🏛️ The crisis in juvenile jail

How Two Men Escaped a Philly Jail

A series of failures allowed two inmates to slip through a perimeter fence and remain at large for several days in May, District Attorney Larry Krasner told City Council. The locks on their cells were faulty, their cellblocks were understaffed, the hole in the fence they crept through was noted but not fixed, and a guard who fell asleep on duty failed to notice they were gone. No one who works at the jail has been charged with a crime in connection with the escape, but the investigation is ongoing. [Inquirer]

Masked Men Remove Israeli Flag

Four men in face coverings walked into a Bucks County cafe Wednesday evening and tore down an Israeli flag hanging inside. Witnesses said they were shouting “Free Palestine.” Police are investigating the incident, and it’s not yet clear what motivated the act, though incidents of antisemitism and Islamophobia have surged since war broke out between Israel and Hamas. [ABC6/AP]

• Related: How the Israel-Hamas war has heightened tensions on college campuses. [City Cast Philly 🎧]

Unionized Philly Pizzeria to Close

Olde Kensington’s Eeva, whose staff were some of the first independent restaurant workers in the city to form a union, is closing. Some workers suspect that the owners had gotten tired of negotiating a labor contract. But one of the owners said it’s shuttering simply because the pizzeria’s head chef, who is also a co-owner, is calling it quits. [Billy Penn]

Bag Ban Scofflaws

A survey of food carts and trucks in Philadelphia found that over 80% are flouting the city’s two-year-old plastic bag ban. A representative for food vendors said that the temptation to defy the ban is driven by the low cost and convenience of plastic bags for businesses with tight margins. A bill in City Council would attempt to solve the problem by creating a mandatory surcharge that would subsidize the cost of more expensive, reusable bags, but the vendors may be reluctant to pass on the costs to their clientele. [WHYY]

Last week’s T-rex in a tutu was so hard to find it led to an extinction event for responses. Hey Philly reader Ryan M. submitted this artwork, from an alley off 12th Street between Locust and Spruce Streets, but no one even ventured a guess for its location.

Hopefully this week’s challenge will bear more fruitful responses. This metal bouquet sculpture was submitted by Hey Philly reader Nina G.

Send us your guesses for the location and you can submit a piece of art for a future challenge!

🏺 Pottery Sale | Friday - Sunday | Various Times

Pick up some new goods from local artists at the Wayne Art Center. [Free, Wayne]

🧑‍🎤 Weirdo Fest | Saturday | 2 p.m.

East Kensington’s festival of all things offbeat features art vendors, a flea market, live music, and a performance-art wrestling match.  [Free, East Kensington]

💍 PMA Contemporary Craft Show | Friday - Sunday | Times Vary

Nearly 200 craft artists display and sell their wares at the Philadelphia Convention Center. [$20, Center City]

🍎 Peddler’s Village Apple Festival | Saturday - Sunday | 11:00 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Celebrate the fall apple harvest with apple-y foods and activities for kids and adults. [Free, New Hope]

👞 In Their Shoes: Native American Footwear and Cultural Exchange | Saturday - Sunday | 11 a.m. - 3 p.m.

Rangers at Independence National Historical Park give pop-up talks on indigenous footwear and its role in colonial trade. [Free, Old City]

🎭 Elvis – A Musical Revolution | Through Sunday | Times Vary

See the legendary rock-and-roller’s life portrayed on the stage at Walnut Street Theatre. [$87+, Center City]

🔭 Wondrous Space at the Franklin Museum | Saturday | Times Vary

The science museum’s new permanent exhibit on the wonders of space exploration opens Saturday. [$21 - $25, Logan Square]

🍷 Fall Food Truck Festival at Chaddsford Winery | Saturday - Sunday | 12 p.m. - 6 p.m.

Escape the city for food, local wine and craft beer, and live music. [Free, Chadds Ford]

Juvenile Jail Overcrowding, Harriet Tubman Statue Design, Ice Cream Shops Closing

It’s the Friday News Roundup! Host Trenae Nuri talks with Ellie Rushing, criminal justice reporter at The Philadelphia Inquirer, and Conrad Benner, founder of the local arts blog Streets Dept. They discuss problems at Philadelphia’s juvenile jail, the artist selected to design Philly’s Harriet Tubman statue, and the closing of local frozen-treat businesses Weckerly's Ice Cream and Lil Pop Shop.