From parking lot to pickleball: Unique racket club coming to Philly
Now the director of Tennis and head coach of Men’s Tennis at Drexel University, Mehdi Rhazali has a new passion project: he is transforming a former parking lot into a pickleball and padel club, the first of its kind in Philadelphia, sometime this spring.
It will feature four courts each, a social area, convenience store, events, educational clinics and classes. Rhazali told BP’s Violet Comber-Wilen that he wants people to appreciate all racket sports and find the ones that work for them. Continue reading…
Federal job cuts hit Philly — at national park and FAA
The Trump Administration’s promise to trim the federal workforce reached Philadelphia in the past week, with firings of junior employees at the National Park Service and the Federal Aviation Authority. BP’s Meir Rinde looked into the cuts, in Philadelphia and across Pennsylvania. Continue reading …
RECAP: What else happened?
$ = paywalled
• Pa. primary election 2025: Everything you need to know about running for local public office. [Spotlight PA]
• An executive admitted conspiracy to bribe an Amtrak manager in the 30th St. Station project with luxury watches, vacations and a German shepherd. [Inquirer$]
• Philly’s UArts library — a collection of over 60,000 books — has been sold to the Forman Arts Initiative for $76,250 and will be relocated to Kensington, where FAI is renovating a series of buildings into an arts campus. [WHYY]
• Philly Police launched its inaugural Office of Victim Advocacy and Engagement, with Ayanna Greene-Davis appointed as executive director. [WHYY]
• Philadelphia’s 2025-2026 school year could start before Labor Day for the next two years, according to proposed academic calendars released Tuesday. [Chalkbeat]
• Five years in, Philly’s Kensington Corridor Trust is growing its roots and capacity. [Next City]
• The 2025 Roots Picnic will be headlined by D’Angelo, Lenny Kravitz and Meek Mill at the Mann Center on May 31 and June 1. [NBC10]
Weekly brief on gun violence prevention (with PCGVR)
We publish this report each week in partnership with the Philadelphia Center for Gun Violence Reporting.
- An estimated 69,112 guns were sold last month in Pennsylvania, up 4% from the previous month and 3% from the same month last year. [The Trace]
- Check out brief impact reports on Philadelphia’s 39 Anti-Violence Community Expansion grantees, compiled by The RISE Partnership. [Scattergood Foundation]
- Poetry in Emotion: A pair of Germantown poets play host to a series of workshops and art installations that explore the untapped emotions of gun violence. [The Philadelphia Citizen]
By the numbers in Philadelphia
- 15: Shooting victims recorded from Feb. 9 through Feb. 15, including 6 fatalities, according to city data. During the previous week, 21 shooting victims were recorded, including 3 fatalities. Visit the Philadelphia Shooting Victims Dashboard for more information. [data.phila.gov]
- 28: Year-to-date homicides, down 32% vs. last year’s pace; down 44% vs. five years ago [Philly Police]
MAYOR WATCH
Mayor Cherelle L. Parker will join city officials and stakeholders to launch key components of her H.O.M.E Initiative to dramatically improve housing options for Philadelphians by creating and preserving 30,000 dwelling units. At City Hall. (10 a.m.)
ON THE CALENDAR
🧨 Lunar New Year events and activities
🫶🏾 Black History Month events
👠 Wednesday, Feb. 19: Philly Fashion Week – 2025 Trend Show + Next Up Student Design Competition
This free event will showcase the creativity and talent of local fashion students alongside the latest trends from Fashion District Philadelphia’s stores. (5 to 7 p.m.)
🎲 Thursday, Feb. 20: Game Night: Environmental Board Games at the Academy of Natural Sciences
Play some exciting, nature-based games among Tyrannosaurus Rex and other Mesozoic reptiles. Trek gorgeously illustrated trails in Parks, engage with wildlife in Cascadia, compete to be the night’s most-skilled nature observer in Meadow or build a habitable world in Planets. Beginners welcome! $15 tickets includes snacks and water. (6:30 to 9:30 p.m.)
🎒 Thursday to Saturday, Feb. 20-22: Black Philadelphia in the 18th and 19th Centuries
The conference aims to restore Black people as central historical actors in Philadelphia, paying particular attention to their abolitionist, cultural, economic, social and political networks. Free with registration.
Catch up on the previous week
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