🌼 Must-see gardens to visit in Philly

🌷 Why These Philly Public Gardens Are the Best

Philly may be a major city, but it’s a far cry from being a concrete jungle. The city is home to numerous public and private gardens, with some so old they’ve existed for generations. On today’s episode, Trenae chats with author Nicole Juday about Philly’s horticultural history and what gardens they recommend visiting once it warms up. [🎧 City Cast Philly]

🚨 Suspect in PA Governor’s Mansion Arson Admitted to “Harboring a Hatred” Toward Shapiro

State Police are exploring “all avenues” for a possible motive behind the Sunday arson attack at Governor Josh Shapiro’s Harrisburg residence while he and his family slept, but new details emerged after a suspect was apprehended. According to a criminal complaint filed Sunday, 38-year-old Cody Balmer hated Shapiro so much he would have “beaten him with a hammer” and allegedly set three separate fires inside the property. It remains unclear how exactly the man evaded security while trespassing. [🔒 The Inquirer]

💡 Lights Out in Philly Neighborhoods Due to Copper Thefts

Streetlight outages are surpassing any other quality of life complaint to 311 for Port Richmond but it’s not a single-neighborhood problem. The city received 2,600 outage reports so far this year and Councilmember Mark Squilla’s office says the citywide issue is due to copper wire theft. The thefts have also impacted PennDOT and Philadelphia Parks and Recreation lighting systems. [Kensington Voice]

🏛️ Bok Developer To Channel Same Energy for Reimagining of Hamilton Hall

Now that Scout closed on its acquisition of University of the Arts buildings Hamilton and Furness, the developer wants to recreate the magic of the former art institution and the Bok Building. The potential vision includes artists utilizing the existing studio spaces, the addition of food and beverage to draw the public in, and an artist-in-residency program with on-site housing. There’s an event on April 23 to discuss the potential plans. [🔒 Philadelphia Business Journal]

This April marks 108 years since the United States declared war on Germany and officially entered into what’s now known as World War I. Previously known as the Great War, conflict first broke out in 1914 but the U.S. remained a neutral party until April 6, 1917.

Our nation’s involvement in the war would last a year, but it left a profound impact on the Philadelphia region. While an exact number of casualties remains unknown, it’s estimated that more than 3,000 Philadelphians died in the war. And one Philadelphia school community is still assessing its own losses.

Roman Catholic High School opened in 1890 as the first free Catholic high school in the country and has seen many wars since its opening. According to researcher Chris Gibbons — who’s chair of the high school alumni association's Veterans Affairs Committee — it’s the only Philadelphia Archdiocesan school with alumni who’ve fought in the Spanish-American War, World War I, World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Gulf War, the Iraq War, and the Afghanistan War.

In total, nearly 170 of the school’s alumni have died in combat. Over 100 alumni were serving by December 1917 in World War I. Gibbons made an effort in the past decade to identify and honor the alumni who died during their service and has since identified about 30 young men, as well as numerous others who were injured. Some of these alumni include:

Edward Kelley, Class of 1908

Edward Kelley was the first Roman Catholic High School alumnus to die in the war, before the United States even became officially involved. He volunteered to help the French Ambulance Corps, which provided medical transport and aid to the French Army. This included the official French military as well as the American Ambulance Field Service (which later folded into the U.S. Army Ambulance Service) and was made up of volunteers providing additional support. Kelley died in 1916.