UPDATE (Monday, Jan. 28, 2019): Darryl Thomas stepped down over the weekend. Democratic leaders appointed Movita Johnson-Harrell as the nominee for the March 12 special election.

Democratic ward leaders have selected Darryl Thomas, a Howard University graduate and the owner of Philly Cuts barbershop on Chestnut near 44th, to stand in a special election in March to fill the 190th state House District seat left vacant when former Rep. Vanessa Lowery Brown resigned in December.

Thomas has long been vocal on community issues, including zoning, and ran in the Democratic primary for the seat in 2016, losing to Brown.

“I’m not a politician, even though I’m running for office. I’m a social activist,” Thomas, a West Philly native, told West Philly Local during the campaign. Continue Reading

West Philly artists are invited to The Rotunda (40th and Walnut) for a couple of events this month – a planning meeting for a community arts project, and a tax workshop.

The community arts project, “When I am the Princess,” will take place on Saturday, March 9 when artists will have the opportunity to read, sing, perform, dance, show and/or exhibit at The Rotunda. The first planning meeting for the project will be this Saturday, Jan. 26, 2:00-3:30 p.m. (the second meeting is on Sunday, Feb. 24, 2:00-3:30 p.m.).  Continue Reading

Those on and around Penn’s campus may be happy to hear this news: Giant Food has set its sights on a location near 34th and Chestnut for its second small-format food market in Philadelphia, aka Heirloom Market. The city’s first Heirloom Market is opening this week in Graduate Hospital.

The new grocery store will reportedly open at 3401 Chestnut Street, the location previously occupied by Eastern Mountain Sports.  Continue Reading

Walnut Hill residents got a chance on Thursday to ask the proposed developers of the Provident Insurance Co. building at 4601 Market Street what benefits the neighborhood would get from the healthcare campus planned for the site.

Iron Stone Real Estate Partners execs presented their plans for the building at a Walnut Hill Community Association meeting aimed at finalizing a “community benefits agreement,” a contract that would reflect community requests on everything from hiring practices to parking to the use of green space in development projects that get public subsidies.  Continue Reading

On August 3rd 1965, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. spoke at 40th and Lancaster during a Freedom Now Rally in front of a crowd of 10,000 people. The Peace March ended there in 2018 with speeches from community leaders. (Photo courtesy of People’s Emergency Center).

Beginning this weekend, local universities and other non-profit organizations will be hosting many events, for adults and children alike, and volunteer projects in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Most of the events are happening on the Martin Luther King Day of Service on Monday, Jan. 21.

Here are some of these events; more events in the area from now through Monday can be found at this link. Continue Reading

Last month, Councilwoman Jannie Blackwell halted a vote in City Council on the sale of the former Provident Mutual Life Insurance building to local real estate developer Iron Stone, who had proposed to convert the site at 46th and Market into a public health campus. This Thursday, Jan. 17, Iron Stone representatives will talk about the future of the site at a zoning meeting organized by the Walnut Hill Community Association.

Community members are invited to attend the meeting and voice their opinions.

The meeting will take place at the Enterprise Center (4548 Market St), beginning at 6 p.m.