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  • 🍸 The coolest drink of the Summer of 2026 | Let’s Eat

    🍸 The coolest drink of the Summer of 2026 | Let’s Eat

    The temperature is approaching triple digits. (Or is that tipple digits?) Here’s one boozy relief drink you should know about.

    Also in this edition:

    • Down the shore: Craig LaBan hits the mainland for tasty meals.
    • Flying saucer returns: The city finally has signed a restaurant tenant at LOVE Park.
    • “Cambodian speakeasy”: Read on for restaurant dish.

    — Mike Klein

    If someone forwarded you this email, sign up for free here.

    Water ice martinis and other cooling treats

    The water ice martini is the cocktail of the summer, and Beatrice Forman chatted up the owner of John’s Water Ice, who developed it with Saloon.

    🍧 Extraordinary “ordinary” water ice: Here are our favorites.

    Ice cream options

    🍦 Stella’s Ice Cream out of Idaho (yes, Idaho) just opened on Front Street in Fishtown/Kensington, and Bea has the early scoop.

    🍦 Winners, rocking a feel-good message, is new on South Street in Graduate Hospital. As Kiki Aranita says, Winners’ appeal is more than just the flavors, like Sweet Success S’mores.

    🍦 Our guide to our favorite ice cream is right here.

    Down the shore with Craig LaBan

    Critic Craig LaBan is back from his annual Jersey Shore exploration, and he’s shaking the sand out of his notebook. In Part One of his roundup, he heads to the mainland to find some gems. Read that here.

    Looking ahead: Part Two, Craig’s reviews from Long Beach Island and thereabouts, will be online this weekend. On July 11, he’ll share his discoveries from points farther south in Part Three.

    Ember & Ash shuttered by fire

    Ember & Ash on East Passyunk Avenue will be closed for an undetermined period after smoke and flames shot up through the ventilation last week just after closing time. No injuries were reported.

    ‘Flying saucer’ building has liftoff

    This weekend will see the debut of Broad Street Beer Garden at LOVE Park, the first phase of a planning reuse of the so-called flying saucer building at 16th and JFK. Here’s the long history of the city landmark.

    The best things we ate last week

    We munched on fried silverfish that reminded us of French fries in Little Saigon, Argentine empanadas in West Philly, and a vegan po’ boy in Old City that tasted like the original.

    Scoops

    Intrigue! Albert Zheng, whose holdings include Javelin in Fairmount, is backing a yet-to be-named dual concept on the way to 808 Chestnut St., formerly a Dunkin’ Donuts. In front, the feature will be wagyu omakase, while the rear will be what he calls a Cambodian speakeasy. He says it’s six or seven months out.

    Mylar Bar, a cocktail bar inspired by the spirit of South Philly’s Dino’s Party Center, is expected to open later this summer from hospitality veterans Liv Arterbridge and Gina Piccari. They bought the former building at Ninth and Morris Streets where Dino’s sold balloons, decorations, and party supplies for decades before it moved across the street. “We want the whole thing to feel like a party,” Arterbridge said. “Nostalgic, fun, a little silly, intentionally unserious — but not a theme bar,” Piccari said. Cocktails will include martinis, punches, and classic drinks, alongside draft beer and familiar favorites. A full kitchen, led by chef Colin White, formerly of Sally and Emmett, will serve shareable “party snacks” and larger plates. They plan to offer late-night desserts, so food will be available until 1 a.m. with the bar wrapping at 2. Arterbridge, whose resume includes Cry Baby, Poison Heart, and a.bar, met Piccari while working at Boot & Saddle, where Piccari was manager. Piccari is now behind the bar at Le Virtù.

    Restaurant report

    Sixteen restaurants, bakeries, cafes, and bars — including Lillian’s, shown above — are opening in July. Read on for the rundown.

    Penny’s Bagels, on its way (for the last two years) to 212 Kings Highway East in Haddonfield, will hand out 250 red, white, and blue bagels on July 3 at the borough’s parade. The shop is eyeing an August opening, says owner Chris Fetfatzes.

    Maru, a fast-casual Korean-inspired restaurant from David Backhus and the team behind the now-closed Oori, is expected to open in August in what is now Collective Coffee & Bakery, which Backhus also owns, at 2922 Conestoga Rd. in Glenmoore. Maru’s menu will feature Korean fried chicken sandwiches, wings, tenders, house-made mochi doughnuts, and specialty coffee, while continuing to serve Collective Coffee and honor existing coffee subscriptions.

    Briefly noted

    Ota-Ya in Newtown has announced that Friday will be its last day after 30 years with the retirement of owners Jeff Wong and Cindy Tam.

    PETA is launching its “Nice Cream Trail,” highlighting 10 shops across the state serving vegan ice cream, and there are five local spots on the list: Dreams Ice Cream Factory in Glenside, Lu & Aug’s in Ardmore, the Main Freeze in Lansdale, Milk Jawn in South Philadelphia and Northern Liberties, and Scoop DeVille in Center City and Queen Village. The first Pennsylvania resident to complete the trail by visiting all 10 participating shops through August will win a vegan ice cream party with PETA’s “iScream” truck for themselves and up to 50 guests. Details are here.

    Two local BBQ chefs, Matt Groark (Medford Lakes, N.J.) and Maxwell McGibbon (Newark, Del.), are competing on Food Networks’ Pitmasters, premiering July 13 at 9 p.m.

    Diner en Blanc registration is still open. This year’s version of the pop-up picnic is Aug. 20.

