Short dumping in industrial areas of Holmesburg and Tacony has community leaders worried about quality of life issues and fires. Photo/Steven Mitchell

This is the second in a two-part series about quality of life issues in Tacony and Holmesburg, and the neighborhoods’ approach to growing stronger together. You can read the first part here.

Short dumping is a problem all over Philadelphia, and in some Northeast neighborhoods, the issue is weighing down the community.

Short dumping is the illegal act of disposing trash and debris on a street or vacant lot. Industrial areas — like those along Torresdale Avenue and State Road in Holmesburg and Tacony — tend to be dark at night, which allows for people to come and dump their trash and other items in this area.

The railroad tracks at James Street and Bleigh Avenue is a particular hotspot for short dumping. There, you’ll see trash and other debris, as well as abandoned tires. continue reading »

Tacony business owner Mark Whited is part of the community effort to revitalize the Torresdale Avenue business corridor. Photo/Raymond Boyd

This is the first in a two-part series about quality of life issues in Tacony and Holmesburg, and the neighborhoods’ approach to growing stronger together.

With similar missions but different approaches, Tacony and Holmesburg are seeking a better future for their residents. Tacony is taking a business-first approach, while Holmesburg is looking to take advantage of its history.

Both neighborhoods understand that they must work in collaboration to make their goals a reality as they try to stand as pillars of Northeast Philadelphia. continue reading »

“Imagining Frankford” muralist Cesar Viveros shows the technics of painting a mural. Photo/Tiffany Goforth

Picture a neighborhood, revitalized and colorful. Picture a neighborhood that highlights its past, while looking toward the future. And picture a neighborhood that makes use of its barren landscapes as canvases.

For Councilwoman Maria Quinones-Sanchez, D-7th, this image of a revitalized and bustling neighborhood was at the forefront of a project she helped to initiate a few years ago. Imagining Frankford, a two-year project consisting of a collection of murals along the Frankford Avenue corridor, was a vision to help inform the residents of Frankford about the neighborhood’s past.

Imagining Frankford is a collaborative project between the Frankford community and the city’s Mural Arts Program. And as Netanel Portier said, Sanchez wanted to bring the Mural Arts Program to the Frankford corridor as a part of the other corridor revitalization initiatives in the neighborhood. continue reading »

A 5k through Tookany Creek Park promoted healthy lifestyles and celebrated a new trail. Photo/Tiffany Goforth

Saturday marked a continuation of a developing initiative, occurring all throughout the United States, of promoting healthier lifestyles. Residents of Northeast Philadelphia were invited to the inaugural Healthy Trails 5K run/walk in the Tookany/Tacony Creek Park to enjoy a fun-filled day with friends and community members.

The run was used as a platform to mark the dedication of a new urban trail that links the Philadelphia park system together.

The event, which was sponsored by the Philadelphia Water Department, the Scattergood Foundation, Philadelphia Parks and Recreation, Friends Hospital, the Fairmount Park Conservancy and the Tookany/Tacony-Frankford Watershed Partnership, drew residents from all age groups out to see what the new trail had to offer. continue reading »

NewsWorks Photo/Bas Slabbers

By Alaina Mabaso for NewsWorks

This week, Philadelphia Parks and Recreation confirmed that Northwest Philadelphia residents opposed to a treetop adventure course in Wissahickon Valley Park may have gotten their wish, at least for now.

According to a Thursday statement, Parks and Rec “is deferring further public action and discussion regarding the Tree Top Adventure course in the Wissahickon Valley to conduct an internal re-evaluation of the concept.” continue reading »

Philadelphia City Council held a public budget hearing April 29 at Lincoln High School. Photo/Shannon McDonald

With the exception of one outburst from the audience early on about Philadelphia City Council members not listening closely enough to public testimony, Monday night’s city budget hearing at Lincoln High School was otherwise calm. Raised voices were saved mostly for support for those pleading with Council for better services and more funding.

The meeting, one of a handful around the city designed to bring public budget testimony to those who can’t make it to Council chambers on a weekday afternoon, was led by Council President Darrell Clarke, D-5th. He was joined by Republican Councilmen at-large Denny O’Brien and David Oh, Councilmen Bobby Henon, D-6th; and Mark Squilla, D-1st; and Councilwoman Cindy Bass, D-8th. All but Clarke are first-term council members. continue reading »

Major League Bocce, already in other parts of Philadelphia, will base its Northeast teams in Somerton. Photo/Ryan McDonald

Can an organization based on making friends and providing a means for people to have fun after a hard day at work be philanthropic? For Sarah DeLucas, president of Major League Bocce, the answer is yes. DeLucas said giving back to the community was something she wanted to do when her and her friends developed the league back in 2004.

The league began in Washington, D.C. and spread to Maryland before making its way to Philadelphia. After a couple years in other parts of the city, Major League Bocce is coming to the Northeast in May, and will be based in Somerton continue reading »

By Elizabeth Fiedler and Holly Otterbein for NewsWorks

Philadelphia has been getting a lot of attention lately for doing a lousy job of collecting the more than half-billion dollars it’s owed in property-tax bills. Critics say delinquents don’t just rob the city of much-needed money; they also depress market values and hurt neighborhoods.

So which areas are being harmed the most from tax deadbeats, and how can City Council help? continue reading »

For the second time in four years, a Rhawnhurst family whose religion shuns traditional medicine has allowed an infant son to pass away.

Now, many are wondering if state or local officials could have acted to prevent further tragedy. continue reading »

From plants to baked goods to balloon animals for the kids, the Mayfair Farmers Market debuted with something for everyone. Photo/Raymond Boyd

Earlier this month, the Mayfair Community Development Corporation and the Allegheny Iron and Metal Corporation struck a deal to revitalize Mayfair. The partnership was reached under Philadelphia’s CDC Tax Credit Program and will allow the Mayfair CDC to receive $85,000 annually from Allegheny for the next 10 years.

Sunday, the deal was announced to the public. The announcement kicked off the debut of the  Mayfair Farmers Market, which will take place several times throughout the year. continue reading »