Northeast: Brain Waste Drags Down Immigrants And Economy
All along Bustleton Avenue are businesses built by foreign-born people who came to the U.S. in pursuit of a better life. Yet many highly educated and skilled immigrants are underemployed in Northeast Philadelphia and the U.S. “Over 40 percent of immigrants in Philadelphia hold at least a bachelor’s degree,” said Nikki Pumphrey, director of strategic […]
Northeast Philadelphia: A Home For Immigrants To Live
Since the ’80s, neighborhoods such as Bustleton, Somerton and Fox Chase have become a haven for Eastern European immigrants. Signs written in Russian can be seen throughout Bustleton Avenue, which hosts many immigrant businesses. One immigrant business featured along a strip mall at 9859 Bustleton Ave. is Palace Royal, a kosher restaurant owned by Ukrainian […]
Fox Chase: Survivor Of Danube Swabian Ethnic Cleansing Shares Her Story
Since the Danube Swabian Association moved to Fox Chase in 1972 it has been dedicated to passing on its Germanic culture and history, as well as honoring the memory of those lost to the ethnic cleansing in Yugoslavia in the 1940s. One Danube Swabian member, 89-year-old Katharina Marx, is a survivor of ethnic cleansing. Marx […]
Mayfair and Rhawnhurst: Five Bakeries to Satisfy Your Sweet Tooth
If there’s anything that ties residents of Northeast Philadelphia together, it’s the love of food and family. That same concept is what keeps some of Mayfair and Rhawnhurst’s long-standing bakeries in the hearts of their communities. Bakeries in the area have been closing up shop in recent years, as the neighborhoods’ demographics and economies attempt to catch […]
Kensington: Timoteo League Coaches Leading Players in Positive Direction
Timoteo continues to grow. The Timoteo Flag Football League began in 2005 when three churches decided to create an outlet where the youth of Philadelphia could learn leadership skills. The three churches, Bethel Temple, Light House and Urban Hope recruited 12 men to coach six different teams. The board chose the name Timoteo because the name […]
Mayfair: Q&A with a Business Leader Fighting a Changing Neighborhood
Angela Vanni is a Philadelphia native and an owner of Giggles Gifts, a retail gift shop which specializes in candies, cards, seasonal decorations and other possible presents. Located at 7400 Frankford Ave., it was founded by the Veneziale family in 1983 and opened during an era when these types of businesses were a common sight in Mayfair. Now, the times have changed, […]
Somerton: Looking Back, Byberry “Got Twisted Along The Way”
It has been a decade since the 2006 demolition of much of what was once the Philadelphia State Hospital, more commonly known as Byberry. The mental health institution, established in 1906, quickly found itself in constant battle for funding among the city of Philadelphia, the state and the hospital’s staff — all, many said, at […]
Somerton: Philadelphia State Hospital Leaves Mark On The Far Northeast
Philadelphia State Hospital, once located in the far Northeast, was built on more than 1,000 acres of land that already had a rich history. In the 1600s, the unmarked land was settled upon by English families and named it after a town in England called Bibury. Throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, the area’s inhabitants […]
Mayfair: Civic Association Leader Renews Interest in Splitting 15th Police District
For nearly 30 years, Mayfair residents have been urging the Philadelphia Police Department and the City of Philadelphia to split the 15th Police District. Largely owing to a collaboration between Donny Smith (above), president of the Mayfair Civic Association, Councilman Bobby Henon, who represents Philadelphia’s 6th Council District in Northeast Philadelphia and Joe DeFelice, chairman […]
Somerton: Lt. Joe Sroka Keeps Watch Over Engine 58 Crew
Fighting fires isn’t for everyone and it wasn’t something Lt. Joe Sroka imagined himself doing. As his career approaches three full decades on the job, Sroka has spent the past 20 years as an officer in the Philadelphia Fire Department. His hard work and leadership earned the respect of his crew at Engine 58 in Somerton. “One […]