    Miller’s Ale House, in the shopping center next to the Home Depot in Springfield, Delaware County, closed this week after 13 years, while Fishtown is abuzz with speculation that Bottle Bar East, which opened at 1308 Frankford Ave. around the same time in late 2012, has closed. The phone is down, and owners could not be reached for comment

    We all tried a new cheesesteak-flavored olive oil. I won’t say you have to.

    ❓Pop quiz

    Fountain Porter, the South Philly bar, just raised the price of its celebrated burger. How much is it now?

    A) $5

    B) $7

    C) $8

    D) $9

    Find out if you know the answer.

    Ask Mike anything

    When is Adda ever going to open in Fishtown? — Rich C.

    True, Adda has been a long time coming, since I initially wrote about it in June 2025 with an end-of-2025 target. Adda — from New York City’s Unapologetic Foods, whose establishments are acclaimed for their bold, no-holds-barred approach to Indian cooking — is now looking at a late-fall opening at 1700 Frankford Ave., the new building across from the Fishtown post office.

    Corrigendum: Reader Stephanie points out that Kalaya is the third Philadelphia restaurant, not the second, to win the James Beard Award for outstanding restaurant, as I wrote two weeks ago. Zahav was the first in 2019, while Friday Saturday Sunday won in 2023.

    📮 Have a question about food in Philly? Email your questions to me at mklein@inquirer.com for a chance to be featured in my newsletter.

    By submitting your written, visual, and/or audio contributions, you agree to The Inquirer’s Terms of Use, including the grant of rights in Section 10.

  • Speed cameras on Frankford Avenue will begin issuing fines

    Speed cameras on Frankford Avenue will begin issuing fines

    Starting Friday, drivers traveling 36 mph or faster on Frankford Avenue in Northeast Philadelphia will face a minimum $100 fine.

    Ten new speed-enforcement cameras were activated on April 13, initiating a 60-day warning period which brought mailed warnings to violators of the road’s 25 mph speed limit.

    “Speed cameras are a tremendous tool that helps save lives,” said Gabe Roberts, acting executive director of the Philadelphia Parking Authority, in an emailed statement.

    There are three tiers of penalties for speeding on the 4.5-mile stretch of U.S. Route 13 that are now going into effect.

    Fines are $100 for traveling 11-19 mph over the speed limit; $125 for going 20-29 mph over; and $150 for speeding by 30 or more mph.

    Tickets are mailed to the registered owner of the vehicle speeding. No points — PennDOT’s method of recording driving violations — are added to the motorist’s driver’s license.

    The cameras are placed at 9900 Frankford Ave.; 8300 Frankford Ave.; 7000 Frankford Ave.; 6400 Frankford Ave.; 3100 Levick St.; and 2100 Robbins St.

    Automated speed enforcement cameras went live Monday April 13 on the portion of U.S. Route 13 shown in green. Philadelphia Parking Authority will install cameras on the rest of the corridor in July 2026.

    Speed-enforcement cameras were first piloted in Philadelphia on Roosevelt Boulevard in June 2020, with 32 automated cameras placed along the highway previously considered the most dangerous road in the city.

    According to the Philadelphia Parking Authority, speed violations have since decreased on the boulevard by more than 90%, and there has been a 50% reduction in pedestrian-involved crashes.

    There are now a total of 80 speed cameras operating throughout the city, with additional cameras installed on Broad Street and nearby five school zone locations.

  • This is one of Philly’s biggest illegal dumps. Cleaning it up is a logistical nightmare.

    This is one of Philly’s biggest illegal dumps. Cleaning it up is a logistical nightmare.

    Viewed from below, the scale of the illegal dump is daunting, spanning the length and depth of a steep ravine for at least one block, spilling along before coming to a dirty halt near a clear stream.

    Viewed from above, it’s a vertiginous array of broken appliances, ratty furniture, dirty toys, old tires, used mattresses, and other detritus. The rear hatch of a white Toyota RAV4 pokes through weeds. A boat is still hitched to a trailer loaded with rusting liquid propane tanks.

    City officials don’t know how long the slope off Pennway Street in Northeast Philadelphia has been the site of illegal dumping. But they know it presents a big logistical task to clean it out.

    “It’s certainly one of the larger dumps we’ve had to deal with,” said Carlton Williams, director of the city’s Clean and Green Initiatives Office.

    Williams expects that it will be far more difficult to clean than the 4,000 tires found in last April in Tacony Creek Park. Those were hauled out by city workers and 200 volunteers.

    A muddy army of volunteers helps clean up Philly’s biggest tire dump

    “We’ll probably have to get cranes. And it’s going to be challenging to get equipment back there,” Williams noted. “This has been a hidden place for people to illegally dump for some time.”

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    A treacherous location

    The first obstacle to cleaning out the dump is its location. It begins at the edge of an alley under high-voltage wires. Area residents park their cars in the alley and some have erected sheds.

    The top of the slope is treacherous, filled with trash, chunks of concrete, and thickets of bramble that are easy to snag or trip on.

    A view of the top of the illegal dump under power lines off Pennway Street in Philadelphia.

    Using volunteers to haul things out is probably not practical given the potential danger, Williams said.

    From below, the dump is hidden by woods that adjoin the grounds of Friends Hospital. To view it, you have to leave a small trail, walk down a vegetation-choked embankment, ford a spring-fed tributary of Tacony Creek, and trudge through wetlands.

    There is no direct access road from the bottom.

    On a recent day, a man was picking through the rubble.

    “Looking for metal,” he mumbled.

    The top of a ravine that serves as an illegal dump off Pennway Street in Northeast Philadelphia as viewed April 10, 2026.

    Who owns the land?

    The second major obstacle will be untangling ownership of the property, sorting out responsibility, and paying for it.

    Williams said the city is currently tracking down ownership of whatever parcels might be involved.

