WEEKLYPRESS.COM • UCREVIEW.COM • JUNE 25, 2014 3


To the editor, Demolition of adjacent property


O n Friday, June 13th L&I met with the teachers and


staff of the Jubilee School. L&I informed us that no one would be allowed in our school building during demolition [of the adjacent property]. Suddenly, we are now not able to use our facility to prepare for the coming school year. We will have no office space where we work tirelessly in preparation. This includes environment, hiring new staff and teachers. It also includes any repairs that we always make during the summer. All of these things will be put on hold.


The L&I official said that it was “all in the contract.” We have not seen the “contract.” Nor have we agreed with what is in its contents. Is this legal? Can a developer in col- lusion with L&I impose his will on us? If so, it’s unjust and a grave misuse of power. The restrictions imposed upon us underscore our initial concern: just how trustworthy is L&I’s word that their supervision will guarantee the safety of our property? L. Harris Falcon


Pastor Covenant Community Church


Crime Blotter W


elcome to the “UC Review” and “Weekly Press’s” Crime Statistics & Crime Report


Updates. If you have any crimes to report, please send them to N.C. at newsdesk@pressreview.net by press time, Monday at noon.


3rd DISTRICT: If anyone has


information regarding any of the reported incidents, please call South Detective Division at 215-686-3013 or submit a tip. Reporting 3rd


district crimes from


Delaware Ave to Broad St. and Lombard St. through Washington Ave.)


Aggravated Assaults: 900 S. 4th 1800 S. 5th


Robbery: 1800 Columbus Blvd, 500 Porter St; 3000 S. 7th


St; 1600 S. 5th St. St; 2400 Alder


St. Burglary: 400 Ritner St; 700 S. 4th St; 1500 South St.; 600 E. Passyunk Ave; 600 S. 5th


St; 2200 S. 5th St; 300


Cantrell St; 1200 E. Moyamensing Ave; 900 Emily St; 2000 S. Darien St. Theft from Auto: 300 Tree St; 400 Lombard St; 200 Ritner St; 12 E. Oregon Ave (arrest); 1200 S. Front St; 300 Wharton St; 3300 S. Front St; 1400 S. 4th


Wolfe St; 6000 Snyder Ave. Stolen Auto: 1200 S. 3rd St;


600 S.5th 6th


St; 200 Reed St; 4th


St; 600 Moore St; 700 St; 300 Tree


Theft: 1100 S. Randolph St.; 1700 S. 5th


St; 2100 S. Front St. DISTRICT: If anyone has


information regarding any of the reported incidents, please call the 6th District at 215-686-3060. Reporting 6th District Crimes from Front and South to Broad to Front and Market Streets. Aggravated Assault: 1000 Filbert St; 0 Juniper St; 400 S. 13th


St; 1207


Chestnut St; Robbery: 0 S. 4th


St; Broad & Locust


Sts; 201 S. Broad St; Theft: 1200 Chestnut St; 200 S. 12th St., 200 S. Camac St; 1300 Market St; 204 S. 12th


Theft from Auto: 1000 Filbert St; 1600 Ridge Ave; 1400 JFK; 1300 Walnut St; 1327 Locust St; 320 Walnut St; Auto Theft: None reported. DUI: 1211 Locust St


9th


Ave; 1300 Pine St; 1000 Walnut St. Burglary: 104 S. 13th


St; 800 Pine St; 318 Butler St;


& Porter Sts; St;


District Covers Southwest Philly bounded by Grays Ferry Ave at 50th to Woodland Ave at 70th


12th St. St. Aggravated Assault: 2600 S. 62nd St;


6800 Woodland Ave; 6700 Cobbs Creek Parkway; 5400 Eastwick Ter; 2000 Simpson St; 5400 Harley St (firearm); 7100 Upland St; 6500 Linmore Ave. Robbery: 6400 Paschall Ave; 2300 S. 66th


St; 6300 Theodore St; 6500


Greenway Ave. Burglary: 6300 Kingsessing Ave; 7100 Greenway Ave; 6700 Paschall Ave; 2100 S. 64th 2100 S. 64th


PKWY; 5400 Woodland Ave; 6800 Chester Ave; 2000 S. 65th Thefts: 2500 S. 66th


St; 1100 Cobbs Creek St.


St; 6400


Chelwynde Ave; 5800 Woodland Ave; 2000 S. 69th


St.


Thefts from Auto: 5900 Trinity Street; 5900 Greenway Ave; 5600 Lindbergh Blvd. Stolen Auto: 2900 S. 67th


St; 5900


Greenway Ave; 6900 Chester Ave; 3000 S. 61st


St.


