Parks & Rec advocates hope mayor’s first budget reflects needs
Philly still spends less per resident on parks than the average big U.S. city. Much of that investment comes from private groups and efforts of volunteer and Friends groups.
Mayor Parker campaigned saying she’d like to “at least double” the city’s investment in Parks & Rec operations by the end of her first term, and promised to make Philly the “safest, cleanest, and greenest big city in the nation.”
Will her budget reflect those goals? BP’s Meir Rinde and WHYY’s Sophia Schmidt spoke with parks advocates about the need and potential impact. Continue reading…
Irish-centric Philly theaters highlight works from across the pond
Two Irish-centric theater companies in Philly are devoted to presenting works this season from Ireland and the rest of the British Isles. One of the theaters actually has a bar, and both “echo the American concerns around immigration” in “brave and exciting ways.”
The Irish Heritage Theatre Co. presents a reading of Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw’s “Don Juan in Hell.” And a block and a half away at the Louis Bluver Theatre at the Drake, the Inis Nua Theatre Co. will stage the Philly premier of Irish playwright Sonya Kelly’s “Once Upon A Bridge.” Continue reading…
RECAP: What else happened?
$ = paywalled
• Chatbots’ inaccurate, misleading responses about U.S. elections threaten to keep voters from polls. Voting officials like Philadelphia’s Seth Bluestein are testing them out ahead of the 2024 election. [AP]
• Nemours Children’s Health opened a specialty care, ambulatory surgical center in Malvern. [WHYY]
• Latinas in Tech launched a Philly chapter of its global nonprofit focused on uplifting and empowering Latinas—who are underrepresented in STEM jobs—to become leaders in the tech industry. [Technical.ly]
• The West Philadelphia Skills Initiative received a $4 million surprise, no-strings-attached grant from billionaire MacKenzie Scott to support its career matchmaking work. [WHYY]
• After 10+ years, Kensington Quarter is closing on March 16, with the owners making “future plans for the space.” [PhillyMag$]
• Wawa is shuttering another Philly store, this time at Rodin Place. A Chase Bank will replace it. [Inquirer$]
Weekly brief on gun violence prevention (with PCGVR)
We publish this report each week in partnership with the Philadelphia Center for Gun Violence Reporting.• Philly block captains hope cleanups and care will keep streets safe from gun violence. [Love Now Media]
• Unarmed volunteers from a Uvalde, Texas nonprofit will patrol SEPTA in Burholme after last week’s bus stop shooting. [PhillyVoice]
• Gov. Shapiro says gun violence epidemic “doesn’t have to be this way” [The Daily Item]
By the numbers in Philadelphia
- 26: Shooting victims recorded last week, vs. 22 the week prior. [PCGVR]
- 194: Shooting victims as of March 10 were down 27% vs. the previous year. [PCGVR]
- 57: Year-to-date homicides, down 32% vs. last year’s pace; down 6% vs. five years ago [Philly Police]
MAYOR WATCH
Mayor Parker attends the funeral of Philadelphia Fire Battalion Chief John Garrow at St. Cecilia’s Catholic Church. (11:15 a.m.)
Yesterday, she announced Philadelphia was selected as one of 25 U.S. cities to join Bloomberg American Sustainable Cities, a three-year, $200 million initiative designed to invest in local climate action.
ON THE CALENDAR
🚌 Learn what’s next for SEPTA’s Bus Revolution plan at a community meeting in West Kensington. (5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday, March 14)
🎹 Listen to the Philadelphia Organ Festival: The Passion of Joan of Arc, a 1928 classic silent film with live accompaniment under the arches of St. Luke’s Germantown. $10-30 tickets. (3 p.m. Saturday, March 16)
🍀 Test your luck as you enter Viktor Kane’s nightmares in this St. Patrick’s themed horror experience of escaping from vengeful mill workers transformed into banshees, goblins and leprechauns. $32 tickets. (7 p.m. Saturday, March 16)
Catch up on the previous week
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