AL DÍA NEWS February 22 - March 1, 2023

LEADERSHIP NEW AT THE WELCOMING CENTER

Nueva era para The Welcoming Center

POLITICS

PEOPLE OVER PARTY ON CITY COUNCIL

Oropeza, al Concejo sin el partido PAGE 8

SCRATCH Started from

EDUCATION FIGHTING FOR CHILE WITH ARCHITECTURE

En Harvard, con la meta en Chile

OP-ED A LATINO U.S. PRESIDENT?

¿Un presidente latino en EE. UU.?

And now, AL DÍA’s 2023 Top Entrepreneurs are transforming Philly as we know it.

Los mejores emprendedores para AL DÍA están transformando Filadel a como la conocemos.

By NIGEL THOMPSON Writer PAGE

12

HECTOR NUÑEZ

NEYDARY ZAMBRANO

EDITORIAL

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Hernán Guaracao

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Cover Photo

Neydary Zambrano & Hector Nuñez

German Vazquez./AL DÍA News.

ENTREPRENEURS TRANSFORMING PHILADELPHIA

IN THIS EDITION, THE CENTRAL TOPIC IS THE RECOGNITION OF AL DÍA TOP ENTREPRENEURS FOR THOSE WHO STAND OUT FOR THEIR WORK IN THE CITY. EN ESTA EDICIÓN, EL TEMA CENTRAL ES EL RECONOCIMIENTO QUE HACE AL DÍA TOP ENTREPRENEURS A QUIENES SE DESTACAN POR SU LABOR EN LA CIUDAD.

By | Por: FERNANDO MILLÁN | AL DÍA News Print Editor

The contribution of entrepreneurs to society is invaluable, especially when they are an example of dedication and determination to move forward. AL DÍA Top Entrepreneurs recognizes seven entrepreneurs, who started from scratch and today have an impact on the transformation of Philadelphia.

Among their merits, all that they have achieved hasn’t been part of the obvious circuits of the business world. The seven entrepreneurs highlighted by AL DÍA are Richard Olaya, Neydary Zambrano, Sofia De Leon, Alma Romero, Marcos Tlacopilco, Héctor Núñez and Mazzie Casher.

The world of Olaya, son of Colombian immigrants, is architecture, to which he has been linked for 30 years. In 2006 he founded Olaya Studios, which in 2019 became The O Z Collaborative. His contribution is in the transformation of the physical appearance of Philadelphia. Among other works is the construction of the largest mosque in the city.

Neydary Zambrano is Venezuelan and has lived in the United States for 27 years. Her management has focused on early childhood education through Magic Memories. She has nine early childhood education centers in Montgomery and Chester counties, with hundreds of students and employment for more than 200 people.

Sofia De Leon is from Guatemala. In 2018 she opened El Merkury, in Rittenhouse, a spot for Central American cuisine. Today she is also at Reading Terminal Market. As she puts it on her website, “We are a Central American street food staple in the Philadelphia dining scene with big dreams of bringing our community together through food”.

Alma Romero and Marcos Tlacopilco are from Puebla, Mexico. They decided on entrepreneurship 25 years ago. The result is Marco’s Fish Market and Crab House on South Ninth Street. It is a gastronomic expression of Mexican and American. Amid the pandemic, they

ENGLISH ESPAÑOL

grew and have contributed to the transformation of South Philadelphia.

Héctor Núñez came up with the idea of Wooder Ice when he was a student at Temple University, to report on local issues. It has had an important growth among digital media. “It’s a community that we have built here in Philadelphia”, Núñez told AL DÍA.

That sense of community is what Mazzie Casher has also realized with the Philly Truce app, created to help curb gun violence in the city. It builds a community of conflict mediators to prevent conflicts from escalating into violence.

A LOOK AT THE CHINESE HOROSCOPE

Among cultural topics, this issue features the story of Argentine astrologer Ludovica Squirru, who has just published her popular Chinese horoscope in the United States. She has a deep knowledge of the subject. Her father was the first cultural attaché of the Argentine Embassy in China, and that circumstance undoubtedly marked her life.

“My father raised us in the outskirts of Buenos Aires, in a totally oriental environment, initiating us in Taoism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Chinese habits and traditions”, she told AL DÍA.z

El aporte de los emprendedores a la sociedad es invaluable y más cuando son ejemplo de dedicación y empeño para salir adelante. AL DÍA Top Entrepreneurs hace un reconocimiento a siete emprendedores, que empezaron de abajo y hoy inciden en la transformación de Filadelfia.

Entre sus méritos está que los han logrado sin hacer parte de los circuitos obvios del mundo empresarial. Los siete empresarios destacados por AL DÍA son Richard Olaya, Neydary Zambrano, Sofia De León, Alma Romero, Marcos Tlacopilco, Héctor Núñez y Mazzie Casher.

El mundo de Olaya, hijo de inmigrantes colombianos, es la arquitectura, a la que ha estado vinculado por 30 años. En 2006 fundó Olaya Studios, que en 2019 se convirtió en The O Z Collaborative. Su aporte está en la transformación del aspecto físico de Filadelfia. Entre otras obras está la construcción de la mezquita más grande de la ciudad.

Neydary Zambrano es venezolana y vive en Estados Unidos desde hace 27 años. Su gestión se ha centrado en la educación infantil a través de Magic Memories. Tiene nueve centros de educación infantil en los condados de Montgomery y Chester, con centenares de estudiantes y generando empleo a más de 200 personas.

