💡 Get Philly smart 💡
with BP’s free daily newsletter

Read the news of the day in less than 10 minutes — not that we’re counting.

? Want this daily digest emailed to you? Sign up for the free Billy Penn newsletter and it’ll land in your inbox every morning.

---

West Philly ‘crypto house’ spurs debate over affordability

A previously abandoned West Philly home that was renovated and outfitted to mine trace amounts of cryptocurrency sold for $237,000 in mid-May.

• Is it an example of gentrification that’s making the lower-income neighborhood of Mantua less affordable? Some residents expressed concerns after Billy Penn reported on the house earlier this year.

Repairing vacant homes can make areas safer, the owner pointed out. Beatrice Forman talked to stakeholders about the situation, including the new buyer.

Voguing, dance, and fashion take over the Franklin Institute

The Franklin Institute filled up with flair last weekend as guests strutted down an illuminated runway at the historic institution’s Summer Ball.

• The Pride month edition of “Science After Hours” featured a ballroom showcase, drag shows by local queens, and flash talks on sexual health, fashion, and food.

It was designed as a “choose your own adventure” with an “explosion of energy,” Luisa Suarez reports for Billy Penn, complete with pics of the party.

RECAP: What else happened?

$ = paywalled

• The fire sparking the Fairhill building collapse that killed a firefighter was arson by the property owner, federal officials say. They arrested the man, who also ran Star Pizza in the ground floor. [KYW/NYT$]
• Councilmember Kenyatta Johnson failed to disclose rental income, newly examined documents show, and his wife operated three rental units without required licensing. [Inquirer$]
• PHL Airport is regularly seeing over 100 delays or cancelations each day as airlines struggle with understaffing and increased demand. Travelers may want to prepare differently for flights, and they should be ready to board a packed plane. [Axios/Inquirer$/Axios]
• LucasPye Bio is planning a 6-acre life sciences campus in Southwest Philly, with a huge bioprocessing plant, a co-working space, and an accelerator. [Biz Journal$]
• Today is Wawa Hoagie Day, with 8 tons of hoagies offered free on Independence Mall. In Philly and from all 960 Wawa stores, free sandwiches are also being delivered to first responders and veterans. [Welcome America/Patch/BP 2017]

Weekly brief on gun violence prevention (with PCGVR)

We publish this report each week in partnership with the Philadelphia Center for Gun Violence Reporting at the Community College of Philadelphia. 

• From 9 to 11 p.m. each night in June, faith leaders with the “Corner to Connections” initiative have walked Philly streets with the hopes of helping keep the peace. [CBS News]
• Up the Block added two new categories to its large resource list: “Keeping Your Community Safe” and “Reaching Your Local Government Representatives.” [Up the Block]
• Philly’s new operating budget includes a $30 million boost for the Police Department and $184 million in anti-violence spending (stay tuned for a detailed breakdown of this funding next month). [Inquirer$/WHYY]
• The Supreme Court last week struck down a New York law that limited carrying guns in public. The precedent could lead to easing of permit requirements in Pa., DA Krasner warned. [AP/WHYY]
• Why can kids get a gun more easily than a basketball? Why don’t leaders ask formerly incarcerated men for input? In video clips, Philadelphians aged 19 to 60 ask questions of elected officials. [Citizen]

By the numbers in Philadelphia

• 55: Shooting victims recorded last week so far, vs. 59 the week prior. [PPD Google Drive]
• 1,138: Shooting victims this year, up 6% from last year [PCGVR]
• 254: Year-to-date homicides, down 6% from last year; up 58% vs. five years ago [Philly Police]

MAYOR WATCH

Of course Mayor Kenney is getting into Hoagie Day, joining Wawa CEO Chris Gheysens and emcees from WMMR at the celebration of sandwich freedom (12 p.m.). Evening brings him to the Dell Music Center for the first in-person graduation in three years for the city’s adult learners programs (6 p.m.).

ON THE CALENDAR