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

Amen Brown (Photo from pahouse.com).

Amen Brown, a first-term lawmaker representing Philadelphia’s 190th Legislative District, which includes several West Philly neighborhoods, joined Attorney General Josh Shapiro this week to announce an historic agreement with the state’s largest gun show promoter, Eagle Arms, to ban sales of “ghost gun” kits at its shows. Brown reached out to the Eagle Arms owner and explained the devastation these kits were doing to the West Philadelphia communities he represents and communities across the city and the state.

“Ghost guns,” also known as “80 percent receivers,” are partially manufactured firearms that can be fairly easily fashioned into working guns. They typically have no commercial serial numbers. Nearly 250 ghost guns were recovered in Philadelphia last year. Continue Reading

The University of the Sciences (USciences), one of the city’s neighborhood mass COVID vaccination sites, will hold two walk-up vaccine clinics next month – on April 13 and April 22, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., according to today’s announcement by the Philadelphia Department of Health. The clinics will be held at USciences’ Athletic/Recreation Center (ARC), 730 S. 43rd St.

All city-run mass vaccine clinics are open to Philadelphia residents only. Residents who meet the Philadelphia Phase 1a and 1b criteria are currently eligible to get vaccinated. Continue Reading

Artist’s rendering of Phase 2 of Wade Flats at 53rd and Whitby.

Residents got a closer look at a proposed 53-unit “equitable and inclusionary” apartment complex near 53rd and Baltimore set to begin construction later this month.

The local real estate developer Spak Group hosted the first of monthly info sessions with residents related to WADE Flats, which will be built along a vacant stretch of parcels at 5300-5310 Whitby Ave. – a couple of blocks south of Baltimore Ave. in Southwest Philly. Continue Reading