FBI investigates North Philly shooting; School facilities lawsuit settled; Tubman designs revealed | Sunday roundup

RECAP: Looking back on the week that was

• Investigation after North Philly FBI shooting

The FBI is investigating what happened on Friday when a federal agent shot a 22-year-old resident while serving a warrant at a Nicetown-Tioga rowhome. The man, identified by his mother as Tahiem Weeks-Cook, is reportedly hospitalized in “precarious” condition, and has already had a leg amputation. Authorities have confirmed few details — not even the man’s identity.
[@MarcellaBaietto/Inquirer$/CBS3]

• City and school district settle lawsuit

A settlement in the intra-governmental spat that saw the Philly School District sue the city will result in a new advisory panel to help the district oversee environmental hazards. The district, however, will maintain final say over when a school building closes, and will get $2.5 million from the Health Department to help manage asbestos and lead inspection data. Meanwhile, City Council is still exploring creation of an “independent authority” to bond and manage repair and construction projects.
[Phila Gov/Tribune$/Billy Penn]

• Potential Tubman statue designs revealed

By fall 2024, there should be a new, permanent statue of civil rights legend Harriet Tubman on the north apron of City Hall. What will it look like? Design concepts were revealed last week from the five sculptors in the running (all Black artists, none from Philadelphia). Now an advisory committee is seeking public comment and feedback as it moves toward a final decision. 
[Billy Penn]

• Philly’s public university unveils new logo

Though it’s gotten a bit of criticism for looking too “Ivy League,” most seem excited about the sleekness of Temple University’s new athletics logo, updated for the first time in 30 years. Inside a diamond shield, a fierce-looking owl with wings wrapping up around the iconic “T” has taken the place of the cartoony strigiform that came before — one in a long line of Temple Owls that go back over a century. 
[Temple/Billy Penn]

VISION: Looking forward to the week ahead

• Pa. State Police to move forward on body cams

One reason details are still murky after a Pa. State Trooper fatally shot 18-year-old Anthony Allegrini Jr. during an illegal street racing meetup at the Philly waterfront: troopers do not wear body cameras. That’s despite a 2017 Pa. law establishing procedures for body cam footage, and a 2017 federal grant to start a pilot program. Back in June, a PSP captain told reporters the effort was in progress, saying, “It takes a while to outfit an agency across the state.” Word is this week will bring an update on that process.
[WJAC 2017/Pa. Gov 2018/WHYY/]

• Clark Park Farmers Market shifts location

The West Philly weekend tradition that is the Clark Park Farmers Market will take a new configuration this Saturday, moving out of the way of a rising apartment building. The change, which will shift the market to an L-shape on the north side of the park, is reported to be permanent. It will also mark the end of unpermitted vendors being allowed to set up nearby, a crackdown that was rumored last summer, but apparently not yet implemented.
[Food Trust/West Philly Local/UCD/BP 2022]

• Last week for Chinese Lantern Festival

It’s the last week to catch the 25,000 lights glowing inside handmade silk sculptures of the Philadelphia Chinese Lantern Festival in Franklin Square. The installation at the Old City park is about to wrap up its seventh year, which saw the return of live performances, interactive folk art exhibits, and a new sea dragon tunnel. Talented students in WHYY’s High School Journalism Camp created a short video showcasing the fest, which you can check out along with a colorful photo essay here.
[Lantern Fest/Billy Penn]

• Where will Dîner en Blanc land this time?

The Philadelphia edition of worldwide “chic picnic” Dîner en Blanc returns for an 11th year on Thursday, bringing thousands of ticket-holders to an undisclosed public location, where they’ll set up all-white table settings to sup with other white-clothed partiers. Much criticized when it first came to town, the event has mostly been accepted as an annual rite — if people want to pay to lug their own food and furniture to an outdoor spot (and yes, disrupt traffic for a few hours), more power to them? 
[DEBphl/BP 2014/Philly Mag$]