💰 Philly IRS workers ousted during tax season

❤️‍🩹 Man Who Saved 9-Year-Old From Philly Plane Crash Still Haunted By What He Saw

Kensington resident Caseem Wongus acted without hesitation to save Ramesses, a young boy who was in a car with his family when a medical jet crashed in Northeast Philly last month. Ramesses escaped the car in flames as Wongus proceeded to get medical help and emotionally support the child. The tragedy brought both families together as they all continue to heal. [🔒The Inquirer]

• Related: Services for those affected by the crash are available at the city’s Neighborhood and Community Action Center at 7374 Edmund Street. Deadlines are approaching to open a case with the Red Cross and access small business support.

💵 Hundreds of IRS Workers Terminated in Middle of Tax Season

Uncle Sam has less support as Americans file taxes this year. Philly IRS workers are the latest to be fired as part of the Trump administration’s efforts to slim the federal workforce. Nearly 400 probationary employees have been terminated. Employees worry the cuts will negatively impact services and encourage fraudsters this tax season. [🎧 City Cast Philly, WHYY]

❓What Happened to Richard Petrone and Danielle Imbo?

That’s the question investigators are asking as this month marks 20 years since the disappearance of the couple. The two were last seen exiting a bar on South Street and have not been seen or heard from since. Investigators suspect foul play and haven’t ruled out the possibility of a murder-for-hire scheme. [NBC10]

🛣️ Councilmembers Push To Implement Traffic Safety Improvements Quicker

With budget negotiations approaching, City Council is considering requests to invest more money in the city’s Vision Zero program, which once sought to eliminate traffic deaths by 2030 but now aims to implement major safety improvements by that point. Local legislators say they support efforts like speed cameras, but question why traffic-calming changes take so long to go into effect. [Billy Penn, 🎧 City Cast Philly]

Philadelphia has one of the hottest food scenes in the country — just ask Bon Appétit, which included not one, but two Philly restaurants (Meetinghouse and My Loup) in its top 20 new restaurants of the year.

Since our culinary landscape is constantly growing and changing, we’re here to help you stay on top of it all. Here’s a recap of some of the Philly restaurants, bars, cafés, and other food spots that have recently opened.

🍗 Baby’s Kusina + Market | 2816 W. Girard Ave. (Brewerytown)

Baby’s pays homage to cofounder Raquel Villanueva Dang’s mother, “Tita Baby,” and it’s bringing Filipino cuisine and culture to the forefront in Brewerytown. Having started with supper clubs and a storefront, Baby’s now has a fully operational kitchen serving meals such as lumpia, gising-gising, and crispy jowa. The bakery case is stocked daily with Filipino pastries.

☕ Forîn Cafe | 226 South St. (Head House Square)

Forîn has expanded its business with the opening of a third location, rebranding the former WIM Cafe at the Yowie Hotel. The new location’s menu has a Southeast Asian influence under the guidance of Indonesian-American chef Ariel Tobang, with highlights like ube lattes. The cafe plans to host vendor popups and chef takeovers.

🥐 Germantown Espresso Bar | 6369 Germantown Ave. (Germantown)

After much anticipation, the Germantown Espresso Bar reopened in the neighborhood in early February. The cafe previously ran out of Maplewood Mall before closing in 2022. The new location sits in a renovated 300-year-old building, expanding its seating capacity and selling breakfast pizza and cinnamon bun croissants.

🍝 Davinci & Yu | 1819 E. Passyunk Ave. (East Passyunk)

Fans of Flannel’s Country Cookin’ may be sad to see it go, but loyal and new customers alike can visit its location for the owners’ new restaurant, Davinci & Yu. The cozy comfort food spot has rebranded itself as an Italian-Asian fusion restaurant combining flavors in dishes like cacio e pepe miso and duck meatballs over udon.

🍩 Ringo Coffee & Donuts | 2001 Federal St. (Point Breeze)

Have you ever had a pancake donut before? You can have one drizzled in syrup at Ringo Coffee and Donuts, the latest venture from the founder of Spread Bagelry. The shop offers buttermilk pancakes, honey cornbread, and whole grain donuts. It also sells breakfast sandwiches with donuts as buns, like its namesake sandwich—The G'Ringo.