Josh Colon, 23, from Philadelphia is described as a “Puerto Rican/Italian glam rocker/rapper” by MTV. While touring me through the house, he went on and on about his band, and showed off his large sneaker collection—a wide variety of multi-colored Converse Kicks, if I’m remembering correctly.

His last Philly-based band broke up roughly a year ago. “There was a lot of inner turmoil. I had a lead guitarist that had a drug problem. One kid went into the Marines. I was actually thinking of going, but this came through first. It was career decision time for me. I had to make a move!”

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On Friday, Mayor Adrian Fenty and other city leaders debuted these new steel barriers at 1515 Rhode Island Ave NE, an old apartment building that has been secured four times in the last four months, due to break-ins from squatters and neighborhood ne’re-do-wells, according to Mike Rupert, spokesperson for the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs (DCRA).

The announcement calls the unveiling a “60-day pilot project,” but it’s more of a demonstration. The mayor has already asked DCRA to draft legislation with criteria determining which buildings would be good candidates for this type of system. Read More “Fenty and Co. Test Steel Barriers on Vacant Properties” »

HGTV is casting for its show “My First Place” in Philadelphia, Portland and the Washington D.C/Baltimore area. If the first-time home purchase process isn’t daunting enough, the application for the show is twenty five questions long, with little more than a promise of a “once in a lifetime experience,” “a specially chosen gift” for your home, and—now this is good—a complimentary copy of your own episode—Anyway, not my thing (not that I’m in the market.) But clearly HGTV’s millions of viewers feel differently. The press release is below, and here’s the HGTV “My First PLace” application.

Read More “HGTV Casting in D.C.-Area for “My First Place”” »