Sofia De León es de Guatemala. En 2018 abrió El Merkury en Rittenhouse, un

sitio para la cocina centroamericana. Hoy también está en Reading Terminal Market. Como lo dice en su página web, “somos un alimento básico de comida callejera centroamericana en la escena gastronómica de Filadelfia con grandes sueños de unir a nuestra comunidad a través de la comida”. Alma Romero y Marcos Tlacopilco son de Puebla (México). Se decidieron por el emprendimiento hace 25 años. El resultado es Marco’s Fish Market and Crab House, en South Ninth Street. Es una expresión gastronómica de lo mexicano y lo americano. En plena pandemia crecieron y le han aportado a la transformación del sur de Filadelfia.

Héctor Núñez, por su parte, desde sus tiempos de estudiante en la Universidad de Temple tuvo la idea de Wooder Ice, para informar sobre temas locales. Ha tenido un importante crecimiento entre los medios digitales de comunicación. “Es una comunidad que hemos construido aquí en Filadelfia”, le contó Núñez a AL DÍA. Ese sentido por la comunidad es lo que ha realizado también Mazzie Casher con la aplicación Philly Truce, creada para ayudar a ponerle freno a la violencia armada en la ciudad. Construye una comunidad de mediadores de conflictos para evitar que escalen hacia la violencia.

MIRADA DESDE EL HORÓSCOPO CHINO

En los temas culturales, en esta edición está la historia de la astróloga argentina Ludovica Squirru, quien acaba de publicar en Estados Unidos su popular horóscopo chino. Tiene un conocimiento profundo del tema. Su papá fue el primer agregado cultural de la Embajada de Argentina en China y esa circunstancia marcó, sin duda, su vida.

“Mi padre nos crio en las afueras de Buenos Aires, en un ambiente totalmente oriental, iniciándonos en el taoísmo, budismo, confucionismo, hábitos y tradiciones china”, le contó a AL DÍA. z

THE NEW ERA OF THE WELCOMING CENTER

PETER GONZALES, PRESIDENT & CEO OF THE ORGANIZATION, ANNOUNCED HE WILL BE DEPARTING IN JUNE AFTER 11 YEARS AT THE HELM.

PETER GONZALES, PRESIDENTE Y CONSEJERO DELEGADO DE THE WELCOMING CENTER, ANUNCIÓ QUE DEJARÁ EL CARGO EN JUNIO, TRAS ONCE AÑOS AL FRENTE.

By | Por: JENSEN TOUSSAINT | AL DÍA News Staff Writer

ENGLISH

Since The Welcoming Center was founded in 2003, the organization has served as a lifeline for the region’s many immigrants.

It was founded by Anne O’Callaghan, an Irish-born licensed physical therapist, who came to Philadelphia to build her career, only to find she was unable to practice in the state.

After serving as its President and CEO during its first 9 years of existence, O’Callaghan retired in 2012, paving the way for Peter Gonzales to be appointed to the role.

A DECADE-PLUS OF IMPACT

Prior to becoming its top executive leader, Gonzales had joined The Welcoming Center as a volunteer board member. Simultaneously, he was managing an immigration law firm and serving on the Zoning Board of Adjustments for the City of Philadelphia.

Within a year, he stepped in and led the organization as its new President & CEO.

Since doing so, the organization has seen a total rebranding, considerably aided by Gonzales’ role in growing the budget by 70%.

His focus has been on diversifying funding sources, which now includes support from corporations, private foundations, and individuals.It has led to implementing several innovative new programs, including the Immigrant Professionals Program, Immigrant Leadership Institute, and Intercultural Wellness Program.

If two words can sum up Gonzales’ tenure, it would be “growth” and “change.”

Over the past decade-plus, The Welcoming Center has been amplified and serves as the primary voice that aims to break down the social, political, and economic barriers that immigrants are facing in the United States.

The end goal of its mission is to grow inclusive and equitable growth by engaging immigrants across the region.

On Feb. 1, 2023, it was announced that Gonzales will be transitioning out of his President & CEO roles with The Welcoming Center at the end of June.

He provided remarks about his impending departure.

ESPAÑOL

Desde su fundación en el 2003, The Welcoming Center ha sido un salvavidas para los numerosos inmigrantes de la región. La fundó Anne O’Callaghan, fisioterapeuta licenciada de origen irlandés que llegó a Filadelfia para forjarse una carrera, a pesar de encontrarse con que no podía ejercer en el estado.

Luego de trabajar como presidenta y directora general durante sus primeros nueve años de existencia, O’Callaghan se jubiló en el 2012 y preparó el camino para que Peter Gonzales fuera nombrado para el cargo.

MÁS DE UNA DÉCADA DE IMPACTO

Antes de convertirse en su máximo responsable ejecutivo, Gonzales se había incorporado a The Welcoming Center como miembro voluntario de la junta directiva. Al mismo tiempo, dirigía un bufete de abogados especializados en inmigración y formaba parte de la Junta de Ajustes de Zonificación de la ciudad de Filadelfia.

Al cabo de un año, asumió la dirección de la organización como nuevo presidente y director general. Desde entonces, The Welcoming Center ha experimentado un cambio de imagen total, considerablemente ayudado por el papel de Gonzales en el crecimiento del presupuesto en el 70 %.

Su trabajo se ha centrado en diversificar las fuentes de financiación, que ahora incluyen el apoyo de empresas, fundaciones privadas y particulares, lo que ha permitido poner en marcha varios programas nuevos e innovadores, como el Programa de Profesionales Inmigrantes, el Instituto de Liderazgo para Inmigrantes y el Programa de Bienestar Intercultural.

Si dos palabras pudieran resumir el mandato de Gonzales, serían ‘crecimiento’ y ‘cambio’.

