As of March 2011, the Philadelphia crime rate has increased compared to what it was in March of last year. Many organizations like the recently opened BE Arts Academy on Broad Street, have been aiming to get the kids off the streets and into a safe environment. The Holmesburg Boys Club has been quietly doing this for the past 50 years.

The large white brick building at Lansing and Ditman streets houses a full basketball court that doubles indoor hockey rink with boards and glass.  Unlike many other boys and girls clubs in Philadelphia, Holmesburg is entirely owned and operated by volunteers.

“We pay our own bills. We pay our own utilities,” says Matthew Mullins, the political liaison for the club. “This is a privately owned arena.” continue reading »

Police in the 15th and 8th Districts have reported abduction attempts involving male and female offenders. continue reading »

A man was wounded yesterday afternoon following a shooting in Wissinoming.

The victim, whose name has not been released, was shot in the chest around 5 p.m. on the 5700-block of Ditman Street. He was transported to Aria Health-Torresdale. His condition is unknown, and no arrests have been made.

Upper Holmesburg residents have been waiting for the demolition of Liddonfield for five years. The civic association has worked with police, politicians and the Public Housing Authority over the years when problems have cropped up, and recently established its own committee to oversee the demolition and transition process.

And though the announcement at last night’s meeting of the impending demolition  from Richard Zappile, chief of police for PHA was music to residents’ ears, those who’ve been fighting Liddonfield for the last five years want to make sure the new homes aren’t host to the same problems.

“The community is a large part of this,” said Zappile that PHA homes often raise neighborhood property values because of their innovative design and clean appearance. continue reading »

The futures of two large neighborhood institutions were discussed at Thursday’s Frankford Civic Association meeting.

First, the now vacant Salvation Army building, on Frankford Avenue near Unity Street, is up for sale, recycling residents’ fear over recovery homes that have beleaguered Frankford for years. Second, the latest chapter in the harried sale of the Frankford Y was announced, including a sale date that passed without action.

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A Saturday afternoon shooting in Germantown resulted in the death of  Holmesburg man.

Parrish Holmes, 39, of the 8000-block of Ditman Street, was shot shortly afternoon on Saturday on the 800-block of East Woodlawn Avenue. He was pronounced dead at Einstein Medical Center around 1 p.m. No further details have been released.

The end of a Wissinoming rapist's vehicle flee. Photo courtesy of Action News.

UPDATE – Jose Miranda was arrested in his home at G and Westmoreland streets in Kensington, and has been charged with indecent assault, aggravated assault and related offenses.

A man suspected of raping a Wissinoming woman is also being sought for crashing his vehicle into eight cars.

A woman on the 5800-block of Ditman Street reported to the police around 6:30 yesterday morning that she been raped. Police said the suspect fled the scene, hitting eight cars on the 6100-block of Hegerman Street as he drove away, then continued fleeing on foot. continue reading »

An infant was found late this morning with broken bones and other bodily injuries.

The 5-week-old boy was recovered from a home on the 6300-block of Ditman Street. Police say the child has bruises all over his face in addition to a fractured right femur and broken ribs. His parents are being questioned while the baby remains in critical condition at St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children.

UPDATE: The infant is still alive and remains in critical condition. No charges have been filed yet, but police are still investigating the boy’s parents.

UPDATE: The infant’s parents, Aimee Davis and George Djukanovic, both 20, were arrested Friday morning, Oct. 16,  in their home on the 6300-block of Ditman Street. Davis’ 2-year-old daughter has been removed from the home, while Davis also awaits trial for allegedly beating the toddler in April. Jaden, who was 5 weeks old at the time of his injuries, remains in the hospital.

Two Northeast Philadelphians received guilty verdicts this week for separate crimes they committed earlier this year.

Traci Young was found guilty of being part of a mother-daughter prostitution ring. The 39-year-old and her 22-year-old daughter were accused of advertising acts of prostitution on Craigslist. They were arrested in October when they arranged a meeting with an undercover police officer at the home they rented on the 6100-block of Ditman Street. Young pleaded guilty in April.

An Oxford Circle teen was found guilty Friday of third degree murder. Marcquis Walker-Williams was convicted in the July 2007 attack on 69-year-old Kwok Wai-Ho, who suffered severe head injuries when the teen pushed him. Sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 16, and Walker-Williams could received 20-40 years in prison.

Pennsylvania recently released its list of Persistently Dangerous Schools for the 2009-2010 school year, and the top 25 are all in Philadelphia. Of those 25, five are in the Northeast.

A school is defined as persistently dangerous if it meets any of the following criteria for this year and one of the two previous years: at least five dangerous incidents in a school with enrollment of 250 or less; dangerous incidents representing 2 percent of a school’s enrollment for schools with 251 to 1,000 students; 20 or more dangerous incidents in schools with enrollments exceeding 1,000. continue reading »