A reader says she was sitting in her car near 48th and Windsor last night talking on her phone when a group of young males, between the ages of 14-17, came up and tried to open the doors. The incident happened at around 7:45 p.m. Here’s what she writes:

“Tonight, I had a group of 5-6 young males try to break into my car while I WAS IN IT at 48th and Windsor. I was on my iPhone in my car as it was parked for about 20 minutes. They came out of nowhere and three tried to open my doors. I hit my horn and someone else came running and then they ran down to the 48th and Warrington block.”

The woman says she filed a report with the police.

Police couldn’t confirm if it’s the same group of teens suspected in other recent crimes in the area, as the investigation still continues.

As was reported last week, a 53-year-old man was beaten and robbed near Clark Park by a large group of teenagers on January 11. Earlier this month, a woman was robbed by three teens while walking on the 4900 block of Osage Avenue.  Continue Reading

Authorities are expected to increase the amount of the reward offered for information that leads to the arrest of the person who brutally murdered a 34-year-old West Philly resident and a Philadelphia Parking Authority employee, Mark Marshall. Police released the suspect’s sketch (pictured right), a photo of the vehicle he fled the scene in, and offered a $20,000 reward for information about him last week.

Marshall was walking his two Chihuahuas on the 4600 block of Kingsessing Avenue on the evening of December 16, 2015, when an unknown man, described as a black male, 20-30 years old, wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt and orange hat, jumped out of an older model Dodge/Chrysler minivan, possibly silver in color, approached Marshall and shot him multiple times. He then got into the passenger seat of the minivan, which fled the scene. Police said that the two men were seen arguing before the shooting.  Continue Reading

Protestors took to the streets in the days following the devastating 2011 fire at Windermere Court Apartments. Photos by West Philly Local).

Five years after a catastrophic fire destroyed the Windermere Court Apartments at 48th and Walnut, building tenants who participated in a class-action lawsuit have received their share of a $4.75 million settlement.

The fire that broke out on Jan. 10, 2011 destroyed the 90-unit building and left its residents scrambling for housing. Many spent days protesting the building owner’s decision not to let them return to retrieve their belongings and pets that may have survived the blaze.

The cause of the fire is disputed. An expert determined on behalf of the tenants during a 2013 civil trial that the fire resulted from faulty smoke alarms and sprinklers. The building owners – David, Sam and Aron Ginsberg – settled the suit a few days into the 2014 trial for $4.75 million and the settlement was certified last January.

The tenants’ class-action attorney, Tom Marrone, said that the payouts were completed this week. Each tenant who signed onto the suit received an average of $25,000 after legal and other fees.

Neighbors have reported gunshots on the 5100 block of Webster St. at around 11 p.m. on Tuesday. Police responded to the report of gunshots and found nine shell casings and one projectile in the street in the middle of the block. No shooting victims were located at the scene or at area hospitals. Neighbors stated that they had heard gunshots but did not see anything. Police also checked the block for cameras, but none were found.

A 53-year-old man was attacked, beaten and robbed by a large group of teenagers on Monday evening near 45th and Chester, according to police.

The man was walking in the area around 6 p.m. when he observed a group of teens (10 to 12 boys) yelling and acting irate. The man tried to avoid the group and started walking in the street along the bike lane. The teens then pulled the man back on the pavement and started punching him until he fell to the ground, according to a police report. The teens continued punching and kicking the man while he was on the ground until a witness, who was driving by, noticed the beating and began honking her car horn until the teens walked away.

After the teens left the area, the man noticed that his house keys, cell phone and iPod had been taken.

The witness drove the man to Penn Presbyterian Hospital where he was treated for pains to his head and legs, according to police.  Continue Reading

Samuel B. Huey School (Google Street View image)

Global Leadership Academy Charter School may soon take over the Samuel B. Huey elementary school at 52nd and Pine. On Monday, the School District of Philadelphia announced Global Leadership Academy as a match recommendation for Huey, through the Renaissance Charter Schools initiative.

Global Leadership Academy currently operates a K-8 school at 4600 West Girard Ave.

Jay Cooke Elementary in North Philadelphia is also slated to become a charter school.

“The Renaissance Charter Schools initiative is one of our most successful interventions to improve student achievement at struggling schools,” superintendent Dr. William R. Hite said in a statement.

The next step in the school conversion process is consideration by The School Reform Commission (SRC), which will consider both schools in the Jan. 21 action meeting. If approved by the SRC, Global Leadership Academy would take over Huey this fall, in the 2016-17 school year. The charter operators will be invited to submit a Renaissance Charter School application subject to a vote at a future SRC action meeting.

Huey and Cooke parents protested the conversion last year.