City and school district officials have  reached an agreement to keep gyms and theaters in public schools open on afternoons and weekends. Cost-cutting plans announced amid the district’s $61 million shortfall included closing the facilities at the end of the school day.

Forty-eight schools will keep their extra-curricular doors open after hours through Saturday, March 17, according to Thursday’s announcement from the city. Twenty-five of those schools are in the Northeast: continue reading »

St. Hubert's students rallied outside the school in January a week after being told their school could close. Photo/Michelle Alton

Philadelphia’s arena football team has pledged to help St. Hubert’s high school stay open, but it will require work on the school’s part.

The campaign to help the all-girls school requires the St. Hubert’s community to purchase as many as 5,000 Philadelphia Soul tickets in exchange for a $100,000 donation to the school.

That’s the high end of the spectrum. If 1,000 tickets are purchased, the school will get $15,000. For 2,500 ticket sales, St. Hubert’s will receive $40,000. The math breaks down to $15 of each ticket being put back into the school, as Chicke’s and Pete’s owner and Soul co-owner Pete Ciarrocchi explained in the press announcement yesterday. Tickets must be purchased by Feb. 15. continue reading »

Al Taubenberger at the Greater Northeast Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce. File Photo/Morgan Zalot

Editor’s Note: This post has been updated with comments from incumbent Pa. Rep. Kevin Boyle, D-172nd).

State Rep. Kevin Boyle has already announced his re-election bid for the 172nd Legislative District.

And if Al Taubenberger accepts the endorsement the Republican City Committee has offered, the two will square off in the general election.

Taubenberger, of Burholme, told NEast Philly today he’s still considering the endorsement and weighing whether he’ll run. We spoke with him after the Public Record reported he’d already decided to enter the race. continue reading »

At a February 2011 meeting, Upper Holmesburg residents review neighborhood plans. Civic Association member Paul DeFinis (not pictured) is a graduate of the Citizens Planning Institute. File Photo/Shannon McDonald

Philadelphia has a relatively new citywide comprehensive plan, Phila2035, and a new zoning code. To help residents better understand both and put their lessons to use in their neighborhoods, the City Planning Commission introduced its Citizens Planning Institute.

Thirty people graduated from the program recently, bringing the total number of citizen planners to 89 since the courses began last Fall. PlanPhilly has a list of the most recent graduates. Most hail from parts of South, West and Southwest Philadelphia, with a few North Philadelphia residents sprinkled in. None of the 3o new members is from the Northeast. continue reading »

Ryerss Museum and Library, the Fox Chase Reading Series venue. Photo/G. E. Reutter

The Fox Chase Reading series kicked off the winter/spring season with a reading at Ryerss Museum and Library featuring poets Mike Cohen and Anthony Buccino. The series continues until the summer break with a reading each month at Ryerss.

“We are offering a group of diverse poets many who have appeared in magazines nationally and internationally,” said G Emil Reutter, who assists in coordinating the series and contributes to NEast Philly.

Poets Nathalie Anderson and Teresa Leo will appear on February 26th followed by Marie- Elizabeth Mali and Dilruba Ahmed on March 25.

Diane Sahms-Guarnieri the poetry editor of The Fox Chase Review added, “We are celebrating National Poetry Month on April 29 with a special event in memory of Northeast Philadelphia Poet and former Father Judge Teacher Louis McKee.” continue reading »

Friday – Police are investigating the circumstances that led to a Wissinoming man being fatally stabbed inside his home. The 50-year-old was found dead around 11:30 Friday night on the 6200-block of Cottage Street. No further details have been released.

Saturday – A three-car crash left three people injured Saturday nigh in Lawncrest. continue reading »

Mike "Scoats" Scotese, owner of the Grey Lodge Pub and Hop Angel Brauhaus, kicks off 2011 Philly Beer Week with the Hammer of Glory. Photo/Gina Benigno

Well-known in the Northeast, well-explored by Philadelphia’s beer drinkers, and  once recognized by Esquire as one of the best places to drink in the country, the Grey Lodge Pub has made it onto another national list.

Draft Magazine tallied up the 100 best beer bars in the country, broken down by geographic region. Philadelphia has six of the Northeast U.S. bars worth visiting, and one happens to be Mayfair’s own Grey Lodge. Owner Mike “Scoats” Scotese is a Mayfair Business Association member and also owns Fox Chase’s Hop Angel Brauhaus. continue reading »

Former 15th District Police Office Kenneth Crockett has been sentenced to probation after being convicted in October of stealing from Pat’s Cafe in Northwood.

Crockett was charged in July with stealing $825 from the bar following a police investigation. The Walton Park resident and two other officers were at the bar after an unfounded burglary call nearby. The other officers were cleared. continue reading »

Sen. Mike Stack (podium) talks about the need for long-term transportation infrastructure funding. He was joined Wednesday by (left to right) Rep. Mike McGeehan; Dr. Dick Voith, the senior vice president and principal of Econsult Corp; and Craig Hoogstraten of Anderson Construction. Photo/Office of Sen. Mike Stack

“Our transportation system is falling apart right under our tires,” Pa. Sen. Mike Stack said yesterday.

He joined Pa. Rep. Mike McGeehan and transportation officials at Holmesburg Junction Station to call for  funding for Pennsylvania’s distressed transit system.

By their count, more than 1 million people used SEPTA to get around last year.  continue reading »

Meetings will be held this month at Northeast and Lincoln high schools to review the criteria for the new superintendent of the Philadelphia School District. Image/Google Maps

Two meetings have been scheduled in the Northeast this month to discuss the search for the new superintendent of the School District of Philadelphia.

Former superintendent Arlene Ackerman was bought out last year following months of internal conflict and accusations, and her second-in-command, Leroy Nunnery, was named interim superintendent. continue reading »