Yo, Philly in the News

• A study released earlier this week revealed that Philadelphia area drivers spend an average of 38 hours a year sitting in traffic, which is up an hour from last year, but as it turns out, it's still not that bad as far as traffic delays in large American cities go: we ranked 33rd. But we ranked second in the level of impact that accidents and stalled vehicles have on traffic congestion. Kind of makes you want to turn to SETPA, doesn't it? But if it does, you should know SEPTA just announced plans to raise the price of tokens and transfers by 15 cents on Oct. 1.
• There aren't many details available, but a schoolbus accident occurred before 8AM yesterday morning at 28th Street and Passyunk Avenue, injuring nine of the passengers, six of them children. All passengers were taken to area hospitals - the uninjured for evaluation and the injured for treatment.
• School district officials have yet to fulfill a five-year-old promise to hire a developer to build Kensington High School for Creative and Performing Arts, and a group of Kensington High School students are getting tired of waiting for their school, and of hearing the same old excuses - which they heard more of yesterday at the School Reform Commission meeting. Also at the meeting, officials gave out a number for parents and students of the Philadelphia School District to call if their classrooms are overcrowded: 215-400-4000. And hopefully they'll be getting some calls, because overcrowding is apparently a serious problem.
• The City Council returns to session today after a three-month recess, and the Daily News is taking this time to discuss what Mayor Street wants to work with them (or against them) to accomplish now that he has only about 110 days left in office.
• A tragic accident on Pine Street near Alison in West Philly yesterday afternoon: a four-year-old girl ran out from behind a parked car and was struck and killed by an SUV. The driver stopped almost immediately and won't face any criminal charges.

Image Credit: Flickr user hawk684