A lo largo de más de una década, The Welcoming Center se ha expandido y es la voz principal que pretende derribar las barreras sociales, políticas y económicas a las que se enfrentan los inmigrantes en Estados Unidos. Su objetivo es fomentar un crecimiento inclusivo y equitativo, mediante la participación de los inmigrantes de toda la región.

El primero de febrero pasado, se anunció que Gonzales dejará sus funciones de presidente y di-

I love The Welcoming Center’s mission and my life has forever been changed by the marvelous people in our community.

Me encanta la misión de The Welcoming Center, mi vida ha cambiado para siempre gracias a la maravillosa gente de nuestra comunidad

Peter Gonzales

Peter Gonzales, who has been President & CEO of The Welcoming Center since 2012, is departing in June 2023. Courtesy Peter Gonzales, Presidente y Consejero Delegado de The Welcoming Center desde 2012, dejará el cargo en junio de 2023. Cortesía

por¡Gracias un año de temporadas inolvidables!

A HELPING HAND IN DISEASE

ALONG WITH WORLD RARE DISEASE DAY, AN ORGANIZATION IS BORN WITH THE MISSION OF BRINGING SCIENCE TO THE LATINO COMMUNITY. EN COINCIDENCIA CON EL DÍA MUNDIAL DE LAS ENFERMEDADES RARAS, UNA ORGANIZACIÓN NACE CON LA ÚNICA MISIÓN DE ACERCAR LA CIENCIA A LA COMUNIDAD LATINA.

By | Por: SANDRA RAMÍREZ ORTEGA | AL DÍA News Writer

ENGLISH ESPAÑOL

Rare diseases are those that affect a small number of people compared to the general population. They pose a scientific challenge, are life-threatening, debilitating and have a high level of complexity. Most of them are usually genetic, autoimmune, infectious, and some are diagnosed as rare cancers.

Of the 300 million people in the world with a rare disease, 30 million live in the United States. This affects 7 to 8 percent of the nation’s population, according to the National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD). In the state of Pennsylvania, home to 12.9 million people, 1 out of every 12 has a rare disease, as the Rare Disease Advisory Council explains on its website.

LIVING WITH A RARE DISEASE

The limited advances in science, the difficulty in obtaining an accurate diagnosis, little or no research available on certain diseases, the feeling of isolation and the difficulty of seeking medical or social services are some of the problems faced by patients and their families in the country and in the world.

And in the more specific case of the Latino community in the United States, there are also other factors such as cultural, scarce economic resources to access genetic testing, the fear of the social stigma associated with the migration process, and lack of knowledge of English, the language in which most of the information on orphan diseases is available.

Considering this scenario and coinciding with World Rare Disease Day, which is celebrated on the last day of February each year, the Hispanic Society for Rare Diseases (SHER) was born.

SCIENTIFIC INFORMATION IN SPANISH

“We are an association that promotes public awareness on rare diseases and provides information and resources in

Las enfermedades raras son aquellas que afectan a un número pequeño de personas en comparación con la población general. Plantean un desafío científico, son potencialmente mortales, debilitantes y tienen un alto nivel de complejidad. La mayoría de ellas suele ser genética, autoinmune, infecciosa o algunos son diagnosticados como cáncer poco frecuente.

De las 300 millones de personas en el mundo que padecen una enfermedad rara, 30 millones viven en Estados Unidos. Esto afecta entre el 7 y el 8 por ciento de la población del país, según la Organización Nacional de Trastornos Raros (NORD).

En el estado de Pensilvania, donde viven 12,9 millones de personas, 1 de cada 12 tiene una enfermedad rara, explica el Rare Disease Advisory Council en su página web.

VIVIR CON UNA ENFERMEDAD RARA

Los avances limitados de la ciencia, la dificultad para obtener un diagnóstico exacto, la escasa o nula investigación disponible sobre determinadas enfermedades, la sensación de aislamiento y la dificultad para solicitar servicios médicos o sociales son algunos de los problemas por los que atraviesan los pacientes y sus familiares, tanto a nivel global como a nivel nacional.

Y en el caso más específico de la comunidad latina en Estados Unidos, se suman también otros factores como los culturales, los escasos recursos económicos para acceder a un test genético, el temor al estigma social propio de un proceso migratorio y el desconocimiento del inglés, idioma en el que se encuentra disponible la mayor parte de la información sobre las enfermedades huérfanas.

Considerando este escenario y en coincidencia con el Día Mundial de las Enfermedades Raras, que se celebra el último día de febrero de cada año, nace la Sociedad Hispana de Enfermedades Raras (SHER).

INFORMACIÓN CIENTÍFICA EN ESPAÑOL

“Somos una asociación que promueve la conciencia pública sobre enfermedades ra-

We seek to be a link between organizations, scientists and health professionals focused on rare diseases and Hispanic families.

Buscamos ser un nexo entre las organizaciones, científicos yprofesionales de la salud enfocados en patologías poco frecuentes y las familias hispanas.

Deborah Requesens

Deborah Requesens, founding member of the Hispanic Society for Rare Diseases (SHER). Courtesy Deborah Requesens, socia fundadora de la Sociedad Hispana de Enfermedades Raras (SHER). Cortesía

Spanish. We seek to be a link between organizations, scientists and health professionals focused on rare diseases and Hispanic families”, Deborah Requesens told AL DÍA.

Founding partner of SHER, this Venezuelan-born, eight-year resident of Philadelphia, is also the program director of the JumpStart program at the Orphan Disease Center of the University of Pennsylvania, where she works with patients and researchers to foster scientific collaboration and drive therapeutic development for low-prevalence diseases.

But Requesens is not alone. She has laid the groundwork for this new organization together with Colombian Victoria Arteaga. She currently serves as Latin America director of the Syngap Research Fund (SRF). This non-profit organization seeks to improve the quality of life of SYNGAP1 patients through research and development of treatments, therapies and support systems.

