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Shopping center
needs TLC
I grew up in Academy Gardens and have been a patron of the stores on both sides of Willits Road near Holme Avenue for over 40 years. I have watched the condition of the Willits Road Shopping Center steadily decline into an eyesore. The unsightly metal grating adds to the downtrodden look of this once nice little center.
Many of the people who live in Academy Gardens have also been raised here and I’m sure I am not alone in thinking that something needs to be done to upgrade these two strips of stores.
My brother, who moved from this area, recently drove by and told me it looks like a war zone down there. He is right. The owners of these properties need to step up and re-evaluate the whole look of the place. A fresh new facade has been needed for a long, long time.
Other shopping centers have had several upgrades and beautification projects which, I’m sure, have increased foot traffic and resulted in a higher bottom line.
Why not invest in some much needed improvements for a growing neighborhood of friendly people who would love to stroll along a cheerful and newly designed outdoor shopping area?
Christine Belcher
Academy Gardens
Thank you,
Capt. Martin
It was my privilege to work with 7th Police District Capt. Al Martin during my tenure as principal of George Washington High School.
I would like to publicly thank him and his officers for their professionalism and support as Washington entered the post-[beating victim Matthew] Gremo era. Capt. Martin’s leadership helped create the safer environment the school community has come to expect. Thanks.
Alan E. Liebowitz
Principal, 2002-06
Krajewski: Thanks for
a great bingo luncheon
I would like to thank all the senior citizen groups and clubs in my councilmanic district for coming out and spending the day with me and City Councilman Jim Kenney on April 21 for our Krajewski/Kenney Bingo Luncheon at Father Judge High School.
Over 150 seniors attended the event and more than $500 in prizes were given out throughout the day.
It was a great opportunity to meet and greet with the greatest generation this country ever produced, and it was not only my honor but my privilege to host you at the beautiful and newly constructed Father Judge High School Mitchell Center.
So, I hope you all had a good time that I did and to me, you are all winners! I hope to do it again and thank you for all the support you have given me over the years.
A big thank you to my staff, Councilman Kenney’s staff and the students and faculty of Father Judge High School, especially Father Joe, who went above and beyond to make this event a great success for our golden oldies.
Joan L. Krajewski
City councilwoman, 6th District
Your picks for City Council
really matter
In case you’re wondering whether it makes sense to pay much attention to the City Council races, here are a few things you should know about Council. In particular here’s a list of just some of their powers:
Setting tax rates on all city and school district taxes, both business and personal;
Passing an annual city operating and capital budget;
Putting amendments to the City Charter on the ballot for action by the voters;
Enacting and amending the zoning code;
Deciding whether private property should be condemned in connection with any public or private redevelopment;
Authorizing city borrowing;
Regulating ethics and campaign finance;
Defining the governance structure for PGW;
Regulating business behavior (such as whether smoking will be permitted in restaurants);
Regulating individual behavior (such as setting juvenile curfews);
Approving all city contracts whose terms exceed one year;
Oversight of all city agencies, including the power to subpoena witnesses and information;
Regulating the removal of trash through recycling and other means;
Establishing programs for the health, safety and welfare of citizens.
Establishing traffic controls and directions on city streets.
In short, there’s little you do every day — when you drive your car, take public transportation, turn on your gas, put out your trash, take your kids to school, pay your taxes, call upon city workers to fix a pothole, or respond to a police or fire emergency — that doesn’t involve decisions and priorities established by City Council.
And there are difficult and controversial decisions that need to be made in coming months that will largely be decided in Council as well.
(Of course, the mayor plays a major role both in leading and administering city policy, but he can accomplish little that doesn’t have Council’s support.)
Here are some of the issues that this Council, or the next, will grapple with:
Should zoning be changed to keep casinos away from the river, thus overturning the award of two casino development sites by the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board?
Should city taxes be restructured or reduced to shift the burden to or away from homeowners and business owners?
Should recycling be implemented on a weekly basis citywide?
Should more city police and/or parole officers be hired?
