If you have been piling up yucky stuff – anything from old cellphones and computers to cleaning solvents – somewhere in a closet, now is the time to get rid of it.

The Philadelphia Streets Department is conducting a household hazardous waste drop-off today at 4800 Parkside Ave. (take a left off northbound Belmont Ave. onto Parkside) from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Summary list of items accepted (full list here):
Computers, TV’s and cellphones
Paint and Paint Related Materials (NOTE: Latex paint is not hazardous.)
Flammable Materials
Lawn and Garden Project and Outdoor Products
Fluorescent Light Tubes (transport in original box if possible) and
Compact Fluorescent Lights (CFL)
Kitchen, Bathroom Products and Cleaning Solvents
Household Batteries (NOTE: Household batteries size D, C, AA, AAA and 9
volt are not considered hazardous.)
Automotive Products

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A woman was mugged early Sunday morning near 47th and Chester. She has reported her story on Craigslist and subsequently on some of the neighborhood listservs. We wanted to pass it along here in case anyone found any of her stuff. She asked that her name not be used. She writes:

I was mugged near the corner of 47th and Chester Saturday night/ Sunday morning. Stolen was my beloved vintage coach bag (black) with wallet, phone and personal items. If even just my bag or any of the contents can be recovered I would be so grateful!! A black moleskin planner ( my email is inside front cover), vintage 90’s liz claiborne sunglasses with suede case (they were my mom’s), a faux alligator wallet with ID, etc. NO QUESTIONS ASKED!! A small monetary reward will be yours!

The woman said she later called police and filed a report and added in an e-mail:

I just want to put it out there that the mugger knocked me down from behind, I didn’t see him coming. He ran very fast and with full body force semi-tackled me to the ground taking my bag in one fell swoop. Unfortunately I often come home late with no escort….. I’m in the restaurant business. I try to be as safe as possible but there’s always that one time…. I have been in West Philly for 5 years and love the neighborhood, it’s sad to feel uncomfortable here now. I’m sure I will move on from this soon but my experience has been very violating and emotionally difficult.

Her story prompted a response from resident Stephanie Zeck, who reminded folks that escorts are available:

The number for the university city walking escort is 215.898.9255 – they will meet a person at their location ( with approximately 15-20 minutes notice ) and walk them safely to their destination. after 3am and until 7am, Penn security takes over. I have had GREAT experiences with the escorts … they are kind and helpful, and will absolutely be there when you need them.

If you have any information on the stolen belongings, you can drop the woman a note at the craigslist e-mail address:

comm-zjezh-2375083597 — at — craigslist.org

Tonight is the Fourth Annual Art Auction to benefit City Kitties, the fantastic West Philly-based feline rescue organization. City Kitties is as busy as ever thanks in part to their amazing working helping to rescue cats from the Windermere Apartments fire earlier this year, which raised the organization’s profile across the city.

Dozens of artists from across the country have donated more than 200 original pieces for the auction, which runs from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. at Studio 34 Yoga | Healing | Arts (4522 Baltimore Ave.) The suggested admission donation is $5. The party that goes along with the auction will include complimentary wine, hors d’oeuvres and live entertainment.

The auction will feature original artwork, including photographs, paintings, drawings, sculpture, pottery, metalwork, jewelry, and more. The auction is the organization’s largest fundraiser of the year.

Even if you’re not a cat person there are at least two reasons you should come to this event. First, the art. Second, West Philly would likely be overrun with stray and feral cats if these folks were not out there working the streets. City Kitties is no kill and volunteer-run.

Police are reporting that an arrest has been made in the late-morning murder of 39-year-old Yvette Saunders, a mother of six who was shot in the chest outside her home near 52nd and Kingsessing on the day before Mother’s Day.

The Philadelphia Inquirer has a short, heart-wrenching story about the shooting. The Inquirer‘s Mike Newall reports that Saunders was shot outside her home on the 5200 block of Reinhard Street trying to protect her 18-year-old son, the intended target of the alleged gunman.

Newall reports that Isaac Porterfield, 22, of the 500 block of North Vodges Street, has been charged in the killing. Police say Porterfield turned himself in.

The shooting was a result of a dispute between Porterfield and Saunders’ son, who accused a friend of Porterfield’s of beating up his girlfriend.

Saunders’ son was not hit in the shooting.

Several questions have arisen since the publication yesterday of the story about the Penn Alexander limiting enrollment.  We have been pursuing two things today:

One is a legal clarification on what exactly a catchment area means. More information on that is included below. We have also offered an official from the school or the University of Pennsylvania to write a note to parents and community members advising them on further steps for enrollment that we would publish. So far we have not received a reply.

Here is a list of questions to continue the conversation and some answers (Any comments or further clarification are greatly appreciated. Please leave a reply below):

• Is there no school that is obligated to take our kids?