FOR LATINOS, MADE BY LATINAS

While Requesens and Arteaga have been promoting their mission since late 2021, it will not be until February 28th when they will launch their website: www.sociedadhispanaenfermedadesraras.org and officially begin their activities in the Latino community in Philadelphia.

They have also enabled their spaces on LinkedIn and Instagram, platforms from which they intend to reach a Hispanic audience and promote equitable access to diagnosis, treatment and social care.

“We want SHER to be a space where we can disseminate scientific information of interest to the Hispanic community. We also want to share with the rest of the rare disease community, not only about our needs, but also about the nuances of our diverse culture”, Requesens finally pointed out.z

ras y brinda información y recursos en español. Buscamos ser un nexo entre las organizaciones, científicos y profesionales de la salud enfocados en patologías poco frecuentes y las familias hispanas”, dijo Deborah Requesens a AL DÍA

Socia fundadora de SHER, esta venezolana residente en Filadelfia desde hace ocho años es al mismo tiempo directora del programa JumpStart del Orphan Disease Center de la Universidad de Pensilvania, en donde trabaja con pacientes e investigadores para fomentar la colaboración científica e impulsar el desarrollo terapéutico para enfermedades de baja prevalencia.

Pero Requesens no está sola. Ha sentado las bases de esta nueva organización junto con Victoria Arteaga, originaria de Colombia. Actualmente, ella se desempeña como directora para América Latina del Fondo de Investigación Syngap (SRF). Esta organización sin ánimo de lucro busca mejorar la calidad de vida de los pacientes con SYNGAP1 a través de la investigación y el desarrollo de tratamientos, terapias y sistemas de apoyo.

maraviosamente Haga algo

PARA LATINOS, HECHO POR LATINAS

Si bien Requesens y Arteaga promueven su misión desde finales de 2021, será hasta el próximo 28 de febrero cuando lanzarán su página web www.sociedadhispanaenfermedadesraras.org y empezarán oficialmente sus actividades en la comunidad latina de Filadelfia.

Han habilitado también sus espacios en LinkedIn e Instagram, plataformas desde donde pretenden llegar a un público hispano y promover el acceso equitativo al diagnóstico, el tratamiento y la atención social.

“Queremos que SHER sea un espacio donde podamos difundir información científica de interés para la comunidad hispana. Igualmente queremos compartir con el resto de la comunidad de enfermedades raras, no solo sobre nuestras necesidades, sino también sobre los matices de nuestra diversa cultura”, señaló Requesens finalmente.z

SAM OROPEZA OVER PARTY

THE

ONLY REPUBLICAN RUNNING FOR PHILADELPHIA CITY COUNCIL IN 2023 WITHOUT A PARTY ENDORSEMENT. AL DÍA TALKED TO THE CANDIDATE.

ES EL ÚNICO REPUBLICANO QUE SE PRESENTA A LAS ELECCIONES DEL CONCEJO DE FILADELFIA, EN 2023, SIN EL RESPALDO DE UN PARTIDO. AL DÍA HABLÓ CON ÉL.

By | Por: NIGEL THOMPSON | AL DÍA News Staff Writer

When thinking about the quagmire that is party politics in Philadelphia, Sam Oropeza has better things to worry about.

He’s one of three Republicans running for an at-large City Council seat in 2023, but the only one who didn’t get an endorsement from the city Republican Party this local election cycle.

“We didn’t ask for it,” Oropeza told AL DÍA in a recent interview about his campaign. “It was abundantly clear in that last election our values didn’t align.”

Those values for Oropeza are rooted in the Kensington community he reps the most in his at-large run. It’s been his home for the last five years, where he’s operated as a real estate agent.

His office is a block off Kensington Avenue on Venango, and he’s also built a reputation as a community-minded leader — behind more than a few cleanup efforts in the surrounding neighborhood and as a mentor of young kids wanting to go into fight sports.

The issues Oropeza says he sees on a daily basis in Kensington are also not ones that get the Democrat or Republican label.

“These are people issues,” he said. “I’m here to do the work that needs to be done here in Philadelphia.”

It’s that mission that fuels Oropeza on his run.

A CRIME REDUCTION PLAN

On those issues, Oropeza has public safety at the top of his list, saying the gun violence crisis of the last two years is “destroying Philadelphia.”

For solutions, Oropeza has created a crime reduction plan with five points

First, he wants to declare a state of emergency over gun violence get much-needed resources to the city from outside sources.

Cuando se piensa en el lodazal que es la política de partidos en Filadelfia, Sam Oropeza tiene mejores cosas en qué preocuparse.

Es uno de los tres republicanos que se postulan para un escaño en el Concejo Municipal en el 2023, pero el único que no obtuvo un respaldo del Partido Republicano de la ciudad en este ciclo electoral local.

“No lo pedimos”, dijo Oropeza a AL DÍA, en una entrevista sobre su campaña. “Quedó muy claro en las últimas elecciones que nuestros valores no coincidían”, advirtió.

Para Oropeza, esos valores están arraigados en la comunidad de Kensington, a la que más representa en su campaña. Ha sido su casa durante los últimos cinco años, donde ha operado como agente de bienes raíces.

Con su oficina a una cuadra de la avenida Kensington, en Venango, ha construido una reputación como líder de la comunidad, detrás de más de unos pocos esfuerzos de limpieza en las zonas circundantes y como mentor de los niños que quieren practicar deportes de lucha.

Los problemas que Oropeza dice ver a diario en Kensington no se etiquetan como demócratas o republicanos. Señaló que “son problemas de la gente y estoy aquí para hacer el trabajo que hay que hacer en Filadelfia”. Esa es la misión que lo impulsa en su carrera.