Should city banks that do business with the city be compelled to increase lending to low-income communities?
Should PGW be sold?
Should housing developers be required to provide housing opportunities for low-income residents?
Should more resources be given to the Philadelphia School District?
Should campaign finance rules be changed to provide for public financing of election campaigns?
If you think some or all of these issues are important, and you want to be sure City Council exercises its powers in a way that makes sense for you, then you need to care about who earns the title "councilperson" in the next election. You should pay attention.
And, if you want to know where the candidates stand on many of the important issues they will face, you can go to the Web site of Neighborhood Networks, at phillynn.org.
There you will find questions that NN has posed to the candidates and the answers of many of them, along with who we think you ought to vote for if you want these questions to be answered in the interests of regular people instead of moneyed interests.
And then, on May 15, it will be up to you to nominate the candidates you want to represent your party, and on Nov. 6 to elect the candidates you want in office. Here’s hoping you make the right choices.
Natalie Minkovsky
Northeast group coordinator for Neighborhood Networks
We appreciate
Marian Tasco
Oxford Circle Civic Association would like to express our sincere gratitude to City Councilwoman Marian B. Tasco and her staff. They have been very helpful to our community groups with many community issues that needed to be resolved.
Oxford Circle Civic Association is pleased with the service that our area has received since it became part of the 9th Councilmanic District that Councilwoman Tasco serves. She has been a hands-on councilperson for us and we appreciate this service.
Nancy Hampson
President, Oxford Circle Civic Association
We appreciate
Dan Savage
Councilman Dan Savage of the 7th district is making a difference in our neighborhood. Deni Playground has not had any staff, attention or repairs in years. It also has not had a baseball team in years. Through Councilman Savage’s efforts, Deni Playground is getting the attention it deserves.
We have an advisory council now that is starting T-ball in May. Councilman Savage got the baseball diamond re-cut, is donating T-shirts for the kids and has the Department of Recreation donating equipment. He sees that Frankford needs good recreation facilities in order to be a safe place for families. We have even been told that the basketball courts are getting repaved in the fall and a spray park is in the works as well.
As a lifelong resident of Frankford, I am so happy to see my neighborhood moving in the right direction through the efforts of Deni Playground Advisory Council, volunteers, and especially Councilman Daniel J. Savage.
Brian Cross
Deni Playground Advisory Council member
Please save Jeanes
maternity ward’s life
I read a story in your newspaper about Temple wanting to close down Jeanes Hospital’s maternity ward. Well, I am writing to you to further my point of why we need this maternity ward so badly in Northeast Philly.
As you know, Jeanes is the last maternity ward left for pregnant women in this highly residential area.
On Monday, April 2, I woke up at my normal time of 5:30 a.m. I had a doctor’s appointment at 7:45 a.m. I noticed I started to bleed. I told my husband that it was nothing and to go to work. Thank God he did not listen to me. The bleeding then got worse. I started to panic wondering what was going on.
My husband, mother and I then headed for Jeanes Hospital. While in the car, I started to cry hysterically because I was getting blood all over the place and could not sit down.
When we pulled up, I immediately ran for the emergency room, where I saw my doctor. He was already there because he just got finished delivering another woman’s baby. Thank God again that my doctor and other baby doctors and nurses knew what to do. They wheeled me away in a chair and put me asleep immediately. They delivered my baby in less than 12 minutes. My delivery was a stat — emergency c-section.
When I later awoke, I found out that my baby and I were going to be all right. I also learned that if we waited just five more minutes my baby and I would not be alive because our heart rates were so low. My placenta tore away from my uterus, causing uncontrollable bleeding (placenta abruptio.) Furthermore, I developed preeclampsia (pregnancy-induced hypertension), which needed more medical attention.
In all, I stayed in the hospital for nine days while they treated my condition. There were no prior symptoms before all this occurred.
This is the last maternity ward left in Northeast Philly. All the rest have closed. This could have ended up tragically if no maternity ward was there at all or if I had to travel more miles outside the city or to a hospital near Center City in traffic.
