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Rest in peace,

Les Yost

It was with great sorrow to hear about the passing of Les Yost, former president of Philadelphia Firefighters Union Local 22. I knew Les for over 30 years while I was a firefighter and through retirement.
He helped everyone at a time when we were laid off twice. He would call every one of us to see if we needed help with food for our families, etc.
When I was injured, Les would come to my house and take me to the hospital, and at times, to physical therapy. I was not the only one he did this for.
There were the Local 22 Christmas parties for children and grandchildren of firefighters, when Les would dress up like a clown and put a smile on all their faces. There is nothing Les wouldn’t do. Les respected everyone and everyone respected him.
Les did not have a bad bone in his body. I know Les is now working with the firefighters in heaven, but he will be sadly missed here.
Rest in peace, Les.
Wayne Weissman
Villas, N.J.



Thank you for letting

us see the light

Many thanks to the staff of both state Rep. John Perzel and City Councilman Brian O’Neill. They were instrumental in obtaining a much-needed street light for the neighbors on the 300 block of Borbeck Ave. We all appreciate your help.
Joan Koch
Fox Chase



Enough of those menus,

and that’s an order!

To all restaurant owners in the Mayfair area, do you want my business? If so, DO NOT send me your menu.
Over the past couple of months I got fed up with coming home and seeing trash (menus) stuck to my door. For the last two months, instead of throwing them away, I decided to collect them so that I might have some fuel for my grill.
If I want to know what you sell or what your specials are, I will come to your business. To the owners of the following businesses, you will not be seeing me any time soon: New Boston Pizza, Jean’s, Perry’s, Gearo’s, King Food, Panda (two menus in less than two months), Hunan Star (two menus in less than two months), Drougies (four menus in less than two months), Fratelli’s, Bill’s Family Pizza (three menus in less than two months), Renzi’s, Shef’s (five menus in less than two months), Tom’s, John’s, Concetta’s, Hermanos, Old Country, Pippo’s, New Pizza, Dim Sum Garden, China Royal and China Moon.
This comes to 35 menus in less than 60 days, or at least one menu every other day from 22 restaurants.
If you want to continue to trash up the neighborhood, that is your prerogative. Why not buy an ad in the local paper and save the cost of purchasing menus?
Steve Schmidt
Mayfair



Parking card: Some

abuse it, many use it

Every time I picked up the Northeast Times and saw those letters about people misusing the handicapped placards, I wanted to write in. But I didn’t. I figured there were enough peeved people in the Northeast who would respond.
But I saw the latest letters, and I would just like to state a few things.
I can see where people might think the placards are being misused. I’ll tell you this: I have one of those placards.
I had two herniated discs in 2006 and I also have knee problems. I went to my doctor in 2006 and had him fill out the form for the placard. He could’ve denied me, but he knows my medical background to a tee.
I had that form filled out and in an envelope ready to be notarized and mailed. But I held on to it. Family members kept telling me to mail it in . . . and finally, when my knee problems escalated, I did . . . in late 2007!
I now keep the placard in my car and use it ONLY IF I HAVE TO. And even when I have to use it and see a regular spot that’s just as close, I’ll park in the regular spot, just so someone in a wheelchair or worse off than I am can use the handicapped spot.
That’s MY side of it.
Now on the other hand, I do see people using these placards who seem awfully young and healthy-looking. I understand that doesn’t mean a thing. I saw what looked like a 17-year-old get out of a car with a placard! You can’t assume, but you never, never know.
I used to work with someone whose daughter had a form of arthritis and would use the placard even when the daughter wasn’t with her!! And this former co-worker was in tip-top shape, with her 3-inch heels nonetheless.
So it’s hard for me to get angry at those saying the placards are misused, but then again, I’m not the one misusing it. I feel both sides, so after reading these latest letters, I decided to state my case.
Heather Steinberg
Bustleton



Mayor should trash

any plan to impose fee

I hear that Mayor Nutter is considering a plan to charge homeowners a fee for putting out their trash.
The more you put out, the more you pay. His theory is that this would motivate people to recycle more.
Mr. Mayor, if you want to motivate us to recycle more, then pay us! How about the more we recycle, the more we get paid! I assume the city is selling all of these recyclables and I assume we are saving money on landfill space, so who is pocketing this money?
Or is the recycling program run so in-efficiently that the city needs us to recycle more in order to break even? I don’t know. Does anybody?
Wayne Puro
Torresdale



