A LETTER FOR PEOPLE WHO LIVE HERE
MON · OCT 26 · 2026
Decisions are being made about your block. You should know.
It's Halloween week and we're saying goodbye to a beloved music venue and art installation at City Hall.
AROUND
The sidewalk delivery robots are getting around, and they're adding Grubhub and Wonder to their Uber Eats runs. Carolyn Marvin, a 78-year-old retired Penn professor, was arrested October 14 for refusing to get out of one's way, and she says she'll fight the citation on First Amendment grounds. It got the people goin' over on Reddit.
The skill game machines are gone from corner stores, bars and gas stations. The state Supreme Court ruled in June that they count as slot machines, the legislature didn't pass a fix in time, and the ban kicked in this month. The people are glad to see them go.
SEPTA just had its busiest month since COVID hit. The average September weekday carried 822,753 riders, and buses did most of the work, up 14 percent from a year ago, which SEPTA credits to the new bus network. Riders are happy about it, and also begging for Regional Rail after midnight.
Villanova is out of the Big 5 after this season, and the December 5 Big 5 Classic at Xfinity Mobile Arena will be the last one. The other five schools made the call, and Kevin Willard says Villanova wanted to stay. The people seem fine with it.
FanDuel invited its VIP bettors and their kids to Boo at the Zoo this past Saturday, then canceled once state gaming regulators started asking questions. The people seem glad it got canceled.
If you see Jefferson doctors and have Independence Blue Cross, keep an eye on this one. Their contract runs out December 31, and Jefferson could be out of network on January 1 if they don't reach a deal. People in the middle of treatment are nervous.
Councilmember Jeffery Young wants to bring back parking ticket amnesty. His bill would wipe out unpaid tickets from before 2021 for anyone who pays what they owe from 2021 on, as long as they do it between January and March 2027. The people are not having it.
Saturday is the last night for World Stage, the University City venue that used to be World Cafe Live. It couldn't get a new lease from Penn, though WXPN plans to host events in the space afterward. Click here for more details. The comments are rough on the people who ran it.
UP
The Philadelphia Housing Authority is clearing the way for a big rebuild in Southwest Philly. Last week it got the OK to tear down eleven buildings at Bartram Village, which PHA wants to replace with more than 500 new affordable rentals.
There's more affordable housing on the way around 26th and Cecil B. Moore. The city signed off last week on 14 new homes through its affordable housing program, on lots owned by the Land Bank, the Redevelopment Authority and the city. Click here for more details.
Tim Hortons signed leases for its first two Philly cafes, at 1517 Chestnut and 1900 Market. Click here for more details. The consensus is Tim Hortons fell off years ago, but it beats an empty storefront.
Someone is building a three-story place at 5738 Crittenden St with a sit-down restaurant on the ground floor and a two-family home upstairs. Click here for more details.
ON
THRU SAT 31 This is the last week to catch the Philly Portal in the City Hall courtyard, the sculpture that lets you video-chat live with people in other cities. The city needs the space for the holiday market, and there's no word yet on where it lands next. The people will miss it.
FRI 30 The Sixers host the Knicks Friday at 7:30 at Xfinity Mobile Arena, and it's an NBA Cup game (NBA Cup already???). Click here for the schedule.
THRU SUN 1 Spooky Mini Golf is still going at Franklin Square through November 1, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., with tickets at $12 to $15. It's one of the Inquirer's Halloween picks.
SAT 31 And if you want to say goodbye to World Stage in person, Saturday has two final shows: Sway Philly's "Nightmare on Sway Street" downstairs and "I Remember House" upstairs.
WENT ON
On this day in 1774, the First Continental Congress wrapped up at Carpenters' Hall. Before they headed home, they agreed to come back to Philadelphia in May if the Crown still hadn't addressed their grievances, and that's exactly what happened in 1775.
See you Thursday.
PHILA.FYI
Everything here links to where we found it: local reporting, city records and what neighbors are posting. Corrections welcome.