This is why I am asking Gov. Rendell, state and local politicians, the CEOs of Temple and Jeanes, and the community at large to step in and stop Temple from closing Jeanes’ maternity ward. This is before it is too late and another woman has to suffer the same fate or worse. So many lives depend on it.
If people are worried about the cost of maternity, they need to think about potential lawsuits developing from lack of qualified maternity care. General emergency rooms without trained maternity doctors, nurses and specialized equipment are not capable of handling complicated births and situations. This situation with me further stresses my point of why we need a maternity ward in Northeast Philly.
Melissa Suszynski
Rhawnhurst
• • •
As more and more hospitals in Philadelphia and across the state of Pennsylvania close their maternity departments, women of childbearing age are in serious jeopardy. This is an extremely dangerous matter and one that deserves immediate attention. I am writing because the general public does not realize just how serious this situation is for pregnant women in Northeast Philadelphia.
When Jeanes Hospital closes its maternity unit on May 31, there will not be another hospital in the entire Northeast section of Philadelphia with a labor and delivery room.
The hospitals in the suburbs surrounding Northeast Philadelphia that remain open will not be able to handle the overflow of more than 2,000 more deliveries, and women will not get the care they need and deserve. Most of those hospitals are already at their full capacity. One hospital has already refused to accept any of our physicians and their patients because they do not have the room.
It is up to you, the women of the Northeast and those who care about them, to implore our governor, state and city officials to please act now, while there is still time to prevent poor outcomes, including possible deaths, for moms and babies in Northeast Philadelphia.
Please do not sit by and let this happen. Babies born to women without access to early prenatal care and safe deliveries are at greater risk for intrauterine fetal growth restriction, preeclampsia, gestational diabetes, and preterm deliveries, as well as other problems which can lead to maternal and/or fetal death.
Just this past week we had a patient who came into the hospital with an abruptio placenta (where the placenta has separated from the uterus prematurely). She was hemorrhaging and the baby was in fetal distress.
Luckily, she arrived at Jeanes Hospital in time and delivered a healthy baby by c-section within 12 minutes of her arrival to the hospital.
If she had to travel any farther away to reach a hospital with a delivery room, she and her baby would likely not have survived. (The patient is aware of this and she and her husband have given permission for me to tell this story. In addition, they intend to address the media themselves when they get home from the hospital.)
Please help find a solution to this most serious issue for the women of Northeast Philadelphia.
Carol A. May, RN
Labor & Delivery, Jeanes Hospital
Face the tough truth:
Philadelphia is a dirty word
The recent comments from the mayor of New Orleans regarding the cleanliness of Philadelphia has generated considerable comments from citizens, public officials and the media. It is interesting how human beings dislike hearing the truth, especially when they are hearing facts. The facts are quite simple: Philadelphia IS a dirty city.
Walk or drive down virtually any street, any parking lot, any public space in the city, and loads of trash and debris can be found. Where does all the trash originate? Does it pop up from the ground? Does it fall from the sky? NO! It comes from the inhabitants of the city. Many people are SLOBS! Not everybody, but many. People throw trash from their cars or as they walk along the streets.
Too many people were not taught to behave in a responsible manner because they were raised to be slobs. Too many people do not understand the concept of disposing of their trash in a trash can or holding their trash until they get home. Too many people are stupid and lazy. I have personally seen people throw trash on the ground NEXT to trash cans. Why? I do not understand, but it is a fact of life in this city.
All the litter on the streets could be eliminated if people simply disposed of their trash responsibly. Until that day comes Philadelphia will continue to be a dirty city. So be a responsible citizen and take the time to care about your city.
Be a good role model for your children and teach them by example. We all learned our behavior by imitating our parents and family members. We learned the good things and bad things in this manner.
The next time somebody says the city is dirty, do not hate the messenger, but listen to the message. In this case, the message from New Orleans was the absolute truth.
Richard Ratko
Rhawnhurst
Why it’s OK to be pro-life
and pro-death penalty
When discussing matters such as pro-life or pro-choice, we must understand God instituted the death penalty. The proper rendering of "thou shalt not kill" is "thou shalt not do murder."
