Street improvement work has been happening on 40th street since last month with temporary street closures and parking restrictions during work hours. According to a new announcement by the Penn Public Safety Division, 40th street between Walnut and Locust will be closed to all vehicles between the hours of 7 p.m. and 5 a.m., on Tuesdays through Fridays, beginning Tuesday, Aug. 28. These traffic restrictions will last approximately five weeks until October 2, according to the announcement.

Police will be on scene to assist with traffic detours during these weeks.

Police are looking for three male suspects in connection with a burglary at Aksum restaurant at 4630 Baltimore Ave. that happened in the early morning hours on Sunday, Aug. 12. One suspect entered the restaurant after breaking the front window with an object. He took cash and several electronic devices from the restaurant and passed them on to the other men who were waiting outside, according to police.

Police released surveillance video of the burglary where the suspects can be seen outside and inside the restaurant during the burglary (see below).  Continue Reading

Centennial Village, the mixed-use rental project with 51 units of affordable housing and 7,227 square feet of commercial space, officially opened in West Parkside on Thursday with a grand opening ceremony. Community members, City and State officials, project funders, and Centennial Village new residents were in attendance.

The project has transformed 52nd Street between Columbia and Parkside Avenues and nearby areas by rejuvenating 44 formerly vacant lots and buildings. It includes a 30-unit apartment building, a mixed-use building with six residential units and two commercial spaces, and the renovation and new construction of seven single-family homes and one duplex.  Continue Reading

Police are now offering a $20,000 reward for information leading to an arrest of the driver involved in a fatal hit-and-run last month in West Philadelphia. Kenneth Whiters, 61, was struck on Lancaster Avenue near Aspen Street on July 22 at 3:14 a.m. by a vehicle, believed to be a Mazda 3 hatchback, that was traveling at a high speed west on Lancaster Avenue from Fairmount Street. The car fled the scene after the accident.

Police released surveillance video of the accident last month (see below).  Continue Reading

Architects and West Philly residents Anu Mathur, center, and Dilip da Cunha, right, talk to community members about plans for the proposed pocket park on 40th Street on Tuesday night at the Rotunda.

Architects and designers of the proposed pocket park on 40th Street unveiled preliminary plans on Tuesday that included permanent collapsible tables down the center and a variety of ground and wall surfaces to make the long, thin strip of land along a busy commercial corridor inviting for everyone in the neighborhood.

“How do you include everybody?,” landscape architect and West Philly resident Anu Mathur asked about 20 community members gathered at The Rotunda to provide input on the plans. “These are words we use, but how do we actually do that?”  Continue Reading

Penn students are moving in this week and as usual during this time of year, a portion of Spruce street will be closed to all traffic, including bicyclists. Penn Division of Public Safety has announced the following street closures:

• Tuesday, Aug. 21: Spruce Street will be closed from 34th to 38th Street, between 6:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m.
• Wednesday, Aug. 22: Spruce Street will be closed from 34th to 38th Street, between 6:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m.
• Saturday, Aug. 25: Spruce Street will be closed from 38th to 40th Street, between 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m.

SEPTA buses will be rerouted during the days and hours.