Fire officials are still investigating the cause of an apartment building fire on Tuesday that killed a 4-year-old boy (a 5-year-old, according to some reports). The fire broke out at about 1:30 p.m. at the West Park Apartments, a 19-story public-housing building on Busti and Holden streets.

The child’s mother and 3-year-old brother were injured in the fire. The mother and a male resident of the building saved the younger child from the apartment engulfed with fire. Then the woman returned to the apartment and tried to rescue her older son but was badly hurt, Philly.com reports. The firefighters found the boy alive under a bed, but he later died in the hospital.

Fire officials said a burst main near 42nd and Market streets that required the evacuation of a fire station across the street from high-rise slowed response time.

If you live between 45th and 52nd Streets and Locust and Cedar Avenues, Garden Court Community Association (GCCA) is your neighborhood association and you are invited to the general community meeting next Thursday (Oct. 25).

Here’s the GCCA meeting announcement:

Please join us at our next general community meeting:

GCCA General Community Meeting
Thursday, October 25, 2012
7:00 – 9:00 PM at 4725 Chestnut Street (Community College)

• Help us set goals for the year; tell us what you like and don’t like about our neighborhood.

• Do we need a Town Watch? Learn what’s involved from Tara Smith, Community Support Specialist for Philadelphia Town Watch Integrated Services.

• Learn how to develop a Household Emergency Plan from the City’s Office of Emergency Management.

• Meet our new officers and committee chairs.

• Hear updates on Lea School, Parks, Planning and Zoning, Business District.

• Enjoy refreshments and meet new neighbors!

For more information, contact Kate Mills, Corresponding Secretary, at katewmills@gmail.com or 267-254-3078.

If you support President Barack Obama and need a boost ahead of tonight’s debate, I suggest you take a stroll down the 400 block of S. 43rd Street. Look for a porch about a block up from Baltimore Avenue on the west side of the street. Trust me, you can’t miss it. That’s the “Obama Shrine.”

Jacqui Bowman and her daughter Ella Serpell have carried on a tradition they started during the 2008 election. Their porch shelters a growing collection of pro-Obama Barbie dolls, action figures, trinkets and signs (see the photo gallery below). People often stop and look and sometimes they even add things.

“It was kind of fun because you could tell everyone in the community really liked Obama and everyone was adding stuff to it,” said Serpell, who has grown up in the neighborhood.

Most importantly for Bowman and Serpell it’s a way to be involved in the election because they can’t vote. Bowman, who is from England, is not a citizen and Serpell, a high school student, is still a couple of years away from being eligible.

“My feeling is that if I can get one person to vote who wouldn’t have otherwise voted, then I’ve had my vote,” said Bowman, who has lived in the neighborhood for 19 years.

Obama Shrine even has its own Twitter feed, @obamashrine. The feed’s tagline is: “A non-citizen ObamaMama’s shameless attempt to influence the 2012 vote. It worked in 2008 and it is going to work in 2012! A doll a day keeps the Romney away!”

Bowman says she worries that people may be taking Obama’s re-election for granted.

“I think the trouble this time around is that there is a slight sense that there’s not as much enthusiasm so I just want to make it clear that there are many people out there who are as enthusiastic,” she said.

And Bowman says people should feel free to add things to the shrine. If it’s a Barbie, even better.

“If anyone has Barbies, please donate,” she said.

[wpsgallery]

A conceptual drawing of what The Cedar Works will look like when finished.

The Cedar Works, an empty warehouse at 4919 Pentridge Street, just south of Baltimore Avenue, is undergoing a major overhaul. The 15,000 square foot property, which dates back to 1910, is being converted into community-oriented work and meeting space. One of the property owners and project managers, Andy Peifer, is a long-time Cedar Park resident who lives just around the corner from the building. The project is planned to be completed by the end of this year.

Here’s what The Cedar Works looks like now.

The building has an interesting history, from being a home to a garage to a roller skating rink to an electrical equipment manufacturer. Peifer was told that at one point it was a Studebaker automobile dealership. Iron Men, Inc., a metalworking shop, was the last occupant.

When finished, the main area of The Cedar Works will include 15 to 20 artist workspaces and professional offices, ranging from 300 to 1600 sq. feet. The building will also have a community meeting space, a multi-use room for meetings, workshops, and other activities. The common area of the building will be fitted with couches, a full kitchen and bathrooms and will have access to a landscaped outdoor garden patio.

Studios cost $1/sq. foot per month and the lease allows for up to two primary users who have full access to the building. Any additional primary users will cost an additional $50/month.

To get acquainted with this project, Andy and his partner Linford Martin are inviting neighbors and friends for a Mid-Construction Preview Party on Saturday, Oct. 20, from 4 to 8 p.m. (or later). If you are interested in becoming a future tenant at The Cedar Works, you are welcome to submit an online application. For more information about The Cedar Works visit their website.

The interior space of The Cedar Works, a former warehouse, is currently undergoing renovation.

A statistics-powered website launched today that ranks schools in the city. Its creators hope it will help parents navigate the often puzzling enrollment process.

Endorsed by the District, GreatPhillySchools.org allows anyone with Internet access to enter the name of a school, the name of a neighborhood, a grade level or a zip code to see how schools compare.The site scores public, charter and Catholic schools.

The site’s calculations factor in academics (math and reading proficiency and standardized test scores), attendance, safety (based on the number of disciplinary incidents reported per student) and number of college-bound students (for high schools). These are combined together to place the school on a scale of 1 though 10. The website accessed several data sources, including PSSA scores, attendance records and grade point averages, to make the calculations.

For what it’s worth, West Philly’s Penn Alexander School (4209 Spruce St.) was the only neighborhood elementary school to score 10 out of 10.

GreatPhillySchools.org also includes statistical and demographic data on most schools that is available elsewhere online, but often hard to find.

The Philadelphia School Partnership, a philanthropic organization that raises money for schools in the city, the Public School Notebook and the Urban Affairs Coalition collaborated to build and maintain the site. Mayor Michael Nutter and Superintendent William Hite officially launched the site today during a ceremony at the Shepard Recreation Center (57th and Haverford).

H/T – The Philadelphia Public School Notebook and Newsworks.

Reader Mike B. emails that while he was away between Oct. 5 and Oct. 9 his bicycle was gone from his front porch when he returned. Here’s the bike description, which Mike also put on the wall of the “Philadelphia Stolen Bikes” group on Facebook.

“Specialized Rockhopper mountain bike stolen from my front porch, 4400 block of Larchwood in University City, sometime between 10/5-10/9. The frame is gray/silver with chipped paint, with I think some old sticker residue. The tires are Schwalbe Marathons, and are pretty worn. There are two different styles of brake levers (one black, one silver), and shifters (right is a grip shifter and left is a trigger shifter), and the rubber grips are old and gummy. The saddle is black leather and foam, and is very worn (you might be able to read “Mikado” on it somewhere). It has a rigid fork and hardtail. It was locked with a cable lock (d’oh).”