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Street next to Reading Terminal becoming a ‘festival’ area

The $1 million project to turn the road next to Reading Terminal Market into a “festival street” kicked off this week with a groundbreaking.

  • The stretch of Filbert will be turned into a “curbless” street where car lanes are at the same height as the sidewalks, and the area will welcome high-top tables and vendor kiosks for regular events.

The project isn’t as ambitious as originally planned — no retractable bollards, Asha Prihar reports — but it should all be done by fall.

What can Philadelphia learn from Detroit?

In some ways, Detroit and Philly are extremely similar — both are seeing housing prices spike, for example. In other ways, they’re sharply different.

  • Both cities cover 140 square miles, but Detroit’s population hasn’t rebounded. And though the Motor City has a much higher proportion of Black residents, they make up an even smaller percentage of biz owners.

GPLEX is heading to the Midwest this fall to look at how those juxtapositions might benefit both cities — applications to participate are open through Friday.

March On: The Fight for Pride

Podcast by Billy Penn reporter Michaela Winberg
Out now: Ep. 3: “Who is Franny?”  | Next up: Ep. 4, June 16

RECAP: What else happened?

$ = paywalled

  • The Pa. Senate approved the bill to ban transgender girls from competing in girls’ schools sports. It’s likely to pass the Republican-led House, but Gov. Wolf has pledged to veto it. [Capital-Star/Billy Penn]
  • Northeast Philly state rep. Martina White has resigned as chair of Philadelphia’s Republican Party, after 2½ years. She was the first woman to lead the Philly GOP. [Inquirer$/Billy Penn]
  • Philly police released photos of two more people involved in last weekend’s mass shooting; two are in custody. The shooter who was killed had a permit despite having been arrested for possession, because of a clerical error in a Delco court. South Street businesses are calling for more cooperation from police. [NBC10/Inquirer$/CBS3]
  • Philadelphia is the birthplace of solitary confinement, paving the way for mass incarceration. The nation’s first penitentiary opened in 1790 on 6th and Walnut, almost immediately housing a disproportionately Black population. [Inquirer$]
  • In celebration of Black Music Month, Chris Norris of WHYY hosts iconic quintet The Temptations on June 21 for a conversation spanning six decades of soul. [WHYY]
  • Plant your underwear? A local slow fashion apparel brand wants Philadelphians to bury a pair of cotton undies for 60 days to learn about the city’s soil quality. [Big Favorite/Philly Mag$]
  • One small step for humans, one giant step for Wawa world domination. The Delco-based convenience chain says it’ll open in Nashville by 2025, with over 40 locations planned for the Volunteer State. [Tennessean]

MAYOR WATCH

Mayor Kenney joins Commissioner Outlaw and AG Shapiro at McVeigh Rec Center to announce several arrests in a drug operation takedown by the Kensington Initiative law enforcement partnership (10 a.m.). Evening brings the mayor to a car dealership grand opening in Grays Ferry, where he helps welcome the new Ciocca Subaru (6 p.m.).

ON THE CALENDAR

?️‍? Join Billy Penn reporter Michaela Winberg, host of “March On,” for happy hour at Cockatoo in the Gayborhood, with a drag performance by VinChelle followed by a discussion of modern Pride. Free with RSVP. (5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 15)

? Starting this weekend, the Philadelphia Flower Show lands in FDR Park for the second year in row. Expect fanciful flowerscapes, potting classes, and an after-hours glow-in-the-dark dance party. Tickets are $35 if you’re under 30, $50 for everyone else. (10 a.m. to 8 p.m. starting Saturday, June 11)

? It’s doggie daycare skip day, thanks to the Weavers Way Petapalooza turning Germantown Avenue in Chestnut Hill into a puppy paradise with training exhibitions, Yappy Hours, and pup-friendly pizza. (11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday, June 12)