    Peco did not respond to an Inquirer email by deadline about whether any of the dump falls on its property or easements.

    It’s not clear who is doing the dumping — construction crews, residents, or both.

    “We’re still trying to figure out a plan,” Williams said. “We need to identify the property owner. Then we have to gain access.”

    Williams also said it will be a challenge to prevent dumping in the future.

    Philadelphia already has 400 surveillance cameras used to monitor known dump sites and can tap a broader network operated by the police department and other agencies. It anticipates purchasing an additional 100 cameras.

    It has also installed bollards and gates that prevent vehicles from entering dump locations and is more aggressively pursuing and fining violators.

    The rear of Pennway Street in Northeast Philadelphia as viewed April 10, 2026.

    ‘A huge psychological impact’

    The dump was first reported to the city by the nonprofit Tookany/Tacony Frankford Watershed Partnership (TTF), which helps manage the city-owned Tacony Creek Park.

    TTF has an office at the Friends Hospital complex off Roosevelt Boulevard. The nonprofit is helping with a yet unnamed 50-acre preserve on the hospital grounds that connects to Tacony Creek Park.

    A portion of the dump is behind a broken fence at the edge of the grounds.

    The dump off Pennway Street spills to the edge of a broken fence.

    “This is one of the harder ones to tackle,” said Justin DiBerardinis, executive director of TTF. “We’re at the beginning of a journey to take care of one of the biggest dumps that a lot of us have seen.”

    DiBerardinis suspects contractors are dumping there, but also residents.

    Cleaning it up, he says, will be “extremely complex.”

    He’s also heartened by what he sees as the city’s willingness to address the logistical challenges presented by illegal landfills.

    DiBerardinis said the dump mars the landscape, and rests only yards from a tributary of Tacony Creek that serves as the edge of the 50-acre preserve.

    A spring-fed tributary of Tacony Creek flows between the illegal dump off Pennway Street in Northeast Philadelphia and the grounds of Friends Hospital as viewed April 10, 2026.

    “That stream is really clear, like spring-fed water coming from the earth,“ DiBerardinis said. ”To have that in our city is such a rare and special thing.“

    He senses growing community support for tackling litter and a backlash against dumping. Last Saturday, about 100 volunteers came to the preserve to help clean it, though the dump remained inaccessible.

    He thinks the community can play a role in the cleanup, if even for moral support and watchful eyes in the future.

    “I’m seeing people getting inspired at the possibility of the restoration and the protection of those places, and to have access for them and their children,” DiBerardinis said. “Dumping like that has a huge psychological impact on a community.”

  • Baby killed in ambulance crash was being driven to hospital by her grandfather, sources say

    Baby killed in ambulance crash was being driven to hospital by her grandfather, sources say

    An infant who died in a crash involving a private ambulance early Sunday morning was being driven to the hospital by her grandfather, who had jumped behind the wheel of the emergency vehicle parked at the family’s home after the baby became unresponsive, sources said.

    Robert Coleman was trying to rush the baby and her mother to a hospital around 5:15 a.m. after the child was found in distress inside their Frankford house, said a law enforcement source who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing investigation.

    Police said Coleman, 51, had been drinking — and did not turn on the ambulance’s flashing lights or siren before he sped through a red light at the intersection of Torresdale and Harbison Avenues and collided with a sedan.

    The mother and baby, who the source said were not restrained, were ejected through the windshield of the ambulance, police said.

    The 2-month-old infant, Marian Harris, was declared dead shortly after the crash at an area hospital. Her 32-year-old mother, whom police did not identify, was critically injured with severe head trauma, they said.

    It was not immediately clear why the ambulance, owned by Ambulance Express Inc. or Medstar EMS, was parked at the family’s house or whether the grandfather worked for the company or had experience driving emergency vehicles.

    Police said Sunday that the driver would be charged with driving under the influence and related crimes.

    District Attorney Larry Krasner said in a statement Sunday that no charges had been filed, however. He added that the investigation into the crash “may take some time” but that “we are committed to a fair, appropriate and just outcome.”

  • Jefferson Health will close four Einstein pediatric practices and move three others to True North Pediatrics

    Jefferson Health will close four Einstein pediatric practices and move three others to True North Pediatrics

    Jefferson Health is closing four legacy Einstein pediatric practices, including one at Jefferson Einstein Hospital Philadelphia in a low-income area of the city, and moving three others to True North Pediatrics, a private group with a dozen mostly suburban locations.

    The nonprofit health system did not respond to questions Thursday about how many children the practices serve, how many jobs will be cut, or why it was making the change, which is expected to significantly reduce the amount of pediatric care in North and Northeast Philadelphia.

    This week’s pediatric cutbacks are a significant move affecting patient care amid a yearslong effort to make the system with more than $15 billion in annual revenue financially sustainable. From 2015 through 2024, Jefferson grew from three hospitals to more than 30 and now stretches from South Jersey to near Scranton.

    The locations scheduled to close June 30 are the Pediatric & Adolescent Ambulatory Center at Einstein Philadelphia and three Holland Pediatrics locations (Center One/Bustleton in Northeast Philadelphia, Buck Road in Southampton, and Frankford in Torresdale), Jefferson said in a statement.

    The three clinics going to True North are Trappe Pediatric Care at Iron Bridge, Pennypack Pediatrics, and Einstein Pediatrics Elkins Park. Jefferson did not provide details on transaction terms.

    A practice manager at True North, which is based in suburban Philadelphia, did not respond to a request for more information. True North’s website said the practice is independent, “not managed by any big business or larger institution.”

