p.m.. Each class is $16 and you don’t have to register. Just drop in and enjoy. If you have questions please contact the studio at 215-235-1228.

From November 10 until December 23 there will be an opportunity for beginners to learn some yoga basics, as the studio is offering a six-week Brand New Beginners series. The series consists of eight classes with the focus on breath and movement. This series will be taught by Monica Kriso and meet on Thursday evenings, 7:45 p.m. – 9:15 p.m. (no meeting on Thanksgiving). The cost for the series is $81 and pre-registration is required. To learn more about it and to register please go here.

So another Halloween has come and gone in West Philly. We have a photo slideshow and video below from the parade and we will be announcing the winners of our Pumpkin Carving Contest a little later today. We hope everyone had an awesome and safe Halloween.