Police have revealed that the 28-year-old man who was shot Tuesday in Southwest Philadelphia has died,

Michael Toll, who was shot just before 2 a.m. Tuesday at 54th and Florence streets, was found with two bullet holes in his torso, and was taken to the Hospital of University of Pennsylvania where he underwent surgery.

Toll died 11:46 a.m. yesterday. Further details surrounding the crime have not been released.

Bill Achuff contributed to this report.

Joshua Dillinger, who served stints in Afghanistan and Iraq, works as an outreach specialist for Northeast Philadelphia Vet Center. Photo by Christeen Vilbrun for Philadelphia Neighborhoods.

In honor of Veterans Day, NEast Philly intern Christeen Vilbrun explored the hardships many vets face when they return home to find life different than they left it. Christeen spoke with vets across the Northeast and all of Philadelphia to find how they are adjusting to life after war.

Imagine risking your life for the country you love by joining the military. After serving your time overseas, you come back healthy and uninjured, with a job lined up and waiting for you.

Unfortunately, this is not the case for many veterans who have served our country. The reality is that some soldiers returning to the United States have a tough time readjusting, and are shocked to see that civilian life is completely different than what they had remembered. continue reading »

NEast Philly intern and Temple University student Christeen Vilbrun interviewed Mayfair Civic Association President Joe De Felice about the neighborhood’s latest undertaking: rebuilding the Mayfair Memorial Playground at Rowland Avenue and Vista Street. Video below. continue reading »

The backyard of Frankford resident Majorie Rivera's neighbors, where she says she's seen drug deals take place.

It was early afternoon on Feb. 28, 2009 when Frankford resident Marjorie Rivera got an unexpected scene. She was getting ready to celebrate her wedding anniversary with her husband when they noticed a moving van outside of their two-story home. That chilly February day would be the first time Rivera would learn that the house next door was being turned into a recovery home for men.

As a mother of two daughters and aunt of many nieces, Rivera panicked as the thought of living right next to a recovery home settled into her brain.

“I’m thinking, ‘Oh wow, I got problems. These are all men. Recovery home? Well that’s for drugs. And don’t courts usually send people to them? What if these guys did something?’ I don’t want that next door to me,” she said. continue reading »

Photo courtesy of Sean Supplee.

For the next few months, NEast Philly will welcome two new contributors to the site – Christeen Vilbrun and Sean Supplee. Christeen and Sean are students in Philadelphia Neighborhoods, Temple University’s senior journalism capstone class, and they’ve been assigned to explore the Northeast. From now until the end of the year, Christeen and Sean will be hitting the streets of the Northeast to find stories. Their work will be a great addition to NEast Philly, as they explore our corner of the city from an outsider’s perspective. This is the first of many stories and videos from Christeen and Sean. You can also see this story at Philadelphia Neighborhoods.

For more than 100 years Pennypack Park has provided Philadelphians with a place to do numerous activities. One can walk, jog, roller blade, play a game of baseball or simply just relax and enjoy nature. The park, which covers almost 1,400 acres, is part of the Fairmount Park system. It is one of the most popular places in Philadelphia and provides excellent scenery for photographs and paintings.  Every month the park holds a recycling day. On this day, volunteers get together to clean the park and keep it a safe and visibly appealing place for people to enjoy. continue reading »