SEPTA buses and trains could be getting more crowded with masked people.
Starting Tuesday, June 1, SEPTA lifted COVID-19-related capacity limits on its trains, buses and trolleys. Mask-wearing — something suggested by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on public transit even for vaccinated people — remains in place. (Read more.)
The city plans to prioritize four specific groups within 1C for vaccines: sanitation workers, maintenance and janitorial staff, utility workers, and postal and package delivery workers. The Philadelphia Health Department has asked providers to help these groups set up appointments first. | From: WHYY (Read more.)
The Trust for Public Land released its 2021 ParkScore® rankings, announcing that Philly placed 19th. Why the decline? Blame a lack of equity and budget cuts. Philadelphia’s ParkScore fell due to declines in park investment and significant inequities in the Philly Park system.
Philly neighborhoods with residents identifying as Black, Hispanic and Latinx, Indigenous and Native American, or Asian American and Pacific Islander have access to 29 percent less park space per capita than predominately white neighborhoods, according to The Trust for Public Land. Low-income neighborhoods have access to 42 percent less park space than high-income Philly neighborhoods. (Read more.)
This six-week internship will launch June 1 with a cohort of seven students from local colleges and will provide one-on-one coaching and structured professional guidance, including a network of mentors they can go to for advice and future job hunting. | From: Technical.ly (Read more.)
The city plans to prioritize four specific groups within 1C for vaccines: sanitation workers, maintenance and janitorial staff, utility workers, and postal and package delivery workers. The Philadelphia Health Department has asked providers to help these groups set up appointments first. | From: WHYY (Read more.)
Our experience reveals that getting people vaccinated — doing the education and outreach necessary to even get people signed up— requires a lot of time and labor, especially in communities of color.
But in Philadelphia, the individuals and organizations doing the work are doing it for free without any funding from the city for outreach. The data on who’s and where’s getting the vaccine the fastest reveals a public cost to this ad-hoc strategy: a chasm that affects communities of color across the city and region. | From: PlanPhilly (Read more.)
The federal incentive allows investors to skip out on capital gains tax in exchange for making long-term investments in businesses or developments in certain low-income areas | From: PlanPhilly (Read more.)
Known as “accessory dwelling units” in zoning-speak, City Council previously loosened codes to encourage these apartments in historically designated buildings in order to make redevelopment more feasible. In February, with guidance from the city’s Planning Commission, Councilmember María Quiñones-Sánchez introduced another bill allowing ADUs across the city. Quiñones-Sánchez said the idea is to preserve affordability and potentially give empty-nesters and seniors an option for an additional income source by allowing for a wider range of housing options. | From: PlanPhilly (Read more.)
Under a proposal before the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC), the southeastern Pennsylvania utility provider would increase the monthly bill for a residential customer by about 9.65% — an increase of $9.68 for a typical residential account. Small business customers would see an increase of about 5.49%. The change would bring in an additional $246 million per year. | From: WHYY (Read more.)
Tuesday’s online sale was the first of its kind in Philadelphia, owing to Sheriff Rochelle Bilal’s decision to permanently shift distressed real estate auctions to a virtual clearinghouse known as Bid4Assets. The final list of 17 foreclosed properties put up for sale Tuesday was winnowed down from 78 properties, with dozens stayed or otherwise postponed. | From: PlanPhilly (Read more.)
State Rep. Amen Brown, who represents the 190th District in West Philly, issued a memo Wednesday seeking co-sponsors for a bill to suspend the auctions “until after the COVID-19 Emergency Declaration has been lifted.” | From: PlanPhilly (Read more.)
Men Who Care began life as a neighborhood cleanup initiative in 2011. Now the group facilitates anti-violence programs, runs virtual learning pods for students during COVID, and holds a weekly food pantry, among many other initiatives. | From: Generocity (Read more.)
Tree House Books’ philosophy is straightforward: Books in children’s homes is a measure of future success. Since 2005, the nonprofit has made it its mission to support a new generation of readers and writers in North Philadelphia through literacy programs and book giveaways. They distributed more than 80,000 books in 2019. | From: WHYY (Read more.)
After SEPTA’s announcement, NKCDC, HACE CDC, and Impact Services released a joint statement about the closure, stating the “frustration with SEPTA’s decision to shut down this station without engaging neighborhood residents in the decision-making process,” due to the negative impact it will have on the Kensington and Fairhill neighborhoods. | From: Kensington Voice (Read more.)
Our partners at NBC10/Telemundo62 hosted a bilingual panel discussion on Facebook Live to kick off Broke in Philly Thursday afternoon. From left: Emma Restrepo from ParaTiMujer Radio, Edgar Ramirez from Philatinos Radio, host Alicia Lozano from NBC10 Philadelphia and Mónica Zorrilla from Billy Penn. (Read more.)
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