Homicide: 2200 S. 65th negligence); 1900 S. 60th


(criminal) 16th


the 16th 16th


St. (gross St.


DISTIRCT: To report a crime to District: 215-686-3160. The


District covers 33rd Ave to 34th and Girard Ave to 52nd


and Powelton &


Baltimore Ave. Aggravated Assault: 3900 Wyalusing Ave; 3100 Spring Garden Ave; 3900 Haverford Ave (firearm); 1200 Belmont Ave; Robbery: 3900 Fairmount Ave Burglary: 700 N. 42nd


St; 900 DISTRICT: Anyone who wants to


report a crime: 215-686-3090. District covers Lombard St. to Poplar St., Broad St. to the Schuylkill River Aggravated Assault: 1500 Locust St; Robbery: None reported. Burglary: 1500 Walnut St; 501 N. 22nd St; 2200 Green St;1900 Brandywine St.; 1900 Hamilton St; 800 Juson St. Theft: 1900 Vine St; 2000 Arch St; 500 N. 19th


Garden; 500 N. 19th St; 1900 Spring St; 1900 Spring


Stolen Auto: 1600 Green St; Theft from Auto: 1500 Callowhill St; 1400 Spring Garden Ave; 1400 JFK; 1600 Ridge Ave; 1600 Brandywine; 800 N. 19th


Garden; 2000 Spring Garden; 2000 Pennsylvania Ave; 2000 Mt. Vernon St.


St; 18th 12th the 12th & Wallace Sts


DISTRICT: To Report a Crime to District: 215-686-1320. The


Belmont Ave; Thefts: 3900 Girard Ave; 4000 Lancaster Ave; 3800 Spring Garden Ave; 4000 Lancaster Ave; Theft from Auto: 800 N. 41nd St; 4200 Wayalusing Ave; 3700 Brandywine; 800 Brooklyn St.; 3900 Haverford Ave. Stolen Auto:. None reported.


UPENN PUBLIC SAFETY and 18th DISTRICT: To report a crime to Penn Public Safety: 215-898-7297. Covers UCD boundaries: Baltimore Ave to Lancaster Ave, 30th


Street to 50th St.


Aggravated Assault: None reported. Robbery: 4500 Locust St. (firearm) Burglary: 3900 Pine St; 4000 Baltimore Ave; 4800 Pine St. Theft: 4900 Chestnut St; 200 S. 36th St; 3200 Market St; 4800 Market St; 3000 Market St; 3201 Chestnut St; 3600 Chestnut St; 4200 Pine St/ 4600 Cedar Ave; 200 Cedar Ave. Theft from Auto: 45th


& Larchwood;


3400 Chestnut St. Stolen Auto: None reported. Rape: 100 S. 42nd


St; 3400 Spruce St. St; 6700 Harley Ave;


The UC Review and Weekly Press compile political news that affects voters each week on the city and state level to keep readers more abreast of local politics. If there’s an issue you would like included in this column, please email it to newsdesk@pressre- view.net by the Monday, noontime deadline!


F


rom City Council Presi- dent Darrell Clarke: For the fourth consecu-


tive year, City Council has voted to increase funding for the School District of Philadelphia. But instead of talking about how best to utilize new revenues to im- prove education outcomes, the District is dealing with a current-year budget deficit of its own making. Last fall, City Council authorized an additional $50 million at the request of Superintendent Hite. The School District then proceeded to leave that $50 million on the table. “Rather than seize those funds -- which remain avail- able to them for the 13 days left of this fiscal year -- the District and School Reform Commission now say they have a current-year budget deficit. The School District and SRC insist they are not accountable to Philadelphia taxpayers, and would in- stead prefer that taxpayers borrow and pay interest to fill the current-year gap. “City Council this week will authorize borrowing to fill the District’s self-made gap. With $90 million in debt service on its headquarters alone, Council continues to call on the District to offload its debt and vacant proper- ties in a timely and efficient manner.


