A 19-year-old man was shot and killed near 52nd and Locust in the latest of a series of violent incidents in that area in the past few weeks.

Police say the unidentified man was shot at about 2:50 p.m. on Sunday afternoon and was taken to Penn Presbyterian Hospital, where he died at about 3:30 p.m.

No arrests have been made and no weapon was recovered, police said.

Two men were shot during separate shootouts near the same intersection three weeks ago. No arrests were made in those shootings.

                         Chaniece Benn

Police are searching for a 20-year-old woman, Chaniece Benn, who vanished after leaving Mercy Hospital, 501 S. 54th St., on early Saturday morning. A resident of the 3800 block of Aspen Street, Benn was last seen around 4 a.m. on Saturday exiting the hospital with an unknown black male. She has cerebral palsy and a diminished mental capacity, according to police.

Benn is five feet, one inch, 130 pounds with a medium build, has brown eyes, a light brown complexion, and straight, black, shoulder length hair. She was wearing a black hooded jacket, khaki pants, and a black shirt and black sneakers with a silver stripe. The man, who was seen leaving the hospital with her (pictured below), is described as five feet, five inches tall, with a medium build and medium complexion. He was wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt, blue jeans, and black shoes.

Anyone with information on this missing person is asked to call the Southwest Detective Division at 215-686-3183/3184 or dial 911.

The work begins in earnest at Lea School playground. (Photo courtesy of the West Philly Coalition for Neighborhood Schools.)

You may have noticed the work underway at the Henry Lea School playground (47th and Spruce) over the last couple of weeks. This work is part of the Greening Lea Project, a multi-year, multi-project transformation of the outdoor environment of the school. In a testament to what grassroots, collaborative community work can do, this amazing transformation of the Lea playground comes as school budgets plummet.

Dozens of Lea students, families and neighbors along with donor volunteers will meet at the playground tomorrow at 10 a.m. to start planting in the playground’s rain gardens. Volunteers from the Philadelphia Orchard Project will also be there to plant in the landscaping bed along Spruce Street, according to the West Philly Coalition for Neighborhood Schools.

The construction underway now will eventually include brick pavers, large shade trees and rain gardens. The basketball court will be rotated and repaved and new hoops will be installed.

Community contributions through the Greening Lea Naming Campaign and the Close the Gap Campaign have helped pay for about a quarter of the project, which will transform hundreds of square feet of asphalt into an important community gathering place.

Swing by tomorrow between 10:00 a.m. and 12 p.m. to have a look.

                 Photo: Palmsolutions.org

Palms Solutions – the African Diaspora Global Initiative – in collaboration with the Friends of Clark Park (FOCP) and the Mayor’s Commission on African & Caribbean Immigrant Affairs, is hosting the kick off of its annual “West Philly African & Caribbean Multicultural Festival (Westpac Fest)” event at Clark Park (43rd and Baltimore) on Saturday, Oct. 17, 2-6 p.m. The kick-off event features Ethiopia and Mali. The celebration is an opportunity to experience Philadelphia’s vibrant and growing African and Caribbean immigrant population.

According to the event organizers, the goal of WestPac Fest is to “break down the cultural and ethnic barriers among communities in West Philly, promote a friendly, and welcoming environment for people of all backgrounds, and together build a place where diversity is recognized and valued.”

This year‘s celebration is a tribute to the late Ms. Frances P. Aulston, President and CEO of the West Philadelphia Cultural Alliance and the Paul Robeson House, who played a big role in the preservation of the last residence of Paul Robeson, a legendary artist, scholar, athlete, activist, and humanitarian.  Continue Reading

Each year, dozens of little monsters, princesses, supermen, cowboys, Mickey Mice and other Halloween costume-clad kids and parents, gather near 45th and Baltimore for the Spruce Hill Tot Parade, followed by a party on the 4200 block of Osage (“Little Osage”). This year is no exception to this great neighborhood tradition. More details, provided by the event organizer, Spruce Hill Community Association, are below. Also, check out photos from last year’s parade and party.

The 18th annual Spruce Hill Halloween Tot Parade and Party, organized in a joint effort between the Spruce Hill Community Association and neighbors on the 4200 block of Osage Avenue, will start at 45th and Larchwood at 3:30 p.m. with a rousing drum and cymbal band provided by the University of Penn DrumLine.

The parade and ‘trick or treating’ will then proceed East over Larchwood Avenue, ending on the 4200 block of Osage Avenue where the neighbors throw their annual block-party style Halloween celebration treating the children to cider and baked goods provided by neighbors and local businesses.

Later on, be sure your trick-or-treating route includes the Spruce Hill Center (257 S 45th St), where SHCA board member and Mel-Lo Townwatch leader Jackie Waiters will continue the long standing tradition of delighting trick-or-treaters with hand assembled goodie bags.

Where: Parade starts at 45th and Larchwood, ending on the 4200 block of Osage.
When: Saturday, Oct. 31. Assemble begins at 3 p.m. Parade starts at 3:30 p.m., followed by the Halloween Party

This is late notice, but we wanted to pass along news that the newly formed Cobbs Creek Neighborhood Association will meet for the first time this Friday at 7 p.m. at West Phillie Produce at 18 S. 62nd Street. Cobbs Creek Neighbors is working on community projects and events west of 52nd Street and south of Market. Here’s their Facebook post about the meeting:

“Hello friends and neighbors! We are very happy to announce that this Friday [Oct. 16] we will be having our first EVER meeting of the newly (finally!) formed, Cobbs Creek Neighbors Association. West Phillie Produce has kindly offered their upstairs space to us at 62nd and Ludlow (just a block or two from the 63rd St. El stop), and if we’re lucky we might also get to hear some live music by the Black Fridays house band. Here’s your chance to get involved and meet some like-minded neighbors. Please come out!”