The Firefighters Union is seeking help in identifying several police officer and firefighters killed nearly 100 years ago in the city. continue reading »
Updated 10/20/10 @ 2:30 p.m.
The shooting that left a 19-year-old in critical condition outside a former adult theater in Frankford brings to light the ever-present battle with irresponsible absentee landlords, says Councilwoman Maria Quiñones-Sánchez.
The reason so many absentee landlords are able to remain derelict in their responsibilities to maintain safe, clean and community-orientated properties, Sanchez said at Tuesday night’s Northwood Civic Association meeting, is because the city doesn’t have the man power to track them down.
“Part of the problem has always been about resources,” Sanchez said last night to nearly twenty residents in the basement of St. James Church at the corner of Castor Avenue and Pratt Street.
In part 2 of a two-part series, we explore Tacony’s and Lawncrest’s fights against absentee landlords in their neighborhoods.
Camille Capobianco, 37, grew up in Tacony. She said her neighborhood was once good, clean and friendly. Now, she said, residents are fighting the evils of what has become a nightmare epidemic in most neighborhoods throughout Northeast Philadelphia.
Absentee landlords have stricken most of the communities and have left local residents to fear, avoid and fight their new tenants.
“Most [absentee landlords] are from out of state, but there are some local slumlords,” Capobianco, a mother of three daughters, said.
Absentee landlords purchase cheap properties and then rent out the homes for investment. They tend to live far away from their properties, as well. Capobianco said many people have complained that these landlords do not have proper licenses most of the time, do not have property managers and do not care whom they rent their properties to as long as their houses are filled and rent checks arrive every month. continue reading »
Richard Sumpter discusses Census 2010 with Lawncrest residents.
The nearly 100 people at last night’s Lawncrest Community Association came out to see Richard Sumpter, a representative for Census 2010. And Sumpter had some startling news for them.
“Over the last 20 years, only 56 percent to 57 percent of the Philadelphia popular has been counted,” Sumpter told residents as he tried to stress the importance of filling out the Census. As a result, he said, the city’s congressional representatives have gone from 31 to 19 in the last two decades.
Now with 435 billion federal dollars set to be divided among the nation’s 50 states, Philadelphia could have a lot to lose — or gain. continue reading »
Community Relations officer Mark Mroz received a city citation at the Dec. 15, 2009 Lawncrest Community Association meeting held at St. William's School. Councilwoman Marian Tasco's administrative assistant Kathy Wersinger also received a citation.
Two popular city employees who work heavily with the Lawncrest community received citations from the City of Philadelphia Tuesday night at the Lawncrest Community Association meeting.
Kathy Wersinger, administrative assistant and de facto neighborhood liaison for Councilwoman Marian B. Tasco, and Police Officer Mark Mroz, the affable community relations officer for the 2nd District, both were honored last night inside the St. William’s School on Rising Sun Avenue. At-large Councilmen Jack Kelly and Bill Greenlee were also on hand.
“Tonight we’re honoring two people who help make Lawncrest great,” said Association President Bill Dolbow.
The Lawncrest community came together Wednesday at “The Grove” next to Lawncrest Rec Center to celebrate Veterans Day.
The event, which achieved a crowd of more than 100 people, was planned by the Lawncrest Community Association, with help from the office of Councilwoman Marian B. Tasco, the Rising Sun Lions Club and the Phil-Mont Kiwanis Club.
People who arrived passed by headstone memorials near Rising Sun Avenue, which honored World War I and World War II veterans. In the back of The Grove stood a memorial honoring both Vietnam and Korean War Vets.
Kathy Wersinger, administrative assistant to Tasco, headed the celebration. “I think it is important to thank out veterans,” she said. “The only services I know of are downtown, and so this was a good way to bring people in the community together.” continue reading »
Wordpress Themes sponsored by BlogPerfume
NEast Philly is powered by WordPress and FREEmium Theme.
developed by Dariusz Siedlecki and brought to you by FreebiesDock.com
