Top 7 stories to watch in NW Philly

Here’s a look at what’s to come on NewsWorks this week:

1. “Manayunk on Ice” has returned to Main Street this weekend. The three-day event, kicked off with an Ice Bonfire, but also included a theatrical ice carving show and ice carving battles. NewsWorks will have a recap with photos of all of the icy action on Monday.

2. Chris Bolden-Newsome, a longtime advocate of food justice in Philadelphia and beyond, stopped by Awbury Arboretum in East Germantown on Saturday for a discussion about the national and global food system. Bolden Newsome’s talk specifically focused on the impact that certain African and African-American crop varieties have had on those systems. Check back next week for more details.

3. On Sunday, the Germantown Artists Roundtable hosted its first-ever networking event. The group has existed for months, but recently decided to step up its outreach efforts as part of a larger plan to add more structure. The informal afternoon event was organized to provide artists a chance to connect with one another and promote their work. Check back next week to learn more.

4. In November, the Chestnut Hill Community Association invited residents to Norwood-Fontbonne Academy to learn more about the city’s Actual Value Initiative. On Tuesday, three days before new property assessments are scheduled to be sent out, CHCA will host a second meeting on the subject. Representatives with the city’s Office of Property Assessment will be on hand to explain AVI and answer any questions.

5. Over the summer, the East Falls Community Council formed a Friends of Mifflin School Committee with hopes of making the neighborhood a viable option for residents. For years, the school has had a not-so-favorable reputation. On Tuesday, the nascent group, which has partnered with school officials, will update the community on its work to date and what’s on tap.

6. On Friday, the site of an abandoned and fire-damaged nursing home in Roxborough will ceremonially start a new chapter. Developers will break ground on Kingsley Court, a new townhouse neighborhood just off Ridge Avenue. It will consist of 32 new units. Check back next week for more details.

7. Philadelphia Poet Laureate Sonia Sanchez will stop by St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Chestnut Hill on Sunday for a discussion and poetry reading event entitled “An Afternoon with Sonia Sanchez.” The free event, open to the public, commemorates Eleanor Roosevelt’s stay at St. Paul’s more than 60 years ago. The former First Lady was in Philadelphia to receive the first National Fellowship Award by the Philadelphia Fellowship Committee.