Jan. 13, 1966

Panel on discrimination to be heard here soon

The Panel of Philadelphians, a quintet of housewives who present their personal experiences with discrimination to community social and church groups all over the Philadelphia environs, will speak at the Springside School. The evening is sponsored by the Chestnut Hill Community Association. The panel, comprised of a moderator and four other women, all volunteers of varied racial origins and religious backgrounds, was announced last week as recipient of this year’s Philadelphia Fellowship Commission Award. It has been in existence for two years.

Republicans direct registration drive

An intensive voter registration drive, directed by the Montgomery County Republican Party’s 10 area leaders, was announced today by James E. Staudinger, Republican County Chairman. Citing the forthcoming gubernatorial and state General Assembly elections, Staudinger said the heightened interest in 1966 will be utilized “to ensure the largest Republican registration possible.”

Jan. 15, 1976

King birthday petition ready

Members of the Unitarian Society of Germantown have drawn up and will circulate a petition calling upon the Pennsylvania Legislature and the U.S. Congress to designate Jan. 15, birthday of the late Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., as a state and national holiday. The undertaking will be formally announced and launched at a Martin Luther King Birthday celebration, in the sanctuary of the Unitarian Church.

EMAN backs desegregation

The Board of Directors of East Mount Airy Neighbors has resolved unanimously to file a statement with the Commonwealth Court in support of the Human Relations Commission’s desegregation plan. EMAN has a long history of concern with public education generally, and with school desegregation in particular. Members of EMAN’s board have gone before the Board of Education and City Council many times to press for full funding for the public schools and with desegregation proposals.

Jan. 16, 1986

CHCA supports Pastorius restoration

An appropriation of $27,000 for the restoration of Pastorius Park heads the list of Chestnut Hill Community Fund projects for the year 1986–87. The Chestnut Hill Community Association’s Executive Committee, at its meeting on Jan. 9, voted unanimously to place $17,500 in a designated fund with the money to be paid out with accrued interest during the years 1988 through 1991.

Christmas lights may not shine

The Christmas lights that traditionally adorn the trees on Germantown Avenue may never shine again. The Chestnut Hill Development Group, in a request for $2,000 to help fund the project, indicated that it can no longer pay for them. The Chestnut Hill Community Association’s Executive Committee, in a unanimous decision, voted at its meeting on Jan. 9 to deny the funding request.

Jan. 11, 1996

Blood supply near crisis levels

The Blizzard of 1996 totally halted the American Red Cross Blood Services’ blood collection program in southeastern Pennsylvania and central and southern New Jersey as well as in other major population areas on the East Coast. The Red Cross may soon find it necessary to declare a blood shortage emergency in the Delaware Valley. This is of major significance as blood donations have been on a dramatic decline for several weeks due to the holidays, increases in flu and other illnesses and the snowstorms on Dec. 19 and 20.

Jan. 12, 2006

Make Mt. Airy playground better

The Trolley Car Diner will once again be teaming up with 22nd Ward leader Vernon Price to renovate a local recreation center on MLK Day. Last year’s renovation of the Mt. Airy Playground rec center was a huge success with nearly 75 volunteers.

Police nab bank robbers

Officers in the 14th District arrested a woman get–away driver five or 10 minutes after a male accomplice allegedly robbed the Sovereign Bank, 8623 Germantown Ave., on Dec. 31. Due to information furnished by the woman, the FBI and police subsequently arrested the male. He has also been identified as the alleged robber of the PBC Bank, 8340 Germantown Ave., and the Sovereign Bank on Willow Grove Avenue. The woman was also the driver in those robberies.

Jan. 14, 2016

CHHS mobilizes to save 130-year-old Hill home

Neighbors of 30 W. Chestnut Hill Ave. realized something was amiss when the leafy property was cleared of trees and bushes last Friday morning, leaving the once nearly hidden Victorian home on the property naked, a lone structure on a suddenly barren yard. It didn’t take long for the basic pieces to come together. A developer had acquired the property, filed a permit to demolish it, and was planning to build new homes on the lot.

Mt. St. Joseph Academy grad to row in Olympics

If all goes well, Chierika Ukogu, 23, of Northeast Philadelphia, will be rowing for Nigeria in the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. Ukogu, whose parents were both born in Ukpor, Nigeria, recalled watching Hamadou Djibo Issaka, a rower who was chosen by the Tripartite Commission to be a wild card, in the 2012 Summer Olympics.