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 »

St. William Parish. Image/Google Maps

Josephine Nguyen is the first in math.

Nguyen, closed out her fourth-grade year at the now-closed St. William’s in Lawncrest with a title she beat 1.4 million students in the country to claim. She won first-place honors in the national “First in Math” competition. continue reading »

St. William School in Lawncrest. Image/Google Maps

Before the doors close for good at St. William’s School in Lawncrest, current and former students are invited for one final celebration.

In January, the Blue Ribbon Commission recommended the 87-year-old school merge with St. Cecilia’s in Fox Chase – one of my merger and closure recommendations for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. Following a successful appeal by St. Cecilia’s, the Fox Chase school will remain open on its own. The St. William’s school building will close as planned, and parents can choose where to send their children instead. continue reading »

From left: City Council members Maria Quinones-Sanchez, Mark Squilla, Kenyatta Johnson, Marian Tasco, Darrell Clarke and Bill Greenlee. Photo/Shannon McDonald

Can a City Council budget hearing be called such if only six members attend? Last night was Northeast Philadelphia’s turn in a series of meetings Council is holding to take public testimony about the Fiscal Year 2013 budget.

President Darrell Clarke led the hearing and was joined by a mostly silent but present 1st District Councilman Mark Squilla, 2nd District Councilman Kenyatta Johnson, 7th District Councilwoman Maria Quinones-Sanchez, 9th District Councilwoman Marian Tasco and Councilman-at-large Bill Greenlee. continue reading »

Philadelphia’s City Council members will be in Northeast Philadelphia tonight for a public hearing on the city’s budget.

The doors of St. William’s parish hall, 6234 Rising Sun Ave., will be open to the public, and residents are encouraged to give their public testimony.

“Please come and show your interest,” Councilwoman Marian Tasco, D-9th, encouraged attendees of the March Lawncrest Community Association meeting. Though held in Lawncrest, residents and business owners from all over the city are invited to the meeting – the only neighborhood budget hearing scheduled in the Northeast.

Philadelphia’s City Council members will be in Northeast Philadelphia next week for a public hearing on the city’s budget.

The doors of St. William’s parish hall, 6234 Rising Sun Ave., will be open to the public, and residents are encouraged to give their public testimony.

“Please come and show your interest,” Tasco encouraged attendees of the March Lawncrest Community Association meeting. LCA meetings typically draw 80 to 100 impassioned residents, many of whom Tasco has been working with on specific neighborhood improvement projects. The meeting will be open to the general public and starts at 6 p.m. continue reading »

Weatherization specialist B.J. McDuffie explains how to seal your windows.

B.J. McDuffie recommends weatherizing your home when Daylight Savings Time ends. But the weatherization specialist brought her list of tips, demonstration tools and free weather-proofing kits to last night’s Lawncrest Community Association meeting since there’s plenty of winter left.

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Volunteers help clean the Grove at Lawncrest Rec Center to prepare for the annual Veterans Day celebration

Members of the Lawncrest community came together on Saturday to clean up “The Grove” next to the Lawncrest Rec Center in preparation for Thursday’s second annual Veteran’s Day celebration.

The cleanup activities were spearheaded by Kathy Wersinger, administrative assistant to Councilwoman Marian Tasco. “We’re here today to honor our veterans for next Thursday – Veteran’s Day,” she said. “We’re cleaning up this area of the Lawncrest Rec Center called the Grove. There are three memorials honoring our veterans from Korean, Vietnam, World War I and World War II. We’re going to make it a nice place to honor them on Thursday.” continue reading »

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 »