Sept. 22, 1966

First man retiring from police force gets check

Mr. Paul Claffey, the first man ever to retire from the Springfield Township Police Force, received his first pension check at the Sept. 14 meeting of the Board of Commissioners. The public presentation was made to highlight the new pension program which went into effect Sept. 1, 1966. The new plan covers the police force as a group rather than individually, as had been done in the past. The township had retained him as a juvenile aid consultant, since he had spent many years working as a juvenile aid officer, with a total of 25 years, six months on the force. He also was presented with an inscribed gold watch.

Sept. 23, 1976

Chestnut Hill celebrates Bach

The Basically Bach music festival and community-wide Bachtoberfest at St. Paul’s Church in Chestnut Hill on Oct. 14-16 boasts “total community involvement” and deserves to be an annual event, according to organizers. All the performers — conductor, guest soloists and singers — are professionals. For Bachtoberfest, included is the business community and a community supper, which is set for Chestnut Hill College on Oct. 16 and will offer “something appealing for everyone.” Organizers vow that it is guaranteed to rival Munich’s internationally famous Octoberfest, with knockwurst, sauerkraut, mashed potatoes, applesauce, strudel, cider and beer, to be accompanied by singing and dancing to an authentic German band. Come as you are or in mood-setting dirndls and zeppelhosen.

Sept. 25, 1986

SEPTA riders outraged, disbelieve proposed cuts

Riders on the Chestnut Hill West train line are outraged and confused by SEPTA’s recently announced service cutbacks. Threatened service includes the R8 rail line as well as routes 53 and X, plus conversion of route 23 from trolley to bus. Other cuts would eliminate service throughout the system between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. except for the Market-Frankford elevated line and the subway. “The whole idea is lousy,” said a Roxborough resident who rides the Chestnut Hill West into Center City every day. “What I really think is that public transportation needs to be strengthened, not weakened.” Another rider, a retired Philadelphia policeman, said he resents that riders are the ones forced to pay for SEPTA’s failures, and suspects that the Chestnut Hill West line is being used as a ploy to get funding from the state. He feels “Chestnut Hill is the pressure point because it is the most dignified area in the city.”

Sept. 26, 1996

Children to help architect design playground

Playground designers will join community volunteers, teachers and children in Chestnut Hill on Oct. 11 for Design Day for the Chestnut Hill Children’s Park. The park is the community playground and garden to be planned and built by the community on the grounds of the John Story Jenks School on Germantown and Southampton avenues. Design Day is the kickoff to a series of events and preparations that will culminate in construction of the playground and garden improvements now planned for late April 1997. Area children and local schools are being invited to draw, model and and write their ideas for the playground in the next two weeks and to participate in Design Day activities. The playground/park proposed for Jenks received an enthusiastic endorsement from David W. Hornbeck, the school district superintendent, last March. Fundraising has just begun and over $8,000 has been raised so far for the project, which is expected to cost $150,000.

Sept. 28, 2006

Crime stats show Hill is safer than believed

It may just be Kansas, Dorothy. According to 14th Police District crime statistics, Chestnut Hill ranks among the safest areas in the city. In fact, it would appear that the Hill has less violent crime than the 5th Police District, long considered the safest in Philadelphia — so safe that Hillers can often be heard wishing 19118 could be absorbed into the Roxborough/Andorra/Manayunk district. Frequently, this request is proceeded by complaints of negligent police coverage in Chestnut Hill, with the insinuation that residents on the Hill would see better response times during crises if the district included the ostensibly less crime-ridden neighborhoods of the 5th District.

Sept. 22, 2016

Newsstand operator says neighborhood landmark could close

Few buildings in Chestnut Hill are more recognizable than the Chestnut Hill Newsstand at the intersection of Germantown Avenue and Bethlehem Pike. It has been a source of newspapers, magazines, snacks and more to commuters and passersby for generations. But the current operator says if he doesn’t get a small infusion of cash soon, he’ll likely have to close. He’s launching a GoFundMe page and also is accepting donations through PayPal in an attempt to raise between $10,000 and $15,000 to cover costs through the end of the year as well as upgrades he hopes to make. He said he’s tried many things in the last year and a half to keep the newsstand profitable, but his efforts have all been in vain.