The School District of Philadelphia has temporarily shifted dozens of schools to virtual learning due to staffing shortages stemming from the omicron-related spike in COVID-19 cases. The 81 school buildings have closed for students starting today until at least through Friday, Jan. 7. The full list of these schools can be found here.

Principals were expected to communicate directly with students and families with information regarding virtual instruction. Staff at these 81 schools are still expected to report to work in person unless they are self-isolating or quarantining due to COVID testing or exposure, have COVID-like symptoms and are awaiting test results, or have an approved leave.

All other District schools were expected to reopen after winter recess for in-person learning starting this morning.

UC Green, the West Philly community greening organization, is again hosting holiday tree recycling events in two West Philly parks – Clark Park and Malcolm X Park. Both events will be held Saturday, Jan. 8 (check out the flier below for more details). Suggested donation is $5-$20 per tree. Recycled trees will be mulched and used in local parks.

If you can’t bring your tree to any of these events, check out the Christmas Tree Recycling program run by the city this month. Continue Reading

Delaila Aryee (left) and Lindsay Brown with former Philadelphia mayor Michael Nutter (Facebook photo).

We are sad to report that Vital Step Physical Therapy & Fitness, the West Philly minority-run business, has closed down after more than five years in operation. Co-owned by two young female entrepreneurs, Delaila Aryee and Lyndsay Brown, Vital Step closed its physical location at 5008 Baltimore Ave. in January of this year, but continued to operate virtually for a few months.

“This option was no longer financially viable for us to remain open. So we will be officially dissolving the business on [December 31],” Lyndsay wrote in an e-mail. “We definitely enjoyed our time on Baltimore avenue for the past 5 years and being able to treat the local community!” Continue Reading

Historic Calvary United Methodist Church at 48th Street and Baltimore Avenue has been awarded a prestigious grant from the National Fund for Sacred Places.

The church building, which was erected in 1906, now provides space for several community, cultural and religious groups and organizations, including Cedar Park Neighbors community association, Curio Theatre Company, Crossroads Music, Kol Tzedek Synagogue, West Philadelphia Mennonite Fellowship, and more.

Calvary Church will receive a matching grant of up to $250,000 to support an ambitious capital campaign to be launched in early 2022 by the Calvary Center for Culture and Community (CCCC), a nonprofit organization established by the church 20 years ago to manage the building. Backed by an additional $500,000 Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program (RACP) matching grant from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, awarded to the Calvary Center last year, funds raised will enable major repairs and renovations of the building. Continue Reading

Curio Theatre Company, whose productions have been put on hold since Spring 2020, has announced plans for the rest of the 2021-2022 season. Curio will resume live in-person theatre in their black box space at 48th and Baltimore, in the Calvary Center for Culture and Community. Work is currently underway to bring Lanie Robertson’s critically acclaimed play, Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill, starring beloved company member and Barrymore award winner Ebony Pullum. The play explores the life of legendary jazz singer Billie Holiday during one of her final performances in Philadelphia. Continue Reading

Philadelphia City Council passed new legislation today that aims to create more affordable housing in parts of the city, including West Philadelphia, which are seeing rapid housing development.

The new Mixed Income Neighborhoods Overlay Bill, proposed by Councilmembers Jamie Gauthier (3rd District) and María Quiñones Sánchez (7th District), is the first-ever mandatory inclusionary zoning legislation that requires affordable housing be part of new large development projects in select tracts of the 3rd and 7th Districts.

The 3rd District includes West Philadelphia and Southwest Philadelphia neighborhoods, which have seen rapid growth of housing development in the past couple of decades and displacement of many lower income residents. Continue Reading