Morning roundup
Sixers arena targets bus station; Rec centers as biz incubators; Pa. Supreme Court upholds mail voting | Morning roundup
$25 million in Ida flood relief ๐

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Sixers arena plan grows to encompass Greyhound bus station
The Sixers’ย Center Cityย arena proposalย is growing: 76 Devcorp wants to expandย north and take overย the Filbert Streetย spaceย that’s now a bus station.
- Greyhound had already been lookingย to relocate the station. Construction on an adjacent lotย recentlyย forced it to reconfigureย and temporarilyย prompted NJ Transit to pull bus routes out of Philly.
Addressing concerns, the developer told The Inquirerย the Sixers hope to attractย “authentic businesses from Chinatown to be incorporated” into the new arena.
Using empty Philly rec center rooms to foster small business
A new Parks & Rec programย offers localย entrepreneursย the chance to apply for freeย space in rec centers, in return for mentoring or tutoring children and teens.
- Prospective biz owners and creatives can apply nowย for up to four spots, which also come with a Knight Foundation grant to outfit the space. Up to 10 finalists will get $1,500 to put toward their idea.
Asha Prihar has details on the new program,ย which is accepting applications through early October.
RECAP: What else happened?
$ = paywalled
- No-excuseย mail voting will remain legalย in Pennsylvania. The Pa. Supreme Court yesterday upheld Act 77, which was passed in 2019ย by Harrisburg’s Republican majority, but challenged in court by Trump supportersย after the 2020 election. [Spotlight PA/Public Source/BP 2021]
- SEPTAย will pay nearly $500kย to the three police officers who alleged discrimination and retaliation by a supervisor andย former SEPTA police chiefย Thomas Nestel, both of whom no longer work for the transit agency. [6ABC/Billy Penn]
- City officials found 154 gallon jugs of gasoline on Monday night in an abandoned West Philly house that caught fire back in March. Tuesday morning, after the jugs were removed,ย the house caught fire again. [6ABC]
- After remnants of Hurricane Ida causedย historic levels of floodingย in Philadelphia, with severalย businesses still strugglingย to recover, the cityย is getting $25 millionย in federal aid for flood prevention measures. [BP 2021/Billy Penn/Fox29]
- Most Philly restaurants areย required to provide paid sick leaveย to employees,ย but a lot of restaurant workersย still don’t know this. [Billy Penn/Eater]
Weekly brief on gun violence preventionย (with PCGVR)
We publishย this reportย eachย week inย partnership with theย Philadelphia Center for Gun Violence Reportingย at the Community College of Philadelphia.ย
- The PPDย canceled seven Playstreets in Kensingtonย this summer, citing violence and safety concerns. Residents are pushing back, saying neighborhoodย kids still need a safe placeย to play. [WHYY/Billy Penn]
- A Temple program calledย Philadelphia CeaseFire is recruitingย messengersย to help teens and young adults avoid falling in with gun culture. It’s one of many “violence interrupter” initiativesย happening around the city. [NBC10/CBS3]
- Unlike Philadelphia, whereย Mayor Kenney has resistedย the declaration, the cities ofย Portland, Ore., andย Rochester, N.Y., last week declared a state of emergency due to gun violence. [BP 2021/Oregonian/Democrat & Chronicle]
- Philly police areย getting an award for their responseย to June’s tragic South Street shooting. The honor, given by the local friends group,ย confounded some on the corridor.ย “Award-worthy? … I just haven’t personally seen it,” said one shop manager. [Billy Penn]
- The Philadelphia Center for Gun Violence Reporting, which justย received a $100k grant, has a refreshed website where you canย meet six staff members. [Independence Media/PCGVR]
By the numbers in Philadelphia
- 34:ย Shootingย victimsย recordedย last weekย so far, vs. 29 the week prior. [@PCGVR via City Controller]
- 1,393:ย Shooting victimsย this year, up 2% from last yearย [PCGVR]
- 322:ย Year-to-dateย homicides, same asย last year;ย up 68% vs. five years ago [Philly Police]
MAYOR WATCH
Mayor Kenney joins the virtualย biweekly briefing on the city’s gun violence response (1 p.m.).ย You canย listen live on WURD Radio 900 AM/96.1 FM orย watch on Facebook.
ON THE CALENDAR
๐ฐ BP Quizzo lands in South Phillyย at theย Sports & Social bar, where we’ll swoop into the Live! Casino with fun trivia about all things Philadelphia. Prizes include gift cards and beach chairs,ย all free with RSVP. (6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 17)
๐ชย For National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day,ย Famous 4th Street is offeringย $1 chocolate chip cookiesย at Reading Terminal Market, with proceeds all benefitting the Ronald McDonald House. (All day Thursday, Aug. 4)
๐ญ Theย Philadelphia Women’sย Theatre Festivalย brings plays, readings, workshops, and a wellness fair to Old City’sย Arden Hamilton Family Arts Center. (Thursday to Sunday, Aug. 4-7)