Northeast Tree Tenders founder Hasan Malik explains to volunteers how to properly plant this tree in front of the Northeast Older Adult Center on Bustleton Avenue.

Hasan Malik started the Northeast Tree Tenders three years ago because he was tired of looking at all the bare concrete on the streets of Northeast Philadelphia.

Most of Philadelphia’ s full-grown trees were planted 60 to 70 years ago, said Malik, a Northeast native and Temple University student of civil engineering. And if they haven’t died yet, they are reaching the end of their lives and will have to be replaced soon.

The only problem is that no one is replacing them.

Since trees offer so many benefits to a community, like reducing pollution, raising commercial and private property values, improving health, reducing summer energy costs and preventing flooding, Malik said it was important to him to replace the dying trees.

Although there were other tree tender groups in the Northeast at the time, like Holmesburg Tree Tenders, and the Tacony Tree Tenders, these groups only covered a small area. Malik filled the void by starting a group that covered the entire Northeast.

Encompassing 11 zip codes, The Northeast Tree Tenders covers more area than any of the other 41 tree tender groups throughout Philadelphia.

The group has planted more than 300 trees since 2008. At this year’ s spring planting alone, the Tree Tenders planted 50 trees over seven different zip codes. continue reading »

The Autumn Brilliance Serviceberry is one of six trees available as part of the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society's Tree in Every Yard program.

More trees are blooming in Northeast Philadelphia neighborhoods this spring, thanks to the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society’s new Tree in Every Yard program.

The program, which allows homeowners living in the zip codes 19114 and 19115 to apply for up to two free trees for their yards, is part of the larger Plant One Million project- a public/private initiative to increase the tree canopy cover in the Greater Philadelphia region by planting one million trees. continue reading »

All is quiet on the 400-block of East Cheltenham Avenue just days after a dogfighting ring was broken up.

Sheryle Nash said she never knew her family lived near a basement stained with dog blood.

“The neighborhood is already messed up,” Nash said. “I didn’t know people ever [held dogfights] around here.”

Police and Pennsylvania SPCA officers arrested two people Wednesday evening from a house on the 400-block of East Cheltenham Avenue. Animal protection officers seized eight dogs and equipment they said were used for fighting and training, including a treadmill. continue reading »

Photo by Stephen Zook for NEast Philly

It looks like the Mayfair Memorial Playground is finally being rebuilt.

The playground in front of Lincoln High School on Ryan Avenue was torn down three years ago after a little girl fell and was injured. The School District of Philadelphia was originally only supposed to replace the poor matting blamed on the fall, but ended up ripping the whole thing out, said Joe DeFelice, president of the Mayfair Civic Association. continue reading »

The Philadelphia City Planning Commission is proposing a new subway station near the corner of Bustleton Avenue and Robbins Street, along Roosevelt Boulevard. The station would be a subway and elevated line station connected to the Broad Street line’s express tracks.

The proposal, published in a city-wide blueprint for 2035, describes the Northeast as one of the least connected regions by public transit.

Read the rest on Philadelphia Neighborhoods.

Matt Morgan 12, plays at Reale's on Frankford Avenue once a month.

Check out the video below of some talented Northeast musicians who spend their weekends playing in local bars and get publicity from the entertainment magazine Out on the Town. continue reading »

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.

Change is relative. That seemed to be the message from long-time locals living and working near Frankford Avenue in Mayfair.

The heart of Mayfair, Frankford Avenue has certainly gained a few nail salons and lost a few retail outlets over the years, but not all locals believe these changes to be monumental — or even for the worse.

“People have all these memories of Mayfair as a golden age. It hasn’t really changed that much,” said Mike “Scoats” Scotese, president of the Mayfair Business Association and owner of Frankford Avenue’s Grey Lodge (as well as Fox Chase’s Hop Angel Brauhaus).

Joe Veneziale disagreed. “There’s no retail on the street anymore,” said the owner of Giggles Gifts. “Thirty, 35, 40 years ago, there was nothing but retail stores on the avenue. You could get anything you wanted.”
continue reading »