🌸 Where to see Philly’s cherry blossoms

❤️‍🩹 City Officials Speak Out After Several People, Including Teens, Shot Over Weekend

Mayor Cherelle Parker addressed the city in a press conference yesterday afternoon following a weekend of gun violence. Thirteen people were shot in incidents across the city. Despite shootings being down this year, the mayor acknowledged that those numbers don’t feel comforting when there’s loss of life. [FOX29]

🏥 Another Veterinary Drug Mixing Into Philly’s Street Supply

In 2023, the veterinary tranquilizer xylazine was found in 98% of tested drugs in the city; now, medetomidine, a veterinary sedative ten to twenty times stronger than that, is being detected in fentanyl. This is creating new challenges for those with substance use disorders and the health care providers trying to treat them. In 2024, 46 overdose victims tested positive for the substance. [The Conversation]

🗳️ How Banned Barcodes on Ballots Could Impact Philly

One of President Trump’s executive orders calls for a ban on barcodes or QR codes on paper ballots, supposedly in order to keep elections secure. Most of the country uses paper-based ballots and the barcodes are read by machines to help speed up the counting process. Such a ban would require cities like Philly to replace or update all machines, retrain poll workers, and educate voters in a short timeframe. [Votebeat]

🏠 Black Philadelphians Disproportionately Experiencing Homelessness

Philly saw an increase in its homeless population in 2024 compared to 2023. Almost 5,200 people were counted as experiencing homelessness, and 66% of that population was Black. [Philadelphia Tribune]

It’s finally spring! The sun is shining (when we’re not dealing with April showers, of course), the birds are chirping, and there are many outdoor events in Philly. You can look forward to food festivals, egg hunts, and Earth Day activities all month long this April.

👟 Explore

One of Philadelphia’s beauties are the cherry blossoms at the Shofuso Japanese Center in West Fairmount Park. Celebrate springtime and Japanese culture during Sakura Weekend at the Subaru Cherry Blossom Festival of Greater Philadelphia on April 5 and 6. Tickets are $15. Participate in a traditional tea ceremony, listen to taiko drumming, and dress up in kimonos.

If you’re looking for a completely different vibe while everyone’s under the sakura trees, find the creepy, odd, and macabre at the World Oddities Expo. The expo is making a stop in Philly on April 5 and 6 at the Pennsylvania Convention Center. A one-day general admission ticket is $20.

Check out the latest local and international movies at the Philadelphia Film Society’s Springfest. Enjoy a weekend full of independent, critically acclaimed work. Screenings will take place at PFS East in Old City from April 17 through 24. An all-access badge is $120 but you can purchase individual tickets for the screening of your choice. Maybe you’ll enjoy the films so much you’ll consider joining a local film club.

🍽️ Bon Appétit

Dine Latino Restaurant Week is back between April 6 and April 12. This season you can order from participating food trucks, attend a chef’s tasting, and score a free dessert or appetizer if you order two entrees.

Eat for a good cause by participating in Dining Out for Life on April 24. Over 30 participating restaurants will be donating a portion of sales to Action Wellness, which serves people living with HIV in Philadelphia, Bucks, and Delaware counties.

You’ll have to head down to Main Street with an empty stomach if you plan on going to the Manayunk StrEAT Festival, which food trucks and vendors will be taking over on April 27.