Photo: Clem Murray for The Inquirer
- An Inquirer piece chronicles the physical and emotional toll of the students and staff of the Kensington High School for the Creative and Performing Arts (KCAPA) on Front Street, which has seen its operating budget shrink from $3.3 million when it first opened the doors to its new building in 2010, to $2.2 million today. Principal Debora Carrera explains that students and staff “all have to wear more hats.” Teachers chip in for necessities. Students assist in watching over the hallways. Without the same degree of emotional support, fights are up, and class attendance is down.
- Never mind its naïve business model, City Council President Darrell Clarke’s proposal for a revenue-generating conglomeration of cafés in LOVE Park would be regulatory nightmare, reports the Daily News. The federal government would be owed the return of its grant money for Parkway improvements from the ‘70s, and Harrisburg would want to review it. Such a redesign would also require a compensatory land grant to the park system, in keeping with the parkland-protection ordinance that Clarke himself co-authored.
- The Resource Exchange, specializing in the reuse of arts and entertainment supplies, will move from its current Port Richmond location to 2nd & Cecil B. Moore, says Generocity.org. Executive director Karyn Gerred explains that the new location affords more space, better access to transit, as well as a steady clientele in the area’s burgeoning arts community. In turn, the foot traffic would bring an added focus to an “underutilized northern section of 2nd Street in Kensington.”
- The Atlantic Cities discusses the University of Richmond’s digitization of an expansive collection of American maps from the 1930s. The enhanced collection—now available for the public’s perusal—allows for a quick comparison of early maps of various eastern seaboard cities; the “tiny Philadelphia” of 1776 requires a closer look.
About the author
Stephen Currall recently received his BA in history from Arcadia University. Before beginning doctoral studies, he is pursuing his interest in local history, specifically just how Philadelphians engage their vibrant past. Besides skimming through 18th century letters, Steve is also interested in music and travel.
