PHL Airport adds real-time updates for TSA security line waits
The uncertainty of airport security lines — do you arrive super early and risk spending hours in the terminal, or wing it and risk a last-minute hustle? — is getting a salve at Philly International, which is installing sensors that track wait times at each gate. Travelers can see those estimates, which are updated every 30 seconds, on screens at the airport or online.
How well do they work and which terminals have them so far? Asha Prihar explains the rollout and when to expect the project complete.
Fried chicken joint Hatch & Coop expands to South Philly
Self-proclaimed “chicken and egg joint” Hatch & Coop, which has garnered a following in Center City with both morning and late-night customers, has expanded to South Philly, taking over the recently shuttered kitchen at longtime corner dive Grumpy’s Tavern.
The menu features H&C’s popular sandwiches and bowls, Ali Mohsen reports, plus a new cheesesteak to rival the options at nearby 9th and Passyunk.
RECAP: What else happened?
$ = paywalled
• Biden has basically embraced Philadelphia as home turf. The president is reportedly traveling to Philly again tomorrow (the 6th time this year) to discuss his “Bidenomics” agenda. [Inquirer$/Forth]
• Applications for new business fell 16% in the Philadelphia metro area last year, much higher than the national decline of 7%. The city still has the highest rate of all Pa. counties, at about 19 per 1k residents. [Axios]
• Next month, FDR Park is getting a 30-seat “megaswing” — touted as the largest swing set in North America — as part of the $250 million renovation of the South Philly green space. [NBC10/BP]
• University City Dining Days return on Thursday, with two dozen restaurants offering three-course lunch and dinner menus for $20, $30, or $40 through July 30. [West Philly Local/UCD]
• Don’t look now, but the Phillies are on an upswing, winning 7 of their last 10. It must be pretty depressing to be a Padres fan, since the Phils have basically owned them the last two seasons — and for much of MLB history. [Billy Penn]
Weekly brief on gun violence prevention (with PCGVR)
We publish this report each week in partnership with the Philadelphia Center for Gun Violence Reporting. • For the second time in just a few months, a Philadelphia tenant yesterday was shot while being evicted. Legal and housing advocates hope these shootings might spur change in the city’s irregular landlord-tenant officer system. [NBC10/Billy Penn]
• Details around the Kingsessing mass shooting reinforce the need for mental health services, advocates say. After the West Philly police killing of Walter Wallace Jr. two years ago, mental health crisis teams are embedded with some 911 responders, and the city just upped their budget. [Capital-Star/BP 2021]
• No longer boosted by federal relief money, the pending Pa. budget allocates $40 million to violence prevention grants, versus last year’s $105 million. [Inquirer$]
• Lt. Gov. Davis is undeterred from developing a statewide gun violence plan, which he recently discussed at a community roundtable in Germantown. [WHYY]
• Reminder: The second annual Credible Messenger Film Festival takes place July 29 at Temple University. RSVP here. [Eventbrite]
By the numbers in Philadelphia
- 25: Shooting victims recorded last week, vs. 39 the week prior. [PCGVR]
- 987: Shooting victims this year so far, down 24% vs. this time last year. [PCGVR]
- 232: Year-to-date homicides, down 22% vs. last year’s pace; up 36% vs. five years ago [Philly Police]
MAYOR WATCH
Mayor Kenney joins state and local officials at the Laborers District Council HQ on North Broad for another celebration of the union workers who worked on the successful I-95 temporary rebuild (5:30 p.m.).
ON THE CALENDAR
🍦 Reading Terminal’s Ice Cream Festival is back, bringing sweet frozen treats by local makers from across the city to Filbert Street. (11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, July 22)
🎤 Local poetry zine “Collide” hosts a 1-year anniversary party at Light Box Cafe in Queen Village, with free open mic performances and pay-as-you-go food and drink. (7 to 10 p.m. Saturday, July 22)
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