Auto conference at Live!
Dealer Synergy, an automotive industry firm, will be hosting its 14th annual training and entertainment conference at Live! Casino & Hotel, 9th Street and Packer Avenue, from Jan. 11-13.
The workshop will feature speakers such as auto dealership owners, sales associates and technology experts.
A red carpet networking event will be held at The Ave Live, 520 N. Columbus Blvd., on Jan. 11, from 7:30 to 11:30 p.m. Guests will include actors Sean V. Bradley, Seth Ferranti, Clayton Prince and Peter Meyerhoff; singer Karina Bradley; undefeated UFC fighter Sean Brady; hip hop artist Papoose; author D.J. Verrett; and DJ Doc B.
Register for both events at https://internetsales20group.com/ or 856-546-2440.
Theatre Exile opens new play in February
Theatre Exile at 1430 S. 13th St. will present The Motherf**ker with the Hat by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Stephen Adly Guirgis from Feb. 3-27 with Theatre Exile’s new theater limited-capacity audience of 60 guests, reduced from the usual 125 seat capacity.
After his release from prison, Jackie moves in with his childhood sweetheart Veronica as he tries to start his life anew. He’s working to overcome his addictions with the help of his sponsor, Ralph D, but is soon confronted by familiar demons when he discovers another man’s hat in his apartment. For more information, visit https://theatreexile.org/shows/the-mfer-with-the-hat/ or call 215-218-4022.
Whitman Library hosts Virtual Stitch Meetup on Zoom
Want to share what you’re making with other crafters from the comfort of your own home? Join Whitman Library’s new stitching group. All forms of “stitching” are welcome (knitting, crocheting, cross-stitch, quilting). Email Rebecca at mccauslandr@freelibrary.org with questions or to register. Virtual meetups are every Wednesday at 6:30 p.m.
More illegals coming to PA
Lou Barletta, a Republican candidate for governor, is criticizing the Biden administration for continuing to fly illegal immigrants to Pennsylvania.
Barletta previously noted the illegals were being taken by secret charter flights to Wilkes-Barre Scranton International Airport.
Barletta confirmed through FlightAware.com that a flight with illegals on board landed at Lehigh Valley International Airport on Dec. 30.
“The incredible secrecy and disregard for Pennsylvanians continues,” Barletta said. “First, we had to discover for ourselves that illegal immigrants were being shipped into Northeast Pennsylvania on at least four flights. But then when people demanded information, the flights were shifted to the Lehigh Valley and they just hoped no one would notice. While the Biden administration is playing games with the safety of Pennsylvanians, Gov. Tom Wolf and Attorney General Josh Shapiro are just throwing up their hands and saying it’s not their problem.”
Based on his experience as a former member of the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Homeland Security, Barletta said it is nearly impossible to conduct adequate background checks on adults or teenagers who have already entered the country illegally.
Barletta has also argued that it’s impossible to determine the actual age of any minors on board the flights and pointed to a recent incident in Florida, where an illegal immigrant claiming to be 17 years old was actually 24, and subsequently was charged with murder in a stabbing attack.
Further, there has been no proof that health screenings were conducted on adults or children on the flights.
Wolf and Shapiro issued statements that these flights of illegal immigrants into Pennsylvania are not their problem.
“Wolf and Shapiro don’t answer whether they had knowledge of the health status of the illegal immigrants, or whether there were background checks conducted on any adults in the group,” Barletta continued. “The attitude displayed by Wolf and Shapiro shows a complete disregard for the safety of Pennsylvanians, and it shows that they have no problems keeping the truth from our citizens.”
A fair congressional map
Members of several left-wing organizations are asking the Democratic-controlled state Supreme Court to step in to adopt a congressional redistricting plan in time for the 2022 primary election, should the General Assembly and the governor fail to reach agreement.
The people are members of the state chapters of Common Cause and the League of Women Voters and advocates from Fair Districts PA. The voters are represented by the Public Interest Law Center.
“Every Pennsylvanian deserves to have a fair and transparent redistricting process that results in maps where their communities can be fully represented,” said Khalif Ali, one of the voters filing an application to intervene. “For too long, our congressional maps have been drawn for the benefit of partisan politicians, not the communities they represent. As executive director of Common Cause, a community organizer and a resident of a historically black community in Pittsburgh, I believe intervening in this litigation allows everyday Pennsylvanians to be able to advocate for the redistricting process they deserve.”
The interveners are also seeking to have prisoners counted in their former homes, rather than their current cells, when congressional district lines are drawn. They argue the practice of counting prisoners as residents of their cells disadvantages black, Latino and urban communities that have been impacted by “mass incarceration” while giving an unfair population boost to areas where prisons are located, which are typically rural and white.
