Philadelphia’s 35th Police District is as busy as a police district can get. Covering from Cheltenham Avenue to Wingohocking Street and from Wister Street to Roosevelt Boulevard, it entails the areas of East Oak Lane, parts of West Oak Lane, Logan, Olney and the tip of Feltonville.

With these different neighborhoods come a variety of crime and depending on the time of year-some more serious than others. “This is a very busy district,” said Officer Robert …

Nine years ago, Michael Hayward knew that the neighborhood around his home at 12th and Wingohocking streets was facing tough times.  The “sinking homes” disaster had caused many responsible homeowners to move out of the area, and the strength of the existing Logan community organization had diminished considerably.
So Hayward and a neighbor–Sonya Bryant–decided that they would to do something to combat the apathy that existed in …

Inside the courtroom at the 35th Police District, Officer Barbara Blackford opens the double doors and calls out to the two people waiting in the hallway.

“You can come back in,” she says as she holds the door open.

A teenage boy walks into the courtroom followed by his mother. They seat themselves in two chairs situated in front of a long table. Across the …

The Word of God has never sounded so cool.

Meet Donte Holland, also known by his rapper name Beloved the Ghostwriter, gospel rapper from the Strawberry Mansion area of Philadelphia. Getting his start when he was 13 years old, Beloved has now solidified himself as a Christian rapper with lyrics based on the gospel. “Since I’ve started, my lyrics have always been that way, it’s what …

Gospel singer Willa Ward still lives in Logan where she grew up. Select the video below and read more about her success and her exploits here.

The Logan Police Athletic League (PAL) Center, located at The Holy Trinity Presbyterian Church at 1100 W. Rockland St., is one of the smallest in Philadelphia.  Yet there is a gigantic amount of hard work and volunteering that goes into giving the neighborhood kids a place off of the streets.

Sharon Wells has been operating the Logan center for 13 of her 20 years as an officer with the Philadelphia Police Department.  While Wells …

You may see them walking around your neighborhood wearing sharp-looking suit jackets, spotless white shirts, with backpacks and nice slacks. You may also see them stray away from the sidewalks and up the front steps of your neighbors’ houses to spread the word. Regardless of whether or not you’re listening, know this: many others are. These young men are Mormon missionaries, sent out to spread the spiritual word of God.

…

Jason West decided to beautify his grandmother’s three-story row home by planting flowers and encompassing them with a rustic garden fence. He thought his kind act would rid his block of blight. Instead, it incited anger and disdain within the 20-year resident of the 5100 block of North Broad Street.

…

Jean Pleis and the tight-knit community of Olney were looking forward to celebrating the centennial anniversary of The Olney Times. Pleis’ plans for an anniversary issue were cut short, however, when she received a phone call from the newspaper’s parent company, the Journal Register Co. At the staff meeting on Dec. 11, Pleis was told that the parent company of The Olney Times was filing for bankruptcy. Pleis was then given two hours to clear out of her office. Abruptly and unannounced, the community newspaper that had informed Olney residents and businesses for almost a century was forced to fold.

“It …

Whether it has been a late train or a less than pleasant smelling subway platform, we have all had our own issues with the city’s public transportation system. It is the easiest way to get where you need to go, but with so much cause for complaint, most people probably wish they could find alternative means of getting around town. Anne Nielson, a resident of the Logan neighborhood, is one Philadelphian who is not affected by such transportation problems. We were invited to meet up with Anne at her row home on North 12th Street so that we …