NEast Links: Census may be miscounting, a singer returns to our area and more

Here’s a summary of the week’s Northeast news we didn’t cover. See others here.

New Jersey State Police detectives arrested 39-year-old Joseph Baer after he was spotted at an Atlantic City casino Tuesday morning. Baer is the man who robbed the PNC Bank on the 6800 block of Frankford Avenue on April 13.

Baer, also a suspect in the April 16 robbery of a TruMark Bank in Center City and the robbery of a Citizens Bank on Monday, is considered a serial robber and was previously convicted of bank robberies in 2004.

Keep reading for news on a Frankford High School teacher in a film, a quick string of 7-Eleven robberies and more.

Community

Frankford High School culinary arts teacher Wilma Stephenson will be a part of Director Mark Becker’s film, Pressure Cooker, about Stephenson guiding a group of teenagers as they compete for a cooking scholarship. Stephenson, 64, has helped guide dozens of kids, many from poor homes, to careers as chefs. She has worked at Frankford High for 41 years. While the school has a 40 percent dropout rate, 100 percent of Stephenson’s kids go on to graduate.

The 104-unit Valmont Towers at 7600 Roosevelt Blvd. is one of three apartment complexes in Philadelphia to not receive a U.S. Census form. Two other complexes in the city were skipped over earlier this week, as well.

Singer/songwriter Essra Mohawk, born Sandra Elayne Hurvitz in the Northeast and a graduate of George Washington High School, is returning back to Philadelphia to celebrate her 62d birthday and perform at the Tin Angle in downtown Philadelphia.

On Saturday at 9 p.m., HBO will air the premiere of their original film, Jack, written by Northeast native Adam Mazer and directed by Barry Levinson. The film, about Dr. Jack Kevorkian, also stars Susan Sarandon, Brenda Vaccaro, John Goodman and Danny Huston.

Crime

Three 7-Eleven stores were robbed within 35 minutes throughout Philadelphia, starting with Champlost Street in Olney and ending at the 6600 block of Rising Sun Avenue. While two men were questioned by Northeast detectives, they were cleared and released.

Our best-read story this week: Firefighter, son face murder charges in beating

Every Friday morning, we make sure you didn’t miss any Northeast Philadelphia news with NEast Links.