    Jefferson said in a statement that it will continue offering pediatric services through its primary care network, urgent care centers, emergency departments, and Lehigh Valley Health Network’s Reilly Children’s Hospital.

    The pediatric clinics affected had been part of the former Einstein Healthcare Network when Jefferson acquired the system in 2021.

    “With three excellent inpatient pediatric hospitals right here in our region, partnering with True North Pediatrics — an organization whose singular focus is pediatric care — allows us to ensure that families across our region continue to receive the specialized, dedicated attention they deserve,” Jefferson said in an internal communication Monday.

    It’s possible that St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children, which is about 3½ miles by car from Einstein Philadelphia, will pick up many of the thousands of dislocated patients.

    St. Chris already serves almost exclusively patients with Medicaid insurance for low-income families and struggles to make ends meet because of the low rates it receives.

    “We are committed to delivering trusted, compassionate care for every patient who walks through our doors,” St. Chris said in a statement. “Families can access care at our nearby locations, including our Center for the Urban Children and Northeast Pediatrics office.”

  • Philly school officials want to close this Frankford middle and replace it with a K-8. Teachers worry programs will be lost.

    Philly school officials want to close this Frankford middle and replace it with a K-8. Teachers worry programs will be lost.

    From sports like soccer, football, and cheerleading to Model United Nations and unified programs for students with and without special needs, Harding Middle School’s offerings reflect its diverse enrollment.

    Of the Frankford school’s 570 students, more than 150 — nearly 27% — receive special-education services. About one quarter of students are English learners — with languages ranging from Spanish and Portuguese to Pashto and Ewe.

    Teachers say the school will not be able to offer the same depth of programming if the Philadelphia School District moves forward with a plan to close Harding, which serves grades six through eight. The district is proposing to move Sullivan Elementary School into the Harding building, and expand that school into a K-8 as part of a sweeping facilities plan.

    “We offer something for everybody,” said Beth Ann Dufner, a Harding teacher who coordinates the school’s English learner programs and has worked at Harding for six years.

    Because transitioning the building from a 6-8 school to a K-8 would mean fewer students per grade, Dufner said, she does not think the school’s programs for middle school kids could be replicated in the district’s plan — “not on a large scale like we have at Harding.” Teachers say students would have to travel to other schools to compete on some sports teams.

    Harding, which has capacity for 1,110 students, is one of five middle schools recommended for closure under the plan. In total, the district proposes to close 18 schools, pitching the plan as a better use of limited resources.

    Harding teachers disagree with the district’s shift away from standalone middle schools — saying that surveys did not give community members the option to voice support for the model.

    Arianna DeJesus (front, center), 8th Grader and captain of the Harding Hawks cheerleading squad, during a rally in support of the middle school in the Frankford neighborhood last month.

    “I’ve never heard any parents we’ve had enrolled say, ‘We hate middle schools,’” said Jessica Peruso, an autistic support teacher at Harding. “That was a theme — but where did that come from?”

    A hub for special-education students

    Teachers also dispute the rationale for closing Harding specifically — questioning how the district scored Harding as “poor” for program alignment on a rubric for determining which schools to close.

    At one session, teachers were told the school did not have enough closet space, according to Dufner.

    “The things they said they based their score on — we have all of those things,” Dufner said, noting that Harding has two gyms, media and technology labs, and dedicated spaces for English learners and special-needs students.

    Like other teachers, Dufner faulted the district for Harding’s underenrollment, saying its decision to allow charter schools had drawn students away.

    But she also questioned whether Harding — which the district rated as only half utilized — was being penalized for its large population of students receiving special-education services. Autistic support classrooms, for instance, are required to have no more than eight students, far smaller than a standard class size.

    That “creates the appearance of underutilized space,” but it’s not, Dufner said.

    A district spokesperson said building utilization scores are not adjusted to account for smaller class sizes for special-needs students.

    The spokesperson, Monique Braxton, said numerous factors resulted in Harding scoring poorly on program alignment, from gym facilities in disrepair to lack of appropriate spaces for music and art classes.

    Harding serves as a hub for special-education students from a range of neighborhoods beyond the Harding catchment, teachers said. They described the school’s culture as particularly inclusive of kids with special needs.

    “That makes me the most nervous for closing,” said Peruso, who has taught at Harding since 2014 and was recently named the district’s Teacher of the Month. “I’m concerned about my kids. I’ve been teaching autistic support here forever. I don’t want them to get lost.”

    Under the district’s plan, Harding would have a phased closure, starting in the 2027-28 school year. Students previously assigned to Harding would instead attend Sullivan, John Marshall, Lawton, or Carnell schools. Meanwhile, the Harding building — rated by the district as in “unsatisfactory” condition — would receive upgrades before the expanded Sullivan school moves in.

    “You’re going to come here and fix the building for Sullivan students? Why aren’t the Harding students worth that investment?” Peruso said.

    Harding Middle School Principal Mary Sanchez stands at the front door as students, staff, community members, and elected officials rally to support the school last month in the Frankford neighborhood. It’s one of 18 the district has proposed closing.

    A ‘tight knit’ community

    While current students would not be affected by the closure, some have expressed dismay that they would not be able to return to the school and visit their teachers, said Amanda Chandler, who teaches English language arts at Harding.

    Chandler, who has taught at Harding for seven years, called it “very tight knit.” Every year, she said, former students have come back to see her or her colleagues.

    Compared with past teaching jobs, “I have never had kids more loyal to me, my well-being … than I have at Harding Middle School,” Chandler said.

    In letters shared by Peruso, several students said they wanted Harding to stay open because of its welcoming environment. “Everyone is united like a big family,” one sixth grader wrote. Another sixth grader said that teachers “let me know that I am safe and that everything will be okay.”

