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Conrail
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Fox29 News (Video)
Apr 6, 2017 | Fox29 News Philadelphia
By Staff
A bombshell announcement from Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney as the City battles an opioid epidemic. -
City of Philadelphia urging Conrail to help eliminate heroin hotspot (audio)
Apr 6, 2017 | Newsworks
By Dave Heller
NewsWorks Tonight Host Dave Heller talks with City Managing Director Michael DiBerardinis. -
April 7: CA cap-and-trade holds | Uber pays $3.5M to PA | Conrail and Kenney admin feud over heroin camp
Apr 7, 2017 | Plan Philly - A WHYY & Newsworks Project
By Diana Lu
Mayor Kenney has publicly urged Conrail to step up its efforts to address the opioid crisis in Kensington. -
Philadelphia cites Conrail over open-air drug market in West Kensington
Apr 6, 2017 | Philly Voice
By Michael Tanenbaum
The city of Philadelphia issued citations Thursday against local railroad service provider Conrail for failing to adequately secure the property along its tracks in West Kensington and Fairhill. -
City Issues Conrail Citations; Free Gun Locks In Philly; Trump Ordered 59 Missiles Fired Into Syria
Apr 7, 2017 | iRadio Philly
By Staff
City Officials are warning Conrail that it is time to improve their location in North Philadelphia.
City Press Conference Coverage
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Apr 6, 2017 | Fox29 News Philadelphia
By Staff
Rough transcript: >>> developing at 6:00 o'clock, a bombshell announcement from philadelphia mayor jim kenney as the city battles an opioid epidemic. the mayor with harsh words for one company he says is not doing enough. >>> good evening, i'm dawn timmeney. >> i'm iain page. mayor kenney says the operator of some railroad tracks in kensington needs to clean up that area to keep dozens of fox 29's dave kinchen joins us live at city hall tonight. dave? >> reporter: iain, the mayor says the city has worked over the course of several months to try to get a deal in place with conrail but to no avail so now the city is issuing citations. >> i've seen them shooting up. i see them passing out. >> reporter: the sites gloria says she runs into the conrail train tracks in the kensington area when she goes down to feed the homeless at the center of philadelphia's opioid crisis. it's personal after losing her brother to a heroin overdose. 6:01 PM>> i know i don't have much. i'm not god. i can't make wonders, but i can at least let them know, look, somebody is here to help you out. >> reporter: while she does what she can, she watched philadelphia mayor jim kenney call for a drastic increase in action from conrail. >> our administration is repeatedly asked conrail to clean and secure its property. but unfortunately we have not been able to come to a satisfactory agreement. >> reporter: kenney says conrail will face violations by l and i and the department of public health for not fencing off its property from drug users and dealers who hide from police and emergency services. >> i you were conrail to comply with these violations. >> reporter: last month fox 29 showed you just how severe the heroin epidemic is in the very same area. conrail tells us it has productive meetings with community leaders both in fair hill and west kensington. but talks have apparently fallen off. a conrail statement says "recently however the city ha cut off dialogue with conrail and pursued a more adversarial approach. " >> this is their life. this is a they do. they think there's no help no nobody cares. >> gloria doesn't think a fence will solve the problem. >> my biggest concern is that where are they going to be placed at? once the area gets clean out where are these people going to go? >> reporter: the city administration says conrail has 30 days to respond. the mayor also says the city is prepared to take action. back to you. >>
Direct link to clip: http://app.criticalmention.com/app/#clip/view/26802039?token=f2a339d5-c768-4079-b2a2-ebed2f11189c
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City of Philadelphia urging Conrail to help eliminate heroin hotspot (audio)
Apr 6, 2017 | Newsworks
By Dave Heller
There were more than 900 fatal opioid drug overdoses in Philadelphia last year. In an effort to battle that the City wants to eliminate a hotspot for heroin use in the Kensington neighborhood near 2nd Street and Indiana Ave. The section is next to train tracks operated by Conrail. The City wants the rail agency to help.
NewsWorks Tonight Host Dave Heller talks with City Managing Director Michael DiBerardinis.