PLAN PARA REDUCIR LA DELINCUENCIA

La seguridad pública está en la parte superior de la lista de Oropeza, quien ha señalado que la crisis de violencia armada de los últimos dos años está “destruyendo Filadelfia”.

Para buscar soluciones, ha creado un plan de reducción de la delincuencia de cinco puntos. En primer lugar, quiere declarar el estado de emergencia por la violencia ar-

ENGLISH ESPAÑOL

Sam Oropeza is a former professional MMA fighter who wants to bring his network to Philly City Council. Carlos Nogueras/AL DÍA News. Sam Oropeza es un exluchador profesional de MMA que busca llevar su red al Ayuntamiento de Filadelfia. Carlos Nogueras/AL DÍA News.

“At what point are we gonna say we need help?” he said.

Second, Oropeza put an emphasis on a policing strategy that honed in on policies that “worked,” and weren’t “unproven.”

For policies he said that worked, Oropeza cited “pinpoint policing” as a strategy, which focuses on hot spot areas in the city for a police presence, and targeting the violent offenders in neighborhoods for arrest.

The third pillar of his crime reduction plan would tackle blight and ramp

up efforts to catch and prosecute those committing illegal dumping.

“A clean neighborhood is a safe neighborhood,” Oropeza said.

The fourth part would conduct an audit of City Council’s recent $208 million anti-violence budget.

The fifth and final part of Oropeza’s crime reduction plan would be to put funding into Stop the Bleed programs that provide first-aid training and distribute tourniquets to use on potential victims of gun violence. Oropeza envisions it as a citywide program.

mada, para conseguir recursos de fuentes externas. “¿En qué momento vamos a decir que necesitamos ayuda?”, indicó.

En segundo lugar, hace hincapié en una estrategia policial centrada en políticas que “funcionen” y no se implementen “sin probar”. Sobre las primeras, Oropeza citó como estrategia la “vigilancia policial puntual”, centrada en la presencia policial en zonas conflictivas de la ciudad y en la detención de los delincuentes violentos de los barrios.

En tercer lugar, busca luchar contra el deterioro de la ciudad e intensificar los es-

fuerzos para perseguir y detener a los autores de vertidos ilegales. Según Oropeza, “un barrio limpio es un barrio seguro”.

En cuarto lugar, llevará a cabo una auditoría del reciente presupuesto antiviolencia del Ayuntamiento, dotado con 208 millones de dólares.

En quinto lugar, propone destinar fondos a los programas Stop the Bleed, que ofrecen formación en primeros auxilios y distribuyen torniquetes para su uso a víctimas potenciales de la violencia armada. Oropeza lo concibe como un programa para toda la ciudad.

juventud y energía. Necesitamos trabajar juntos

Sam Oropeza

Si hay WSFS, hay un camino.

WSFS ha estado prestando servicios en esta región desde hace casi 200 años. Entendemos las necesidades, las esperanzas y las aspiraciones de la gente y los negocios que llaman hogar a esta región. Además, con nuestros recursos y habilidades somos el banco de aquí que lo puede llevar a todas partes. Así que ya sea que quiera planear para el futuro, comprar una casa nueva, mejorar la que ya tiene, hacer crecer su negocio o comenzar uno nuevo:

WSFS está aquí para usted. Y ahora la pregunta es: ¿adónde quiere ir?

We need youth and we need energy. We need to work together. Necesitamos

CHERELLE’S PATH TO MAYOR?

By | Por: CARLOS NOGUERAS | AL DÍA News Staff Writer

Cherelle Parker got her start in Philly politics at two oratory competitions that she won. In attendance at those competitions was at-large Philly Councilmember Augusta Clark. She would later introduce her to Marian Tasco.

“I was a little Black girl growing up in poverty, you know, with no dad in my life, my mother deceased, raised by my grandparents, and they decided: ‘we see something in you.’”

Now, that girl with a prowess for speaking is running for Philadelphia Mayor after a career that’s seen her

elected to posts in Harrisburg and City Hall. AL DÍA had the chance to speak with Parker at its most-recent AL DÍA Talk.

Her campaign is one that places emphasis on small business and public safety solutions — and both took center stage in her conversation with AL DÍA.

Parker, fully aware of her perception as a candid yet vigorous speaker, said that “if you started where I started from in life, and you had a village or community, a city that deposited so much in you, you wouldn’t know why I’m so passionate about what I do.”

Cherelle Parker se inició en la política de Filadelfia en dos concursos de oratoria que ganó. A esos concursos asistió Augusta Clark, concejala de Filadelfia. Más tarde conocería a Marian Tasco.

“Yo era una niña negra pobre, sin una figura paterna en mi vida, con mi madre fallecida y criada por mis abuelos. Pero ellos vieron algo en mí”, recordó.

Ahora, esa chica con facilidad de palabra se presenta a la Alcaldía de Filadelfia tras una carrera que le ha dado la oportunidad de trabajar en Harrisburg y en el Ayuntamiento. AL DÍA tuvo la oportunidad de hablar con Parker en su último AL DÍA Talk.

Su campaña hace hincapié en las pequeñas empresas y en las soluciones de seguridad pública, y ambas ocuparon un lugar central en su conversación con AL DÍA.

Según Parker, plenamente consciente de su percepción como oradora cándida pero enérgica, “si empezaras donde yo empecé en la vida y tuvieras un pueblo o una comunidad, una ciudad que depositara tanto en ti, no sabrías por qué me apasiona tanto lo que hago”.