    Amarika Thomas, a paraprofessional at Harding who has lived in the community for 20 years, had been working in the school’s cafeteria when principal Mary Sanchez noticed her strong connections with students.

    Sanchez “pushed me to come out of the cafeteria,” said Thomas, who hopes to become a special-education teacher.

    While Thomas’ daughter attends a K-12 charter, she had hoped to possibly send her daughter to Harding for middle school, citing its array of activities.

    The district should invest in Harding, Thomas said: “Harding literally just needs a fighting chance.”

  • Mayor Parker backs legislation to boost housing development around SEPTA stations

    Mayor Parker backs legislation to boost housing development around SEPTA stations

    Mayor Cherelle L. Parker’s administration sent City Council a bill on Thursday to encourage more apartment construction around SEPTA stations, in hopes of boosting ridership.

    The proposal expands an existing law. Currently, if a SEPTA station is made a “transit-oriented development” district — a designation City Council must adopt — then most properties within a 500-foot radius receive a variety of benefits that allows developers to build more housing with less parking than otherwise allowed.

    The legislation sent to Council by the Parker administration would expand that radius to 1,320 feet, or a quarter of a mile.

    The bill is part of a package of zoning legislation meant to boost Parker’s effort to build or repair 30,000 homes in the coming years.

    “Zoning is how we turn housing ambition into housing reality,” said Angela D. Brooks, chief housing and urban development officer. “These bills help us put more homes where our infrastructure can support them, near transit, near jobs, and near opportunity, while respecting the character of the neighborhoods Philadelphians already love.”

    The hope is that SEPTA will benefit from a ridership boost if more housing is built close to transit, and more people will be able to afford to live near public transportation — which, in some areas, is in more expensive and sought-after neighborhoods.

    The zoning overlay grants different types of development benefits depending on the existing zoning around transit stations.

    In a bid to avoid controversies that have undermined similar laws in other cities, land zoned for single-family housing would not be given any development advantage under the law.

    But properties already zoned for dense housing would be allowed to build many more units, with additional benefits given if they provide affordable housing or environmentally friendly design.

    “This package will also increase ridership, reduce costly trips to the [zoning board], and allow more investment in transit stations,” Brooks said. “Zoning may sound technical to some, but investments in transit are something residents can see, touch, and feel every day.”

    Projects that have benefited from the existing transit-oriented development overlay include The Noble, with 360 units, near the Spring Garden stop on the Market-Frankford Line, and a proposal for a 134-unit mixed-income development at the Frankford Transportation Center.

    Land zoned for more modest density would be allowed to build 50% more units. That means if developers could build four units under normal conditions, in a transit-oriented development district, they could build six.

    The overlay requires that the ground floor of commercially zoned buildings have active uses. Curb cuts, parking garages, and one-story buildings are not allowed.

    Parker’s bill further eases some parking requirements, although the requirement for developers building in such areas is already less than under normal zoning rules.

    The bill was circulated to City Council on Wednesday. Members wanted more time to review it before it was formally introduced.

    “In general, I’ve been a proponent of the basic concept of increasing density around our transit stops,” said Councilmember Jamie Gauthier, who chairs City Council’s housing committee.

    “It makes our neighborhoods more lively, more livable,” Gauthier said. “We have a great transit system, and we should be trying to help it be as successful as possible.”

    Because City Council must pass legislation to include transit stations in the zoning overlay, district Council members are given effective control over how many stations will be included in the law’s benefits.

    Both the Broad Street and Market-Frankford Lines run between Council districts, which means half of many stations are under one Council member’s purview while the other half are in another’s control.

    Transit advocates have long hoped for legislation that would automatically apply to all major transit stations, but that idea could prove difficult to get through City Council.

    Gauthier is one of the few Council members who have embraced transit-oriented development. All of the Market-Frankford Line stations in her district are covered by the overlay.

    No stations on the Broad Street Line are included so far.

    “I don’t want to speak about areas of the city that are not mine,” Gauthier said. But in her transit-rich West Philadelphia district, “I do think we can consider expanding that radius more. We know that less people are driving nowadays.”

    City Councilmember Jamie Gauthier is one of the most enthusiastic proponents of transit-oriented development on City Council.

    The urbanist advocacy group 5th Square says that Parker’s bill should be broader.

    The group called for the elimination of parking minimums near transit, an even larger coverage radius, and for multifamily housing to be allowed on land zoned for single-family homes near stations.

    “These bills are a welcome step toward more housing near transit, but their scope doesn’t quite address our massive housing shortage,” said Fae Ehsan, board member with 5th Square Advocacy.

    The other housing-related bill Parker sent to Council includes legislation that would make it easier to build more apartments above commercial buildings on the ends of some rowhouse blocks, which are currently allowed to have only one unit above ground-floor retail.

    The bill would allow owners to convert the ground floor to residential uses if they cannot fill the storefront. The administration believes 7,000 to 12,000 more housing units could be allowed under the change.

  • What we know and what we don’t know about Philly school closings

    What we know and what we don’t know about Philly school closings

    Superintendent Tony B. Watlington Sr. on Thursday presented the Philadelphia School District’s long-awaited facilities master plan to board members, with revisions leaving two fewer schools slated to close than initially proposed.

    Plans now included 18 closures and six other co-locations, as well as one new school building and other investments.

    What’s happening to your Philly school under the proposed facilities master plan?

    Here’s what we know so far:

    What’s happening to the district’s buildings?

    Of the district’s 307 buildings, most schools — 159 in all — would be modernized under the proposed plan. The district in January pointed to Frankford High, which closed for two years because of asbestos issues and just reopened in the fall with $30 million worth of work to spruce it up, as an example of modernization.

