The Rhawnhurst NORC recently worked with the Hunger Coalition to distribute assistance information to those who need it. Photo/Shanice Richardson

Northeast Philadelphia has many different programs that help members of the community in different ways. T

wo programs that are relatively new to the area are Heart to Heart, run through the Klein JCC in Somerton, and the Rhawnhurst Naturally Occurring Retirement Community. Both programs are designed to help families that may be in the “fringes of society” in one way or another. continue reading »

Q: I really want to buy a home in the Northeast but the absolute most I can afford is $100,000. I really don’t want a fixer-upper or anything that “needs TLC.” What can I get for that price and where should I be looking?

A:  In the Multiple Listing Service Trend, there are 268 homes listed for sale today in Northeast Philadelphia for $100,000 and under. Out of those homes, there are 116 active listings that are noted as “Average +” 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 »

Attack Mode Boxing cofounder and coach Lonnie Haile, left, with fighter Kieran Hooks. Photo/Raymond Boyd

Lawncrest-based Attack Mode Boxing  sent two fighters to compete Saturday at the Pennsylvania Golden Glove Regional Championships. The event was held at Derby Ink Gardens at 820 Spring Garden St. The two boxers who represented the Lawncrest based gym were Kieran “The Hitman” Hooks, 18, and Marquis Dacres, 25.

Hooks competed in the 152 lb weight class and Dacres was in the 200-plus weight class. They each defeated their opponents from Allentown in three rounds, and advanced to the Pennsylvania Golden Gloves State Championships in Reading on April 27. continue reading »

Castor Gardens residents cleaned up Max Myers Rec Center during the 2012 Philly Spring Cleanup. Photo/Michelle Alton

Is there a spot in your neighborhood that needs cleaning?

For those looking to volunteer, the Philly Spring Cleanup website has the full list of sites for the annual citywide clean-up event.

All cleanups scheduled for Northeast Philadelphia will be posted here, below. The clean-up day is April 13. continue reading »

These men are wanted in connection with bank robberies in Fox Chase and Rhawnhurst. Images/Philadelphia Police

Police in the 7th and 2nd districts are looking for the suspects in two separate robberies.

The first took place March 13 at the Trumark Financial credit union located at 7306 Castor Ave. around 7:30 p.m. A suspect fled with an undetermined amount of cash after handing the teller a demand note. continue reading »

Bank robbery suspect. Surveillance image/Philadelphia Police

Philadelphia Police and the FBI are on the hunt for a man suspected of robbing two Northeast banks March 20.

At 10:08 a.m., a man entered the Bank of America at 6425 Rising Sun Ave. and gave the teller a threatening note. He fled without cash, but at 10:43 a.m., entered the Citizens Bank at 7327 Frankford Ave. and was able to get an undisclosed amount of cash. He fled south on Frankford Avenue. continue reading »

What does the market look like so far this year in my neighborhood? I live in 19111, Fox Chase. I am thinking of downsizing from my fair-sized single to a twin in the same neighborhood so I can still live here, but eliminate my mortgage payment. I want to buy a cheap twin and sell my single for the most money possible. Can you give me the low-down?

Fox Chase is a neighborhood with a variety of housing options. There are singles, twins, duplexes, and apartments. I can report there are 47 houses currently for sale in Fox Chase – all singles and twins – ranging from $75,000 to $300,000, with the average sale price of $199,895. continue reading »

Community Planner Ian Litwin shows Frankford resident Doris Booker some improvements the Planning Commission envisions for the neighborhood. Photo/Tiffany Goforth

In 1961, Jane Jacobs wrote The Death and Life of Great American Cities, in which she proposed supporting neighborhoods’ use of community-based initiatives.

Fast-forward 50 years, and urban planners are taking her observations into serious consideration, as evidenced by the city’s comprehensive plan,  Philadelphia2035, to play up individual neighborhoods’ strengths and improve upon their obstacles to connectivity and access.

Within the next few years, the planning commission will complete 18 district plans, which will incorporate many of the themes and objectives found in the overall citywide plan.

Currently, only three of the 18 plans have been adopted. The most recent being the Lower Northeast District Plan, which includes Frankford, Northwood, Summerdale, Lawncrest and Oxford Circle.

Saturday, Lower Northeast District Plan Project Manager Ian Litwin, other consultants and city employees held a community visioning workshop at Aria Health-Frankford to discuss ways to make Frankford, a major transit hub, more accessible. continue reading »

At Weavers Way Co-op in Mt. Airy, chicken owners can buy food and get advice on their coop. Photo/Philadelphia Neighborhoods

This story is the first of two about backyard chickens in Philadelphia and the effort to legalize them. It’s done in partnership with Philadelphia Neighborhoods and NewsWorks. Read part one here.

Members of the Philadelphia Backyard Chickens group met last weekend at the Weavers Way Co-op Community Building at 559 Carpenter Lane in Mt. Airy to discuss ways to get their voices heard and have the law amended so that chickens will be removed from the city’s definition of farm animals.

Resident and agricultural teacher Diane Dunning said she thinks that education about the issue is imperative to making any progress in making it legal for residents to keep chickens in their backyards.. She said she feels that there are positives that could come out of legalizing chickens. continue reading »