October 15: New free ride-hailing service | River Ward neighbors vs. drug dealers | Suspiciously large pilot houses

The Spirit of the River Wards is running a series on the places most affected by drug dealing and crime, many still in “nice” parts of the area. Here’s the story of how neighbors on the 2800 block of Almond Street in Port Richmond fought back against drug dealers and won.

Tim Hitchens steps down as Hawthorne Empowerment Coalition president, as he no longer lives in the neighborhood. 

Any Frankford-based readers interested in serving on the Frankford NAC zoning committee? They’re putting out a call for volunteers.

A Drexel grad launched a new free ride-hailing service in Philly called NoMoCab, paid for by car wrap ads, reports Anna Orso.

Patrick Kerkstra says PPD’s No. 2., Richard Ross, is the overwhelming favorite to replace Charles Ramsey as Police Commissioner. 

Lee Keough argues New Jersey’s reputation as a suburban state is outdated.

Should cities give panhandlers day jobs to discourage them from bothering people in public spaces? Irina Zhorov reviews the evidence from a program in Albuquerque. 

Via Streetsblog, the truTV series “Adam Ruins Everything” tells the story of the 1930’s auto industry propaganda campaign that first made jaywalking a crime. Anyone interested in plumbing the history on this should pick up Peter Norton’s Fighting Traffic.

Have you noticed any suspiciously oversized pilot houses in your area? Jared Brey is collecting evidence for a story.