Show those thugs

neighbors are united

By state Rep. John Perzel
Reading the local newspaper week after week, it would appear that we are losing the battle against crime in spite of all the valiant effort and hard work of our police force.
The overwhelming majority of violent crime in Philadelphia is committed by repeat violent offenders. Sgt. Stephen Liczbinski was shot to death in May by a repeat violent offender who, as Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey put it, "should never have been out on the street."
In addition to demanding that our judges start imposing tougher and longer jail sentences for violent crime, Philadelphia needs more police to provide the type of ongoing protection necessary to not only stop crime and apprehend criminals, but also to serve as a strong and visible deterrent to criminals waiting to pounce on innocent victims.
That is why I authored the Commonwealth Officers Act, which will put 10,000 new police officers on the streets of Pennsylvania over the next four years. Under my plan, Philadelphia would be eligible to hire 1,300 new officers.
I have also introduced a package of legislative initiatives requiring all criminals who commit a crime with a gun to serve their mandatory five-year gun sentence immediately after they finish serving the initial sentence for having committed the associated crime.
My legislation also overhauls our current parole system by eliminating parole for all violent offenders and requiring a majority vote of the nine-member parole board prior to a prisoner’s release. Currently, a parole applicant needs only two of the nine board members to approve his or her release.
While my legislation will have a direct impact on crime in our neighborhoods, direct citizen involvement at the neighborhood level is one of our best tools in the fight to keep our neighborhoods safe.
That is why I urge everyone to join me and thousands of citizens in our area and across the country as we take part in National Night Out on Tuesday, Aug. 5.
More than 10,000 communities and 34 million people throughout the United States and Canada will step out with their local Town Watch groups, police, civic organizations, home and school associations, businesses and elected officials to attend block parties, cookouts, parades and flashlight walks in a massive show of citizen force against the criminals who would prefer us to stay locked up behind our own doors.
The annual National Night Out strengthens neighborhood spirit and solidifies the relationship between police and the community. Most important, it sends a loud and clear message to criminals that the community is unified in our fight against crime.
That is why I would urge all Northeast residents to participate in any way possible. If you can’t walk with your own local Town Watch group, then grab some lawn chairs and sit outside with your family on your steps, lawn or sidewalk.
Send the message that we are united as a community. If you see what you suspect is a drug house, report it. If people are congregating around an abandoned property, call the city Department of Licenses and Inspections before it becomes a hangout. When you see police officers in your neighborhood, give them a thumbs-up to thank them for risking their lives to protect our families.
You can also join us between 6:30 and 8:30 p.m. on Aug. 5 at the Fox Chase Elementary School, Rhawn and Halstead streets — or at any of the neighborhood gatherings — to meet with your neighbors and police officials.
My staff and I will be there to answer any questions that you might have. ••
John Perzel, a Republican, represents the 172nd Legislative District.



