🏛️ Mütter Museum starts fresh with new leadership

🚑 Proposed Ban on Mobile Service Units Heads to Mayor Parker’s Desk

City Council passed a bill restricting mobile medical service units that treat those suffering from drug addiction following emotional testimony in recent weeks from harm reduction advocates, medical providers, and community members. Councilmember Mark Squilla said he’d monitor the rollout to determine whether he’d seek similar measures in the First District and support a citywide ban. [Kensington Voice]

⚖️ Popes and Lawyers Take Over Philly Highways

If you’re driving on I-676, you may notice some new billboards thanks to Villanova alumni celebrating Nova grad and newly elected Pope Leo XIV: “From the MAIN LINE to the DIVINE LINE. POPE LEO XIV. #WildcatToShepherd” [CBS]

• Related: But the pope isn’t the only one splashed all over Philly billboards. From bus ads to radio commercials to billboards, Philly’s flooded with injury lawyers clamoring for our attention. Why? And what does that say about Philly? [🎧 City Cast Philly]

🌉 Commodore Barry Bridge Undergoes Multi-Year Renovation

Speaking of commuting, if you’re taking the Commodore Barry Bridge to the airport, heads up: A barrier wall replacement on the bridge will take the span of several weeks, closing all but one lane on each side between 7 p.m. to 5 a.m. on weeknights. This is part of a larger $220 million rehabilitation project expected to be completed in 2028. [Delaware River Port Authority]

🦴 New Leadership Shares Vision for Mütter Museum

Science historians Sara Ray and Erin McLeary are stepping up as senior directors at the Mütter Museum following controversies under previous leadership. McLeary said the museum can play a role in teaching visitors “historical empathy” and both are excited to use materials beyond just human remains to paint more complete pictures of people’s lives. [WHYY]

Philadelphia is an old city – so much so we have a neighborhood named just that. Our homes are up there in age, with a little more than half built between 1920 and 1945, according to the Preservation Green Lab in 2017.

Older homes require a lot of upkeep, and according to the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia, the city’s housing stock needs $149.3 billion in repairs. Some homeowners may attempt a DIY approach to get the job done, but they may not be equipped with the right tools or skillset.

The West Philly Tool Library (WPTL) is helping people with just that. Housed in an unassuming garage space just off Woodland Avenue, the organization is stocked with hundreds of tools and hosts workshops every day on tool use and repair basics.

Jason Sanders, executive director of WPTL, said West Philly’s aging housing stock was the foundation of the tool library’s formation. He said it’s less about learning new skills and more about “providing tools to the community so they can stay in their own houses.”

“Not so much like the renovations you see on TV, but the [renovations] you need to stay in your house, to be safe, and care for your family,” Sanders said.

The tool library has been operating since 2007 and is the only one of its kind in the city, after the Tacony Tool Library closed in 2022. While historians credit the Berkeley Tool Lending Library as the first in the country, opening as an extension to its public library in 1979, tool libraries can be traced back to the 1940s as a result of a supply shortage during World War II. There are tool libraries all over the world, including in Chicago and Baltimore.

Sanders became involved with the lending library during the early years of the COVID-19 pandemic. What began with just a couple hundred tools has since grown to almost 5,000, 90% of which were donated.

“Not everybody has the luxury to buy a $500 saw, use it for one project, and then leave it sitting in their basement,” Sanders said. “This is a very economical and environmentally friendly way to get what you need done, whether that is something critical like repairs or even a side project or hobby.”