Police are investigating reports of multiple gunshots near 41st and Pine Streets early this morning. A Penn Division of Public Safety official told The Daily Pennsylvanian at about 2 a.m. that “No weapons were found, no suspects were found [and] no injuries were reported.” Residents near the area reported about four or five shots fired at about 1 a.m.

Male Husky/Shepherd mix found at 3:30 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 27th on 49th and Cedar. Please call 619-565-9137. Must be able to identify him with pictures or identifying marks for him to be returned as we want to ensure he is going to his real home.

Penn’s student newspaper, The Daily Pennsylvanian, has a story today on the McDonald’s at 40th and Walnut Street, which Penn officials characterize as a scourge in the neighborhood around campus.

The article’s author, Rachel Baye, writes:

Those involved with past and present development of the corner say McDonald’s is a hot spot for crime and a source of malnutrition. Getting rid of it, they say, will bring economic growth and make the neighborhood safer.

Baye quotes many Penn officials as saying that they would love to oust McDonald’s and add more upscale housing and shops. McDonald’s, apparently, is not interested in moving. The Daily Pennsylvanian included an article last week on the problems with public transportation near campus as well. Race and class, of course, are at the heart of the conversation in both stories.

The demolition of the Windermere Court Apartments at 48th and Walnut, which had been on hold, proceeded today.

Crews have begun to remove the top floors on the southwest corner of the four-story building near where the Jan. 10 fire began. The demolition had been delayed as residents pressured the building’s owners and the city to allow them to retrieve more of their belongings and giving stranded pets some additional time to be rescued or leave the building.

The West Philly-based feline rescue group City Kitties ended their rescue efforts inside the building on Feb. 19 as warm weather melted ice inside the building leaving the building more unstable. City Kitties, the Walnut Hill Community Association, Councilwoman Jannie Blackwell’s office helped residents make their stories known throughout the region. City Kitties has set up a website – windermerefirepets.org – to help keep alive the concerns that came up in the fire’s aftermath.

Residents have also filed a class-action lawsuit against building owners, David and Sam Ginsberg, and management company, Windermere Court Management Corp. The suit alleges that the building was not equipped with the proper fire suppression equipment – sprinklers and smoke alarms – and that the building had not been regularly inspected.

Here’s a chance to watch the creative process at work. The Curio Theatre Company will hold a staged reading Monday at 7 p.m. of the award-winning Irish play “Leopoldville.” The event is free, open to the public and feedback is encouraged.

Here’s a synopsis of the play from the Curio folks:

Jaki McCarrick’s LEOPOLDVILLE shines a bright light on the destructive power of directionless young men. Set in 1990 in an Irish border town, a gang of teenage boys with few prospects ends a long night of “adventure” by breaking into “The Congo”, a pub owned by a well-traveled widower. When the owner comes back and claims to have no valuables, no African diamonds, nothing more than the cash in the till, the gang starts to fall apart, and things spiral out of control.

The Walnut Hill Community Association is sponsoring a benefit for the Windermere fire victims on March 5 from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the Monumental Baptist Church at 50th and Locust. All proceeds will be donated to a fund that the community association has set up for the victims. Councilwoman Jannie Blackwell and Fire Commissioner Lloyd Ayers are scheduled to be in attendance.

Here is a flier for the event (click to enlarge):