Posted on 21 July 2015 by WestPhillyLocal.com
Friday night jazz at Cedar Park. Photo from Twitter feed of @DrStephenDavis.
Great news for local jazz fans and anyone who enjoys outdoor music and hanging with neighbors. The popular Cedar Park Jazz series, which runs every summer in the park at 49th and Baltimore, has been extended until August 14.
The Broke and Blue Band will perform this Friday from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. The two added dates – August 7 and 14 – will feature Dr. Ketchup (Aug. 7) and Clint Washington and Friends (Aug. 14). Side By Soul will take the stage next Friday.
And as if that isn’t enough live jazz … Jake’s Sandwich Board, a restaurant in that new building on 40th Street near Sansom, has announced (Facebook page) that there will be live music every Wednesday from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the World’s Largest Parklet (on 40th Street across from Fresh Grocer). Yes, jazz at the parklet is now a thing. Don’t forget that while the parklet fronts a bunch of businesses, you don’t necessarily have to patronize one to sit there. It’s a park, just like any other park.
Posted on 20 July 2015 by WestPhillyLocal.com
Jasmine Wright
A Healing For The Community service followed by a candlelight vigil for 27-year-old Jasmine Wright, the woman found dead in her 50th Street apartment last week, will take place tonight, from 7 – 8 p.m. at Monumental Baptist Church, 4948 Locust St.
Wright, who received her master’s degree at Drexel University’s School of Public Health a few weeks ago, was found beaten and strangled in her apartment on the 200 block of S. 50th Street, police said. Her body was found last Thursday afternoon in a bedroom of her third floor apartment after her father had tried to reach her by phone and finally asked the property manager to check on her. Police said she may have been dead for 24 hours. There were no signs of forced entry into the apartment, which made police believe that Jasmine may have known her attacker.
On Saturday, police were questioning a person of interest, reportedly a handyman who had access to Jasmine’s home. No arrests have been made yet.
Originally from New York City, Wright received her bachelor’s degree at Pennsylvania State University. She had lived in West Philly for about two years while she was attending Drexel’s graduate program. Her neighbors described her as a quiet and sweet girl, who mostly kept to herself. Her friends remember her as a funny and caring woman.
Posted on 19 July 2015 by WestPhillyLocal.com
With the temperatures in the mid-90’s and heat index into 100’s, the Philadelphia Department of Public Health has issued an Excessive Heat Warning for Philadelphia beginning at noon today. The warning signals the activation of the City’s special summer heat programs, including enhanced daytime outreach for the homeless. The authorities also encourage the public to check on older friends, relatives, and neighbors.
The ‘Heatline’ (215-765-9040) will be in operation from noon through midnight on Sunday and from 8:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Monday.
In a heat wave, the majority of the victims are older people and those with pre-existing medical conditions, so health officials urge the public to visit older friends, relatives and neighbors to ensure that air conditioners or fans are working, and homes are adequately ventilated. Other groups at risk in the extreme heat include people with chronic medical conditions, pregnant women, small children, those who work in a high heat environment and persons engaged in strenuous physical activity.
People who do not have air conditioning are advised to seek relief from the heat, for at least some part of the day, in shopping malls, movie theaters, senior centers and other air-conditioned public spaces.
Please avoid, as much as possible working or playing in the hot sun or other hot areas, stay hydrated and if you have difficulty breathing or experience any other serious heat stress symptoms seek immediate medical attention.
Also, keep your pets inside and give them plenty of water.
Posted on 17 July 2015 by Mike Lyons
So folks seem to be going bananas about the new parklet – the biggest one yet – that the University City District has installed outside of the new building on 40th Street across from The Fresh Grocer at 125 S. 40th. That’s the boxy building with Hai Street Kitchen, Zesto Pizza and Grill, Jake’s Sandwich Board and Dunkin Donuts. It’s 60 feet long – the parklet that is – and the usual 6 feet wide.
This big ole parklet spans the length of the building and has caught the eye of folks around the Twittersphere. Here is everything you need to know about the new parklet:
Plan Philly claims it’s the “largest parklet on Earth”:
NewsWorks (A WHYY jawn) calls it a “Super-parklet”:
Curbed Philly has a video of it being put together:
And the Philadelphia Business Journal called it a “magnet for social activity”:
Posted on 16 July 2015 by WestPhillyLocal.com
Jasmine Wright (Facebook photo).
UPDATE (7/17/2015): Police have identified the victim as 27-year-old Jasmine Wright. Wright’s body was found with head and neck injuries, and she appeared to have been beaten and strangled. The Philadelphia Inquirer reporters spoke to Wright’s neighbors who described her as a quiet, sweet and beautiful girl who mostly stayed by herself. According to Wright’s Facebook page, she graduated from Drexel University School of Public Health last month.
The investigation continues.
(7/16/2015, 7:15 p.m.): A 27-year-old woman was found dead Thursday afternoon in her apartment on the 200 block of S. 50th Street, according to various reports. The woman was reportedly beaten and strangled. She lived alone in the apartment. She was pronounced dead on the scene at around 2:35 p.m., police told The Philadelphia Inquirer. According to police, the woman was found by the property manager of her apartment building after her father had tried calling her for several days. Police found no sign of break in, and nothing was taken from the apartment.
Posted on 16 July 2015 by Mike Lyons
About 35 years ago Roger Harman and a partner opened a small café in a former laundromat at 47th and Chester. They named it The Gold Standard. A few years later they renamed it The Palladium and moved it to Penn’s Arts, Research and Culture House (ARCH) on Locust Walk where it operated for 20 years.
Then, Harman teamed up with Vince Whittacre to open Abbraccio, an Italian restaurant at 47th and Warrington (where the Vietnam Café is now). That closed, but six years ago they were back in business at 48th and Baltimore with a name that saluted the old days, opening The Gold Standard Café, the ever-pleasant coffee shop/restaurant/outdoor bistro that quickly became an institution along that section of Baltimore Avenue.
Now it’s on the market.
“We’re getting tired,” said Harman.
He couldn’t provide too many details on the effort to sell the restaurant, but said that its future will be a lot more clear in a week or two. We’ll keep you posted.
– Mike Lyons
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