NEast Links

By Shannon McDonald

Here’s a list of what happened around the NEast this week, in case you missed it.

A Philadelphia police officer who lives in the Northeast was charged with beating his fiancee. Talib Muhammad, 44, was found driving on I-95 near South Philadelphia with two handguns after he reportedly struck his fiancee in the face with a gun around 10 p.m. Tuesday. The 13-year veteranwas charged with aggravated assault, simple assault, recklessly endangering another person and possessing an instrument of crime. Muhammad has been suspended for 30 days with the intent to dismiss.

Two armed men robbed a Morrell Park Beneficial Bank Wednesday morning around 8:30. The men forced their way in as a branch manager was unlocking the door for the day, then relocked the doors and bound two employees. The employees were not hurt, but the suspects, who got away with more than $130,000, are considered armed and dangerous.

Want to plant a tree? Northeast Tree Tenders’ Spring 2009 tree planting is this Saturday, May 2. Anyone who’s interested should meet at the Al Furqan Mosque at Cottman and the Boulevard at 9 a.m., and dress to plant. Check out the site or call 694-9607 for more details.

Get ready for extensive I-95  construction. A two-year, $31.9 million project involving the Cottman Avenue interchange is set to begin within weeks, and will affect traffic patterns on the interstate and surrounding streets. Among the changes, Princeton Avenue will be made  a two-way street west of State Road, and Cottman Avenue will have one eastbound and two westbound lanes.