“Considering City Coun- cil is the only funding au- thority that has consistently increased revenues for the state-controlled School District of Philadelphia over the last four years, this disrespect toward City taxpayers is disturbing and unfair. While other large cities are enhancing services and infrastructure following the Great Recession, the City of Philadelphia remains in perpetual recession thanks to the School District’s ongo- ing fiscal challenges. Instead of improving core City func- tions like public safety, we are looking for more ways to squeeze money from our residents to send to a School District that feels it is not accountable to us. “Since last summer, Council has been singu- larly focused on securing appropriate resources for our schools from the state. We remain focused on ask- ing our state colleagues for passage of the cigarette tax approved by Council last


year, restoration of charter school reimbursements, and restoration of a fair funding formula for all public school districts in the Common- wealth. We also seek autho- rization for a new city-state oversight panel in order to restore confidence in District operations. Now that this self-inflicted, current-year deficit has been filled, I hope the School District and the SRC join me in asking for long-term, sustainable and predictable state funding for our schools.” City Council passed Councilwoman Blondell Reynolds Brown’s bill au- thorizing Bicycle Transit Systems to plan and operate a bicycle-sharing program in the City of Philadelphia, and B-cycle to provide bicycles, stations and technology platforms for the system. Bicycle Transit Systems is a Philadelphia based business that has experience-operat- ing bike sharing programs in Washington, D.C., Boston and Chicago. This bill is the result of over 6 years of collabora- tive research and planning with the Mayor’s Office of Transportation, Bike Share Philadelphia and the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Phila- delphia. In January 2008, Councilwoman Reynolds Brown called for a joint hearing of City Council’s Committees on the Environ- ment and Transportation to investigate the creation of a Public Use Bicycle Program. In 2013, WalkScore.com ranked Philadelphia as the 4th “Most Bike-able City” in the nation. Philadelphia would join 40 other cities across the United States with bike sharing programs in- cluding New York, Washing- ton, D.C., Boston, Chicago, San Diego and Portland, where bicycle transit is embraced as an alternative form of transportation. The program will launch in spring 2015 with a 60-station/600-bike system in Center City, University City, North Philadelphia, West Philadelphia, South Philadelphia and the Navy Yard. Business and com- munities interested in bike share should visit www. phila.gov/bikeshare. From State Senator Larry Farnese, 1st


District: “The


filing deadline for Pennsyl- vania’s Property Tax/Rent


Rebate Program has been ex- tended to Dec. 31. The pro- gram benefits eligible Penn- sylvanians age 65 and older, widows and widower’s age 50 and older, and people with disabilities age 18 and older. The income limit is $35,000 a year for homeown- ers and $15,000 annually for renters. Remember to exclude half of your Social Security income when you are calculating your eligibil- ity. The maximum standard rebate is $650 but supple- mental rebates for qualify- ing homeowners can boost some rebates to $975. Prop- erty Tax/Rent Rebate claim forms (PA-1000) and related information are available at www.revenue.state.pa.us, by calling 1-888-222-9190 or visiting my district office. State Rep. Brian Sims, D-Phila, and state Sen. Matt Smith, D-Allegheny/ Washington, recently de- tailed their effort to catalyze and incentivize high-per- formance development and energy-efficient manufactur- ing in Pennsylvania. “Pennsylvania once led the pack in manufacturing and energy production and management,” Sims said. “As Pennsylvania’s small businesses and manufac- turers strive to compete in a modern economy, the Commonwealth must give them the tools necessary to prosper. This package of legislation will help to make Pennsylvania a leader once again.”


“It is clear, now more than


ever, that we need innova- tive proposals to jumpstart our 21st century economy,” Smith said. “While many of our neighboring states have thrived, Pennsylvania is still struggling to create jobs and attract new businesses. Now is the time to change course and reinvest in Penn- sylvania’s development and manufacturing sectors.” The “Sustainable Devel- opment and Manufacturing Tax Credit Package” would establish a series of tax cred- its to encourage the business sector to invest in “green” development and manu- facturing to lower energy consumption and stimulate job growth. Each tax credit would be capped at $10 mil- lion and tailored to areas of investment with proven returns and long-term cost savings.


This legislation is not sim- ply about Holocaust educa- tion, it¹s about all human indignities and genocide throughout the world, Sen. Williams said. I heard and read about the concerns of my constituents who worried that their stories would not be told to new generations of Pennsylvania children. They can feel com- forted in knowing that this new law would allow for other communities to be rec- ognized and given the same consideration no matter where you are in the human experience. The proposal that is headed to the governor¹s desk would provide train- ing to teachers and it orders a statewide study to de- termine which schools are incorporating the important lessons in their curriculum. Should the Department of Education find that fewer than 90 percent of schools are teaching the subject mat- ter after two years, the spe- cialized instruction would become a requirement.


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State Sen. Anthony Hardy Williams today he’s pleased that the General Assembly has finally ap- proved a bill allowing for Holocaust and genocide studies in Pennsylvania¹s public schools. House Bill 1424, if signed into law by the governor, would encourage school districts, charter schools, intermediate units and area vocational- technical schools to offer the instruction to students in grades six through 12.


Napoleon F. Kingcade Nathan Lerner Dea Mallin


Thom Nickels


Phebe Shinn Sandy Smith


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