Around Town

Don’t forget the victims, Krasner

The Protect Our Police political action committee is criticizing District Attorney Larry Krasner for holding a Feb. 17 online fundraiser with U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren and singer John Legend, hours after eight people were shot in Olney.

Nick Gerace, president and founder of Protect Our Police PAC, released the following statement: “As Philadelphia burns, Krasner fiddles. More than 2,400 Philadelphians were shot last year, but DA Larry Krasner was only focused on shooting his reality TV show and writing his memoir about how awesome he thinks he is. It’s apparent he believes he is a celebrity and last night proved that once again, as he went live on Zoom and raked in more money from outside the city. It’s almost a shame more victims of violent crimes in Philadelphia can’t afford to donate thousands of dollars to his campaign — maybe then they’d get his attention.”

Homicides in Philadelphia skyrocketed in 2020, and the rate is even higher this year.

Seventy-five percent of Krasner’s 2020 donations came from outside Pennsylvania. ••

Nazareth has new surgeon

Dr. Paul H. Steinfield has joined Nazareth Orthopedics at Nazareth Hospital.

Steinfield specializes in adult joint reconstruction and hand surgery. He will join Dr. Bradley Fink and Dr. Christopher Selgrath in caring for patients at the following location: Nazareth Orthopedics, 2630 Holme Ave., Suite 200.
To make an appointment with Steinfield, call 215-335-6270. ••

Gale brothers running statewide

Montgomery County Commissioner Joe Gale is seeking the Republican nomination for governor in 2022.

Sean Gale, his brother, is running for the GOP nod for U.S. Senate.

Gov. Tom Wolf is prohibited from running for a third term. Sen. Pat Toomey has decided to not seek a third term.

Joe Gale said the only path to victory in each race is with a candidate who is pro-life, pro-Second Amendment, pro-small business, pro-shale, pro-pipeline, pro-Trump and not controlled, influenced or endorsed by Republican Party bosses.

He blamed the Republican-controlled legislature for passing the nation’s highest gasoline tax and the nation’s longest universal mail-in voting period. As governor, he would eliminate Pennsylvania’s 50 days of no-excuse mail-in voting and mandate that photo identification be shown at the polls on Election Day.

In Washington, D.C., Sean Gale would oppose pay-to-play politics and open borders. ••

Moderate Dem joins Senate race

Lew Tapera, a King of Prussia resident who has worked in retail for more than 33 years, is seeking the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate.

Tapera describes himself as a moderate Democrat who is pro-choice, pro-labor, pro-environment, pro-business, pro-education and a defender of the Second Amendment. He is a staunch advocate of law enforcement, freedom of the press, freedom of speech, voters’ rights and civil rights. He is passionate about fighting homelessness and aiding veterans.

Other Democratic candidates are Lt. Gov. John Fetterman, state Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta, Brandaun Dean and John McGuigan. Republican candidates are Sean Gale and Everett Stern. ••

Water dept. wants big rate hike

The Philadelphia Water Department filed a request with the Philadelphia Water, Sewer and Storm Water Rate Board to increase water, sewer and stormwater rates and charges 16.9 percent over two successive years.

One of the reasons for the request is to offset lower collection rates.

Customers can learn about participating in the rate process at www.phila.gov/water/rateboard. ••

White wants schools open

State Rep. Martina White (R-170th dist.) opposes the decision to delay opening Philadelphia’s public schools.

“The Democrats in charge of Philadelphia have failed our children again,” White said. “The safety concerns of the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers that are causing the delay should have been addressed months ago. All parties involved should have been able to reach a consensus and reopened.”

If the majority of public school students do not return to in-person instruction on March 1, White said, the legislature must pass school choice legislation.

White blames Gov. Wolf for refusing to appoint members to the Charter Appeals Board, which is preventing charter schools from attempting to increase enrollment. ••

Tarken rink finally reopens

Tarken Ice Rink, 6250 Frontenac St., has reopened.

The rink will host public skate hours on evenings and weekends. Public skate is free. Youth and adult ice skates are available to rent for $3 or $4.

Residents must register online in advance for all ice rink activities this year.

All ice rink staff and visitors must wear masks at all times.

Locker rooms will not be open to the public.

Residents can find public skate times and register at https://www.phila.gov/2021-02-04-public-skate-begins-at-parks-recs-ice-rinks/. ••

Clothing and jewelry sale

The Classroom Thrift Shop, 4301 Tyson Ave., sponsored by the women of Temple Menorah Keneseth Chai, has extended its half-price clothing and jewelry sale through Feb. 28.

Shop hours are weekdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The shop is closed Saturdays.

Call 215-624-9130. ••

UFCW backing Fetterman

In a unanimous vote, the executive board of UFCW Local 1776 has voted to endorse Lt. Gov. John Fetterman for U.S. Senate in the Pennsylvania election.

Wendell Young IV, president of UFCW Local 1776, said, “As John always says when he meets with our membership, ‘The union way of life is sacred.’ We need elected leaders who will go to Washington to fight for that sacred right, which is collective bargaining and the ability for workers to join and form a union.”

UFCW 1776’s members support Fetterman’s leadership on the evolving cannabis sector.

Fetterman is seeking the Democratic nomination.

Young said, “2022 is an incredibly important election year. We need to elect a governor to continue the great work Tom Wolf has done for our commonwealth. We need to elect and re-elect candidates to state offices that will push for policies that will benefit working families. And finally, we need to replace Pat Toomey with a candidate who can advocate day one for the values and ideals Pennsylvanians expect out of their elected officials, and we are proud that our local believes that candidate is John Fetterman.” ••

Virtual basket bingo

Redeemer Lutheran Church will hold a virtual basket bingo on Sunday, March 14, from 1 to 3 p.m.

Admission is $20 for 10 rounds of bingo. You will have six cards per round. The prize for the first nine games will be a gift basket of varying themes. The grand-finale prize is a cash prize.

All proceeds go to benefit the ministries of Redemption Lutheran Church. Everyone is welcome to play.

Visit www.redemptionphiladlephia.org/bingo or call 215-342-2085 to sign up by March 1. ••

Philabundance takes over KleinLife meal program

KleinLife has established a collaboration with Philabundance to address the growing demands for hungry seniors in the community. The Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia identified a lead funder to support this partnership to enhance meal delivery for vulnerable older adults. As a result of this collaboration, Philabundance will take over the job of preparing meals for the seniors whom KleinLife serves to help fill the void of volunteer-made meals.

As a result of the pandemic, volunteer cooks and drivers became difficult to maintain, prompting the need to find a partner.

The partnership was formed thanks to a generous gift from Tony Schneider, a founder of the Jewish Federation’s Mitzvah Food Program. ••