Five people were arrested yesterday in connection with an LSD distribution operation run out of a house on the 4800 block of Florence Street.

Those arrested include 31-year-old Joshua Dassay, who lives in the home, Wesley Crawford, 34, of Ardmore, and 33-year-old Raphael Zappala, who lives on 50th Street.

Police say they found about 9,500 hits of acid and $10,000 in cash at the Florence Street residence. The District Attorney’s office, which called the operation a “million dollar drug ring,” says the LSD ring was distributing on the Drexel University campus and an investigation began when a Drexel University student, who was arrested on unrelated drug and weapons charges in Montgomery County on Jan. 18, tipped off police to the ring. The student allowed detectives to record drug transactions over the telephone. Those conversations led to the arrest of another Drexel University student, who was allegedly a lower level supplier. That student also cooperated with police. Neither students’ names have been released.

“It is sad that this was taking place on a campus of higher learning, but I hope that the actions of a few do not tarnish the image of educational excellence that we associate with Drexel University,” said District Attorney Seth Williams.

The DA’s Office said the alleged dealers were making between $5,000 and $15,000 a week selling the LSD for $10 to $30 a hit.

Dassay, Crawford and Zappala both face felony possession charges. Charges also include “criminal use of a communication facility,” also a felony, for allegedly using a telephone for drug transactions, and endangering the life of a child. An infant was found inside the Florence Street home at the time of the raid. The DA’s Office said Dassay was wanted for crimes in nine other states.

Crawford is being held on $500,000 bail. Zappala’s bail is $250,000. Bail information was not available for Dassay.

A 59-year-old man died today when he slipped under a SEPTA bus at 49th and Woodland, philly.com is reporting. The 59-year-old man was reportedly pinned under the 12 bus and was pronounced dead at the scene.

The Spruce Hill Community Association distributed a letter to the dozens of parents waiting in line yesterday to register their children for kindergarten next year calling on “the community” to “make itself heard.” The letter also restates the association’s stance that every child living within the school’s catchment boundaries has a right to attend Penn Alexander.

The letter begins:

“No one should have to line up in the cold for nearly 24 hours to register their child for kindergarten.”

A full copy of the letter is below.

Kindergarten registration began for schools across the District this morning, including at the Henry C. Lea School, which has received a lot of attention in recent months thanks to the work of the West Philly Coalition of Neighborhood Schools.

Pas Letter

The infamous line for kindergarten registration at the Penn Alexander School began at about 9 a.m. this morning, 24 hours before registration actually begins.

By 10:30 a.m. the line had already swollen to about 70 people. Those in line, some of whom were wrapped in sleeping bags, had begun to devise a plan to provide some relief – maybe two hours on, two hours off – from the freezing temperatures. There are currently three kindergarten classes at the school.

The line has started very early in recent years, including the night before registration last year. This year’s line, however, is unprecedented. Kindergarten registration across the district begins tomorrow morning.

If your Friday plans include a bottle of wine or spirits and your usual spot is the Wine and Spirits store near 41st and Market, you’re going to have to shop elsewhere.

The store closed permanently late last week. The owner of the building reportedly no longer wants to lease to the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board (PLCB). The PLCB is shopping around for another site in the area.

This also means that the store near 49th and Baltimore will have even longer lines.

Plans for a Subway restaurant near 46th and Baltimore are in serious jeopardy. The Zoning Board of Adjustment recently rejected a takeout certificate to an out-of-town franchise owner.

The franchise owner, who proposed a Subway location at 4533 Baltimore Ave., has 30 days to appeal the decision, which was handed down on Jan. 11.

Several community members and nearby residents protested the proposed restaurant, saying the increased traffic would affect properties adjacent to the proposed location.

Wilhelmina Herbert, president of the Garden Court Community Association, recently sent a letter notifying nearby residents of the decision and praising them for speaking out against the plans.

“Without community support this would not have been possible,” she wrote in a letter dated Jan. 18. “We have shown that we can come together to ensure the safety of our children, to protect our properties, and for the overall good of our neighborhood.  Our voices have been heard!”

The Subway franchisee’s application for a takeout certificate, which is required for any restaurant, was originally approved by the Spruce Hill Community Association in a December meeting. Herbert and others, many of whom said they were never notified of that meeting, asked that the ZBA postpone a decision in December to give them time to discuss the proposal.

Many residents who commented on neighborhood e-mail lists and an earlier story here opposed the Subway because it would have been the only chain restaurant among several locally owned businesses in that area of Baltimore Avenue. But residents who lived near the proposed locations, which has been home to several short-lived businesses in recent years, insisted that their primary concern was increased traffic.