Lawncrest dog owner Kris Cheung (right) takes her dog to the unofficial dog park in Lawncrest. Photo/Maryline Dossou

This is the second in a two-part series about how youth organizations interact with city and private agencies. Read Part One here.

On Apr. 25, the residents of Lawncrest assembled at a community meeting to discuss an ongoing issue affecting both the youth athletics and local dog owners. For the past three years, neighborhood athletic association’s little league team and the dog owners have been using the same baseball field at the Lawncrest Recreation Center for very different reasons.

The problem began when participation in youth sports within the athletic association started dwindling, leading to the eventual disintegration of the AA approximately 10 years ago. Since then, dog owners took to entering the gated field and letting their dogs run around. Over time, the space became an unofficial dog park.

Once the AA started back up again three years ago, dog owners were faced with having to find a new place to walk their dogs, but they continued using the field. In late 2011, the children started using the field again, causing concern among parents. Lawncrest parents Brad and Crystal El have been outspoken in their advocacy for the dog park for the safety of the children. continue reading »

“It happened in the Bustleton section of the city.”

No, it didn’t.

NBC10 was on the 2800-block of Grant Avenue yesterday for a school bus crash. If you’ve never been to that part of Grant Avenue, it’s that non-resident stretch around Ashton Road  and its biggest claim to fame is the Northeast Airport. continue reading »

A suspect is seen climbing a homeowner's fence to break into a Bustleton property. Image/Philadelphia Police

A surveillance camera and burglary alarm may prove helpful to the 7th District Police as the officers look for the suspects wanted in connection with a break-in Monday.

Two males were seen on video scaling a privacy fence in the back of a home on the 9200-block of Masland Street in Bustleton around 6 p.m. Monday. But when the burglary alarm went off when they broke through the door, both suspects fled. continue reading »

NEast Links: Bringing you additional Northeast news

A 15-month-old child is recovering after falling from an apartment complex window Thursday. The toddler fell from a third-floor window on the 2300- block of Tremont Street and landed in a flower bed, ultimately being taken to Aria Health-Torresdale in good condition [Action News].

A police officers sustained minor injuries Monday night when he became pinned between two cars during an accident on the 1700-block of Cottman Avenue. The officer was treated at Jeanes Hospital and authorities are investigating the incident [Philly.com].

Two other officers were taken to the hospital Tuesday morning when their van flipped during a crash with another vehicle around 8:30 in Wissinoming. It’s not clear what caused the crash, which also sent two civilians to the hospital [CBS3].

A Mayfair Town Watch member had his tires slashed this morning on the 4000-block of Aldine Street. This latest incident is one in a string that’d damaged more than 30 cars [CBS3].

Q: I tried to sell my condo in Bustleton and I signed an agreement of sale on it, but the sale never went through. I was told it is because I am “not FHA approved.” What does that even mean?

A: It means your buyer was approved for an FHA loan but your condominium does not meet FHA requirements. If your condominium complex is not approved by the Federal Housing Authority, homebuyers will be unable to use an FHA loan to secure financing for your unit. continue reading »

Jay Lipschutz delivers meals for Klein JCC's Home Delivered Meals program in October 2010. File photo/Gail Austin

Klein JCC of Bustleton is receiving more attention for its Meals on Wheels program.

The community center has been awarded $5,000 from the Meals on Wheels Association of America for its participation in Subaru’s “Share the Love” program. From Nov. 19 to Jan, 3, 48 MOW programs around the country recruited Subaru dealership employees to volunteer delivery and community services.

“We are so excited to create this new partnership with Subaru,” Klein JCC President and CEO Andrew Krug said in a news release. continue reading »

Laura Rubenstein and her fourth-grade classmates at Anne Frank School use Skype to chat with Astronaut Tim and learn about space. Lindsay Lazarski/NewsWorks

At first, Astronaut Tim is little more than a floating head appearing on a computer monitor.

“So, I’m here, in the International Space Station,” he says.

A class of fourth-graders at Anne Frank Elementary School in Bustleton were talking with Astronaut Tim via Skype. When he backs away from his webcam, he appears to be floating in midair, kicking his legs beneath him.

Every time, it’s a “wow” moment.

Astronaut Tim, aka Tim Belknap, is not really an astronaut, and he’s not really in space. He’s in the Tyler School of Art gallery at Temple University. The artist, who specializes in kinetic sculpture, built a mock space pod without a fourth wall. A steel armature suspends his 240-pound frame, held aloft by cables hooked into a customized harness he wears under a jumpsuit. continue reading »

Klein JCC's Lisa Sandler accepts a citation from Seth Kaplan, chief of staff for Rep. Kevin Boyle. Photo/Klein JCC

Brothers Brendan, D-170th, and Kevin Boyle, D-172nd, have had a busy week in the Pennsylvania House. Amid the daily goings-on, they separately recognized a deceased Navy SEAL and a local meal delivery program.

Monday, Brendan Boyle authored a resolution that was passed by the House to honor fallen Navy SEAL Michael Strange. Strange, a Northeast resident, died in a helicopter crash in Afghanistan in August.

“[Strange] was a dedicated and valiant soldier who remains one of the City of Philadelphia’s hometown heroes,” Boyle said.  continue reading »

Capt. Joseph Zaffino of the 7th Police District issued a burglary notice Wednesday for residents on the 9800-block of Cowden Street and surrounding blocks in Bustleton.

“Be advised that there was a burglary on the 9800-block of Cowden Street during this past weekend. From talking to a witness, there was a 6-foot tall, white male — dark, short leather jacket, a hoodie sweat jacket, with the hoodie over his head — seen in the area just prior to the burglary.

continue reading »

Norman and Colleen Millan help to fill the pantry at the Klein JCC in Bustleton in October 2010. Photo by Tom Rowan Jr.

Walmart is spending 12 days giving away money to nonprofits around the nation. Of the 12 organizations sharing the $120,000 in funding announced Thursday, two are based in Philadelphia (and happen to be the only two in the state to receive funding in the 11th day of giveaways), and one of them is in our own backyard.

Klein JCC of Bustleton was awarded $10,000 in Walmart’s “12 Days of Giving” Facebook campaign. Nonprofits that provide food, shelter, clothes, financial aid and a welcoming environment to their communities applied for the $10,000 grants, which were then reviewed by a Walmart Foundation panel.

“Klein JCC is proud to be one of only 12 agencies chosen to receive the Walmart 12 Days of Giving Award,” the organization’s CEO and President Andrew Krug said. continue reading »