And the winner of Honest Tom’s venerable taco truck is … Maru Global (Facebook page), the folks who specialize in authentic Japanese street food.

Maru Global’s plans for the truck are still coming together, but it is sure to feature takoyaki – a fried dough ball typically filled with octopus, ginger, onion and other delectables – maybe some curry fries, onigiri or their famous desert balls.

Maru Global won the truck as a result of a contest Honest Tom ran earlier this month asking would-be entrepreneurs to write him and explain why they should get the truck.

The winning of the truck is the latest in a tumultuous string of recent events for Maru Global’s Chef Ryo Igarashi and his wife Nicole Igarashi, who handles the business side of the operation. They had to close their restaurant, Tokio Global, near Headhouse Square in April after Ryo underwent surgery to remove a blood clot from his brain. As he recovered they returned to the kitchen to prepare a whittled down mobile menu for events and festivals around the city.

“Honest Tom” McCusker’s 1970 step van, which he bought with credit card cash advances, will now be a key part of that mobile operation.

Congrats to Maru Global and well done to Honest Tom for paying it forward.

The 19-year-old man who pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting a woman at gunpoint last September near 48th and Springfield and about two dozen other crimes will be sentenced tomorrow.

Kareem Drayton negotiated a plea deal with prosecutors in April on charges stemming from the highly publicized sexual assault and robbery of a 32-year-old teacher. Police say Drayton held a gun to the woman’s head and assaulted her as her boyfriend stood nearby. Drayton also pleaded guilty to other robberies and burglaries in the city. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for 9 a.m. tomorrow in courtroom 802 at the Criminal Justice Center (1301 Filbert St.).

Drayton’s accomplice in the robbery of the woman and her boyfriend, 19-year-old Tyshanek Presley, also negotiated a plea arrangement and will be sentenced in August, according to court records.

The sexual assault and robbery took place at about 10 p.m. as the couple returned home from a restaurant. The crime shook many residents in the neighborhood and 100 people attended a monthly police meeting days after the crime to discuss what could be done to curtail crime in the area. The crime also spurred renewed interest in neighborhood watch groups, including the 48th Street Neighborhood Town Watch.

A neighborhood favorite when it came to halal meat and injera – that hard-to-find-and-even-harder-to-make Ethiopian and Eritrean bread – has closed. But it will be back.

Mohamed’s Halal Center on the north side of Walnut near 46th closed its doors late last month, but its owners plan to return to the area’s food scene in a couple of months with a spot on 48th Street near Spruce at the Center for Culinary Enterprises (CCE), which will house three retail spaces in addition to the shared-use commercial kitchens, an “eKitchen” smart classroom that will include a demonstration kitchen/television studio and other innovative programs. The Enterprise Center Community Development Corporation is coordinating the $5 million CCE.

We’re going to have a lot more on this soon, including the concepts behind the three retail spaces, but we just wanted to pass along the word on Mohamed’s for now. No word yet on what might become of the building on Walnut, which has housed many businesses over the years.

(H/T UCNeighbors)

Dear Department of Parks and Recreation,

So it has been seriously hot over the last couple of weeks. You already know this. We hear it is going to be just as hot for another week. Here’s the problem: We have a great drinking fountain in Clark Park that is right next to the basketball courts and playground. We would love to use it because, as you probably know, playing basketball when it is 95 degrees out makes you very thirsty. But the fountain doesn’t work. Could you please, please fix it?

Sincerely,

The Kids of Clark Park

(This letter represents views we heard expressed in Clark Park by kids young and old who want their fountain fixed.)

Update: Mike C. got it. “Is that the old West Philly High?” It is indeed.

The old West Philly High is still for sale so no one is sure what will become of these little sculptures outside. They’re cool.

Think you know your hood? This is part of a photo that was taken somewhere in the area between 52nd to 40th streets, Market to Kingsessing. We will zoom it out each day until someone gets it right. Register your guess in the comments and be specific about the location.

The last time we did this, Andy L. got it in about 10 minutes. Hopefully this one is more challenging.

One guess per person per day please.

Hint 1: To help out a little, we are reducing the size of the area. So lets say 42nd to 49th streets, Market to Baltimore.

 
We have good news and bad news. Curbside diners from Clark Park to Center City will be sad to hear that Honest Tom is retiring his taco truck. The good news is that an entrepreneur eager to get into the food truck game will get the colorful 1970 Chevy step van, one of the most vaunted food trucks in the city,  free of charge.

“Honest” Tom McCusker, who in December climbed out of the truck and into his new shop on 44th Street, is giving the truck away for a story.

“It runs like an old workhorse but definitely has its quirks,” said McCusker, who says he bought the truck off a man named Derek with credit card cash advances from “multiple credit cards.”

Here’s a post from his Facebook page that spells out the deal:

For those that have inquired or anyone else it may concern:

We have been trying to get the truck back into regular rotation for months now, but with the shop schedule being as demanding as it is we have realized that it is not going to be possible. So we’ve come up with a plan…

As good as the truck has been to us we’ve decided it cannot be burdened with a monetary value. We will be gifting it to a noble up and comer looking to dive into the dark scary world of food trucking. Email honesttoms – at – gmail.com with why you should be the chosen one and we will make a decision on monday the 9th of july,meaning emails must be in that Sunday by midnight.

So get your e-mail to Tom by midnight on July 8.