Fox Chase Homeowners Association President Matt Braden

Nearly 40 people were on hand for last night’s meeting of the Fox Chase Homeowners Association and Town Watch meeting, and residents brought their lists of neighborhood concerns.

601 Rhawn St. The home at 601 Rhawn St. next to St. Cecilia’s Church has been for sale, and Councilman Brian O’Neill was at last night’s meeting to address rumors of what the buyers plan for their new home. O’Neill’s office has received letters stating the new owners have plans to convert the home to a Buddhist temple. Though O’Neill said he’s unsure of the owners’ intentions, he assured neighbors the property is not zoned for such use. continue reading »

Q: I am looking for a three- or four-bedroom home in Somerton with a large yard. My agent has shown me a couple houses that fit what I want, but they are way out of my price range. I am approved for $180,000, and do not want a fixer-upper. I personally know of a couple homes in Somerton that have sold for less. Should I hold out and keep looking in Somerton or just settle for Bustleton?

A: To be honest, I don’t think you’ll fare much better in Bustleton, either. These are both areas of the Northeast where the average price for a home is close to $250,000. If you have your sights set on these areas, it will be very difficult for you to find what you are looking for. continue reading »

Here’s a summary of the week’s Northeast news we didn’t cover. See others here.

Community

Scientists from Dow Chemical were at Benjamin Rush High School Wednesday as part of an ongoing effort to help teachers make science more fun for students. Melissa Hogg, a ninth grade teacher at Rush, was featured in the story.

Continue reading for interesting information about the Erin Express, a 1968 murder case and more.

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From left: 8th District Police Capt. Deborah Kelly, FOP Marketing Director Steven Weller, Morrell Park ShopRite owner/operator Richard McMenamin, State Rep. Denny O'Brien and Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey. Photo by Elsie Stevens.

The Morrell Park ShopRite donated a check Friday in the amount of $10,000 to the Police Survivors Fund. The fund raises money for the family members of the city’s fallen police officers. Capt. Deborah Kelly of the 8th District was on hand to accept the check from Richard McMenamin, owner and operator of the Morrell Park ShopRite. With her were Steven J. Weller, director of marketing for the Fraternal Order of Police, State Rep. Dennis O’Brien and Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey.

Elsie Stevens lives in Holme Circle and is a member of the 8th PDAC. You can read all her contributions to NEast Philly here.

Residents from all over the Northeast attended the Burholme community meeting to learn about the Northeast's history. Photo by Christopher Wink.

The promise of Northeast Philadelphia historian Dr. Harry Silcox drew even larger crowd than usual to last night’s meeting of the Burholme Civic Association and Burholme Town Watch.

About 100 people showed up – more than the group of 65 for a similar presentation in Tacony, and more than a past Burholme meeting the mayor attended. President Al Taubenberger called the meeting to order as folks set up more chairs and pressed themselves against walls to hear Silcox discuss the history of Burholme and other parts of the Northeast.

Keep reading for Northeast trivia and a video. continue reading »

By Shannon McDonald

Here’s a list of what happened around the NEast this week, in case you missed it.

A Philadelphia police officer who lives in the Northeast was charged with beating his fiancee. Talib Muhammad, 44, was found driving on I-95 near South Philadelphia with two handguns after he reportedly struck his fiancee in the face with a gun around 10 p.m. Tuesday. The 13-year veteranwas charged with aggravated assault, simple assault, recklessly endangering another person and possessing an instrument of crime. Muhammad has been suspended for 30 days with the intent to dismiss.

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Q: My fiance and I are getting married this summer so we’re looking to buy a home in the Northeast. We’re not sure exactly which neighborhood we want to live in yet, but it looks like our choices are limited to Mayfair and Homesburg right now. Is there any reason to hope that prices will go down in Morrell Park or Parkwood? We were thinking we should wait until that happens.

A: No one knows for certain what will happen to house values in the Northeast. Will they go up or down, or stay the same? They have already gone down a little, but not much compared to many other parts of the country. continue reading »

Q:  I am planning on selling my home in Morrell Park. I have done numerous repairs on the home in the 12 years I’ve lived here. My agent wants me to fill out a disclosure about the home. Do they really need to know about plumbing, etc., that’s been repaired? Why would I tell things that might hurt the sale of the home?

A:  YES, you MUST disclose everything you know! It is illegal to lie about the history of the home. If you’ve had something repaired, it shouldn’t hurt the sale of the home. Not disclosing something you know could hurt you in the sale or in the future.

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