🛟 Where to swim in Philly

🏊 Beat the Heat at These Swim Spots

It’s been HOT this summer, and sometimes inflating the kiddie pool just isn’t enough. Here’s where you can swim, splash, and spray in the city and suburbs through the rest of the summer. [🎧 City Cast Philly]

• Related: If you’re looking for more aquatic activities to do before summer ends, check out these July events or listen to our Jersey Shore guide. [📝 Hey Philly, 🎧 City Cast Philly]

🫂 Never Too Late To Make a New Friend

The Philadelphia Corporation for Aging’s Senior Companion Program is pairing residents aging in place with older adults to help with basic needs and combat loneliness by creating new bonds. [WHYY]

⚖️ How Did This Allentown Grandfather Wind Up in Guatemala?

That’s what Luis Leon’s family is asking after Leon, a legal resident in the U.S. for decades, was arrested at the Philadelphia ICE office in June while requesting a replacement Green Card. No one knew his whereabouts until a mysterious caller said he was deported, then later said he died. He’s since been found in a hospital in Guatemala — which is not even the country where he was born. [🔒 Morning Call]

🚙 The Long Road to Making This Philly Intersection Safer

Philadelphians are four times more likely to die from traffic violence than New Yorkers. Changes eight years in the making at one of Philly’s most bustling intersections aim to decrease that number. [🔒The Inquirer]

🪧 DC 33 Officially Adopts City’s Strike-Breaking Offer

Despite sour reactions to the final deal the city offered AFSCME District Council 33, the union ratified the agreement with only 26% of membership voting. [🎧 City Cast Philly, CBS Philly]

Philadelphia’s official historic district may be in Old City, but the stories that shape this city extend beyond that neighborhood’s boundaries, and that’s why an upcoming festival spotlights the historic fabric of North Philadelphia.

The four-day North Philadelphia History Festival beginning Thursday is spearheaded by Scribe Video Center in partnership with archivists, artists, and community leaders who have spent years documenting their neighborhood's history. The festival focuses on the emergence and contributions of African Americans and Puerto Ricans in the 19th and 20th centuries.

“We conceived the festival as something that should be a resource for people who are connected to North Philadelphia, people who live and work or have roots in North Philadelphia,” said Louis Massiah, executive director of Scribe. “But we also wanted it to be something accessible for everybody.”

He said Philadelphians understand the value of history and the benefits that come with it. “If the history of an area is acknowledged, it means that area is going to be [economically] supported,” Massiah said.

If neighbors can understand the history of where they live, Massiah said, it can change their sense of identity. And others can begin to look at the neighborhood a bit differently. By respecting each other’s places and knowing history, he said, certain neighborhoods won’t be viewed as “disposable” by incoming developers and residents.

“​​The wrecking ball of displacement can be slowed down somewhat if people realize we can't just destroy everything,” Massiah said.