The sit of the former Liddonfield Homes in Upper Holmesburg stands to be redeveloped. Image/Google Maps

Upper Holmesburg’s Liddonfield housing project has been torn down, but the site itself (bound by Megargee, Cottage and Tolbut streets and Torresdale Avenue) remains a source of controversy in the neighborhood as residents wait to see what springs up in its place.

This is an important week for two Northeast groups as they focus on the former public housing development’s past and future.

Tonight, the Northeast Philadelphia History Network will host speaker Rosemary Reeves [calendar item]. The former Liddonfield resident will discuss her time spent there and her effort to have a marker placed on the site — whatever it may become — to recognize the positive impact Liddonfield had on many of the people who lived there.

Regardless of the property’s past, the Upper Holmesburg Civic Association doesn’t want to see public housing take priority at Liddonfield in the future. Thursday is the last day Holmesburg and Torresdale residents can submit petitions in support of a redevelopment by Holy Family University. continue reading »

Aside from the actual thing that went wrong Dec. 9 when a bus hit a teenage boy at Hunting Park and Kensington Avenue, the TV media outlets made sure some other things went wrong, too.

First, we know the crash happened on the other side of the Frankford Creek, meaning it didn’t occur in the Northeast. Strike one for Action News. continue reading »

From left, Northeast GOP candidates for city council-at-large: Al Taubenberger, Denny O'Brien, Joe McColgan. Photo by Pamela Seaton.

With the fall election season underway seven City Council At-Large candidates came together recently at the WHYY studio for a political debate that, considering the stakes of the upcoming election, was a testament to measured, thoughtful politics. With seven participants in attendance – five Republicans and two Democrats – the debate covered everything from Occupy Philadelphia to the transparency of government to specific questionable activities of each candidate.

Three of the candidates – Dennis O’Brien, Al Taubenberger and Joe McColgan – have certain characteristics in common: they’re all Republicans and they all come from the Northeast. They all have a specific plan that stems from their experience in their home districts, whether it be education reforms or plans for rejuvenating local businesses. continue reading »

Two men are arrested for running a fencing operation.

One lives at Pearson and Cottage. One lives at Magee and Jackson. The items they stole were recovered at Torresdale and Longshore.

The first address is in Torresdale; the others are in Tacony.

But when Ryan Shantz and Michael Mager were arrested, the Daily News took to its blog and reported the following: continue reading »

Two Northeast men have been arrested for a burglary ring that spanned the Northeast and Bensalem.

Ryan Shantz, 30, of Torresdale; and Michael Mager, 31, of Tacony; were arrested and charged with 61 counts of theft from auto and other offense. continue reading »

A woman was rushed to Aria Health-Torresdale early Sunday morning following a single-car crash.

Around 1:30 a.m., a female driver was thrown from her car after the vehicle struck a pole on the 9300-block of Frankford Avenue. She was reported to be in critical condition after being thrown from the car during the crash.

The exact cause of the crash hasn’t been determined.

This is a first for Right NEast/Wrong NEast: the same story appearing twice.

Last month, both CBS3 and the Police Department got a little lost when a Wissinoming store owner fought off a robber. Though the crime happened on the 6000-block of Torresdale Avenue, both originally reported the crime happened in Torresdale. CBS3 correctly reported the neighborhood in a follow-up story.

But not to be outdone, Action News has gone ahead and made the exact same error — just a few weeks later. In its coverage of the arrest of the man wanted in connection with the robbery, Channel 6 says the crime happened in Torresdale: continue reading »

Real NEastate writer Stacey McCarthy is on vacation this week, so we’re running her best-read column. (OK, second best. Her most-read is about snow-shoveling, which doesn’t really apply this time of year). She’ll return next week with a fresh post.

Q: My mother-in-law recently passed away and my husband has to sell her house in East Torresdale. She was a hoarder, and it will be costly to remove her things. Because of the hoarding, the house is a disaster and might need to be gutted and redone, which will be even more costly. Should we just sell as-is or spend our time and money fixing it up?

continue reading »

Friday – Lifeguards came to the rescue Friday night in Torresdale, where a young girl nearly drowned. Two lifeguards at the Torresdale Boys Club pool on Linden Avenue pulled the 4-year-old from the water when one noticed her struggling. The girl was taken to Aria Health-Torresdale in stable condition after one of the lifeguards performed CPR. continue reading »

On July 20, 1968, while working Engine 7, Firefighter Elmer Clothier collapsed at the firehouse, dying from a heart attack while on duty.

Clothier was a 21-year veteran of the Philadelphia Fire Department who also served in The U.S. Army in World War II.

The Clothier family lived in Mayfair before moving to Torresdale. On Wednesday, July 20, the department will honor Clothier’s memory at Engine 7 at Castor and Kensington avenues. continue reading »