Killing in preservation of human liberty, ordained by God, such as in a justifiable war, or a merciful lethal injection, is in contrast to what many unmerciful humans have inflicted on others, such as the elderly, or very young victims of unrepentant predators. There is a vast difference in the life of an unborn child and a heinous fiend that preys upon the weak.
When you slaughter the innocents, it is different from when you execute a person of no conscience whatsoever. A study of the scriptures, which give us our Judeo/Christian heritage, plainly gives ground to this concept. There is no hypocrisy when one opposes abortion and yet stands for capital punishment in the most monstrous murder cases.
Life has great value, but many don’t respect that value. Therefore, we must have laws that protect us from the most violent offenders and unburden society from supporting those who have chosen to live as brute beasts among those who honor and cherish life.
Daniel Page
Mayfair
Come on down for
jury duty — it’s not so bad!
Guest Opinion
By Roger F. Gordon
Jury duty — it’s an obligation we all share and something no one likes to talk about. But I talk about it every day when I greet jurors who come to serve in the courts of the First Judicial District. We try more than 1,000 cases a year, and we depend on Philadelphians to serve as jurors for these trials.
Judges and court administrators realize that jury duty can be inconvenient. We understand that it disrupts your routine and requires you to make alternate arrangements for childcare or elder care and to take time off from work or your regular schedule. Because of this, we are taking steps to make jury duty as pleasant as possible.
First, we have been using an interactive voice response (IVR) system, so you can call our system, 215-683-7170, the night before you are scheduled to serve to find out if you are needed.
If you are not required to report, you will have fulfilled your service just by making that telephone call and you won’t be summoned to serve for at least one year. This way, you will be able to continue your daily routine and will not show up to court just to find out that your service is not needed.
Use of the IVR system has helped streamline our juror reporting process and has made things easier for individuals who find out in advance that their service is not needed.
We have also made improvements for those of you who do need to report in person. You’ll be greeted by smiling staff, a complimentary breakfast and an orientation by one of our judges. We’ll also provide you with information about local vendors who provide discounted lunches and services to jurors.
As you may know, sometimes it seems that during a trial, there’s a lot of time that the jury has to wait for the proceedings to restart. Sometimes this is due to the court hearing motions from the lawyers, or to efforts of the parties to settle or resolve a case. We’ve designated a new, separate room where jurors who have been assigned to a trial can spend some of this time.
Similarly, once a jury has been selected, it no longer needs to report to the main jury room each day, but can wait in this special room. This streamlines the process of getting jurors to the courtrooms and cuts down some of the "in between" time.
Every year, we celebrate Juror Appreciation Day with Pennsylvanians for Modern Courts to thank our jurors and encourage all Philadelphians to serve. This year’s celebration is May 3, and Philadelphia judges, Mayor John Street, Councilwoman Blondell Reynolds Brown, and Kenny Gamble, chairman and co-founder of Philadelphia International Records, will be on hand to thank jurors for their service. Also, statewide Juror Appreciation Week begins on Monday.
The theme for this year’s Juror Appreciation Day is Face the Music — Jury Duty, to emphasize that although jury duty may seem inconvenient, it is a responsibility we all share. The judges know that without dedicated jurors, our system would grind to a halt. They make it a point to observe Juror Appreciation Day each year to emphasize the critical role jurors play.
Please remember that if you were involved in a court case, you’d want a jury full of smart, sensible, fair citizens with a good sense of right and wrong who would listen to the facts and render a fair verdict. To ensure that we have juries like this, we all need to serve when called.
We will continue to take steps to make jury duty as positive an experience as possible. We listen to jurors’ comments, suggestions and complaints and try to make changes to improve our system.
I talk to jurors every morning when they show up for jury duty, and I see them throughout their service. Routinely, jurors report that they are glad they served, they learned a lot, and they feel more positively about our justice system.
Come on down for jury duty when you’re summoned and see for yourself! ••
Roger F. Gordon is jury commissioner for the First Judicial District.
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