Pa. Sen. Mike Stack (left) and Rep. Brendan Boyle at the Benjamin Rush State Park improvement project groundbreaking. Photo/Office of Sen. Mike Stack and Rep. Brendan Boyle

Pa. Sen. Mike Stack and Rep. Brendan Boyle joined the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Monday to break ground on the much-anticipated improvement project at Benjamin Rush State Park, the city’s only state park.

Renovation plans include a new entrance drive and sign on Southampton Road; new parking spaces for the gardens, the model airplane field, and walkers and bikers; a bicycle and pedestrian trail; hose ribs for the gardeners; a water and sewer system; and a comfort station.  continue reading »

Plaques honoring the five new Hall of Fame members line a wall in Holy Family’s Education & Technology Center. Photo/Shannon McDonald

More than 200 people opted to spend a sunny Sunday indoors for what, for many, was an emotional Northeast Philadelphia Hall of Fame induction ceremony.

“The average Philadelphian probably doesn’t think of ‘Northeast Philadelphia’ and ‘history’ in the same sentence,” Hall of Fame project director Jack McCarthy said as he took the microphone inside Holy Family University’s Education and Technology Center.

Since 2009, that’s what the Hall of Fame ceremonies have aimed to do – get people thinking about the Northeast’s history and how its major players have impacted not just the region, but the city, and even beyond the country. Some of the 2012 inductees have had a global impact. continue reading »

Jay Lipschutz delivers meals to seniors in need as part of an outreach program at JCC Klein.

The Meals on Wheels program at the Klein JCC in Bustleton delivers nearly 50,000 meals a year, but expects that number to grow over the next few years.

“In a lot of cases it starts out where they need meals, and then we find they don’t have bathroom equipment, or they don’t have a doorbell that works, or they don’t have something else in their home that they may need,” explains Nina Cohen, director of Emergency Food & Home Delivered Meals at Klein.

As a result, Cohen says, these drivers often end up doing more than just delivering meals.

Jay Lipschutz has been a volunteer driver for the past four years. continue reading »

Photo by Christopher Wink.

For the second year in a row, Northeast residents came together to reflect on history, celebrate progress and embrace the future.

The second annual Northeast Philadelphia Hall of Fame honored five new members yesterday at an induction ceremony at Holy Family University.

“It’s always a pleasure to reflect on individuals or groups — living or dead — who ebody the spirit of Northeast Philadelphia,” said Sr. Francesca Onley, president of Holy Family. continue reading »

Northeast Philadelphia held its second annual Northeast Philadelphia History Faire yesterday.  The event featured about a dozen historical organizations. These included Friends of Lower Dublin Academy, the Historical Society of Tacony, the Historical Society of Frankford, Byberry Friends Meeting House, a table for the Poquessing Creek Watershed, the Delaware Valley Civil War Round Table and tables for Kensington and Torresdale, plus more.

The event, which featured a live folk band and a table for food, was once again held at Holy Family University’s Campus Center. continue reading »

Residents from all over the Northeast attended the Burholme community meeting to learn about the Northeast's history. Photo by Christopher Wink.

The promise of Northeast Philadelphia historian Dr. Harry Silcox drew even larger crowd than usual to last night’s meeting of the Burholme Civic Association and Burholme Town Watch.

About 100 people showed up – more than the group of 65 for a similar presentation in Tacony, and more than a past Burholme meeting the mayor attended. President Al Taubenberger called the meeting to order as folks set up more chairs and pressed themselves against walls to hear Silcox discuss the history of Burholme and other parts of the Northeast.

Keep reading for Northeast trivia and a video. continue reading »

Here’s a summary of the week’s Northeast news we didn’t cover. See others here.

Tony Danza started his English-teaching gig at Northeast High on Tuesday. He’s filming Teach, an A&E reality show, at the school. Danza is not certified to teach, but does have a degree in history education. You can hear about his experience on his blog.

Keep reading for a new AT&T High Tech Store, new high school buildings, and more. continue reading »

Q: My 63-year old mother has lived in her Lawncrest home for almost 40 years. It’s a big house she doesn’t need, plus she’s all alone there and is practically a shut-in since my father died in 2007. My husband and I live in Horsham now and I would really like to see her move to a senior community, like the Arbors, to get more active but she is scared. What can I do?

A: Buying a home in a 55+ community is not just a move for your mother, but a lifestyle change as well. Westrum developers are building The Arbors at Eagle Point, a community for people age 55 and over, on the site of the old Byberry hospital in the Far Northeast. It is a gated community with amenities like a clubhouse, fitness facility and pool. continue reading »

Police responded to an aggravated assualt at the intersection of Academy Road and Nanton Drive on 11:30 p.m. Dec. 15.