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

Twenty-three-month-old Mischa Weston, of Northwood, made the top 10 of Beautiful Baby Week, a contest from Live with Regis & Kelly that started with 300,000 entries.

Unfortunately, Michael Klein of the Inquirer reports that she didn’t make it into the Top Five.

Keep reading for news on students stranded while on a ski trip, an update on those who stole from the body of Joaquin Rivera, and more.

continue reading »

Two frequent topics of consternation at recent Northwood Civic Association meetings are being taken to court.

A pair of unanimous 18-0 resident votes urged President Barry Howell and his board to go ahead with plans to request an injunction on the opening of an addiction recovery facility on Roosevelt Boulevard and to sue the Frankford Community Y to open its financial records.

“We oppose this as much as you do,” State Rep. Tony Payton, who circulated a copy of a letter he sent to the city’s chief of the Department of Behavioral Health Arthur Evans,  expressing as much to, said of the opening of a Volunteers of America of Delaware Valley home on the 4800-block of Roosevelt Boulevard. Howell, Payton and others maintain that this in direct conflict with Northwood’s deed restriction.

“I think these court proceedings will bring to light that deed restrictions trump city zoning,” Payton said. “We certainly hope that’s the case.”

continue reading »

Northwood Civic Association President Barry Howell (r) at a previous meeting. Photo by Christopher Wink for NEast Philly.

We couldn’t make it to Tuesday’s Northwood Civic Association meeting. But our friends at the Frankford Gazette did — and so did NBC10.

The meeting revolved mostly around 4871 Roosevelt Blvd. Also a focus of previous Northwood and Frankford meetings, the property was purchased by volunteers of America, and Northwood Civic President Barry Howell has made it his mission to see the property is used to benefit the community.

Frankford Gazette has the full story with video.

The occupants of a home on the 900-block of Dyre Street are safe today after escaping a fire early Tuesday morning.

A fire broke out in the Northwood home around 2:30 a.m. yesterday, which the owner said may have been caused by a faulty heater. In addition to battling the blaze, firefighters also had to deal with icy streets when water from the fire hose began to freeze.

Police arrested a woman Saturday afternoon after what they say was an intentional attack with her vehicle.

Reports say the woman intentionally ran over a man with her car at the intersection of Pratt and Horrocks streets in Northwood. The victim, 27, was pinned against a wall before being taken to Temple Hospital in stable condition. Though the woman attempted to flee the scene, 15th District officers apprehended her.

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

Aquan Spearman will soon go to trial after being charged with the sexual assault of three eighth-grade girls from Cooke Middle School one year ago. The assaults took place in December 2007 and January 2008, though Spearman is still awaiting trail for committing statutory rape of a 14-year-old girl in June 2006 in the Northeast.

Keep reading for news on a Washington High football player, police news and more. continue reading »

Tuesday’s monthly meeting of the Northwood Civic Association was host to a hot issue  – as was last month’s.

The group discussed the recent purchase of a home by Volunteers of America Delaware Valley. As the Frankford Gazette reported, Civic President Barry Howell vowed to make sure the new owners comply with the deed restrictions.

Photo courtesy of CBS3.

Police are searching for a man whom they say attempted to sexually assault a woman in a Northwood dentist office yesterday.

A female employee was opening the office at Castor Avenue and Pratt Street around 7:45 Thursday morning when the suspect entered the businesses and attempted to take her clothes off. continue reading »

Frankford residents ask questions at the Dec. 3 Civic meeting about the proposal for the new Frankford Y.

A starry-eyed plan for reinvigorating the century-old Frankford Y has now lost the support of the civic association to whom the proposal was first presented.

Northwood Civic Association President Barry Howell, who presided over the November meeting of his neighborhood group that featured the announcement that a for-profit group would purchase the cherished, nonprofit community center, stood up at Thursday night’s Frankford Civic Association meeting and addressed the issue aggressively.

“I sense a rat,” Howell said, to chatters of approval from the 16 residents and 10 Frankford board members in attendance. “They fed us Disney World, but this ain’t Disney World.” continue reading »

Anthony Bannister, a partner in the company that is purchasing the Frankford Y, addresses the Nov. 17, 2009 Northwood Civic Association meeting.

A for-profit development company has agreed on terms to purchase the New Frankford Y, as announced at Tuesday night’s Northwood Civic Association meeting. The Y closed its doors back in May after 68 years as a neighborhood hub.

Portraying himself as well-connected and well-funded, a young and charismatic quarter partner in the Frankford Development Corporation said they plan to reopen the Y as the Frankford Community Center by September 2010.

“The place brings such a rich, beautiful element to the neighborhood,” Anthony Bannister told a dozen residents and the civic board inside a well-heated classroom at St. James Lutheran Church. “I’m not afraid of Frankford. You just need a vision, and I can see it.”

continue reading »