MODERNIZAR LA GESTIÓN PARA MICROEMPRESAS

Cuando Parker habla del propietario promedio de una pequeña empresa en Fila-

Cherelle Parker visited AL DÍA back on Wednesday, Feb. 1. Kianni Figuereo/AL DÍA News. Cherelle Parker visitó AL DÍA el pasado primero de febrero. Kianni Figuereo/AL DÍA News.

ENGLISH ESPAÑOL

MODERNIZING SMALL BIZ INTERACTIONS

When Parker talks about the median small business owner in Philly, she’s referring to those “who have a significant amount of skin in the game because they are leasing, renting or owning brick and mortar establishments.”

Citing a group of Drexel students with an entrepreneurial spirit, Parker said that while there are buzzing ideas, the lack of investment outweighs the ability to grow and scale businesses.

Parker, a venture capital fan, said she would leverage private equity investments into small businesses, “carving out and developing a very specific plan” by engaging Community Development Financial Institutions to fund Black and Brown entrepreneurs.

Philly is also notorious for imposing onerous roadblocks for investors and is considered an unfriendly city to do business in because of the amount of red tape.

“I think local government does a super poor job at it,” Parker said, responding to questions about the city’s sea of regulatory requirements. “We have to be more efficient.”

Parker said she would remain open to the idea of modernizing the current process and described a “one-stop shop” model for business owners to reference.

“We have to stop thinking that we need everything done via legislation… If I thought that the only thing we could do to move Philadelphia forward was to enact it through legislation, I would still be a member of the City Council,” Parker noted.

delfia, se refiere a aquellos “que tienen una cantidad significativa de piel en el juego porque están arrendando, alquilando o son propietarios de establecimientos tradicionales”.

Citando a un grupo de estudiantes de Drexel con espíritu emprendedor, Parker dijo que, aunque hay ideas resonantes, la falta de inversión supera la capacidad de hacer crecer y ampliar los negocios.

Parker, aficionada al capital riesgo, dijo que potenciaría las inversiones de capital privado en pequeñas empresas, “esculpiendo y desarrollando un plan muy específico” mediante la participación de instituciones financieras de desarrollo comunitario para financiar a empresarios negros y marrones.

Filadelfia también es conocida por imponer onerosos obstáculos a los inversores. Además, es considerada una ciudad poco

propicia para hacer negocios, debido a la cantidad de trámites burocráticos. “Creo que el gobierno local hace un trabajo súper deficiente”, dijo Parker, respondiendo a las preguntas sobre el mar de requisitos normativos de la ciudad. “Tenemos que ser más eficientes”, señaló.

Parker indicó que seguiría abierta a la idea de modernizar el proceso y describió un modelo de “ventanilla única” de referencia para los empresarios: “Tenemos que dejar de pensar que necesitamos que todo se haga por la vía legislativa. Si pensara que lo único que podemos hacer para que Filadelfia avance es promulgarlo por la vía legislativa, seguiría siendo miembro del Ayuntamiento”.

Se inclinó por promulgar una orden ejecutiva para poner en marcha una transformación digital en el Ayuntamiento, aunque los detalles operativos están por verse.

Leaning in on Entrepreneurship

Small businesses and entrepreneurs are vital to thriving communities throughout the United States.

At JPMorgan Chase, we are taking actions to support business owners and entrepreneurs in Latino, Hispanic and Black communities by:

•Providing additional loans

• Increasing access to coaching, technical assistance and capital

• Building on our supplier diversity e orts through additional spending with Latino, Hispanic and Black suppliers

© 2023 JPMorgan Chase & Co.

COVER STORY

Sofia De Leon (left) is the Top Restaurator, and Richard Olaya (right) is the Pioneer Award winner at the 2023 AL DÍA Top Entrepreneurs Forum and Reception German Vazquez./AL DÍA News.

Sofía De León (izquierda) es la Mejor empresaria de Restaurantes, y Richard Olaya (derecha) es el ganador del Premio Pionero en el Foro y Recepción de los Mejores Empresarios AL DÍA 2023. German Vazquez./AL DÍA News.

THE FACES FLIPPING PHILLY’S SCRIPT

THIS YEAR’S AL DÍA TOP ENTREPRENEURS DO IT IN THEIR OWN WAYS, BUT THE IMPACT IS CITYWIDE.

LOS MEJORES EMPRENDEDORES DE AL DÍA 2023 LO HACEN A SU MANERA, PERO EL IMPACTO ES EN TODA LA CIUDAD.

By | Por: NIGEL THOMPSON | AL DÍA News Staff Writer

Pick any of the stories of the seven honorees at this year’s AL DÍA Top Entrepreneurs Forum and Reception, and aspects of two major entrepreneurial elements stick out the most.

They all started from the absolute bottom in some way, shape, or form, but are now leaders transforming Philadelphia as you read these words on the page. They’ve also done it in their own ways, away from the traditional systems and power structures that often cater to a certain popula-

Escoja cualquiera de las historias de los siete galardonados en AL DÍA Top Entrepreneurs Forum and Reception 2023, y descubrirá dos elementos principales.

Todos ellos empezaron desde abajo, pero hoy son líderes que están transformando Filadelfia mientras usted lee estas palabras. También lo han hecho a su manera, alejados de los sistemas tradicionales y las estructuras de poder que suelen atender a una determinada

ENGLISH ESPAÑOL

ENGLISH From pag. 13 tion in the entrepreneurial and business world.

TRULY STARTING FROM SCRATCH

Take Pioneer Award winner Richard Olaya.

“I did not have this entrenched culture of recognition and network that exists within American society,” Olaya told AL DÍA. “I’m starting everything from scratch. I’m starting my life from scratch. I’m starting my business from scratch.”

