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ABOVE PHOTO:  Project Songbird members Romona Riscoe Benson, Sharon Powell and Mellanie Lassiter   Project Songbird features the vocal talents of Romona Riscoe Benson, Sharon Powell and Mellanie Lassiter. It is the musical fusing of busy women who are, much like the Sankofa symbol, reclaiming their love of music by performing songs of meaning and…

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ABOVE PHOTO:  From left:  Emma Chappell, Rita Hill, and JoAnn Bell   By Thera Martin Every decade or so, we hear a particular year proclaimed as “The Year of the Woman.” It was declared when Shirley Chisholm became the first African-American woman elected to the United States Congress in 1968. It was also declared after…

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ABOVE PHOTO:  Various Olympians with ACT-SO Chair Sean Parker (in back).  (Photo: Leona Dixon)   At Saturday’s ACT-SO Competition, Philadelphia’s students got the chance to show off their talents.   By Denise Clay From 10:30AM to 5PM Saturday, I got the chance to read some of the best writing from Philadelphia’s high school students as…

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2nd Annual NAACP ACT-SO Showcase of the Stars: Remembering Jerome Whyatt Mondesire   By Germaine Edwards, Ph.D. The Philadelphia sports teams aren’t the only champions in the City of Brotherly Love. Philly has champion academic Olympians — the NAACP ACT-SO youth. The NAACP Afro-Academic Cultural, Technological, and Scientific Olympics (ACT-SO) is an academic competition for…

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thepennrelays.com Here’s a quick look at some of Thursday’s most memorable performances: PECO Fast Finish of the Day The PECO Fast Finish of the Day is… Kelsey Chmeil from Saratoga Springs High School! Kelsey anchored her team to victory in the High School Girls Distance Medley Championship of America, erasing a 7-person lead with an…

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ABOVE PHOTO:  From left: Anita Lewis, Phoebe Coles, Andrea Custis, President Urban League of Philadelphia, Ramona Riscoe Benson, Keeya Branson-Davis and Shari Williams.  (Photo: Robert Mendelsohn)   By Patricia Gilliam Clifford The 2nd Annual WomanUP! Living Your Best: Mind, Body and Spirit Hat and Tea Awards Party was held at the historic Belmont Mansion last…

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On Saturday, May 5, 2018, Dignity Housing will host their “Cheers to Thirty Years” gala. This gala will both commemorate a 30-year milestone and continue to raise awareness of the organization’s ongoing work to alleviate homelessness and poverty. The gala will be held at the Regal Ballroom, located at 5411 Oxford Avenue in Northeast Philadelphia….

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NORRISTOWN, Pa. (AP) — Bill Cosby was convicted Thursday of drugging and molesting a woman in the first big celebrity trial of the #MeToo era, completing the spectacular late-life downfall of a comedian who broke racial barriers in Hollywood on his way to TV superstardom as America’s Dad. Cosby, 80, could end up spending his…

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PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Two 17-year-old boys were stabbed waiting for a subway train after school in Philadelphia, and police say they’re in critical condition. It happened at a bustling downtown station just before 4 p.m. Wednesday, not long after public schools let out. The boys were waiting on the eastbound platform at the 8th Street…

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Temporary, Overnight Closures and Detours Expected PHILADELPHIA – Streets Commissioner Carlton Williams announced today that the notice to proceed has been issued to A.P. Construction, Inc. for the Lincoln Drive Restoration Project. Work for this project will commence on April 30, 2018, weather permitting. The Lincoln Drive Restoration Project includes various improvements to Lincoln Drive…

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