Shop center’s decay

breaks his heart

As one who has lived all of his nearly 40 years in Philadelphia, I have seen many changes, both in the city at large and also in my little neck of the woods, the so-called Great Northeast.
While some changes, such as the current transformation of my alma mater, Benjamin Rush Middle School, into a CAPA (Creative and Performing Arts) high school, may prove to be beneficial in the long run, I think the overwhelming majority of those reading this would agree with me that the negatives vastly outweigh any of the positives.
I am not naive enough to believe that Philadelphia is the only place affected by the many social ills that have caused America to rot from the inside out. It is my intent, however, to bring attention to the abysmal condition of the Knights Road Shopping Center.
While the Morrell Plaza at the corner of Knights and Frankford is undergoing its own rebirth, and the nearby Parkwood Center is seemingly flourishing after a recent upgrade, the Knights Road center is becoming a center of urban blight.
Thanks to the loyal and courageous spirit of a few select businesspeople, this dreary, decaying structure manages to survive. Being there in the middle of the day is bad enough. I think anyone who has occasion to go there after dark would agree that it can be downright terrifying.
I can fondly recall the days of my youth and the weekly visits to the Robindale Bakery after Sunday Mass. It seemed only appropriate. After praying for the dearly departed, we made the trek to our own little piece of heaven on Earth.
Today the site is a dark, gloomy, abandoned storefront that sits next to Rite Aid.
I can also remember, even more recently, going to Joseph’s for haircuts, shopping at the local Shop ’n Bag, and occasionally stopping at the nearby Perkins restaurant for a meal or at China Court for a takeout order of my favorite pork-fried rice.
Like Robindale, these former businesses are now empty, lifeless eyesores. Joe’s does still exist, however; the shop just moved to the Academy Plaza, which, in spite of its advanced age, is yet another area strip center that continues to thrive, not just barely survive.
Another one of my childhood and teenage haunts, the old Knights Deli, also is nothing more than a faded memory, a decrepit, boarded-up, graffiti-marred shadow of its former self.
As stated before, I am not naive. I know that, after reading this, some as yet unknown billionaire is not going to show up with a bag of money and save the day.
Money, as they say, makes the world go round. Although I do not have firsthand knowledge of the plans, I am certain that money is the reason this much-needed renovation has been put off for so long.
I will continue to support the remaining businesses that suit my needs. I urge others to do the same as we hold out hope that perhaps a group with financial clout will step in and throw a much-needed lifeline to this struggling community.
Bill McDevitt Jr.
Millbrook



‘Coward’ wrecks his

beloved Fiat — and faith

Barely able to get out of bed, I hear the destructive sound of steel-on-steel collision. Was it my rare 1999 super-mini Fiat Punto being totaled?
It sure was. This goes out to the "tough guy" who was driving drunk on a recent Saturday morning and lost control and hit my Fiat. Yes, the one on the 7500 block of Large St. You are a coward!
The only good thing that came out of this situation is that it wasn’t any of the neighborhood children being hit, or one of my kids. I thank God it was 3 in the morning when the collision occurred. I honestly believe a child may have been seriously injured or killed.
I filed a police report, but the only information I had on the suspect was from my neighbor, a Serbian immigrant who barely speaks English. My neighbor, who was up at this time watching the first season of Family Matters on DVD, saw a late-model Ford Mustang hit my car.
More than a week after the "accident" I still had received no feedback from the police, nothing! I contacted my insurance company; they aren’t going to cover the damages. Then again, talking with my insurance company is like talking with grandmother — I can never get a word in edgewise.
After this I went to my mechanic. The damage is going to cost me over four-thousand dollars. This I can’t afford, it’s more than my son’s tuition.
At this point, all I want is for somebody to step forward and apologize. Maybe even cover the cost. If you’re out there, which I know you are, ignorant Mustang driver, please do the right thing. I know in time things will not go my way, but just remember, "Life is like poetry, even if you try to make sense out of things, it makes no sense at all."
Curtis Houston
Rhawnhurst



