Two people were stabbed Monday night and one person was arrested following an incident on the 800-block of Sanger Street.

A 50-year-old man was arrested around 9 p.m. when authorities were called to the scene. continue reading »

Pennsylvania legislative district 172, as it stands today. Click to visit Redistricting the Nation.

This is part of ongoing coverage in “District 172: The Politics of Change after State Rep. John Perzel,” a collaborative effort with Philadelphia Neighborhoods funded by J-Lab.

Shaping legislative districts is by no means illegal. It’s a part of the democratic process.

After each U.S. Census informs leaders about population and demographic shifts throughout the country, each state, county and municipality is meant to see subtle movement in its boundaries to better reflect the realities there, from balancing population totals and community divides. For example, in the post-1990-census redistricting, Philadelphia lost two House seats to its western suburbs due to population growth there.

Where redistricting has earned the more negatively connoted term of ‘gerrymandering’ — coined in 1812 after a partisan Massachusetts governor — has been when political, not population, shifts seem to motivate legislative rewiring.

Now again, Pennsylvania is revisiting its boundaries, like the rest of the country, following the 2010 census. In April, a former Superior Court president was named the independent chair of the state’s Legislative Reapportionment Commission, which by October is due to send to the state Supreme Court its reapportionment draft of state legislative districts.

One district that will be watched by some insiders is the Pennsylvania 172nd State House Legislative district, formerly the precinct of John Perzel.

continue reading »

Last month, I began discussing a few obstacles to living away from home that lead to me missing the Northeast.

Honestly, when I sit down and think about them, the obstacles can occasionally seem overwhelming.

Therefore, I wanted to use another column to help lay them out.

Take a Walk

Although there are admittedly fewer trees, less grass and fewer parks in the Northeast – partially due to a denser population – than many parts of New Jersey with which I am familiar, one thing I have always liked about my hometown is that you can pretty much walk anywhere.

Of course, just like everywhere else, Northeast Philadelphia has its fair share of highways and high-traffic streets that are difficult to cross. However, just about every street has a sidewalk.

It may seem like a trivial point, but you would be surprised how few streets in northern New Jersey have sidewalks. Of course, most of these towns have sidewalks in and around their downtown areas. But, other than that, you’re pretty much forced to use another form of transportation other than your own two feet.

To make matters worse, many of these towns don’t have streetlights (other than the downtown area, of course). Don’t get me wrong; it’s probably great for residents to cut down on the light pollution. However, it makes it difficult and unsafe for people to attempt to walk in the sidewalk-less streets at night.

I saw it as a rite of passage back when I was in third or fourth grade to be allowed to trek a few blocks by myself to a friend’s house on a Saturday afternoon — an opportunity that would have been difficult to come by if there weren’t any sidewalks around. Additionally, not having sidewalks would have made it a little less safe as I walked to and from Archbishop Ryan High School as a teenager.

No Wawa

It’s funny how much Philadelphians rely on Wawa. But it’s terrifying how much you go into withdrawal when there isn’t one around.

Sure, there are 7-Elevens and Quick Cheks, but there is something about Wawa that makes it irreplaceable. Perhaps it’s the freshly made sandwiches. Perhaps it’s the lemonade iced tea.

The problem is the sheer lack of Wawas in northern New Jersey. The first one just opened a few miles away from my job, and I believe there are plans to open additional shops in the area.

For the time being, though, I guess I’ll just have to stick to making my own sandwiches and mixing together my own proportions of lemonade and iced tea.

Missing the Northeast is a column written by Stephen Wilson, a former Northeast resident who moved to New Jersey for work. You can read his column on the last Monday of every month.

Roooooaaaarr! This adorable orange puffball (AC21269) looks like he’s going to be a

big tiger when he grows up — but he needs your help to get there! He is only 4 to 5 weeks old, and came into the shelter emaciated, dirty, and with some loose stool.

Despite these maladies he is full of life, is playful and purrs the minute you touch him. He is a super cute kitten that is going to be a gorgeous long hair adult, if he can get out of the shelter ASAP! continue reading »

Taffy (A11786187) is a teeny, tiny 1- to 2-year-old black and white pit bull terrier mix who was originally found as a stray and brought to the shelter.

Poor Taffy went into foster care back in November, but ended up back at ACCT in April. Taffy came in with an open wound on her ear, which has since healed. Taffy hates it here at the shelter and is so very scared! She cannot wait to get out of here and be back with a family who loves her.

She has no issues with food or toys. She showed no interest in cats and was friendly and appropriate when meeting other dogs. Please come save this poor girl today! Email her Pen Pal at hayes.peg AT verizon.net for more information! continue reading »

(L to R): Scholarship winners Melinda Harris, Malcolm Robinson-Gonzalez and Mahbuba Choudhury. Photo by Joseph Kaczmarek.

Three students from Abraham Lincoln High School were each awarded $1,000 college scholarships for their leadership during the Get MotivatED Challenge, a national program that supported 25 high schools across the country as they worked to improve attendance rates over six weeks. The Challenge was administered by the Get Schooled Foundation and supported by AT&T, Comcast, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Viacom.

Missed attendance is one of the most significant predictors of dropping out of high school.  Studies have found that students with more than 20 absences in any given year have only a 19 percent chance of graduating.  Throughout the six-week competition, students and teachers at Abraham Lincoln High School worked together and improved attendance rates for the school.

“Comcast seeks to support organizations that inspire young people to lead and the Get MotivatED Challenge encouraged them to do just that,” said Charisse R. Lillie, vice president of community investment for Comcast Corporation.  “We are thrilled to present these scholarships to three outstanding students at Abraham Lincoln High School and bring them one step closer to achieving their educational goals.”  continue reading »

The EF0 tornado did significant damage to both the front of the building and its roof. Photo by Danny Donnelly.

Imagine $15,000 worth of damage in less than 10 seconds.  It’s possible.

Last week’s twister that shook up a small section of the Northeast is leaving a couple of small businesses in recovery mode. Keith Walsh is the manager of Ace High Auto, located off Northeast Avenue in. Just before 2 p.m., Walsh and his staff were sitting inside their office enjoying a peaceful lunch break when the twister rattled their bones.

“It got real dark and I heard all kinds of glass breaking behind us. It sounded like a jet engine coming by. It was crazy. I turned around and saw the funnel coming right up the driveway,” Walsh said. continue reading »

The driver involved in a single-vehicle accident escaped without injury yesterday, though the crash resulted in an electrical fire.

When the driver reportedly lost control of the vehicle  around 8 a.m.on the 8500-block of Algon Avenue and crashed into a pole, wires fell into the street and caught fire. Police are investigating the crash, but the driver escaped uninjured.

With recent tornado-related disasters in the South and Midwest, and still memorable tragedies in Haiti and along the Gulf Coast, Philadelphia’s Office of Emergency Management continues to take steps toward readying the city for widespread emergencies.

Deputy Director for External Affairs Joan Przybylowicz was at Tuesday night’s Lawncrest Community Association to highlight some of the services the office has, and review safety measures business and homeowners are encouraged to take. continue reading »

From left: Heavy Hitta's coach Rick Terrell, Kieran "Hitman" Hooks, LCA President Bill Dolbow, Heavy Hitta's coach Lonnie Haile

Weighed down by trophies and nursing a gym class injury, Kieran “Hitman” Hooks was all smiles at Tuesday night’s Lawncrest Community Association meeting.

He and Heavy Hitta’s Boxing Club coaches Lonnie Haile and Rick Terrell had recently returned from two tournaments where Hooks came out on top. continue reading »