“That’s a roundabout way of saying business is harder for Latinos and minorities across the board as an entrepreneur,” he continued.

Olaya, the son of Colombian immigrants to the U.S., worked in architecture for 12 years before founding his own firm, Olaya Studio, in 2006. He ran it through all its ups and downs for 13 years before completing a merger with another firm to create The O Z Collaborative, which he still co-runs today.

Brick and Mortar honoree Neydary Zambrano arrived in the U.S. 25 years ago to escape the rise of Hugo Chavez in Venezuela. She found work in the nonprofit world while pursuing her law degree at Temple and learning how to build her own business.

Roughly 10 years ago, Zambrano bought her first early childhood education center in Phoenixville, PA and it became the first location for her business, Magic Memories.

The Top Restaurateur, Sofia De León, can remember selling ice cream to classmates in her first entrepreneurial endeavor while growing up in Guatemala City. Her current one in Philadelphia, El Merkury, first opened its doors in Rittenhouse in 2018.

TRANSFORMING PHILLY’S NEIGHBORHOODS

Alma Romero and Marcos Tlacopilco — The Partnership Award winners — have chased their American Dream as entrepreneurs in the U.S. for the last 25 years. They arrived from Puebla, Mexico with a goal that is the same for most immigrant entrepreneurs not just in Philly, but across the U.S.

To “fight for the children,” and give them a “better and good future,” Marcos told AL DÍA in a recent interview. His and Alma’s entrepreneurial journey in Philly started with Marco’s Fish Market and Crab House on South Ninth Street.

In his own words, it was founded out of “necessity,” and Tlacopilco said it took 10 years for him to understand “the whole business of buying and finding vendors.” He operated it for 17 years before taking the next step in he and Romero’s entrepreneurial careers with Alma del Mar.

The restaurant, which provides Mexican and American-inspired fare often with a helping of seafood for breakfast, lunch or dinner, is on the same block as the Marco’s Fish Market and Crab House. It opened in 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic, and got major promotion help from an appearance on the fifth season of Queer Eye.

It’s now a South Philly staple, but also represents another pillar in the transformation of South Philadelphia — especially Ninth Street, historically known in Philadelphia as the Italian Market. Yes, there’s still Sarcone’s Bakery, Ralph’s Italian, and Lorenzo’s Pizza. Anthony’s Coffee & Chocolate House, the original DiBruno Bros. and Villa di Roma (to name a few).

But any further South and the transformation starts — Blue Corn, and a block away, Marco’s Fish Market and Crab House, and now Alma del Mar. Cross Washington Ave. and the taquerias start with La Prima and Adelita, and end with South Philly Barbacoa.

Geographically and as entrepreneurs, Marcos and Alma sit at the source of a river that’s created what’s now more popularly known as the Mexican Market on Ninth Street in South Philadelphia.

They’re not alone on AL DÍA’s 2023 Top Entrepreneur list as sources of transformation.

TRANSFORMING PHILLY’S NARRATIVE

Business Innovation winner Hector Nuñez was tired of the same old news reports he heard his whole life growing up in the city when he finally decided to change that himself.

“Philadelphia in general gets a bad rap for violence, negative news and so forth,” he recently told AL DÍA.

The motivation sits at the core of what Nuñez would call Wooder Ice. The idea sparked while he was still a student at Temple University, and it was something he’d make a reality a few years after graduation.

Almost a decade later, Wooder Ice is a fast-growing brand in the digital media sphere that is definitively Philly and cut from a different cloth compared to other outlets in the city. It’s bread and butter is exactly what Nuñez envisioned — positive, uplifting stories about all the happenings in Philly that offer a much-needed reprieve from the daily cycles of TV and print news.

Wooder Ice’s base of operation in the digital domain starts on Instagram — with an account boasting more than 113,000 followers that are informed daily about the city’s happenings and entertained by the Philly-centric memes. That content has also spread to TikTok (mostly the memes there), and YouTube, where the growing Wooder Ice team posts clips from its podcast, other interviews and spotlights of local businesses, among other video content.

Wooder Ice also has its own merch that fans of the platform can purchase, featuring its logo — Founding Father Ben Franklin donning a bandana.

In many ways with Wooder Ice, Nuñez is well on his way to sitting atop a digital media empire to be reckoned with that puts Philly on the map for all good reasons.

“Recognizing that capacity has been rewarding. It’s the brand in itself… It’s a community that we built here in Philadelphia,” Nuñez told AL DÍA

TRANSFORMING PHILLY’S HUMANITY

Community is also what sits at the heart of the Philly Truce App. The creation of 2023 Changemaker Awardee Mazzie Casher, the app is out to curb gun violence — one of Philadelphia’s biggest challenges of the last three years (and well before that if you ask any Philadelphia resident).

With the dramatic recent rise in shootings, especially among Philadelphia youth, Casher and his friend Steve Pickens came to the same conclusion: “It was time to be leaders.”

Philly Truce creates a community of nearby conflict mediators that can be contacted through the app by youth and others in situations escalating towards violence. The mediators go to the scene and play peacemaker.

They’re volunteers that also complete violence intervention training offered by Philly Truce.

Casher’s mission is for youth to turn to the app instead of a gun for resolving their conflicts with others and reduce overall gun violence in the process. The app also combats the “snitch mentality” that often infects at-risk youth because it’s not perpetuating further violence.

“An app can modify behavior if it’s properly implemented and marketed and advertised,” Casher told WHYY in 2021. “Uber, Instagram, Yelp, Airbnb — these things have come in and changed the way we do very basic things.”

Since its launch in 2021, Casher has also become a leader on the frontlines of the anti-gun violence movement in the city. Transformation on the issue is still a work in progress, but with Casher’s app, there’s a new solution on the scene.