Flower show tickets available
The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society announced that tickets are on sale for the Philadelphia Flower Show.
The theme is In Full Bloom. The show will take place at Franklin Delano Roosevelt Park, 1500 Pattison Ave., from Saturday, June 11, through Sunday, June 19.
For tickets, go to PHSonline.org/the-flower-show.
Apply for scholarship
The deadline is March 1 to apply for the Children’s Scholarship Fund Philadelphia.
Scholarships are available to income-eligible kids in kindergarten through eighth grade. They are awarded by random lottery.
Apply at CSFPhiladelphia.org.
North alums awarding grants
The Northeast Catholic Alumni Association awards tuition grants to the sons, daughters, grandsons and granddaughters of its members.
The checks are awarded to students who meet criteria, and the monies are sent to the Catholic school that they are choosing to attend. Aid is sent to Catholic elementary and high schools and universities in the Philadelphia, Camden and Trenton dioceses.
Grants are given to 32 students annually for their four years in high school or college and three years in elementary school.
Students can apply for a grant if their father or grandfather attended Northeast Catholic and is a dues-paying member of the alumni association. Applications are accepted until Jan 31, 2022.
Call 215-543-1051 or email necathalum@aol.com.
Monster Jam at the Linc
Monster Jam returns to Lincoln Financial Field on Saturday, April 16.
The show starts at 7 p.m., with a pit party for fans going from 2:30 to 5:30.
At the pit party, fans can see the massive 12,000-pound trucks up close, meet their favorite drivers and crews, and take pictures.
Tickets are available at www.ticketmaster.com.
Activities at Academy of Natural Sciences
The Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University, 1900 Benjamin Franklin Parkway, is hosting several current and upcoming exhibits.
Hidden Works of Nature: The Microscopic World in the Library & Archives will be on exhibit on the following Fridays, hourly from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.: Jan. 7 and 21, Feb. 4 and 18 and March 4 and 18.
Permian Monsters: Life Before the Dinosaurs goes through Jan. 17, 2022.
A junior scientist workshop, What’s So Amazing About a Diatom?, will take place on Saturday, Jan. 22, from 10 a.m. to noon. The workshop is geared to kids in third to fifth grades. Register at https://bit.ly/3E9nVEZ.
The presentation Invisible Worlds and the Cycle of Life is scheduled for Sunday, Jan. 30, at 2 p.m.
A junior scientist workshop, How Do Plants Communicate?, is set for Saturday, Feb. 12, from 10 a.m. to noon. The workshop is for kids in third to fifth grades. Register at https://bit.ly/3Da6brG.
The discussion Growing Art from Science will take place on Wednesday, Feb. 23, at 6:30 p.m. Register at https://bit.ly/3rRiQOe.
A junior scientist workshop titled Water Bugs, geared to kids in third to fifth grades, is scheduled for Saturday, March 19, from 10 a.m. to noon. Register at https://bit.ly/3pbrMLq.
Invisible World of Water runs through April 17, 2022.
Water exhibit opens
The Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University, 1900 Benjamin Franklin Parkway, is presenting Invisible World of Water, on view through April 17, 2022 and free with general admission.
The exhibit coincides with “Water Year,” a 2022 initiative of the Academy of Natural Sciences and Drexel University aimed to increase public attention of the resource.
For more information, visit ansp.org.
Kimmel schedule
The Kimmel Cultural Campus has returned to live Broadway programming.
Here is the schedule through next summer: Pretty Woman: The Musical (through Jan. 16, Academy of Music); Hadestown (Feb. 9-20, Academy of Music); Beautiful – The Carole King Musical (Feb. 22-27, Academy of Music); Rent: 25th Anniversary Farewell Tour (March 4-6, Merriam Theater); Oklahoma! (March 8-20, Forrest Theatre); Waitress (March 29 to April 3, Academy of Music); Hairspray (May 16-22, Merriam Theater); To Kill A Mockingbird (July 12-24, Academy of Music); and Dear Evan Hansen (Aug. 16-28, Forrest Theatre).
For more information, call 215-893-1955 or visit kimmelcenter.org.
Upcoming cruise
The Bristol Cultural and Historical Foundation is sponsoring a cruise to Charleston and Bermuda, June 2-12, 2022, on the Celebrity Summit, sailing from Cape Liberty, in North Jersey. Rates range from $1,577 to $2,387 per person, double occupancy.
Call 215-788-9408 for information and reservations.
