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  • 29 Jun 2020 11:50 AM | Travis Oliver (Administrator)

    FOX 29:  Philadelphia officials say they have begun to reevaluate plans to move into the Green Phase of reopening this Friday after what they anticipate will be a failure to reach the targets they laid out.

    Health Commissioner Dr. Thomas Farley joined Good Day Philadelphia on Monday morning where he explained that it "looks like we're not going to meet the targets that we had laid out to go to green."

    One of the biggest targets Dr. Farley has pointed to in the past was a consistent decrease in cases over four weeks. He also says the city may not be meeting their daily case targets.

    Health officials have reported an average of more than 100 new cases per day in the city for the last week, which is an increase from prior weeks.


  • 29 Jun 2020 11:17 AM | Travis Oliver (Administrator)

    CCRA Supports Proposed Police Reform and Requests That FOP Be Asked To Renegotiate Its Contract And That Council Convene Over the Summer

    On June 8, Councilmember Kenyatta Johnson sent a letter to Mayor Kenney, signed by 13 other supporting Councilmembers, containing 15 relatively specific recommendations for police department reform.  On June 9, Mayor Kenney issued a document titled:  "Actions for change:  No budget increase, new use-of-force policies, changes to union contract, and more."    It responds, affirmatively, to each of the 15 recommendations in Johnson's June 8 letter, and actually goes much further.  It also ties in the previously announced Police Reform Working Group and a newly created "Reconciliation Steering Committee." (View document here.) Over the past several days, the CCRA Board voted to endorse the reforms set forth in these documents, and to so advise the Mayor and City Council.  Equally important, given the centrality of the City's contract with the Fraternal Order of Police to the implementation of several of these reforms, CCRA is requesting that the Mayor and Councilmembers ask the FOP to renegotiate its contract now.  Furthermore, given the urgency of the moment, CCRA is also requesting that Council convene over its traditional summer recess (from now until mid-September) in order to hold hearings and enact the legislation necessary to effectuate the proposed reforms.  We look forward to the responses of Mayor Kenney and all Councilmembers to our requests.  The text of our letter, which is going out today, is as follows:

    To The Mayor and City Council:

    In the aftermath of George Floyd's murder, the Center City Residents' Association (CCRA) agrees with Councilmember Johnson's June 8th letter, signed by 13 other Councilmembers, which asserts that "police reform cannot wait" and that the City must "act decisively." We also support Mayor Kenney's June 9th agenda for police reform and his commitment to "seize this moment" and "move quickly, because too many lives are being lost."  Both documents are laudable.  However, because "police reform cannot wait," because now is the time to "move quickly," CCRA implores the Administration and Council to immediately call upon the Philadelphia Fraternal Order of Police to renegotiate its contract so that these necessary reforms can be realized.  And because "police reform cannot wait," because now is the time to "move quickly,"CCRA implores Council to do three things:  (1) swiftly draft bills necessary to implement the proposals already endorsed by a great majority of Council and the Mayor;  (2) promptly hold public hearings on the proposed new laws; and (3) convene no later than August to enact the necessary legislation.

     

    In keeping with the urgency of the moment, we look forward to a speedy response.


  • 26 Jun 2020 11:29 PM | Travis Oliver (Administrator)

    Big changes are coming to SEPTA fares. The SEPTA board approved a plan that includes one free transfer per trip.

    Children under 12 will now be able to ride free with a fare-paying adult.

    SEPTA said the fare restructuring plan will help riders during a difficult economic time. The new fares go into effect on July 1.

    Meanwhile, SEPTA is working on a plan to develop a three-day pass for people who don’t ride five days a week.


  • 26 Jun 2020 6:08 PM | Travis Oliver (Administrator)

    As the City reopens and institutes the Safer at Home reopening plan, the Streets Department announces a return to regular weekly trash and recycling collections. Effective Monday, July 6, the Streets Department will resume collecting recycling every week along with trash. Residents should not set out their recycling materials the week of June 29 in continuance of the every-other-week collection schedule.

  • 26 Jun 2020 2:38 PM | Travis Oliver (Administrator)

    BRACING FOR A SECOND WAVE: The City of Philadelphia is issuing a mandatory order on masks and face coverings requiring residents to wear them in public places as a new spike in cases threatens to delay the city's reopening.

    A second wave of the coronavirus is beginning in Philadelphia, Health Commissioner Thomas Farley said Friday as he announced increases in new cases, implemented a requirement for all residents to wear masks, and said he would reconsider whether the city can move into the “green” phase next week.

  • 25 Jun 2020 10:14 AM | Travis Oliver (Administrator)

    Starting Monday, June 29, Regional Rail will run hourly weekday service on most lines, with the Airport and Paoli/Thorndale Lines operating every 30 minutes throughout the day. The Chestnut Hill West and Cynwyd Lines will remain suspended: http://septa.org/service/rail/midday-schedule.html. #ISEPTAPHILLY

  • 24 Jun 2020 3:42 PM | Travis Oliver (Administrator)

    Mayor Kenney said in a statement today that the city will ask the Art Commission on July 22 to approve the statue's removal "in light of ongoing public safety concerns about the presence of armed individuals at Marconi Plaza [in South Philly] and confrontations between those who support the statue and those opposed to it."

    Individuals will have an opportunity to testify before the Art Commission, and residents can submit their thoughts via an online form that will be open through July 21.

  • 23 Jun 2020 2:37 PM | Travis Oliver (Administrator)

    From the Inquirer:  At the University of Pennsylvania, administrators wanted to do something to help rising seniors in Philadelphia’s public high schools close any gap that may have been opened by the coronavirus pandemic.

    Penn is offering a free, four-week virtual summer academy — including college and career preparation and academic enrichment — for up to 2,500 seniors in the city’s district and charter high schools. For students unable to commit to the three hours a day of instruction, Penn also is offering a free “How to Apply to College” course that students can take on their own time and at their own pace during the summer. That is open to all 14,000 public school seniors in Philadelphia.

    Students don’t need to meet any test score or GPA requirements. The $1.15 million cost of the program is being covered by Penn.

  • 23 Jun 2020 12:36 PM | Travis Oliver (Administrator)

    Philadelphia Zoo will open for members only July 6-8 and will open to the general public starting July 9.

    Reservations are required for ALL GUESTS, including members.

    https://philadelphiazoo.org/reopen/



Center City Quarterly

CCRA publishes the Center City Quarterly to provide information on Center City people and events from the point of local residents.  You'll be guaranteed to learn something interesting about your neighborhood in every issue!

Archived issues of the Quarterly are provided in Adobe Acrobat format. If you do not have the free Adobe Acrobat reader, you can download it directly from Adobe.

Advertisers:  To advertise in the Center City Quarterly, download our AdvertiserForm and email the completed form to centercity@centercityresidents.org or return to us by mail with your payment.  Upon receipt of your completed form, a member of the Newsletter Committee will contact you regarding any specific requirements.

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Center City has a large number of talented amateur and professional photographers. Share your images of local events and sites.

We reserved the right to scrub any images we consider offensive. All copyrights are reserved to the contributor, who grants CCRA the rights to display images uploaded in this web site. No commercial information, please!



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