From the Greater Northeast Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce:

The Greater Northeast Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce Annual Business Expo will be held Wednesday, May 12 from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Holy Family University in the Campus Center Building’s gymnasium.

Co-sponsored by the Northeast Times, the event will bring together more than 75 businesses and nonprofits who will display their goods and services from a wide variety of industries. continue reading »

Are you looking for a great spot to go and hang out with your friends?  Are you looking for that great spot to be in the NEast?  Well look no further, because Cafe MichelAngelo at 11901 Bustleton Ave. is open seven days a week from 11 a.m. until 2 a.m.   Providing great service, fabulous food and a cozy ,warm environment even on the outside patio area, MichelAngelo’s is the place to be.  Prices are reasonable and the food is fantastic. continue reading »

An early morning car accident in Frankford yesterday caused road closures due to down electrical lines. Now the driver responsible faces DUI charges.

Around 5 a.m., 48-year-old Francis Kochmer rear-ended another vehicle with his car, sending the other car into a utility pole at Frankford and Torresdale avenues. Kochmer, of the 800-block of Brighton Street, was treated for minor injuries at Hahnemann, and no other injuries were reported.

Kochmer now faces DUI charges for the accident.

Police are questioning the girlfriend of man who was stabbed to death in Tacony Wednesday night.

According to reports, the 36-year-old woman stabbed her boyfriend, 25, outside an apartment on the 4800-block of Longshore Avenue around 8 p.m. The man was taken to Aria Health-Torresdale for the chest wound, where he was pronounced dead just 35 minutes later.

It’s unclear whether the girlfriend faces charges.

Last night’s Holme Circle Civic Association meeting began with an announcement that came as no surprise to most of those in attendance.

President Sean McAleer announced his resignation from the group, which coincides with his out-of-town move. McAleer’s faced a long commute to work everyday, and will be moving closer to the workplace with his family — a decision he said happened in just a few short weeks.

It’s unclear who will take the lead now that McAleer has stepped down,  though such a position usually falls to an existing board member should no one else express interest. continue reading »

Officer Harry Taylor (Officer of the Year), Councilman Brian O'Neill, State Rep. Brendan Boyle and Officer Daniel Rubin (Officer of the Year)

The 8th Police District Annual Awards Ceremony took place at 4 p.m. on Sunday at Cannstatter’s with the following recognitions:

George Biles Memorial Award for Officer of the Year 2009:  Police Officers Harry Taylor and Daniel Rubin

Civilian Employee of the Year:  Ms. Angela Wiggins-Streater

Continue reading for more honors.
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Standing (l to r): Estela Cajina, Kim Neubauer, Linda Lvea, Ashley Holzman-O’Brien, Arionna Hart, Tiffany Kapusta, Cassie Carrasco, Ashley Lanetti, Chelsie Gault. Kneeling (l to r): Brooke Schmanek, Veronica Zgura, Shani Chen, Katie Hagan, Laura Danila, Amanda Norton. Sitting: Maggie Sees

It has been one first after another for the students of the Arts Academy at Benjamin Rush.  The school, described as a “small, special admittance, comprehensive high school that focuses on the arts,” opened in September 2008.

This year, the school — under leadership from Principal Jessica Brown and Athletic Director Kevin Katz — was granted its first sports by the School District’s Office of Athletics: JV basketball (teams for boys and girls), co-ed JV track and Varsity Soccer.   The Varsity team was granted because Public League girls soccer does not have a JV program; the players could have been forced to play “an exhibition year” with all of the games counting only as scrimmages.  However, Director Jack Creighton allowed the team to play in the lowest division as a full-fledged Varsity team

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Photo courtesy of Action News

Police this morning found two alligators at a business in Holmesburg.

As part of an ongoing investigation into the industrial complex on the 8100-block of State Road, police raided a business, where they found two alligators in 300-gallon tanks. The gators, each about three to four feet long, wouldn’t have grown much bigger, experts say, but are illegal to keep as pets in Philadelphia.

The owner of the garage where the gators were kept will be fined, and the SPCA removed the animals.

In part 2 of a two-part series, we explore Tacony’s and Lawncrest’s fights against absentee landlords in their neighborhoods.

Camille Capobianco, 37, grew up in Tacony. She said her neighborhood was once good, clean and friendly. Now, she said, residents are fighting the evils of what has become a nightmare epidemic in most neighborhoods throughout Northeast Philadelphia.

Absentee landlords have stricken most of the communities and have left local residents to fear, avoid and fight their new tenants.

“Most [absentee landlords] are from out of state, but there are some local slumlords,” Capobianco, a mother of three daughters, said.

Absentee landlords purchase cheap properties and then rent out the homes for investment. They tend to live far away from their properties, as well. Capobianco said many people have complained that these landlords do not have proper licenses most of the time, do not have property managers and do not care whom they rent their properties to as long as their houses are filled and rent checks arrive every month. continue reading »

Q: My condo has been for sale for more than six months in Delaire Landing. My agent originally said he could sell it at the price I set, and now he is saying the reason it is not selling is because it is overpriced. I am starting to think he lied to me in the first place, because another agent I interviewed said he couldn’t go this high. But I gave this guy my listing because he said he could. Now he’s changed his tune. Should I reduce the price or make him earn his money?

A: Maybe your agent told you he could get more for your listing because he really thought he could. Or maybe he did lie just to get your business. It’s not like that doesn’t happen. Whatever the reason, it really doesn’t matter now, because I am assuming you still want to sell it. You and your agent are both taking the same gamble it will sell at a price that, now, two agents are telling you cannot happen. continue reading »