Plans for affordable housing for vets was the topic at a crowded Holme Circle Civic Association meeting Nov. 28. Photo/Shannon McDonald

“This meeting is going to pot.”

It was 8:49 p.m. Wednesday and Holme Circle residents had just spent nearly two hours listening to details of a plan to convert the old Sisters of Nazareth convent into affordable housing. The soon-to-be property owners had trickled out and residents had begun to carry on sidebar conversations as Holme Circle Civic Association President Joe Razler called everyone back to order.

It had been a long two hours, as residents asked repeated questions about the project – which does not need a zoning variance – that the four representative from Columbus Property Management struggled to answer effectively.

The convent is adjacent to but separate from Nazareth Hospital at 2723 Holme Ave. The hospital president will address the plan at the next HCCA meeting in January, but told residents last night, “we have nothing to say about it.”

But Holme Circle residents, joined by representatives from the Ashton Square and Winchester Park civic associations, had plenty to say. Namely, they were concerned about CPM’s inability to guarantee that the 44 new housing units will be reserved for veterans. 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 »

Two Philadelphia Police officers have been charged with stealing water, energy and gas utilities at two city properties.

Winchester Park resident Lt. Aisha Perry has been charged with six counts of theft of services at her home on Winchester Avenue near Albion Street, and at a North Philadelphia rehabilitation center. 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 »

With repairs to the Holme Avenue Bridge complete, the Holme Circle Civic Association has turned its attention to the rest of the avenue, specifically, the Circle.

Serving three major roads and connecting the pockets of Winchester Park and Ashton, the Circle has seen better days. By PennDOT’s estimate, 40,000 vehicles pass through it everyday, prompting the HCCA to want a better impression form the neighborhood.

Talks of a beautification project began late last year when the bridge reopened, but HCCA members Joe Razler, Elsie Stevens and Mike Gould are now weighing their options for first steps.

“We haven’t set a fixed dollar amount yet to raise,” Gould told members. continue reading »

This is part of ongoing coverage in “District 172: The Politics of Change after State Rep. John Perzel,” a collaborative effort with Philadelphia Neighborhoods funded by J-Lab.

You can find an update to this post at the bottom of the article, from the April 12 Holmesburg Civic Association meeting.

About $10.6 million was funneled directly to the Mayfair Community Development Corp. since 2000, granted from the state Department of Community and Economic Development, according to its website. Much of it went into street cleaning and senior citizen programs.

The document states $800,000 was used toward the Devon theater.

The same state department gave the Holmesburg Civic Association and the Friends of the Holmesburg Library $5,000 each, according to state records.

continue reading »

This post has been updated to include the letter that was sent hom to parents of St. Jerome students yesterday.

Three priests with connections to St. Jerome Parish in Winchester Park and one former teacher have been charged with various counts of rape, indecent exposure and sexual assault.

District Attorney Seth Williams has charged Fathers Edward Avery, 68, Charles Engelhardt, 64, and James Brennan, 47, and former teacher Bernard Shero, 48, with rape and indecent sexual assault. continue reading »

Father Graham, Pastor of St. Jerome’s Parish, passed away  just a few days after Christmas. His parishioners set up a Facebook page in his memory, and the Inquirer yesterday featured a full obituary detailing his accomplishments. continue reading »

Funeral arrangements have been made for longtime St. Jerome parish pastor Father Graham. A parish mass will be held tonight at 7:30 pm at the Winchester Park church, followed by a viewing tomorrow from 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. and an 11 a.m. mass led by Cardinal Justin Rigali. continue reading »

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

The Philadelphia Police Department’s Northeast Detectives Division is seeking the public’s help in locating its most-wanted suspects in connection with crimes linked to the Northeast. Call 215-686-3153 to report information about any of the suspects.

Keep reading for an update on a bank robber helped caught by Daily News readers, vandalism at Nifty Fifty’s and more. continue reading »