Link to interview: http://www.newsworks.org/index.php/nwtonight/item/102895-conrail06
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Apr 7, 2017 | Plan Philly - A WHYY & Newsworks Project
By Diana Lu
...Mayor Kenney has publicly urged Conrail to step up its efforts to address the opioid crisis in Kensington. After criticizing the rail agency’s current maintenance around 2nd Street and Indiana Avenue, the Mayor is using the weight of L&I to issue property maintenance violations around Conrail’s tracks, the Inquirer’s David Gambacorta reports. The City and the rail agency had previously agreed to jointly take on a block-by-block plan to eliminate heroin hotspot, in which Conrail would remove and dispose of needles, hazardous materials, debris, and overgrown vegetation, and repair and install fences, while the City would “haul away and dispose of nonhazardous materials, increase police patrols in the area, secure the four bridges that cross the rail line, and add barriers on sidewalks.” NewsWorks Tonight's Dave Heller spoke with Managing Director Mike DiBerardinis on the subject this week.
Link to article: http://planphilly.com/articles/2017/04/07/april-7-ca-cap-and-trade-holds-uber-pays-3-5m-to-pa-conrail-and-kenney-admin-feud-over-heroin-camp
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Philadelphia cites Conrail over open-air drug market in West Kensington
Apr 6, 2017 | Philly Voice
By Michael Tanenbaum
The city of Philadelphia issued citations Thursday against local railroad service provider Conrail for failing to adequately secure the property along its tracks in West Kensington and Fairhill.
Mayor Jim Kenney, joined by the Department of Licenses and Inspections and the Department of Public Health, said the violations notices came in response to dangerous conditions on the company's private grounds, neglectful enough to enable an open-air drug market to flourish.
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“The present conditions exist in large part because of Conrail’s failure to clean and secure their own property,” said Mayor Kenney. “The City has devoted millions in resources to this area over the last several decades, but we need Conrail to live up to their responsibility in order to make additional progress. We have shown that the City is more than willing to do our part to help uplift the neighborhood. Now, Conrail needs to do its. We are not asking any more of them than require of any other private property owner with hazardous conditions on its property.”
Of particular trouble is a mile-and-half stretch of tracks along Gurney Street often referred to as El Campamiento, a Philadelphia shantytown considered the epicenter of the city's drug trade.
In 2016, the Philadelphia Medical Examiner reported 17 people who were found dead from drug overdoses along this corridor. Another 29 emergency medical rescues were provided by the city's first responders. Vagrant addicts have shuffled in and out of the territory for the better part of three decades.
“These conditions represent a continuing health hazard that negatively impacts the surrounding neighbors, the entire city, and our first responders,” said Dr. Tom Farley, Philadelphia Department of Public Health Commissioner.
Despite continuous conversations with Conrail since November, city officials say the company, which today serves CSX Corporation and Norfolk Southern Corporation, has failed to take appropriate action to remedy the situation. Thursday's citation's cover the company's property from Kensington Avenue to 2nd Street.
Inspectors from L&I have found numerous violations of the city's Property Maintenance Code, including dangerous structures, inadequate fencing, poor sanitation and uncontrolled vegetation, city officials said. Health Department officials reported countless used syringes, trash and debris.
Local, state and federal leaders commended Mayor Kenney on taking action against Conrail, which will have 30 days to respond to the citations. The city has denied the company's claim that it ever cut off communications with them or ceased efforts to collaborate on developing a firm plan.
“Mayor Kenney has my full support in his efforts to clean up this neighborhood that is at the center of the opioid problem in Philadelphia,” said Governor Tom Wolf. “This epidemic is being fought in every part of the Commonwealth, which is why I signed legislation last year that will strengthen the prescription drug monitoring programs, restrict the number of pills that can be prescribed to minors or in emergency rooms and establish education curriculum on safe prescribing. The only way we can win this fight is to work together."
Link to article: http://www.phillyvoice.com/philadelphia-cites-conrail-over-open-air-drug-market-west-kensington/
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City Issues Conrail Citations; Free Gun Locks In Philly; Trump Ordered 59 Missiles Fired Into Syria
Apr 7, 2017 | iRadio Philly
By Staff
City Officials are warning Conrail that it is time to improve their location in North Philadelphia. The city has issued citations to Conrail after they have failed to clean up their tracks in West Kensington and Fairhill. Mayor Kenney has stated that the rails are considered "hazardous conditions." The area is strewn with used heroin needles and other drug paraphernalia. Mayor Kenney said that the city has spent millions of dollars over the past decade improving the quality of the area in Kensington. The city has stated that Conrail has 30 days to respond to the citations.
Link to article: http://www.iradiophilly.com/conversation.php?idConversation=6754
City Press Conference Coverage
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