Father Judge athletes join Director of Institutional Advancement Brian Patrick King and President Fr. Joe Campellone for the groundbreaking ceremony at Ramp Playground. Photo by Michelle Alton.

The rain couldn’t keep Father Judge administrators, city officials and students athletes away from Ramp Playground Wednesday.

As the city slid into the holiday break, the group celebrated the ground breaking of the Ramp Playground Renovation Project across the street from the school’s doors. By spring, Ramp will have two new synthetic turf fields, dual energy efficient lighting, exterior & interior fencing, sod/seed for non-turf areas, a walkway for fans/players between fields and scoreboards at each field. continue reading »

Louis McKee. Photo by G.E. Reutter

Poet and educator Louis McKee passed away Nov. 21  at the age of 60, (1951-2011) after a long illness.

McKee taught English at Father Judge High School for three decades. Thousands of students passed through his class room, a right of passage at Judge. Many of those students followed in his footsteps, becoming teachers themselves.

Robert Burns, an English teacher at Central High School was one such student. Burns remembered the influence of McKee: continue reading »

Maggie's Cafe, Chickie's & Pete's, The Dining Car and Lipkin's Bakery were among the vendors at the 2011 Taste of Northeast Philly.

Though Saturday’s annual Taste of Northeast Philly event boasted fewer vendors than usual, the crowd was as lively as ever.

Staples like Chickie’s and Pete’s, The Dining Car and Three Monkeys Cafe dished out customers’ favorites in Father Judge High School’s cafeteria alongside first-timers like DNH Caterers and Lipkin’s bakery, while Northeast residents carried armfuls of loaded plates to their tables to chat and watch the Flyers on flatscreen TVs.

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Michael Susten, far right, and dancers from Xhale Dance Company warmed up before practice.

The annual Philadelphia Live Arts Festival and Philly Fringe brings thousands of performing artists from around the world to the city to showcase their acts and talents. For some, it is a once-in-a-lifetime experience and for others, it is a yearly affair. Many of the artists are from Philadelphia and two, in particular, are from the Northeast.

Michael Susten, a director and dance instructor at Xhale Dance Company, is from Rhawnhurst. His middle-class upbringing meant he did not have the means to participate in other activities.

“I went to a local dance studio…and dance was our whole life,” Susten said. continue reading »

Jim and Brooke Higgins of Sweet Lucy's Smokehouse

Brooke and Jim Higgins have traveled the world, working as personal chefs and caterers for high-end clientele. Northeast native Brooke even had the experience of working under celebrity chef Todd English at his Boston restaurant, Olives.

In 2003, the couple found itself a new calling in Holmesburg, in the form of a lunch truck. With experienced culinary backgrounds and a little inspiration from their 110-pound Newfoundland, Sweet Lucy, the couple took the catering business to a whole new level.

“Brooke’s father has a business here,” said Jim, “First, we thought we were just going to park it in his parking lot and you know, end up taking it around the city. Then, one day, we decided to open up the window and see if people would come and we had such a good response, we decided to put the restaurant right here.” continue reading »

The Father Judge Car Show wil mark its 13th year Sunday with the same festivities attendees have come to expect and look forward to: new and classic cars, classic music and and lots of prizes.

Car registration begins at 9 a.m. and judging begins at noon for the 13 different classes: continue reading »

The concept design for the Philadelphia Sports Zone planned for Upper Holmesburg. Image courtesy of Philadelphia Sports Zone.

Months of talks culminated Friday with an event to debut plans for the Philadelphia Sports Zone.

With entertainment from the Masquerade Band, architects of the proposed facility, Craig Schmitt and Scott Nixon, of Ewing Cole, unveiled the plans.

The proposed sports complex for youth teams was brought about by Father Judge High School soccer coaches Jose Ibarra , John Dunlop and Tony Parson, as well as Maggie Fulmer, a Northeast native and graduate of St. Hubert’s.

Fulmer said the idea has been a few years in the making. “Jose and I sat down and figured out what we wanted to do for the Northeast,” she said. “We talked about different facilities we could bring in and what we needed. We did a lot of research – a few years of research. We brought people together, and here we are.” continue reading »

Friday – Police are looking for a Lincoln Town Car involved in a hit-and-run accident that left a 4-year-old boy in the hospital. The driver struck the boy around 8 a.m. as the boy ran out between cars on the 1600-block of Pratt Street while walking with his father. The driver fled the scene in what may be a limo car. The boy suffered jaw and facial injuries and was in critical condition. continue reading »

Photo courtesy of the Office of Mike Stack

Sen. Mike Stack joined students from Father Judge High School for Thursday’s announcement of Earned Income Tax Credit scholarships to 23 local parochial, charter and early learning center schools.

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Westboro Baptist Church has announced it’ll bring its touring schedule the the Northeast. The nationally recognized hate group has targeted Archbishop Ryan High School, Father Judge High School and JCC Klein for upcoming protests. The group’s site has this to say about …. continue reading »