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A Protect Public Education rally is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. tomorrow morning at City Hall. The rally is being organized to protest state cuts to education funding. The rally will take place on the Dilworth Plaza (west side) of City Hall and is scheduled to last until about 9:45 a.m.

A forum on education is also being held tomorrow at 5:30 p.m. at WHYY headquarters at 150 N. 6th St. The event will feature more than 40 local, regional and national speakers on education issues. The forum will include informational presentations on the state of education in Philadelphia and a reception for the launch of the education edition of the Philadelphia Social Innovations Journal.

The Journal and Young Involved Philadelphia are hosting the event. RSVP here.

A slew of local political candidates will be in West Philly tomorrow evening beginning at 7:30 p.m. The meet and greet will take place at the University of the Sciences’ Rosenberger Hall (600 S. 43rd St.). The 27th Democratic Ward is sponsoring the event.

Candidates scheduled to be on hand include:

City Council – At-Large

Sherrie Cohen
Councilwoman Blondell Reynolds Brown
Councilman W. Wilson Goode Jr.
Councilman Bill Green
Councilman William Greenlee
Councilman Jim Kenney
Isaiah Thomas

City commissioner

City Commissioner Anthony Clark

Sheriff

John Kromer
State Rep. Jewell Williams

Young artists still have a couple of days to enter work in the Manga Art Show and reception at the Lucien E. Blackwell West Philadelphia Regional Library (125 S. 52nd Street).

Young artists ages 10-18 interested in displaying their work in the show must submit pieces to the library by Friday, April 8.

The after school show and reception will be held Tuesday, April 12 at the library from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Manga (Japanese comics) have swept the nation (just ask any 10-year-old) and this show will celebrate those who read them and also draw them. Japanese refreshments will be served.

For more information call the library at 215-685-7433.

UC Green is teaming up with the Philadelphia Orchard Project to raise money to plant fruit and nut trees along the streets of West and Southwest Philadelphia. They hope to raise enough money to plant about 100 trees by the fall. The fruit and nuts from the trees would be available to everyone. But don’t worry they are not going to choose trees that will leave a big mess on the streets and sidewalks.

The project has a page on the fundraising site Kickstarter.com. Here is the link. Donations start at just $1.

Here is their video pitch…

Here’s a note from our friendly neighborhood Tweeting Detective Joseph Murray at TheFuzz9143:

Looking for a white Ford Crown Victoria lic# HTD-9259. Wanted in connection to a dozen pharmacy robberies. Heavy tinted windows. Thanks

Buses bound for an education rally in Harrisburg will depart the School District of Philadelphia headquarters at 440 N. Broad St. tomorrow morning at 7:30 a.m. The rally is aimed at protesting likely cuts to the state’s contribution to the district’s budget, as much as $629 million. The cuts will have far-ranging consequences for the district, including cuts of about $61 million to schools themselves. These cuts will likely result in a host thorny issues, including larger class sizes, fewer specialty teachers and fewer special education teachers.

For more information and to sign-up for the free bus trip to Harrisburg call Evelyn Sample-Oates at 215-400-4041 or 215-400-4042 or e-mail her at esampleoates – at – philasd.org.