Officer Kenneth Crockett

15th District Police Officer Kenneth Crockett has been charged with theft and receiving stolen property in connection with an incident Tuesday morning at Pat’s Cafe in Northwood.

Crockett, who lives in Walton Park, has been charged with stealing $825 from Pat’s after he and two other officers stopped at the bar following an unfounded call at a nearby auto detailing shop. The two other officers have been cleared. continue reading »

A woman in her 60s died early yesterday morning following a fire in Northwood home.

Firefighters arrived at the home on the 4600-block of Horrocks Street just before 4 a.m. Thursday, and medics rushed the woman to Temple University Hospital where she later died. continue reading »

Phil Pappas, left, and Mike Mawson, of West Frankford Town Watch, outside the Thriftway at Frankford Avenue and Pratt Street around 2 a.m. Sat. July 10.

Mike Mawson smells something.

It’s past midnight on Comly Street near Bustleton in Mayfair. The sun went down hours ago, but forgot to take this sticky July heat with it. Mawson is riding shotgun in the sensible four-door sedan that his partner Phil Pappas drives. The West Frankford Town Watch patrol was circling around to head back south of Cheltenham Avenue to drive the streets of its namesake neighborhood when Mawson caught a whiff of something off in the still nighttime air.

“It smells like something is burning,” confirms soft-featured Pappas, 53, sitting upright with two hands on the steering wheel and dressed with purpose in matching earthtones. “I’ll pull over.”

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Internal affairs is investigating three police officers in connection with an attempted theft at Pat’s Cafe in Northwood.

According to reports, two officers responded to a break-in report early Tuesday morning at an auto-detailing shop in Pat’s at Castor Avenue and Arrott Street. After determining the call unfounded, the officers went to Pat’s for a drink, and were joined by a third office who was not wearing a uniform. continue reading »

Q: How is the real estate market in Northeast Philadelphia? It is a good time to sell or buy?

A: It is good news for qualified buyers and homeowners looking to upsize.

The now-expired Homebuyer Tax Credit definitely boosted sales in the spring. It helped to sell many of the homes on the market, and home values and sales were looking up. However, the number of homes coming onto the market is increasing faster than homes are being sold. Now that the Tax Credit expired, the only thing enticing the small pool of buyers, who still have their credit intact in this economy and can actually get a mortgage, is the fantastically low interest rates. continue reading »

The former Blue Ox Bistro at 7980 Oxford Ave. in Fox Chase, where the Grey Lodge owner is expanding. Click to enlarge.

The horizon for the opening of Hop Angel Brauhaus, the re-imagined Blue Ox Bistro in Fox Chase from Grey Lodge publican Mike “Scoats” Scotese and partner Pat McGinley, has become clearer.

The project is on schedule and due for a soft opening in September and a grand opening in October, says Scoats. The pair has been leading cosmetic work to the historic 7980 Oxford Ave. location, which has nearly 330 years of history as a pub.

“The renovation will involve more sweat than cash,” Scoats says.

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Two people were injured early yesterday morning in a car crash in Tacony.

Around 12:30 a.m. Tuesday, two vehicles crashed at Torresdale Avenue and Disston Street, and one of the drivers had to be extracted from the vehicle by medical professionals. continue reading »

Residents of Wissinoming and Tacony flocked to the American Legion Playground at Torresdale Avenue and Devereaux Street Saturday for the second annual True Vine Church Community Carnival.

The event had a central theme: community.

“It’s important because it helps build community,” said Luis Sanchez, the Pastoral Intern at True Vine. “Neighbors that don’t necessarily talk to each other come out and talk to each other. They see each other. Individual relationships can begin to form. Corporate relationships with the church can also begin to form. That’s a beautiful thing.” continue reading »

Congress is mulling over what to do about the soon-to-expire Bush tax cuts that were enacted in 2001 and 2003.

As a result of the sunset provision in the tax law, you may have read about the fact that there is no estate tax in 2010. If you were wealthy and had the choice, this would be the year to die.

A great example is George Steinbrenner, who passed away last week. If we assumed that the only asset he held at his death was the Yankees, he saved his family approximately $450 million by dying in 2010 (assuming the value of the Yankees at $1 billion and federal estate rate of 55 percent). continue reading »

I think a lot about how drastic the difference seems to be between people from the Northeast and those from New Jersey in how they identify themselves.

Obviously, a lot of this has to do with the sheer difference in size between Philadelphia and most towns in New Jersey. People from the Northeast often distinguish themselves based on neighborhoods (or parishes, especially those who live in areas that are prominently Catholic; however, that is another column for another time), a point that can easily be proven by looking at the sidebar of this website. continue reading »