Puppets and karaoke; Boxing and violence prevention; Pennie premium hike

#BILLYPENNGRAM OF THE DAY

Bud, take a step back
(Photo by @leslie.sllvn)

At this Philly karaoke night, the puppets steal the show

Orange juice and toothpaste. Water and electricity. Babies and airplanes. All pretty great things, but terrible when put together. Last Thursday, nonprofit art and activism group Spiral Q tested another potentially dangerous combo: puppets and karaoke.

The event was a fundraiser for its annual Peoplehood Parade, scheduled for Nov. 7, bringing dozens of Philly neighborhood groups together over community art marching from Paul Robeson House to Clark Park as a large puppet pageant. Continue reading…

Puppets prepared for a night of puppet karaoke at Pentridge Station in West Philadelphia. (Davis Cuffe/Billy Penn)

Philadelphia wants to curb violence. Can boxing help?

The city’s new Beyond the Bell initiative will put $300,000 into seven recreation center boxing gyms, with funding for equipment and coaches trained to support young people affected by trauma.

“Most people do boxing and football because they’ve been told they have anger issues and to use these two sports to get it out. They are intentionally courting their kids to this violent sport because they’re angry. What does that equal? More violence,” said ODAAP founder and former football coach Valencia Peterson. “So you have to teach coaches to stop that, to de-escalate that.” Continue reading…

A wall inside the Marian Anderson Recreation Center boxing gym displays boxers. Philadelphia has produced over two dozen recognized world boxing champions over the last century. (Davis Cuffe/Billy Penn)

RECAP: What else happened?

$ = paywalled

• Pennsylvanians buying 2027 health insurance on Pennie will face a 16% average premium increase. [WHYY]

• A ground stop delays hundreds of flights at PHL following equipment failure. [WHYY]

• How Pennsylvania’s measles outbreak changed the vaccine mindset of this Amish country midwife. [Inq$]

• Democratic congressional reps from the Philadelphia area are pressing for information about the contract and operations of Moshannon Valley Processing Center, the largest immigrant detention center in the Northeast. [WHYY]

• This play conceived by teens in Germantown could be the “ultimate toolkit” toward becoming better adults. [WHYY]

• A day out with a shelter dog: How ACCT Philly’s Pupventures helps dogs find forever homes. [WHYY]

Celebrate Philly’s finest at the Billies!

Join us for Billy Penn’s 12th annual Billies Awards from 5:30 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 8, at WHYY Studios!

We’ll honor the people and groups making Philly better — with food, refreshments and plenty of hometown spirit.

Admission is free with an RSVP. Optional donations support WHYY’s community programs. The Billies are supported in part by Every Voice, Every Vote.

Sign up to attend the Billies →

MAYOR WATCH

Mayor Parker has no public events scheduled for Tuesday.

Philly Fringe coverage

How to Fringe: Your guide to Philly’s massive Fringe Festival
Philly’s Fringe Festival puts rookie theater makers (including a former state treasurer) in the spotlight
These Philly Fringe shows focus on veterans stories with parallels to Iran, Vietnam and beyond
Philly Fringe shows explore joys and trials of fatherhood
How a clown on a Philly stage is helping audiences find solutions

Highlights from Billy Penn’s City Guide

Need help fixing your house? Here’s your guide to home repair resources in Philly
Whether you’re looking for senior, income-friendly resources or general repair programs, here’s your overview of Philly home repair resources.
Jimmies vs. Sprinkles: Why Philly fights over what we call an ice cream topping
Philadelphia’s signature ice cream topping is jimmies. Or it’s sprinkles. Or it’s both. And we’re ready to fight about it.

ON THE CALENDAR

Philly Cringe Fest (Wednesday),
Celebrate public media at WHYY’s Open House (Wednesday),
Neighborhood Jawnts takes on East and West Oak Lanes (Fri-Sun)
AND MORE!

See the **FULL LIST** of this week’s events calendar at BillyPenn.com!