Winston Charleston

Winston Charleston’s charges will be handled in juvenile court and he’ll remain under court supervision until he turns 21. The ruling is the result of his involvement in a fatal car crash on Academy road in June.

Charleston took his mother’s car keys and drove around with friends, ultimately killing the 22-year-old passenger of a car at Academy and Willits roads. continue reading »

Though it’s been more than “a week or so” since PennDOT said the new traffic lights at Ashton and Willits roads would be activated, the change has finally be made.

Left-turn lanes have been painted and green arrow lights have been installed to help keep traffic flowing during the Holme Avenue Bridge repairs. The bridge shut down unexpectedly in June, blocking off the chunk of Holme Avenue between the circle and Convent Avenue/Pennypack Street. continue reading »

A month after the Holme Avenue Bridge closed unexpectedly, residents and business owners are still handling the impromptu detours and increased traffic.

One of the busiest intersections, Ashton and Willits roads, has had new traffic lights installed to accommodate more lanes of traffic, but those lights remain dark and covered in plastic. We reached out to PennDOT to find out why.

“This was a time-saving measure so that once our traffic operation plans were finalized, the signals would be in place and ready to go,” Safety Press Officer Jennifer Robinson tells NEast Philly. “Due to the volume and complexity of traffic patterns in the area, our analysis of the revised traffic control plan has been taking a little longer.  Our signal experts have nearly completed their review, and we also are coordinating our plans with the city Streets Department.” continue reading »

What's left of the Holme Avenue Bridge as PennDOT works to repair it.

“The bridge failed.”

That’s the way PennDOT engineer Javier Salgveiro explained the recent closure of the Holme Avenue Bridge. Amid technical jargon about bridge decks, rebars and beams, Salgveiro, two other PennDOT employees and John Buckley of Buckley Construction explained why the bridge closed last Monday while crews were in the middle of repairs.

The topic brought about 40 people to last night’s Holme Circle Civic Association meeting, where the bridge was the only item on the agenda.

“Serious deterioration,” as seen in the photos below, means the bridge will be closed until Buckley and his crew can finish the repairs. The timeline is “before Christmas,” as Salgveiro put it. That’s the silver lining in what’s otherwise been a headache for residents as they navigate their way around the closure. Had the bridge remained open during repairs — as was originally planned — work would have gone on until mid-2012.
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A historic building in the Northeast is now continuing its purpose centuries later.

The Lower Dublin Academy began as a one-room log cabin schoolhouse in 1723. The building developed from the will of Philadelphia’s own Thomas Holme who died in 1695. Holme was Pennsylvania’s first Surveyor General, working directly under William Penn. Before he died, he left specific instructions for his family.

“Holme gave four pounds towards the education of a child in the community,” said Fred Moore, president of the Friend of Lower Dublin Academy (Moore is also president of the Holmesburg Civic Association and is an active member of the Northeast Philadelphia History Network). “The will was not finalized until 1723 when his grandchildren decided they needed to take care of their grandfather’s wishes.” continue reading »

For the second time in the last year, Stop & Shoop market at Ashton and Willits roads has been burglarized. As CBS3 reports, two thieves used a crowbar to enter the store over night. continue reading »

Pictured is Lt. Joseph Mullin of PSA 1, which is bordered by Rhawn Street, Willits/Welsh roads, Roosevelt Boulevard and the Delaware River. Photo courtesy of Elsie Stevens.

The 8th District Police successfully held its first Police Service Area meetings for all three zones Wednesday.

Approximately 25 members who live in PSA zone 1 met with Lt. Mullin at Cottage Green. The goal of the PSAs is to create a localized forum for residents to discuss issues in their immediate neighborhood, and to create a coordinated response to crime as a result of this partnership between the police and the community. continue reading »

Holmesburg Civic Association's December meeting. Photo by Christopher Wink for NEast Philly.

The main topic of last night’s Holmesburg Civic Association was Police Service Areas — and why a commander from the 8th District  wasn’t there to explain them.

As the 8th District gets ready to launch Police Service Areas — breaking the district into three patrol zones — residents of Holmesburg, which sits in half the 8th and 15th districts, have questions. continue reading »

Back in October, we featured a Right NEast/Wrong NEast calling out Action News for misreporting a neighborhood. The break, which happened on the 2800-block of Willits Road near Holme Circle, reportedly happened in Torresdale.

Though Right NEast/Wrong NEast is a popular feature on NEast Philly, we don’t pretend the big news outlets read every word we write. As if we needed confirmation of that, Action News has made the error once again. continue reading »

The early morning scene of a watermain break off Holme Avenue at Willits Road. Photo Courtesy of CBS3.

Maintenance crews were called yesterday after a watermain broke on Willits Road just above Holme Avenue near the Academy Gardens/Holme Circle border.

The break happened around 6 a.m., and while crews were able to repair the break, the water flow turned the intersection into a sheet of ice. NEast Philly staffers reported the street was still closed at 11 a.m.

This is the third break break in the area in the last six months; the first happened in July, just one block away, and a second occurred in October just a few blocks away at Willits and Ashton roads.