‘Evil’ Larry Mendte

got help from the media

As I see it
By John Scanlon

Watching Larry Mendte do the news always gave me the willies.
With his hair seemingly swept into place by Quikrete, that stuff you get at hardware stores to secure fence posts, and his face locked into a perpetual smile by Botox or something, Mendte’s the only anchor who could look cheery even while telling you about a six-car pileup on the Schuylkill.
CBS-3’s former powerhouse news anchor no doubt hasn’t been doing so well since the U.S. Attorney’s Office accused him on July 19 of hacking into the private e-mails of Alycia Lane, his former co-anchor who also has all the legal issues she can handle at the moment.
Now Mendte’s lost a huge salary. All that prestige. The best tables in the swankiest restaurants. It has to be tough for Larry Mendte to even roll out of bed in the morning, probably just shuffling around his Chestnut Hill house in his official CBS-3 bathrobe — since these news people get official CBS-3 hats while covering rainstorms, official CBS-3 umbrellas during nor’easters, and official CBS-3 rulers to measure 2-inch snowfalls, it stands to reason there must be official CBS-3 bathrobes — and not giving a damn whether every hair is in place.
But it’s also hard to feel much empathy for Lane. It’s fine that she’s suing the station, alleging she was wrongfully terminated in January, and she’s also going after the New York Police Department, alleging wrongful arrest, but you can’t help but suspect that something wrongful indeed happened when Lane and some friends got into a testy encounter with cops during a night of Big Apple partying.
And now Mendte’s on the scrap heap with her.
CBS-3, of course, wants its anchor seated behind a desk, not hanging around its neck, so it canned him on June 23. But the mission here isn’t to lecture Larry Mendte about how he could have been so foolish to orchestrate his own fall from grace. Columnists and gossip writers at the city’s two dailies already have beaten that sermon to death.
What’s more intriguing to me is that Mendte’s wicked zeal to sabotage Lane’s career and make her a joke on Internet blogs couldn’t have been carried on without the cooperation of the dailies. Interesting that those gossip writers and columnists who gleefully accepted or commented on the Alycia morsels fed by Mendte are now so piously condemning his evil ways and scolding him for throwing it all away, or composing essays on the corruptible confluence of TV news and ratings and ego.
Fine, whatever, but let’s back up here a moment. Without a salivating press pack eager to run whatever scandalous Lane tidbits Mendte wanted to toss out from his e-mail snooping, we wouldn’t be at this point. Lane wouldn’t have been perplexed about how personal stuff was suddenly making the papers. There would have been no federal investigation ultimately ending at Mendte’s door. No decision by CBS-3 to pink-slip him. And he’d still be The Man, disappointed, true, that there were no accomplices to print his below-the-belt shots and help KO Lane, but being The Man and earning $700,000 and getting the best restaurant tables still beats shuffling around your Chestnut Hill home in your official CBS-3 bathrobe, your face blackened by the explosion of a scheme that backfired, your own career in serious jeopardy.
It can’t be easy being Larry Mendte right now, flipping through the newspapers or going online and reading all the vitriol being tossed your way. Reading, for example, that Daily News columnist Jill Porter calls you a "cyber Peeping Tom" whose destructive obsession brought down "a powerful, innocent woman."
If, as the feds allege, Mendte used a techno gizmo to steal Lane’s password and enter her personal e-mail account 537 times over five months this year, his face-slapping from Porter isn’t too overboard. But the column does conveniently overlook that, in this dance on Alycia Lane’s grave, it takes two to fandango. Or at least to bring down a powerful, innocent woman.
Mendte needed a public forum to feed his scintillating e-mail harvests. Even the federal allegation against him, without naming reporter names, contends that Mendte forged a discreet pipeline with the city’s papers, notably the Daily News. Even if you had just casually followed the writings of their gossip man Dan Gross, it became clear that his columns were exhibiting a grittier edge, morphing from revelations about pro athletes seen dining in posh restaurants around town to becoming your exclusive source — along with his blog PhillyGossip.com — for Larry & Alycia news, all day, all the time.
I thought I’d chat with Gross about this whole messy Mendte thing, but then I saw he wasn’t even giving his own paper any exclusives. "I don’t discuss whether anyone is, or is not, a source of mine," he said in a Daily News story last week, in response to the question of whether Mendte fed him details about Lane.
That’s certainly noble in this business, protecting your sources. Of course, we’re talking here about two superficial TV news anchors whose vanity and sense of self-importance have made them sad jokes — in other words, it’s not like Gross exposed G. Gordon Liddy as a co-conspirator in the Watergate break-in — but it’s noble that his lips are sealed.
The beauty for Mendte is that he got plenty of help creating the perfect storm, at least until the feds got wise to him. He was able to troll Lane’s e-mail, fishing for personal items or correspondence about her legal woes, and dish the dirt to his media contacts, all the while being granted anonymity.
But one important question should have been asked: What’s the ulterior motive of this weasel?
Mendte may have been afforded protection as a media source, but they still hung him out to dry in the end. Talk about biting the hand that fed you. Poor Larry put his career on the line, feeding them Alycia exclusives as fast as they could be printed, and now he has to read how he’s a sinister, depraved, self-centered, treacherous, despicable and deceitful power freak who torpedoed Alycia Lane.
That’s the thanks you get, Larry. ••

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