    An additional 122 schools would fall into a “maintain” category, meaning they would receive regular upkeep. And six facilities would be co-located, meaning two separate schools would be housed under one roof, each with its own principal and team.

    Finally, 18 schools would be recommended for closure. Among them is Penn Treaty, now a 6-12 school, which would close in its current form, but go on to house the current Bodine High School, a magnet in Northern Liberties. Bodine’s building would become the home of Constitution High, which now occupies a rented space in Center City.

    As proposed, Watlington’s plan would cost $2.8 billion over 10 years. The district would put up $1 billion via capital borrowing during that time — leaving $1.8 billion unaccounted for that the superintendent said would need to be covered by state money or philanthropic support. If the district doesn’t get all or some of that amount, the plan would have to be amended.

    Will some schools definitely close? Which ones?

    Right now, the closures are just a proposal, and the school board is slated to have the final say. They could adopt all, some, or none of Watlington’s recommendations.

    If the closures are approved, no school would be shuttered before the 2027-28 school year. And should some schools close, no job losses are expected, Watlington said last month.

    Initially targeted for closure were Conwell Middle School in Kensington and Motivation High in Southwest Philadelphia, but both have since been spared. Both magnet schools accept students citywide, and their proposed closures saw opposition from powerful allies including several City Council members and Pennsylvania House Speaker Joanna McClinton.

    That change, Watlington said, was not due to politics, and came after the district “poured through thousands of feedback loops from a number of Philadelphians.”

    The board, meanwhile, is expected to vote in the coming weeks, though no date has been set.

    What will happen to students who attend closing schools?

    Every affected student would be routed to a new school. A new transition office would work closely with impacted communities to make sure academics, attendance, and social-emotional needs don’t suffer, Watlington said.

    “These families will get gold-standard, red-carpet treatment directly from the superintendent’s office,” he pledged.

    Why are these changes necessary?

    The district hasn’t had a facilities master plan in more than a decade. It has 70,000 empty seats citywide, with some schools overcrowded and others with entire unused floors. It’s also got a lot of aging buildings — the average district school is nearly 75 years old — and many have environmental and/or significant systems issues.

    Officials said they want to solve district-wide disparities: Some schools have art, music, and ample space for physical education, plus extracurricular activities, and some have few of those things.

    How were school buildings’ fates determined?

    Watlington said there was no formula to determine his recommendations. But four factors entered into the decision: building condition, utilization, the school’s ability to offer robust programming, and neighborhood vulnerability — a new measure that considers things like poverty and whether the area has lived through prior school closings.

    The district formally launched the final phase of its facilities master planning process in late 2024. Since then, officials have hosted 47 community conversations and received 13,700 survey responses from people in every zip code in the city. Officials heard from a project team of 30 members and received feedback from nine advisory groups composed of more than 170 members.

    However, some of those members, and others, are skeptical of the process, saying they feel like their input was performative. In the fall, a grassroots coalition urged the district to pause the process, focus more on investments, and promise no closures.

    Community conversations took place throughout February. Officials are also accepting input via the facilities planning process website.

    How long did it take officials to get to this point?

    The draft plan has been years in the making, and comes following a previous attempt to make one that ended before it went anywhere.

    Watlington launched this final phase of the planning process in the fall of 2024. Decisions were originally promised by the end of 2025, but that was pushed off when officials said they needed more time to gather feedback.

    The district later launched surveys to gain more input, with the topline result being that Philadelphians didn’t want their local schools closed. Many respondents outlined fears about potential hardships that closing schools could create, such as longer walks to school or tough bus rides in unfamiliar or unsafe areas.

    And they flagged worries about merging schools and having large grade spans in a single building.

    When did the district last close schools?

    Mass school closures last happened in 2012 and 2013, when 30 schools shut.

    That process hit economically disadvantaged neighborhoods disproportionately, did not yield substantial savings, and generally led to worse academic outcomes and attendance for students.

    The mistakes of 2012 informed this go-round, officials said. They have promised better services for schools, students and families affected by any coming transitions.

  • Don’t make Parkway Northwest a ‘sacrificial lamb’, those fighting its closure say

    Don’t make Parkway Northwest a ‘sacrificial lamb’, those fighting its closure say

    Lyric Jenkins is a strong student, with a report card full of As and Bs.

    She approached her high school selection process seriously, finally zeroing in on a school that checked all her boxes. Jenkins chose Parkway Northwest High School for Peace and Social Justice, she said, because it was an academically rigorous magnet school, safe — and not huge.

    “I wanted a small community where I could be seen,” said Jenkins, now a 10th grader at Parkway Northwest in East Germantown.

    Last month, Jenkins was “shocked” to find her school was being targeted for closure, in part because of the very size that drew her to choose it.

    Philadelphia School District officials have proposed closing Parkway Northwest and 19 other schools, colocating six more and modernizing 159 under a sweeping facilities plan. The proposal calls for closing Parkway Northwest in 2027 and making it an honors program inside Martin Luther King, a large comprehensive high school about half a mile away.

    Student Alasia Payne speaks during a rally for peace and social justice on Wednesday outside Parkway Northwest in protest of its potential closure.

    That plan has drawn fire from many, including more than 100 Parkway Northwest students, who walked out of school en masse Wednesday to protest — waving signs, singing, and banging drums.

    Those fighting to save the school argue that its small size is an asset, and enrollment has been growing, and they have expressed safety concerns about sending children to Martin Luther King.

    More students choosing Parkway NW

    District leaders have said their plan is not motivated by finances, though there is clearly a desire to shrink the school system’s footprint, with 70,000 empty seats citywide. Some schools are less than a quarter full, and others, mostly in the Northeast, don’t have enough room to accommodate all the students enrolled.

