STATE SEN. VINCENT HUGHES joins Conrad Foundation’s Nancy Conrad
check out W. Philly Hybrid X Team’s state-f-the-art electric sports car. Story
page 3.
PhiladelphiaDaily Record
Vol. II No. 129 (289) Keeping You Posted With The Politics Of Philadelphia August 26, 2011
Light LikeLightning
2 | THE PHILADELPHIA DAILY RECORD 26 AUGUST, 2011
T h e P h i l a d e l p h i a P u b l i c R e c o r d C a l e n d a rAug. 26-
State Sen. Shirley Kitchen and
State Rep. Mark Cohen host Sen-
ior Day in Memorial Hall at St.
William’s Ch., Robbins & Argyle,
10 a.m.-2 p.m. Free health screen-
ings, breakfast and lunch. For info
(215) 227-6161.
Aug. 26-
Golf Outing fundraiser for Demo-
crat candidate for 10th Dist.
Council candidate Bill Rubin at
Juniata Golf Course, 1392 E.
Cayuga St., registration 12:30
p.m., shotgun start 1 p.m. $80 in-
cludes green fees, cart, refresh-
ments and barbecue. For info Tom
Dooley (267) 246-5512.
Aug. 27-
State Rep. Michelle Brownlee
hosts Back to School Giveaway
Kids Day at Strawberry Sq. Mall,
2901 Dauphin St., 11 a.m.-3 p.m.
Free school supplies, health
screenings, entertainment. For
info (215) 684-3738.
Aug. 27-
Mantua Community Improvement
Ctr. hosts Family Day Festival at
34th & Mantua Ave., 12-7 p.m.
Loaded with family activities.
Event is supported by Council-
woman Jannie L. Blackwell and
others.
Aug. 27-
State Rep. Kenyatta Johnson’s
Community Apreciation Day at
22nd & Pt. Breeze Ave., 12-8 p.m.
Entertainment by R&B artists
“No Question”. Helen Divers to
be honored. For details (215) 952-
3378.
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25 AUGUST, 2011 THE PHILADELPHIA DAILY RECORD | 3
No Lightweights: W. Philly Stu-
dents Electrify Auto Engineering
by State Sen. Vincent Hughes
Recently, I had the privilege of visiting the West
Philly Hybrid X Team (EVX Team) who just won yet
another national competition, Conrad Foundation’s
Spirit of Innovation Awards, for their development of
the Electric Very Light Car. The team is an incredible
example of what happens when you work together
with perseverance and dedication.
The West Philly Team includes students from an after
school program of the Academy of Automotive and
Mechanical Engineering, a program of Philadelphia
Academies, Inc. They are based in West Philadelphia
HS, a public high school serving one of Philadel-
phia’s most challenged neighborhoods.
Since 1998, the EVX Team has built and raced alter-
native fuel vehicles, and has had great success doing
so. When they entered the Northeast Sustainable En-
ergy Association’s Tour de Sol, they outperformed
university teams and production vehicles, winning the
competition in 2002, 2005 and 2006. In 2007, the
Team won the 21st Century Automotive Challenge.
Educators, engineers and volunteers assist the EVX
Team in their endeavors and provide valuable sup-
port. In 2010, the Team created two highly successful
hybrid vehicles for the Progressive Automotive X
PRIZE, a $10 million international competition to
build cars that exceed 100 MPG. Of the 111 teams
originally accepted to compete in the X PRIZE, the
EVX Team was the only high school chosen. While
they did not win the competition, they made it to the
final 22 competitors in the semi-finals.
In 2011, the EVX GT, the sports car they built for the
X PRIZE outperformed 44 other competitors, win-
ning the Green Grand Prix at Watkins Glen. As men-
tioned earlier, the team also won the Clean Energy
Division of the Conrad Foundation’s Spirit of Innova-
tion Awards for their work on the Electric Very Light
Car.
Earlier this year, the team’s successes raised enough
attention for the team to be invited to the White
House and afforded Brandon Ford, a student at West
Philadelphia HS and a leader of the West Philly Hy-
brid X Team, the opportunity to watch the President
deliver State of the Union Address alongside First
Lady Michelle Obama.
Kitchen, Cohen Host Seniors
Several hundred seniors are enjoying the Senior Day
event, annually hosted by State Sen. Shirley Kitchen
and State Rep. Mark Cohen (both D-N. Phila.) this
morning and early this afternoon. The event, held at
St. William’s Church Memorial Hall, Robbins & Ar-
gyle, gave seniors an opportunity to learn about all
the resources available to them.
They were also treated to breakfast and lunch as well
as health screenings, exhibitors, speakers, and enter-
tainment.
Kenyatta Sets Up Basketball
Tourney With Police
State Rep. Kenyatta Johnson’s (D-S. Phila.) 5th an-
nual Peace Not Guns Memorial Basketball Tourna-
ment which features police and local youths will take
place at the Chew Playground & Recreation Center,
1834 Ellsworth Street, at 5 p.m. this evening.
Each year, the Point Breeze Youth Basketball League
and members of the Philadelphia Police Dept. come
together for a friendly game of basketball to promote
positive relationships between the police and youths.
Johnson states. “We want the entire community to see
these positive relationships and use it to motivate
them to continue building positive community rela-
tions.”
Elected School Board Sought For
Philadelphia
State Sens. Mike Stack, Larry Farnese and Andrew
Dinniman and City Controller Alan Butkovitz will
announce their support of legislation to replace
4 | THE PHILADELPHIA DAILY RECORD 26 AUGUST, 2011
School Reform Commission with an elected school
board on Tuesday, Aug. 30 at 10:30 a.m. on the front
steps of the School District of Philadelphia Headquar-
ters, 440 N. Broad Street.
Calling the current system fundamentally flawed,
Stack’s legislation would eliminate the controversial
SRC and replace it with an unpaid elected school
board comprised of nine members elected by
Philadelphia citizens to four-year terms.