Police are asking for the public’s assistance to locate an endangered missing person. Edward Sojourner, 66, went missing from VA Medical Center located on the 3900 block of Woodland Avenue on Saturday, Dec. 30, at around 10:40 p.m. Police say Mr. Sojourner, who suffers from dementia, is a patient at the facility and left it without permission.

Mr. Sojourner lives on the 5200 block of N. 6th Street but he was not found at that location, according to police.

He is 5 feet 11 inches and weighs 198 pounds. He was wearing white Converse shoes and a beige, knee-length jacket. Anyone with information about this missing person is urged to call Southwest Detectives at 215-686-3183.

Check out New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day events and other useful information below. Before heading out the door please make sure to dress warm since it will be extremely cold outside. Happy New Year!

Sunday, Dec. 31

New Year’s Eve Fireworks

You can ring in 2018 twice during SugarHouse Casino’s New Year’s Eve Fireworks on the Delaware River Waterfront. There will be two free fireworks shows along the Delaware River – at 6 p.m. and midnight. For more information, go to: www.visitphilly.com/events/philadelphia/new-years-eve-fireworks.

Monday, Jan. 1

2018 Mummers Parade

Philadelphia’s New Year’s Day tradition lives on! Mummers Officials and the city decided that the 2018 Mummers Parade will be held as scheduled on New Year’s Day despite the frigid temperatures. The city is planning to have heating tents and warm buses along the route for the Mummers. The parade kicks off at 9 a.m. at City Hall and will end sometime before 6 p.m. at Broad St. and Washington Ave.  Continue Reading

Fire crews battled a two-alarm fire on the 4900 block of Chestnut Street on Friday morning. The fire broke out shortly after 11 a.m. on the second floor of a two-story row house at 4937 Chestnut St. The fire was brought under control at around 12:30 p.m.

Two firefighters suffered minor injuries, according to reports.

A SEPTA bus has been positioned at 50th and Chestnut to provide relief to anyone displaced by the fire and for the fire crews working in frigid conditions.

Responding to a fire on the 4900 block of Chestnut Street in West Philly. Please avoid the area.

— Philadelphia Fire (@PhillyFireDept) December 29, 2017

On-scene of the 4900 block of Chestnut St with the @PhillyFireDept standing by for any pet needs pic.twitter.com/0C2oBdxfpu

— Red Paw Relief Team (@RedPawRelief) December 29, 2017

Update on 49th & Chestnut: About 100 PFD members and 40 apparatus responded to this 2-alarm fire. pic.twitter.com/y47t3rwc9m

— Philadelphia Fire (@PhillyFireDept) December 29, 2017

A robbery suspect was shot and critically wounded by a plainclothes police officer near 49th and Walnut Streets on Tuesday morning, according to reports.

Plainclothes police officers pursued an unidentified male suspect after he allegedly robbed a deli at 52nd and Irving Streets at around 9 a.m. The man reportedly got into a black Chevy SUV near 52nd and Hazel Streets. During the pursuit, the suspect’s SUV collided with another car at 49th and Walnut Street.

After the collision, one of the officers approached the suspect’s car and identified himself, according to a report by NBC Philadelphia, and then shot the suspect once in the chest after he didn’t comply. The suspect reportedly made a motion toward his waistband.  Continue Reading

Below is information on schedule changes for SEPTA and city services and special hours and closings at some local shops, cafes and restaurants. We’ll update this post when more information becomes available. If you want to add your business hours, please do so in the comments below. Information on holiday events can be found here. Happy Holidays!

SEPTA

Buses (except Route 204), Trains, and Trolleys will operate on a SUNDAY schedule on Christmas Day (Monday, Dec. 25) and on New Year’s Day. Customers should check the timetables for specific holiday service information.  Continue Reading

As SEPTA Key card sales have increased, SEPTA is phasing out token sales.

If you’re still using SEPTA tokens for your rides, take note: Starting in mid-January 2018, SEPTA will begin the process of phasing out token sales at cashiers’ booths and vending machines at Market-Frankford and Broad Street Line stations. Tokens will continue to be sold at major SEPTA sales offices, Regional Rail stations, and at over 200 third-party retailers until further notice.

More and more riders are making the transition to the SEPTA Key, and token sales have been steadily declining. About half of the station vending machines on the Market-Frankford and Broad Street Lines have already been removed. Beginning in mid-January, cashier sales will end and the 40 remaining token machines will be removed over a six-week period. Token sales at all these locations are expected to end on or about March 1, 2018. The full phase-out schedule will be posted on SEPTA’s website, www.septa.org, in early January.  Continue Reading