    Superintendent Tony B. Watlington Sr. said the plan will provide a stronger and more equitable education for students citywide.

    Closing Parkway Northwest is part of a strategy to shut a handful of small district magnet or citywide schools, moving them into reinvigorate neighborhood high schools.

    That strategy has been uniformly denounced by staff, students, and parents at Parkway Northwest and the other schools that would be forced to surrender their independence — Parkway West, Motivation, Lankenau, and Robeson. All have been affected by changes to the district’s special admission process, which shifted the district to a strict centralized lottery, stripping away from schools the ability to have any discretion over their incoming classes.

    Parkway Northwest and the other magnets all saw enrollment tumble after the forced move to the lottery — a factor that’s now being used against them.

    Student Dane McFarland speaks during a rally outside Parkway Northwest High School on Wednesday.

    The school has worked diligently to build enrollment back up, said Beth Ziegenfus, Parkway Northwest’s school-based teacher leader and the coordinator of its robust dual enrollment program.

    “More students have been choosing Parkway,” Ziegenfus said. “If you think about what our projected enrollment is for next year, we’re looking at an extra 150 kids that we could have here.”

    The closure recommendation discounts that growth, Ziegenfus said, and it also threatens students like Jenkins.

    “These small schools offer something to students who don’t thrive in large environments,” said Ziegenfus. “There is something to be said about kids knowing every single adult in the school — it contributes to the safety. When every child knows you and you know every child, you’re able to offer support, or redirect behaviors, or offer assistance.”

    Ziegenfus spent years teaching at Frankford, another large neighborhood school. She said she cares about comprehensive high schools, sees their value, and believes they need more resources. But those resources shouldn’t come at the expense of Parkway and other small schools.

    “We should invest in King, but two things can be true at the same time. We need Parkway,” said Ziegenfus. “They’re really disrupting the children here, and the children at King, and the incoming kids who are going through the school selection process.”

    ‘They’re going to flee somewhere else’

    At recent district meetings about the proposed Parkway Northwest closure, anger bubbled over.

    Students, teachers, and community members disputed the district’s statistics around the school in a meeting with district officials, saying its 60% building capacity score was off.

    But mostly, they raised alarms about safety.

    “My question is, how will I be able to grow my education at a bigger school if I don’t even feel safe there?” said Sanai Williams, a Parkway Northwest 10th grader. “I don’t feel like I’m going to be able to grow my education if I’m watching my back, thinking I’m going to get attacked every which way at King.”

    Parkway Northwest High School in Philadelphia.

    Rodrigo FernĂĄndez, the Parkway Northwest Spanish teacher, said he was frustrated by a perceived lack of real opportunity to shape the plan.

    “You are not listening to us,” Fernández said. “You haven’t heard one single person saying, ‘I am excited about this plan.’ If you want to retain our students, you won’t retain them by doing this. They’re going to flee somewhere else. They didn’t choose that setting.”

    Over 1,500 community members have signed a Change.org petition calling for the district to reverse the closure recommendation.

    A peace and social justice mission

    Parkway Northwest, said Elliott Seif — a retired educator and author who’s volunteered at Parkway Northwest for 15 years — is being offered up as “sacrificial lamb to do something at Martin Luther King, which it may not be able to do.”

    And Paula Paul, another longtime Parkway Northwest volunteer, said the very nature of the school makes it essential in the city.

    Students walked out of Parkway Northwest on Wednesday to protest its closure.

    “Does not our city need a school devoted to peace, social justice, and violence prevention, and one where people have formed a community that is functional, a school that works, a school where kids want to be?” Paul asked district officials. “We’ve been struggling to get schools that are functioning, not to lose students, for students to feel safe, to feel connected. Why would we close this school?”

    Watlington is expected to present his plan to the school board Thursday, but the board will not vote then. A date for the final decision on closures and other changes has not yet been set.

  • Mavis Staples is playing Phoenixville, plus Florry, Ratboys, Sheer Mag, and more in Philly music this week

    Mavis Staples is playing Phoenixville, plus Florry, Ratboys, Sheer Mag, and more in Philly music this week

    This week in Philly music features gospel-soul great Mavis Staples in Phoenixville, Philly favorites Florry and Sheer Mag returning to town, Culture Club in Atlantic City, and the Everyone Orchestra and zydeco scion C.J. Chenier on the Main Line.

    Wednesday, Feb. 25

    Homegrown Live

    This is the South Jersey edition of the free Homegrown Live concert series presented by WXPN-FM (88.5). The three-act bill is topped by Linwood quartet Fat Mezz, who blends classic rock influences with a touch of jazz. The band’s name was inspired by late clarinet player and civil rights advocate Milton Mezzrow. Nicoletta Giuliani fronts Ocean City’s Polaroid Fade, whose beguiling full-length debut, Chaos Into Poetry, displays an affection for jangly 1990s bands like the Smiths and Sundays. The band’s sound meshes nicely with Atlantic County quartet Te Vista, whose dreamy power pop recalls melodic guitar bands Nada Surf and Gin Blossoms. 7:30 p.m., The Lounge at World Cafe Live, 3025 Walnut St., xpn.org

    Thursday, Feb. 26

    Mavis Staples

    Mavis Staples’ place in music history has long been secure. Her family band, the Staple Singers, marched with the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther Ling Jr. during the Civil Rights Movement in the 1950s and 1960s, and her powerful vocals anchored counterculture-era hits like “Respect Yourself” and “I’ll Take You There.”

