The Halal Guys Facebook photo.

The Halal Guys, the fast casual restaurant serving Middle Eastern-style chicken, beef and vegetable dishes, has opened its newest location in the recently renovated historic Hamilton Court at 39th and Chestnut. The grand opening for the University City location is set for this Saturday, March 23rd from 11 a.m. – 4 a.m.

This is the fourth Philadelphia location opened by local franchise owners Jung Ahn and Naveen Mohiuddin, who also operate locations in Chinatown, King of Prussia and Northeast Philadelphia.  Continue Reading

Ahimsa House and community garden (Photo West Philly Local).

Everybody at the Cedar Park Neighbors zoning meeting on Tuesday night lauded the mission of the Ahimsa House, the volunteer run community space on the first floor of a three-story house at 5007 Cedar Ave. The question is, how to make the whole thing “legal”?

The Ahimsa House (“ahimsa” is a Sanskrit word meaning “non-violence”) dates back to 2011, when Meg Ferrigno bought the Cedar Avenue property through the Penn home ownership program. The three-story property had been a triplex and Ferrigno was advised to have it re-zoned as a duplex to qualify. A mix-up at the Department of Licenses and Inspections (L&I) resulted in a single family designation.  Continue Reading

Applications are now open for community vendors who would like to be a part of this year’s Baltimore Avenue Dollar Strolls, which will be held on June 6th and September 12th from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. For the first time this year, not only community food vendors but also merchandise vendors are invited to officially participate along with dozens of Baltimore Avenue businesses.

Organized by University City District (UCD) and Baltimore Avenue Business Association (BABA), the strolls draw thousands of visitors, who enjoy $1 specials along Baltimore Avenue, from 43rd to 52nd streets. The purpose of selecting official vendors is to “ensure all vendors are in compliance with Philadelphia permitting codes, whether Philadelphia Health Department codes for food vending, or the Department of Licenses and Inspections for merchandise vendors,” according to a statement by UCD.  Continue Reading

Here are two opportunities for community members to meet candidates in the May 21 primary election.

The 27th Ward democrats are inviting friends and neighbors for a Spring Shindig at Clarkville (43rd and Baltimore), which will take place Monday, March 18, from 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. This is an opportunity to meet and mingle with local Democratic candidates running for office, including Congressman Dwight Evans, who will be a special guest at the event.

This is also a fundraising event supporting the 27th Ward democrats. Tickets are $20 in advance, or sliding scale at the door (no one will be turned away).  Continue Reading

Photo by Shepard Ritzen.

The mystery of the lifestyle art sculptures that recently appeared on an empty lot on the 4700 block of Market Street has been (somewhat) solved. The statues are by well-known New Jersey-based artist Seward Johnson, and the lot, owned by the Daniel Veloric Foundation, is a future site for a museum with some public meeting space, according to a recent report by Philly.com.

It’s not clear yet when the construction will begin, but reportedly “soon.” The Veloric Foundation, whose owner Daniel Veloric is 91 years old and lives in the suburbs, purchased the entire block in 2017. Some demolition work on the site has already been done, according to the report. The organization has reportedly allocated $1.3 million for the project.  Continue Reading

Democratic nominee Movita Johnson-Harrell easily won Tuesday’s special election for the 190th House District seat.

Johnson-Harrell, who was most recently the head of the victim service unit in the District Attorney’s Office, won with about two-thirds of votes cast. She replaces Vanessa Lowery Brown, who was forced to resign in December after being convicted of bribery charges.

Amen Brown, a Democrat who was running as an independent, finished second, according to reports. Pamela K. Williams, a pastor from West Philly running in the Working Families Party, finished third and Republican Michael Harvey finished fourth.  Continue Reading