Photo courtesy of SEPTA Watch.

There is a 10-year age difference between the Costa brothers. They live in two different neighborhoods of the Northeast — William in Mayfair, Joseph in Parkwood. And they were victims of two separate attacks on the Market-Frankford El last week.

William, 47, told SEPTA police (and the Daily News) he was pushed to the ground by two teenage girls last Thursday as he was about to board the train at Frankford Transportation Center just after 8 a.m.

He told authorities two additional girls video taped the incident, while a boy kicked him as he lay on the ground. The group hopped on the train and fled. continue reading »

An officer in the 15th Police District suffered a broken arm and leg after being struck by a van in Mayfair last night.

The officer was struck while on bike duty around St. Vincent Street and Brous Avenue around 7:30 p.m. The driver was arrested under suspicion of driving under the influence.

Photo by Maria Konidaris

More than a month ago, we ran a story about Mayfair residents’ thoughts on the flashing blue light and accompanying police camera at Cottman and Frankford.

Fox 29 ran the same a similar story yesterday.

The original NEast Philly story was written by Temple student Maria Konidaris for her Philadelphia Neighborhoods class. She interviewed several residents, got the history of the light and talked to the presidents of the Mayfair town watch and civic associations. FOX29 reporters talked to a couple of the same people. continue reading »

Mayor Michael Nutter remained calm but tried to press on when confronted by a woman in Mayfair critical of one of his proposals to cut the city’s $150 million budget deficit, as shot by Fox 29.

Inside the Mayfair Diner with TV cameras rolling, the woman, who said her husband works for a regional Coca Cola soda bottling plant, expressed concern that the administration’s proposed tax on sugary beverages could result in more unemployment, including within her family.

“Coke and Pepsi: Everybody’s going to lose their jobs,” she said. As Inquirer City Hall blog Heard in the Hall suggested, Nutter at least deserves credit for inviting media to follow him into the unrehearsed polling of voters.

Watch the confrontation below.

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Mayfair CDC Executive Director Brian Patrick King mentions some of the politicians who've helped the organization.

UPDATE [March 9] — Flash portion added.

For Kim Wilson and her 5-year-old daughter Marian, the STARS Program housed in Mayfair’s John M. Perzel Community Center provides a support system for facing the struggles of a disability.

“When you get a diagnosis for your child, there’s a whole process you go through in coming to terms with the diagnosis,” Wilson, whose daughter has been diagnosed with mild autism, a severe articulation disorder and a sensory integration dysfunction, said. “But then you also find out that there is this larger community of families going through that same process. Part of what STARS did for us was learning that we weren’t alone in what we were going through.”

Now, STARS, a sports program for disabled children, and more than 50 other groups that call the state-of-the-art John M. Perzel Community Center home, are facing possible program cuts, increases in fees or even facility shut downs due to recent and projected state funding cuts. continue reading »

There was a ringer in our midst.

More than 40 people packed the second floor bar of the Grey Lodge on Frankford Avenue between Wissinoming and Mayfair Wednesday night for Northeast Philadelphia-themed Quizzo.

As we told you and then popular entertainment blog uwishunu reminded you, it was our first meetup, a chance to meet and interact with our readers and a partnership with the famed Northeast pub. It went swimmingly.

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Surveillance photos from two bank robberies, provided by the FBI and courtesy of the Philadelphia Inquirer.

UPDATE (Feb. 24) — The suspect has been identified as 39-year-old Donald Brown. Brown has multiple tattoos on his arms and chest, and spends a lot of time around Kensington Avenue near Somerset Street.

The FBI is searching for a bank robber, whom they believe is responsible for robberies in Mayfair and Bucks County.

The suspect robbed the Wachovia branch at 6420 Frankford Ave. Saturday morning just before 9:30. He passed a note to the teller, and left with an undisclosed amount of cash. He did the same yesterday morning around 10:30 a.m. at a Wachovia branch in Feasterville. continue reading »

Mayfair Memorial Playground -- on Lincoln High School's property -- remains unused for now.

Mayfair Memorial Playground – chained shut, empty and littered – doesn’t appear to be anything more than the reputation it has in Mayfair – a place for teenagers to get into trouble.

The Mayfair Civic Association hopes to transform the small park, dedicated to fallen firefighter John Redmond, into a family playground. One major obstacle — the $50,000 price tag for new equipment — stands in the association’s way.

“Right now we’re at $2,500,” said Joe DeFelice, president of the civic association. “We need to get to $50,000. You’d be surprised how much playground equipment costs.” continue reading »

Photo courtesy of CBS3.

With approximately 70 inches of snowfall since December, the damage around the region is stacking up. Trees and traffic signs are usually the first to go, but the weight of the snow is taking a serious toll on businesses, as well.

JAMZ, the roller skating rink at Brous and Princeton avenues in Mayfair, has a leaking roof. The controversial rink was closed for business yesterday as L & I investigated the severity of the damages.

Courtest of HaughtonForCongress.com

First a firefighter, then a pub owner, now Brian Haughton will run for Congress.

Haughton, a former Philadelphia firefighter and the owner of SmokeEaters Pub, announced recently that he’s running for a spot in the House of Representatives in the 13th Congressional District. continue reading »