This is where some clarification on the law probably would help. Some have asked if a class-action lawsuit is possible. The wording on the Penn Alexander Home and School Association website about what a “catchment” means is a reflection of the School District of Philadelphia wording: “Any school-age child living within this area is eligible to attend the school.” “Eligible” is the operative word. An education lawyer and former teacher from West Philly (apologies for the anonymity) wrote us that:

The district is under no legal obligation under state or federal law (short of potential mandates under the IDEA or mandates for schools that are under desegregation orders) to place any student in any particular school within its boundaries.  Under state law, a district must “enroll” every eligible student within its boundaries in “a” school, but there are no legal mandates giving students an entitlement to a particular school.

There are rights, he continued, to transfer out of “persistently dangerous” schools, but there are no legal requirements for the District to maintain a “neighborhood” school.

• If we don’t get a spot in our neighborhood school (PAS) we’re just supposed to apply to other schools and hope for the best?!

“If I wanted to apply to charter schools or apply to other neighborhood schools I would not have moved into ‘the catchment,’” one reader wrote. Parents with school-age children in the area who want their kids to stay in their neighborhood (to “walk to school”) have the option to send their children to the Henry C. Lea School (4700 Locust) or the Alexander Wilson School (1300 S. 46th St.). West Philly Local is not in business to recommend schools to people, but it should be noted that a tremendous amount of activity has been happening recently at the Lea School. It has a Home and School Association that is growing and the West Philly Coalition for Neighborhood Schools, which now includes nearly 200 parents and community members, is devoting much of its resources and efforts to the school. The website PhillySchoolSearch.com has an excellent primer on the transfer process.

My children may have to attend separate schools?

Penn Alexander officials have said that there will be no provisions made for siblings. As for other schools, again it depends on where you look.

Are there no future plans to expand PAS in the future?

So far, no.

How will enrollment for kindergarten happen if not a lottery?

A Penn Alexander official we talked to was emphatic that there would be no lottery. So in the near future it looks like lining up for the 50 or so spots is the only way. In March January the line-up began the night before registration began. The same school official said preference for first grade for next fall would be given to those students whose parents lined up but did not get a spot in kindergarten, making the fate of those who have to wait for the August 15 registration date even more precarious. This whole process is obviously not sustainable, but an alternative has not been announced.

How much of a dip in our home’s value should we expect?

No one can answer this for sure. Home prices have tripled within the catchment area since the school opened and everyone knows about the catchment premium on houses within the bouadaries (sometimes speculated to be as much as $100,000). It would seem logical to assume that this news will prick the housing bubble in the catchment boundaries. Real estate agents have capitalized on the catchment (see photo above). But home prices near the catchment have also appreciated greatly and if the Lea school keeps improving, there is reason to believe that home prices near it will continue to rise. One question is how many who have been on the fence about selling might be interested in selling right now?

Several people are reporting that they have been approached by a woman (maybe more than one) saying she had been a victim of domestic abuse and asking for train or bus fare to a shelter. When people have helped it became clear that the woman just wanted the money. These incidents have occurred over several months.

West Philly resident Kyle Cassidy wrote on the UCNeighbors listserv today:

I was on a neighbor’s porch last night when a young woman approached us saying that her boyfriend had just beaten her up and she needed to get to a domestic violence shelter but the nearest one was in XYZ and she needed cab & train fare. The neighbor is a social worker and was sure there was some place closer. With your help we rapidly found a nearby shelter, the neighbor called and found a bed available on 13th and arch — put the young woman on the phone with intake and she proceeded to have a bizarre one way conversation along the lines of “you’re closed? the only shelter you know if is in XYZ? That’s so far away. I’ll see if I can get cab and train fare.” Neighbor spoke to intake again who denied telling the young woman this at which point she walked away.

Since that posting several people have reported similar experiences. Obviously, the tricky part of this one is that no one wants to turn someone away who really needs help. No one has reported that this woman (women) has become combative or violent, so calling the police probably is not the answer. Below are some numbers that might be helpful if this happens to you. They are for local shelters, complaint hotlines, the UC Ambassadors, etc., who could help a person if they are legit. Thanks to resident Theresa Tsai for the following info:

• Abuse Assistance Unit
34 South 11th Street, Room 242
Philadelphia, PA 19107
215-686-3512

• Women Against Abuse Hotline  
215-386-7777 (24 hours)
(shelter request made through them)

• Women Against Abuse Legal center
215-686-7082

• Women in Transition Hotline                              
215-751-1111 (24 hours)

• Southwest Domestic Abuse Unit-West & Southwest Division (12th, 18th,16th,19th
Police Districts)
5510 Pine S. Street
215-686-3182

• UC Ambassadors
215-898-WALK (9255)