The robbery took place near 44th and Chestnut.

Police are searching for three young men who robbed a man and a woman near 44th and Chestnut early Tuesday morning and are asking residents to apply caution while walking at night in the area. The victims, both 23, were walking along 44th Street at about 12:45 a.m. and were approached by three young men who pointed guns at them and demanded their belongings. Two of the men were on bikes and the third was on foot, police say. The men on bikes were armed with black handguns.

The suspects took the man’s cell phone and wallet and the woman’s cell phone and backpack. The woman was also groped during the robbery, according to police. The male victim chased down the suspect who was on foot, fought with him and was able to retrieve the backpack and one of the cell phones, police said. Police also recovered one of the bikes on 45th street.

Police have provided descriptions of the suspects:

Suspect #1: Black male, 18 years old, 5-7”, black hoodie, blue jeans, black revolver.

Suspect #2: Black male, 20 years old, 5-10”, black revolver.

Suspect #3: Black male, 6-1”, 185-190 lbs., short hair, white t-shirt, 18-19 years old, blue jeans, white sneakers.

If you have any information about the suspects please call Southwest Detectives at 215-686-3183, 3184 or 3189.

A new early learning center has opened within a few blocks of the area’s largest employers as part of the development of the area around the Philadelphia Cathedral at 38th and Chestnut.

The Philadelphia Cathedral Early Learning Center offers about 100 spots for children ranging from infants to pre-school aged kids in the remodeled basement of the cathedral, which, with exposed ductwork and beams in the ceiling and a lot of hardwood floors, feels more like an artist’s loft than a pre-school.

“We really want the center to feel like home,” said enrollment specialist Elaine Errico. “You see beautiful wood floors and real furniture.”

Think earth tones, not Disney.

The Philadelphia Cathedral is leasing the basement to Hildebrandt Learning Centers, a management company that runs a few dozen centers around the region, including several on college campuses. The expansion is part of the plan that includes a new 25-story apartment building and three-story commercial building next door.

The construction, which is scheduled to be completed next spring, means that the learning center entrance is a little tricky to find for those interested in a tour (construction of the center itself is done and when we were there they were training the first group of teachers). The entrance is currently on Ludlow, a half-block north of Chestnut. They are offering tours between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m.

Here are some more details on the center:

• Open from 6 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.
• Full- and part-time is available.
• The center participates in the state-subsidized tuition program.
• Number of spots: infants (6 weeks to 12 months) – 8; young toddlers – (13-24 months) – 10; toddler (25-35 months) – 24; preschool (3-5 years) – 60.

To schedule a tour call 267-428-6714.

Here’s a great opportunity for local boys in grades 7-12. On Friday, Aug 8, the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers, the nonprofit presenter of the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, and the Philadelphia Writing Project are offering a free writing workshop at Penn Museum. This interactive workshop is a part of a writing workshop series, START.WRITE.NOW, taking place at various locations around the city. Friday’s workshop is the only Start.Write.Now workshop offered in West Philadelphia.

Start.Write.Now is a national initiative to encourage students to share their voice and engage with their creative peers over the summer. Local workshop facilitators will help boys in attendance to discover new, fun outlets of artistic expression, from poetry, sports articles, and digital stories to comics,  rap lyrics, video and card games.

The space is limited to 20 participants, so hurry up to register for the workshop.

Friday, Aug 8, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m., University of Pennsylvania Museum (The Kress Entrance), 3260 South St

TO REGISTER: Register online at: http://tiny.cc/hgl0hx

The other day, when walking along Baltimore Ave we lamented that there was only one Dollar Stroll this year. It took place June 19 – seems like a long time ago. Today University City District (UCD) announced that due to popular demand, a second Baltimore Avenue Dollar Stroll this season is coming on Thursday, Sept 18! That’s great news for Dollar Stroll fans.

A record number of visitors flocked to the area for the last stroll, so UCD together with the Baltimore Avenue Business Association (BABA) are excited to bring the season’s second Dollar Stroll to Baltimore Avenue, between 43rd and 51st Streets.

As always, the event will start at 5:30 p.m. and go on until 8:30 and all are welcome to sample $1 items from local vendors during these three hours. There’s something for everyone – from $1 pours of craft beers to various bites for a buck to special memberships and ticket offers. In addition, there will be live entertainment at the 46th Street Triangle, including music from Y-Not radio, jugglers and fire artists.

The event (Facebook page) will happen rain or shine, according to the organizers. More information about participating businesses and their $1 specials is coming soon. Stay tuned.

Police say a 39-year-old man was shot and killed on Monday afternoon outside a food market at 53rd and Delancey.

GunCrisis.org and ABC6 are reporting that the man was shot several times in the back at about 4:15 p.m. and was pronounced dead at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.

UPDATE: Reportedly, the shooting was captured on surveillance video. Philly.com provides description of the suspect as a man wearing an orange t-shirt and blue jeans. The suspect fled in a gold-colored minivan north on 53rd St after the shooting.
 

Photo by Annamarya Scaccia / West Philly Local.

Have you been dreaming of opening a restaurant but find it too risky of a business and need some testing of your concept before launching it? Now you can try your abilities as a restaurateur or a chef right here in West Philly thanks to a new program by The Enterprise Center (TEC-CDC). A pop-up restaurant incubator, titled Common Table, is coming soon to West Philly’s Dorrance H. Hamilton Center for Culinary Enterprises (CCE) (pictured) where aspiring food entrepreneurs and chefs will get professional support while testing their chops.

The new restaurant incubator is expected to launch in November 2014 and TEC-CDC is currently accepting applications for the Common Table Fellowship Program. Applications are due Friday, Aug. 15. Other events during the fellow selection process include the TEC-CDC business plan workshop on August 12 and business plan competition and chef tasting event in mid-September or early October. The Common Table 2014 Fellows will be announced in October (visit this page for more details about the program and the application process).

The Common Table program organizers would like to select a “diverse cohort of Fellows based on criteria including strength of their business plans, culinary ability, and commitment to the full program.”

Common Table Fellows will use a new, fully staffed, 1,400-square-foot, 40-plus seat restaurant space at the CCE, located at 310 S. 48th Street. Common Table will also be available for nightly or weekly rentals once its construction is complete.

Committed to helping aspiring local food entrepreneurs, CCE is also hosting Foodie Forums where you can learn about the business services available at the center and how you can become a CCE member to access their state-of-the-art commercial kitchen space. The forums will be held on Tuesday, Aug. 5, 8 – 9 a.m. and Wednesday, Aug. 13, 1 – 2 p.m. Click on the dates below to register.

August 5
August 13