Schools without AP classes; Crashes drop 34%; Weekly gun violence brief | Morning roundup

30% of Philadelphia schools don’t offer AP classes

For teenagers across the country, Advanced Placement classes are a staple of preparation for the daunting college application process. A former admissions officer told BP freelancer Fallon Roth that seeing AP classes on a transcript is almost like a “cheat code” toward getting accepted.

In Philadelphia, 38 district high schools offered these courses last year. But what about the 16 that didn’t? Continue reading…

How a Philly firm used steel to transform transit

Pittsburgh may be the Steel City. But it was a Philadelphia firm — the Budd Company — that used steel to transform the world of transit. Founded in 1912 by its namesake, the Budd Company built groundbreaking trains, planes, and automobiles.

Budd eventually employed over 20k people, Avi Wolfman-Arent reports, at a Hunting Park site that was recently transformed into the “Budd Bio” life sciences campus. Continue reading…

RECAP: What else happened?

$ = paywalled

• Deadly crashes dropped 34% on streets with safety features, city officials say. They got the stat by comparing the quantity and seriousness of crashes where traffic-calming measures were installed vs. similar streets where they weren’t. [WHYY’s PlanPhilly/Vision Zero]

• The city’s summer crackdown on unlicensed short-term rentals appears to have successfully reduced these Airbnb and VRBO listings, with over 1,000 hosts reportedly switching to long-term rentals. [Billy Penn/Inquirer$]

• A newly hired Sixers beat writer “is no longer employed” by the PhillyVoice after he quote-tweeted a Sixers statement of support for Israel, saying “This post sucks! Solidarity with Palestine always.” [NY Post/Crossing Broad]

• You can now snag one of those “cute, furry, and sexy” Gritty wall calendars that benefit Flyers Charities. Purchases are confusingly via Ticketmaster, so the team has instructions on how to do it. [Billy Penn/Flyers]

• A Philly group takes on ‘Family Feud,’ with five cousins competing on the longtime game show. The Smallwood family’s episode airs today at 3 and 3:30 p.m. [CBS3]

Weekly brief on gun violence prevention (with PCGVR)

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

• St. Joe’s University is putting together a report that collects the solutions and action items from a recent “summit” of 150 government and corporate stakeholders on curbing violence in Philly. [Tribune$]
   
• How can we hear more perspective from the 12,000 who’ve survived gunshot injuries in Philadelphia since 2015? With a Stoneleigh Fellowship, PCGVR’s Oronde McClain is launching a new project to make it happen. [Stoneleigh]
   
• If you haven’t yet caught a live screening of the documentary “Trigger,” with stories from Philadelphians impacted by gun violence, you can view on WHYY-TV tomorrow at 930 p.m. [DBHIDS/WHYY]

By the numbers in Philadelphia

• 31: Shooting victims recorded last week, vs. 22 the week prior. [PCGVR]
• 1,391: Shooting victims this year so far, down 25% vs. this time last year. [PCGVR]
• 340: Year-to-date homicides, down 19% vs. last year’s pace; up 31% vs. five years ago [Philly Police]

MAYOR WATCH

Mayor Kenney joins Dept. of Commerce officials at 1515 Arch St. to kick off a training program for people leading the charge to revitalize commercial corridors (9:30 a.m.). Kenney then joins Women Against Abuse in the City Hall Courtyard for the annual kickoff to the iPledge campaign, calling on everyday Philadelphians to take a stand against relationship violence (12 p.m.).

ON THE CALENDAR

⚾ BP Phillies playoff tailgate! Join Billy Penn and the Hittin’ Season crew outside Citizens Bank Park to cheer on the Phils before they take on the Braves in Game 3 of the NLDS. Beer from Iron Hill and 2SP Brewing, Rosenberger’s Iced Tea & Vodka, Famous 4th Street Cookies, koozies, and a chance to be featured on the podcast. Free RSVP here. (2:30 to 5 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 11)

🍺 The uCity Square Beer Garden popped-up on The Lawn and will feature live music, plus food trucks, cocktails, and beer from  Yards, Love City, and Philly’s first Black-owned brewery Two Locals. (hours vary, Wednesdays to Saturdays, through December)

👗 Get your adult prom plans in order for Punk Rock Prom just off Rittenhouse. Themed cocktails, glitter, and live bands are on tap, with proceeds benefiting Planned Parenthood. Tickets are $6-$15. (7 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 15)