The new southbound I-95 ramp in Tacony will be at Longshore Avenue and State Road.

Pay extra attention on your drive today, because there’s a new southbound I-95 ramp in Tacony.

The switch will take place mid-day, weather depending.

Instead of getting on the southbound ramp at Princeton Avenue, you’ll now use the ramp on Longshore Avenue off State Road. It’s part of the plan to make Princeton Avenue a two-way residential street. continue reading »

UPDATE — At the Sept. 13 Holmesburg Civic Association meeting, the vote for the new bylaws, which included the expansion of the boundaries, was approved by the voting membership.  The vote was unanimous.

Following a meeting between the Holmesburg and Mayfair civic association boards, the two groups have decided the HCA will expand its coverage to include the area east of Frankford Avenue to the Delaware River between Sheffield Street and Cottman Avenue.

This area was previously not covered by any community organization. The HCA’s executive board has been revising its bylaws to incorporate the extra blocks, and those bylaws will be voted on by members in September. continue reading »

Officers in the 15th District were busy yesterday with two evening crimes in Mayfair and Frankford.

At 6 p.m. officers responded to a robbery report at the First Republic Bank at Frankford at Cottman. Authorities are looking for a white male about 5’8″ with a thin build who was wearing a plaid shirt. The suspect reportedly handed a teller a demand note and fled on foot with $1,500. continue reading »

Three men were arrested Thursday after robbing a bank on the 2200-block of Cottman Avenue near Horrocks Street.

According to reports, the men donned masks to rob a PNC branch around 1 p.m., and fled with the money. Police chased the suspects and arrested them about 10 minutes later on the 7200-block of Oakland Street.

The money and at least one gun were recovered.

Cottman-Princeton interchange plans courtesy of PennDOT.

State Sen. Mike Stack and Rep. Mike McGeehan announced Wednesday that the two westbound lanes of Cottman Avenue were opened as part of the ongoing project to improve the Cottman/Princeton interchange of Interstate 95 in Northeast Philadelphia.

“This is good news as the unofficial start of summer begins,” Stack said. “This latest phase of the project will help improve the flow of traffic, especially during rush hour and on the weekends when folks are out and about.” continue reading »

What’s wrong with this description: “K-mart on Roosevelt Boulevard near Welsh Road”?

It’s how the Philadelphia Inquirer and Action News described a K-mart where a man robbed the jewelry counter with his daughter in tow. Except, there’s no K-mart on the Boulevard near Welsh Road. continue reading »

Hugh Campbell, a 45-year-resident of Burholme, thanked Matt Taubenberger for sweeping up trash Saturday.

Campbell said he can’t shop at the stores on Castor Avenue because there is too much trash.

“It’s good to see a couple of young fellas cleaning up,” Campbell said. “I’m a product of New York City and left because it was so filthy.”

Taubenberger and a group of college students took part in Philadelphia’s spring cleanup by packing mulch into the street trees and sweeping the sidewalks on Burholme’s end of Rising Sun Avenue. Councilwoman Marian Tasco joined volunteers on the Lawncrest end of the street.

“One of the things that I really hate and see all the time is people throwing their trash right on the ground,” said Taubenberger, who plays an active role in the neighborhood as part of the Business Association. “I think when people walk by and see us cleaning up they realize how hard it is to keep the street clean and they try not to litter.” continue reading »

This is part of ongoing coverage in “District 172: The Politics of Change after State Rep. John Perzel,” a collaborative effort with Philadelphia Neighborhoods funded by J-Lab.

Kevin Boyle has made a conference room out of John Perzel’s closet.

The young freshman state representative from the 172nd district in the Northeast beat out the indicted former state Speaker of the House last fall and is settling in his first year of elected office. It’s just a matter of form that his constituent services are taking place in the same Frankford Avenue storefront that Perzel held dominion for a portion of his 32-year career. (Boyle is a Democrat; Perzel a Republican).

“We just needed another place to get work done,” Boyle told NEast Philly during an interview last month, standing in the small, undecorated, white room with a table and four chairs. Boyle’s chief of staff Seth Kaplan says the conference room was formerly a closet when Perzel had offices there.

continue reading »

Friday — Two women in their early 20s died Friday morning in a single-car crash in Somerton. Melissa Lees, 22, of the 800-block of Barlow Street; and Caitlin Hennessey, 23, died when their vehicle lost control at Byberry and Worthington Roads around 2 a.m. The 20-year-old driver of the car suffered non-life-threatening injuries and faces DUI charges. continue reading »

FRIDAY — One person died in a Summerdale fire early Friday morning. Crews spent an hour extinguishing the blaze on the 4700-block of Roosevelt Boulevard, and discovered a man’s body inside after the smoke and flames had been put out. continue reading »