The Woodlands Cemetery and Mansion will be auctioning off rare wood from the Grove of Seven Giants – the historic English Elm trees that had stood there for over 200 years, but had to be cut down after succumbing to Dutch Elm disease a few years ago.

The wood from the Grove of Seven Giants was milled in 2017, and has been carefully drying ever since. This rare wood is now ready to be used in restoration projects at The Woodlands, and in your own home! The Woodlands is auctioning off live edge, raw slabs in a variety of sizes to be used for woodworking projects, furniture, and more. Continue Reading

The Philadelphia Department of Public Health has expanded the list of COVID vaccination clinics around the city and has added more clinics in West Philadelphia. A new city-run COVID vaccination site has opened at the Salvation Army (5501 Market St.).

The new site is open every Friday through at least April 30 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and is operating mostly by appointment. Walk-ups are possible after 3 p.m. if there are any unused doses left, according to a staff member.

Only eligible Philadelphia residents can get vaccinated at city-run clinics (check eligibility criteria here). Please make sure to bring your ID or a piece of mail with your address.

For more information on city-run COVID vaccination clinics, go here.

Today, the School District of Philadelphia has announced its plans to welcome back students in grades 3-5 and students with complex needs in grades 6-8 in school buildings (Phase 2 of its Hybrid Learning Plan), and the beginning of the application process for families.

Beginning Tuesday, April 6, families can complete the Phase 2 Learning Model Selection Survey, where they can choose to have their children participate in hybrid learning. Families will have to make this selection until Tuesday, April 13. Phase 2 hybrid learning students would attend school in-person two days per week and engage in digital learning three days each week, beginning the week of Monday, April 26. Continue Reading

Neighborhood Bike Works (NBW), a West Philly-based non-profit organization that has been providing free bikes to essential workers during the COVID-19 pandemic, is holding a virtual Spring Fundraiser on Thursday, March 25, at 6:30 p.m.

Over the past year, the organization has been working through its Bikes for Neighbors program to connect people all over the city with safe and reliable bicycle transportation. The bikes were made available for free to essential workers – those working in hospitals, grocery stores, restaurants, warehouses, etc.

The Bikes for Neighbors program received over 540 requests for bicycles from Philadelphia residents in need, and 118 bicycles have been given out so far. Forty-five percent of the bikes have gone to healthcare workers and another 20 percent to grocery store employees. Continue Reading

Starting today, the FEMA-run COVID vaccination site located at the Pennsylvania Convention Center will only administer second doses for about three weeks to those who received a first dose of the Pfizer vaccine at the clinic and scheduled an appointment for the second dose, according to city officials. After that, the site will switch to administering single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccinations. No walk-ups will be accepted at the site until further announcement.

The site officially opened on March 3 and is scheduled to close on April 30. City officials are hopeful that the Federal Government will extend the site’s operation beyond that date. Continue Reading

The School District of Philadelphia has announced that 22 additional schools will re-open for in-person next month. Students in grades preK-2 whose families have chosen the hybrid learning model, can return to the following schools beginning April 5:

Add B. Anderson School

William C. Bryant School

Laura H. Carnell School

Watson Comly School

Lewis Elkin School Continue Reading