Clarke Unveils Plan For Affordable Housing In Gentrifying Philly Neighborhoods

Map of Pennsylvania highlighting Philadelphia County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Council President Darrell Clarke today unveiled a plan to build 1,500 affordable housing units in gentrifying neighborhoods like Francisville, Point Breeze and Mantua by redeveloping city-owned vacant land or tax-delinquent properties.

One thousand of the units will be rentals and would take advantage of two underused financing tools, Clarke said: operational subsidies for affordable housing from the Philadelphia Housing Authority and a tax credit from the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency.

The city would also need to issue a $100 million bond to be paid for by the Housing Trust Fund, which currently supports other programs.

Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/cityhall/Clarke-unveils-plan-for-affordable-housing-in-gentrifying-neighborhoods.html#o1ssZ08Syqt3eBBK.99

Malaysian Airplane Investigators Look At Suicide As Possible Motive

Boeing 777-2H6/ER der Malaysia Airlines am Kuala Lumpur International Airport (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The co-pilot of a missing Malaysian jetliner spoke the last words heard from the cockpit, the airline’s chief executive said on Monday, as investigators consider suicide by the captain or first officer as one possible explanation for the disappearance.

No trace of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 has been found since it vanished on March 8 with 239 people aboard. Investigators are increasingly convinced it was diverted perhaps thousands of miles off course by someone with deep knowledge of the Boeing 777-200ER and commercial navigation.

A search unprecedented in its scale is now under way for the plane, covering an area stretching from the shores of the Caspian Sea in the north to deep in the southern Indian Ocean.

Airline chief executive Ahmad Jauhari Yahya also told a news conference that it was unclear exactly when one of the plane’s automatic tracking systems had been disabled, appearing to contradict the weekend comments of government ministers.

Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/news/nation_world/Malaysian_airplane_investigators_look_at_suicide_as_possible_motive.html#yFf2ptqAP5BZVoD6.99

Planning Underway For 25th Anniversary Celebration Of The Americans With Disabilities Act

Allentown, PA – The Lehigh Valley Arts Council, in collaboration with the Lehigh Valley Partnership for a Disability Friendly Community, announce their plans to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act through the lens of the arts. On July 26, 2015, a year-long celebration will commence with a series of varied arts events that highlight the accessibility and inclusiveness of the region’s cultural organizations. Members of the community are welcome to help plan for this significant undertaking.

The mission is “to engage all citizens of the Lehigh Valley, intentionally securing the participation of persons of all abilities, regardless of physical, sensory, or cognitive limitation, both as audience members and/or providers in the dance, theatrical, musical, visual, literary and media arts.”

The first step is to conduct an audit of current accessibility practices in the region among two hundred cultural nonprofits and social service agencies.

The goals include the following:

1. Strengthening accessibility at cultural nonprofits;
2. Increasing arts audiences; and
3. Making the Lehigh Valley more inclusive.

According to U.S. Census data estimates from 2012, the number of non-institutionalized people with disabilities living in the Lehigh Valley is 81,000, or 12.7%, which represents a significant number of potential new audiences for the cultural community.

In addition to surveying, the planning committee is arranging for several focus groups with persons with disabilities and their caregivers, and representatives from cultural organizations. The sessions will pinpoint the needs and interests of persons with disabilities as well as the specific challenges still to be implemented by cultural entities.

This is an exciting opportunity to work together and contribute to a future that includes all of us. If you are a caretaker or an artist or person with a disability who would like to participate in a focus group, please contact the Lehigh Valley Arts Council at (610) 437-5915 or rforte@lvartscouncil.org.

About the Lehigh Valley Arts Council

The Lehigh Valley Arts Council is a nonprofit 501(c)3, membership-supported organization that serves as a regional advocate and ambassador for the Lehigh Valley arts community. Its mission is to promote the arts; to encourage and support artists and their development; to assist arts organizations; and to facilitate communication and cooperation among artists, arts organizations and the community. Through collaborative partnerships, it continues to provide access to the local arts community through education, research, professional development seminars and cooperative marketing initiatives.

Lehigh Valley Arts Council

840 Hamilton Street, Suite 201

Allentown, PA 18101

610-437-5915 / operations@LVArtsCouncil.org

http://www.LVArtsCouncil.org  / http://www.LVArtsBoxOffice.org