Mayor Kenney to Philadelphia: Knock It Off With Your DIY Home Reno Projects

Mayor Jim Kenney talking about the Philadelphia trash problem during a press conference this week. (Image via City of Philadelphia)

A roundup of Philly news. This article may be updated at any time as new information becomes available.

Your DIY Household Projects Are Contributing to the Philadelphia Trash Problem

You’ve been more or less stuck at home for months. And so you’ve probably watching a lot of TV, learning how to bake bread, and tackling various DIY household projects that you’ve had on your list for a long time, or maybe that the special someone in your life has had on their list for you to do for a long time. Well, it turns out that those DIY projects of yours are contributing to the Philadelphia trash crisis.

At a press conference this week, Mayor Jim Kenney asked all Philadelphians to “hold off” on such DIY projects, as they are one of the causes of a major increase in household waste. And with staffing issues, some crazy weather, and other factors thrown in for good measure, the city just can’t handle that increase in your trash, an increase that Kenney said could be as much as 25 percent from what the city is used to dealing with.

Kenney’s request that you put the kibosh on your HGTV fantasies is part of the city’s new Curb Your Waste (get it?) campaign. For a full list of suggestions from the city on how you can help fix the Philadelphia trash crisis, read here.

The mayor also said that trash pickup in Philadelphia is more or less back on schedule after months of being very much off of schedule. But recycling remains a nightmare.

Interboro School Board Official Refuses to Resign Over Her Acts During Black Lives Matter Protest

Earlier this week, we were following the saga of Christine Alonso, the Interboro School District board official caught on camera screaming and flipping the ol’ Delco bird (two of them!) at Black Lives Matter protesters in Ridley. Some protesters alleged that she also used racial slurs, which she has denied.

Interboro School District board treasurer Christine Alonso at a Black Lives Matter protest in Ridley on Saturday (image via Change.org)

A Change.org petition that’s now up to more than 8,000 signatures called for her removal from the board. (A competing petition in support of Alonso is up to more than 400 signatures). Then the board issued a letter saying that the board doesn’t have the power to remove her, while one board member publicly called for her to resign.

But Alonso isn’t go anywhere. On Wednesday, she issued a statement, saying that she would not resign. She also thought it relevant to point out that she is the “proud wife of an immigrant and a mother of four biracial children.”

Alonso did apologize for her vulgar gesture, but she said she only did it because somebody else gave her the finger first.

“I cannot tell you it was my proudest moment, but I certainly will not allow myself to be defined by it,” wrote Alonso. “The people who want me to resign from the school board know nothing about me. How dare anyone call me a racist.”

You can read her entire statement here, should you feel the need to do so.

Wawa Now Offers Kids Meals

Lots of Wawa news of late.

There’s Wawa’s pleas for exact change in light of the national coin shortage. There’s the new drive-thru-only Wawa that’s being built in the suburbs, the first of its kind. And then we learned that the Wawa at Broad and Walnut was closing permanently. Bummer! (I actually always hated that Wawa, but still…)

Well, a new day brings yet more Wawa news: Wawa is debuting kids meals. Like Happy Meals. But at Wawa.

The new Wawa kiddie meals come in very Happy Meal-like boxes. But instead of a hamburger or those nasty McDonald’s chicken nuggets, your tot can get a Junior hoagie, macaroni-and-cheese, quesadilla, or chicken strips, among other “entree” choices. Side item choices include apple slices, string cheese, and a chocolate chip cookie. To drink? Water, milk or chocolate milk. Michelle Obama might even approve.

Oh, and while Happy Meals come with all kinds of toys, the Wawa kid meals come with a pack of trading cards featuring Wally Goose, which is apparently Wawa’s mascot. Who knew?

For People Who Like Interviews…

• Q&A #1: Atlantic City’s first Black woman to run a casino
• Q&A #2: The Instagram-famous Philly trashman
• Q&A #3: Book-talk with Marc Lamont Hill

And Briefly Noted…

• Neighbors fed up with trash, nudity and human waste on the Parkway
• Some awesome GIFs of the Schuylkill
• Why a Philly park is getting a new name