A 59-year-old man died today when he slipped under a SEPTA bus at 49th and Woodland, philly.com is reporting. The 59-year-old man was reportedly pinned under the 12 bus and was pronounced dead at the scene.

Reader Louise emailed us with this information last night (Jan. 22):

“My husband and I found a cat tonight at 46th and Larchwood. He was really dirty, had no collar, and was absolutely freezing. He followed us, purring and meowing, all the way home to 46th and Hazel — even walked in our front door! We took him to UPenn Vet Hospital to have him checked out, and they told us that he’s young, isn’t microchipped, but is neutered, which makes us think he may have a home.”

If this is your cat, please email Louise at: louisefeder[at]gmail.com

The Spruce Hill Community Association distributed a letter to the dozens of parents waiting in line yesterday to register their children for kindergarten next year calling on “the community” to “make itself heard.” The letter also restates the association’s stance that every child living within the school’s catchment boundaries has a right to attend Penn Alexander.

The letter begins:

“No one should have to line up in the cold for nearly 24 hours to register their child for kindergarten.”

A full copy of the letter is below.

Kindergarten registration began for schools across the District this morning, including at the Henry C. Lea School, which has received a lot of attention in recent months thanks to the work of the West Philly Coalition of Neighborhood Schools.

Pas Letter

The infamous line for kindergarten registration at the Penn Alexander School began at about 9 a.m. this morning, 24 hours before registration actually begins.

By 10:30 a.m. the line had already swollen to about 70 people. Those in line, some of whom were wrapped in sleeping bags, had begun to devise a plan to provide some relief – maybe two hours on, two hours off – from the freezing temperatures. There are currently three kindergarten classes at the school.

The line has started very early in recent years, including the night before registration last year. This year’s line, however, is unprecedented. Kindergarten registration across the district begins tomorrow morning.

Mad at the police? Here’s a chance to have your voice heard. Neighbors are invited to attend a monthly Police Advisory Commission meeting in the 18th District on Monday, Jan. 23, at 6 p.m. The meeting will be held at the Sayre-Morris Recreation Center (59th & Spruce).

The Police Advisory Commission is the official civilian oversight agency of the City of Philadelphia for the Philadelphia Police Department, and their mission is to improve the relationship between the police department and the community.

The Commission is authorized to conduct investigations of individual citizen complaints of police misconduct, studies of police department policies, procedures or practices. Findings and recommendations made by the Commission are forwarded directly to the mayor, the city’s managing director and the police commissioner for review.

If your Friday plans include a bottle of wine or spirits and your usual spot is the Wine and Spirits store near 41st and Market, you’re going to have to shop elsewhere.

The store closed permanently late last week. The owner of the building reportedly no longer wants to lease to the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board (PLCB). The PLCB is shopping around for another site in the area.

This also means that the store near 49th and Baltimore will have even longer lines.