    But the 86-year-old national treasure’s creative output has continued and even increased in recent years with the Chicagoan recording a series of albums with Jeff Tweedy and Ben Harper. Her newest is the soulful and deeply moving collection Sad and Beautiful World, which was produced by Brad Cook and includes covers of Frank Ocean, Tom Waits, Leonard Cohen, and Curtis Mayfield.

    The title cut is by Mark Linkous of Sparklehorse. Another new song, “Human Mind,” is written by Allison Russell and Hozier. Massachusetts singer-guitarist Kimaya Diggs opens. 8 p.m., Colonial Theatre, 227 Bridge St., Phoenixville, ColonialTheatre.com

    Blackwater Holylight play Johnny Brenda’s on Thursday. The California band’s new album is “Not Here Not Gone.”

    Blackwater Holylight

    Portland, Ore.-born and now Los Angeles-based doom metal-meets-shoegaze heavy rock band Blackwater Holylight is touring behind its bruising fourth album Not Here Not Gone. The Sunny Faris-fronted band will be joined by like-minded Austin, Texas, trio Glassing and Philly’s Cigarettes for Breakfast. 8 p.m., Johnny Brenda’s, 1201 N. Frankford Ave., johnnybrendas.com

    Friday, Feb. 27

    The Record Company & Jontavious Willis

    Los Angeles blues rock trio the Record Company is celebrating the 10th anniversary of its 2016 breakthrough album, Give It Back to You. Make sure to arrive on time for Jontavious Willis, the country blues singer and guitarist whose sound is shaped by regional predecessors like Blind Willie McTell. 8 p.m., Union Transfer, 1016 Spring Garden St., utphilly.com

    Marshall Allen + John Morgan Kimock

    The hardest-working centenarian in showbiz, Sun Ra Arkestra leader Marshall Allen, makes his way to Bucks County for this noteworthy show in Henry Chapman Mercer’s Moravian Pottery and TileWorks building in Doylestown. Drummer John Morgan Kimock will also perform. The show is part of the Tileworks’ monthly “A Night of Song” series. 6:30 p.m., Tileworks of Bucks County, 130 E. Swamp Road, Doylestown, thetileworks.org

    Everyone Orchestra

    Matt Butler conducts two nights of improvised music from a cast of leading musicians from the jam band world, including Dave Matthews’ associate Tim Reynolds, Aron Magner of Disco Biscuits, Rob Mercurio of Galactic, and Camden trumpeter Arnetta Johnson, who has toured with Beyoncé. 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Ardmore Music Hall, 23 E. Ardmore Ave., ardmoremusichall.com

    Boy George and Culture Club

    Boy George and original Culture Club members Roy Hay and Mikey Craig are back together for a 2026 tour. The British New Wave-era band, which scored hits with “Karma Chameleon” and “I’ll Tumble 4 Ya,” is playing two nights in the region. 8 p.m. Friday, Borgata Event Center, One Borgata Way, Atlantic City, borgata.mgmresorts.com, and 8 p.m. Saturday, Wind Creek Event Center, 77 Wind Creek Blvd., Bethlehem, windcreekeventcenter.com

    Philadelphia band Sheer Mag plays Johnny Brenda’s on Sunday. Left to right: Tina Halladay, Kyle Seely, Matt Palmer, and Hart Seely.

    Sunday, March 1

    Sheer Mag

    Mighty Philly foursome Sheer Mag — most recently heard from on its 2024 album Playing Favorites, released on Jack White’s Third Man Records label — tops a four-band bill. The similarly hard-hitting acts opening are Dirty Fences, Nancy, and the Smarthearts. 8 p.m., Johnny Brenda’s, 1201 N. Frankford Ave., johnnybrendas.com.

    C.J. Chenier & the Red Hot Louisiana Band

    Zydeco accordionist C.J. Chenier has spent his life carrying on the legacy of his father, Creole musician Clifton Chenier. That legacy got a welcome boost with 2025’s A Tribute to the King of Zydeco, featuring Chenier, Geno Delafose, the Rolling Stones, and Taj Mahal, winning a Grammy earlier this month. Rev Chris and Les Garçons Crasseux open. 7 p.m., 118 North, 118 N. Wayne Ave., Wayne, 118NorthWayne.com.

    C.J. Chenier & the Red Hot Louisiana Band at 118 North in 2024. The zydeco accordion player and band leader returns to the Wayne venue on Sunday.

    Monday, March 2

    The Ike Reilly Assassination

    Pugnacious rock and roll troubadour and Sirius/XM satellite radio host Ike Reilly has released 12 albums since his 2001 debut, Salesmen and Racists. He’s also the star of the documentary Don’t Turn Your Back on Friday Night, which was produced by Tom Morello, whom he shared a bill with last month at the anti-ICE benefit show in Minneapolis. It’s the same where Morello brought onstage Bruce Springsteen, who has added Morello to the E Street Band for his upcoming tour. Another cool booking at Nikki Lopez. 7 p.m., Nikki Lopez, 304 South St., @nikkilopezphilly on Instagram.

    Chicago indie band Ratboys play the First Unitarian Church on Tuesday with Florry.

    Tuesday, March 3

    Ratboys & Florry

    A double bill headlined by Ratboys, the Chicago quartet fronted by Julia Steiner and founded in 2010. The band hit its stride with 2023’s The Window. It keeps up its winning streak on the new twangy, Neil Young-ish Singin’ to an Empty Chair, produced by Death Cab for Cutie’s Chris Walla. It is well-matched with Florry, the Philly-bred loose-limbed collective led by Francie Medosch, whose 2025 Sounds Like… landed on this publication’s best albums of the year list. 8 p.m., First Unitarian Church, 2125 Chestnut St., r5productions.com.