The annual Christmas tree recycling initiative by UC Green received a great response from the community this year. Residents brought more than 400 Christmas trees to Clark Park on January 5, the University City District reports. Residents also donated money to UC Green, which turned the collected trees into wood chips that will be used in the neighborhood’s community gardens. On the same day, eForce Compliance collected nearly 11,000 pounds of used electronics from local residents, which will also be recycled or disposed of in an environmentally-safe manner.

One of other ways to help UC Green, a local non-profit that works on community greening projects, is to buy their firewood, all local and all split by volunteers, currently available at Mariposa Food Co-op (49th & Baltimore).

Photo courtesy UCD.

Evan Sweitzer (photo from Citykitties.org).

Evan Sweitzer, a 10-year-old boy who’s been helping a local cat rescue, is a celebrity after Reddit shared a story about him and The Huffington Post picked it up a couple of weeks ago. Now Evan will appear on the Ellen DeGeneres Show that will air today at 3 p.m. on NBC (you can watch the segment here).

Since 2009 Evan has been sending letters and his allowance money to City Kitties, a West Philly-based cat rescue organization. His family adopted a cat, Macha, from City Kitties and Evan wanted to help other cats. For 2012, Evan donated $110, which his parents matched for a total of $220.

Here’s Evan’s letter that City Kitties received along with his latest donation.

To read more about Evan and how he’s been helping West Philly’s stray cats and kittens, visit Citykitties.org.

These handsome, affectionate, fun, and sweet foster kittens are looking for a home together. They are all up to date on shots for the next year and have been neutered, and microchipped so they can go home with you ASAP! Check out this message from a neighbor, Sarah, who’s fostering them for ACCT Philly:

“Rick (tabby, boy) is what we refer to as rick-tastic! He’s a ridiculously sweet little goofball! You will know the second he is happy as can be because he looooves to purr. With big brown eyes that will melt your heart, this guy could get away with murder. But he doesn’t take advantage of his cuteness! He’s well-behaved, stays off counters, and uses the scratching post and litterbox. He’s not crazy all-over-the-place wild like many kittens, but he IS adventurous and makes his own fun! I’ve found him climbing up a screen-like radiator cover and balancing on a bag full of other plastic bags. We like to describe him in this house as “squishy,” and he’s definitely the squishiest little kitten I’ve ever met. I could hold him tight to my chest and “squish” cuddle him all day. Rick was brought to ACCT as a stray with his brother and sister. They were too small to be adopted, so I picked them up to foster.

Biscuit (tuxedo, boy) is Rick’s best friend. These two LOVE each other so much! They follow each other around the house to play, rough-house, cuddle, snuggle, and groom each other. They make each other purr all day long. Biscuit is super friendly, lovey, and affectionate. He is quite adamant about playing. It can be too much for some cats. He’s pretty good about adjusting based on feedback, but he may be too much for kitties who are more docile. Biscuit is a charmer. Everyone who meets him falls in love. He loves to be in your lap and makes those awesome chirps that cats make when he runs up to you. He always greets me at the door when I get home from work with snuggles. Biscuit was found by a friend of a friend as a stray on Hazel St. in West Philadelphia. I took him to ACCT to be scanned for a chip and looked for possible owners to no avail, so he became my foster.”

Sarah said that January adoption price is $75 for both of them with the “adopt a buddy” program. She will definitely consider separating them, but Rick and Biscuit are the cutest pair and Sarah would love for them to find a home together. Please contact her at: rstlne36912@gmail.com with any questions.

The police are asking for the public’s help in the search for two suspects, a man and a woman, involved in Monday’s kidnapping of a 5-year-old girl and have raised the reward to $10,000 for information leading to their arrest. The woman, who picked up the girl on Monday morning at her school, Bryant Elementary at 60th and Cedar, was wearing dark-colored Muslim garb covering her face. She is described as a black female in her late 20′s, 5’5″ to 5’8″, thin build, with greenish or light eyes and possibly pregnant. She reportedly told the girl that her name was “Rashida.”

The child was taken out of the Hazel Street exit of the school and walked left on 61st Street, a police report states. The woman took the child to a residence several blocks away where she was joined by a man, who is described as a light-skinned (possibly white) male, in his mid-30s, with short brown hair.

Philadelphia Police Captain John Darby said at a news conference that the child was interviewed by police and said that at the residence where she was taken to she was told to remove clothing and was restrained. Darby also said that investigators have narrowed their search for the suspects to an area from Spruce to Christian streets and from 56th Street to Cobbs Creek Parkway. Police are going door to door on those blocks and handing out flyers.

If you have any information about this crime or the suspects please contact Detective Gonzalez, Special Victims Unit at 215-685-3251/3252/3265.

The University Avenue/34th Street Bridge over the Schuylkill River has reopened, according to a Traffic Advisory by Penn Division of Public Safety. The bridge, which is part of a common route to access Interstate 76, was closed for two weeks for repairs and opened one week ahead of the schedule.

The plot at 4812 Baltimore Ave, the site of the proposed building (image from Google Street View).

Plans for a new apartment building at 4812 Baltimore Ave will be revealed tomorrow (Thursday, Jan. 17) at a community meeting that will be held at The Calvary Center (801 S. 48th St). The owners of the property, Diversified Realty Ventures, have submitted an application to the Philadelphia Zoning Board of Adjustment (ZBA) and applied for a permit to build a new, 4-story structure with a roof deck. The building will have a small commercial store front on the 1st floor and five apartments above.

The lot where the building is currently proposed is home to a few garden plots, but is otherwise vacant. The builder needs a variance because of the proposed structure’s height. The building would house five apartments with a total of nine bedrooms.

At the meeting, the owners will present drawings of the proposed building and answer any questions the community may have.

The meeting will begin at 7 p.m. in the Calvary Center’s basement (entrance through 48th street side door).