Short dumping in industrial areas of Holmesburg and Tacony has community leaders worried about quality of life issues and fires. Photo/Steven Mitchell

This is the second in a two-part series about quality of life issues in Tacony and Holmesburg, and the neighborhoods’ approach to growing stronger together. You can read the first part here.

Short dumping is a problem all over Philadelphia, and in some Northeast neighborhoods, the issue is weighing down the community.

Short dumping is the illegal act of disposing trash and debris on a street or vacant lot. Industrial areas — like those along Torresdale Avenue and State Road in Holmesburg and Tacony — tend to be dark at night, which allows for people to come and dump their trash and other items in this area.

The railroad tracks at James Street and Bleigh Avenue is a particular hotspot for short dumping. There, you’ll see trash and other debris, as well as abandoned tires. continue reading »

A tree blocks traffic and part of a home on Cresco Avenue near Rhawn Street. Photo/Lucia Volpe

Sandy blew through Philadelphia Monday with fierce winds and heavy rain. Though the city escaped relatively unscathed, the storm left residents with clean-up duties. Trees that couldn’t withstand the wind are now strewn across roads and in yards, and have left many without electricity.

After a tree branch came crashing into the side of Sally Manners’ house at 9:30 p.m. Monday, she said she was worried about waking up Tuesday morning to find extensive damage to her home. continue reading »

Pennypack on the Delaware. Photo/Pennypackpark.org

There are lots of pretty places in the park, and everybody has their favorite.

Among the top of many people’s list is Pennypack on the Delaware, just south of Rhawn Street and State Road.  It could be argued that it’s not as trashy as other parts of the park. Granted, it’s also not as accessible on foot, therefore, lacking the beer party ambiance of the wooded areas. It also helps (doesn’t help depending upon how you look at it) that it lies behind Curran-Fromhold Correctional Facility.

Nevertheless, 30 of your friends and neighbors (92 volunteer hours) managed to divest the area of 42 bags of trash and one of the longest lists of “other stuff” we’ve had in quite some time. The list included four different descriptions of flip flops and more than 10 different descriptions of balls.  The areas denuded of trash include the access road entrance to the POD, along the fence behind CFCF (still more fun to be on the park side of that fence), and along the river from the mouth of the Pennypack to the meadow at the end of the access road. continue reading »

Lawncrest Community Association President Bill Dolbow and First Philadelphia Charter School Dean of Students Debbie Smith, former St. William’s classmates. Photo/Shannon McDonald

The students of St. William’s parish won’t return this year, but the classroom bells are still ringing.

After closing its doors for good in June as part of an archdiocesan-wide plan to consolidate resources, the Catholic parish is leasing its two buildings to two charter schools. continue reading »

NEast Philly Editor Shannon McDonald on the Pennypack Park concert stage. Photo/Emma Fried-Cassorla

We’ve partnered with Philly Love Notes to make sure you see all the love notes written about Northeast Philadelphia. Love notes about Northeast spots will be published here after they appear on the Philly Love Notes blog, curated by Emma Fried-Cassorla. continue reading »

“Elderly woman beaten in Burholme home invasion,” read the July 11 Action News headline.

It struck fear in people, naturally. But people in Burholme – or with elderly relatives in Burholme – were put on high alert for no reason.

The home invasion took place on the 8100-block of Algon Avenue in Rhawnhurst (north of Rhawn Street and in a different zip code than Burholme). continue reading »

Despite concerns from some School Reform Commission members, First Philadelphia Preparatory Charter School’s charter has been renewed.

It was one of five charters renwed Friday, and the biggest approved expansion. With the renewal come 1,150 new seats. continue reading »

Friends of Pennypack Park volunteers targeted Holmehust Avenue in Winchester Park as one of the hotspots for the Earth Day clean-up. File photo/Shannon McDonald

If you didn’t get out with us on April 28, then you didn’t get a snazzy Earth Day button with this year’s bird, the Osprey, faithfully drawn by Friends of Pennypack Park member Roland Williams.

You also missed hanging out with your fantastic 45 friends and neighbors (123.5 hours) and CLIP. The volunteers picked up 44 bags of trash and CLIP got 56 bags of curb-hugging trash (the stuff organic and non-organic that seems to settle in the street against curbs).

Working together on Lexington Avenue from Solly to Rhawn including curbs, street, and dirt path; on Lexington Avenue from Rhawn to Ryan, that dirt path and into Little City; the entrances to the park from Holmehurst; and the upper and lower parking lots at Little City, Pennypack Park now looks a lot better than before our Earth Day crew came out and did battle with that most devastating of insects – the litter bug. continue reading »

Memorial services have been set for the two Philadelphia firefighters who died Monday battling a multi-alarm blaze n Kensington.

Lt. Robert Neary and Firefighter Daniel Sweeney were putting out a fire at a warehouse in the neighborhood when they were trapped in a collapse. They both worked out of Ladder 10 at Kensington and Castor Avenues. continue reading »

OK, so the school is called Tacony Academy Charter. But it’s in Fox Chase.

Do we let Philly.com slide on this error? Nope.

A news brief about a school closure on March 1 doesn’t mention the school’s address, but the headline indicates a Tacony-based charter school is the subject of the story. continue reading »