Like Casher, Zambrano’s transformation occurs in the human. For her, that’s the children she interacts with everyday at Magic Memories — and that’s definitely multiplied since she took over in 2006.

Now, she boasts nine early childhood education centers across Montgomery and Chester counties that serve hun-

Business is harder for Latinos and minorities across the board as an entrepreneur.

Richard Olaya

dreds of kids everyday. They also employ over 200 people.

“It’s a team effort in all areas,” Zambrano told AL DÍA. “I’ve had a lot of support and love that allows me to be the person that I need to be to support my team, the kids and the families that we serve.”

Transformation is also still in the works for De León’s El Merkury. She has her coveted locations in Rittenhouse and Reading Terminal Market, but still views every day as a new learning opportunity for customers and staff to pass on the greatness (and uniqueness) that is Central American food in the form of pupusas, tostadas, churros and taquitos.

But that’s not to say people’s minds haven’t changed a little in the last five years.

“I really want to believe that we have played a big part in that,” she said of the changing view.

TRANSFORMING PHILLY’S CITYSCAPE

Transformation for Olaya, much like Marcos and Alma, is in the physical neighborhoods and structures of Philadelphia. In his time running Olaya Studio and at the O Z Collaborative, he’s done major work at Drexel, Temple and other nearby universities, and built the city’s biggest mosque, to name a few of the projects.

It’s a body of work that now stands at 30 years — and he’s transformed the architecture field along the way, at least in Philly. What was once a bunch of old white guys, now has a few old Latino guys in the leadership mix too.

“Myself included,” Olaya told AL DÍA.

He only got where he is by striking out on his own and starting from scratch, just like the rest of the 2023 AL DÍA Top Entrepreneurs. z

Mazzie Casher is the co-founder of the Philly Truce App alongside his friend Steven Pickens. He’s AL DÍA’s Changemaker. German Vazquez./AL DÍA News. Mazzie Casher es cofundador de Philly Truce App junto a su amigo Steven Pickens. Es Changemaker de AL DÍA. German Vazquez./AL DÍA News.

It’s a community that we built here in Philadelphia.

Hector Nuñez

ESPAÑOL Viene pág 13 | población en el mundo empresarial y de los negocios.

UN INICIO DESDE CERO

Según Richard Olaya, ganador del Premio Pionero, “yo no tenía esta cultura arraigada de reconocimiento y conexión que existe en la sociedad estadounidense. Empiezo todo desde cero: estoy empezando mi vida y mi negocio desde cero. Es una forma indirecta de decir que los negocios son más difíciles para los empresarios latinos y las minorías en general”.

Olaya, hijo de inmigrantes colombianos en Estados Unidos, trabajó en arquitectura durante 12 años, antes de fundar su propia empresa, Olaya Studio, en el 2006. La dirigió con todos sus altibajos durante 13 años, antes de completar una fusión para crear The O Z Collaborative, que sigue codirigiendo.

La homenajeada Neydary Zambrano llegó a Estados Unidos hace 25 años huyendo del ascenso de Hugo Chávez en Venezuela. Encontró trabajo en el mundo de las organizaciones sin ánimo de lucro mientras se licenciaba en Derecho en Temple y aprendía a crear su propia empresa.

Hace unos 10 años, Zambrano compró su primer centro de educación infantil en Phoenixville (Pensilvania), que se convirtió en el primer local de su negocio, Magic Memories.

LA TRANSFORMACIÓN DE LOS BARRIOS

Alma Romero y Marcos Tlacopilco —ganadores del premio The Partnership— llevan 25 años persiguiendo su sueño americano como empresarios. Llegaron de Puebla (México) con el mismo objetivo de la mayoría de los empresarios inmigrantes en Estados Unidos: “luchar por los niños y brindarles un mejor futuro”, como lo destacó Marcos en una entrevista con AL DÍA. Su trayectoria empresarial y la de Alma en Filadelfia empezó con Marco’s Fish Market and Crab House, en South Ninth Street.

En sus propias palabras, se fundó “por necesidad”. Según Tlacopilco, tardó 10 años en entender “todo el negocio de comprar y encontrar vendedores”. Lo dirigió durante 17 años antes de dar el siguiente paso en sus carreras empresariales con Alma del Mar.

El restaurante, que ofrece platos de inspiración mexicana y americana, a menudo con una ración de marisco para el desayuno, el almuerzo o la cena, está en la misma manzana que el Mercado de Pescado y Cangrejo de Marco. Abrió en el 2020, en medio de la pandemia de COVID-19, y obtuvo una gran ayuda promocional gracias a su aparición en la quinta temporada de Queer Eye.

Chocolate House, el original DiBruno Bros. y Villa di Roma, por nombrar algunos.

Pero más al sur empieza la transformación: Blue Corn y, a una manzana, Marco’s Fish Market and Crab House y, ahora, Alma del Mar. Si cruzamos Washington Avenue, las taquerías empiezan con La Prima y Adelita, y terminan con South Philly Barbacoa.

Geográficamente, y como empresarios, Marcos y Alma se encuentran en el nacimiento de un río que ha creado lo que ahora se conoce más popularmente como el Mercado Mexicano de Ninth Street, en el sur de Filadelfia.

No son los únicos en la lista 2023 de AL DÍA como fuentes de transformación.

LA TRANSFORMACIÓN DE LA NARRATIVA

Héctor Núñez, ganador del Premio a la Innovación Empresarial, estaba cansado de las mismas noticias de siempre, así que decidió cambiarlas él mismo. En una declaración reciente a AL DÍA, dijo que “Filadelfia, en general, tiene mala fama por la violencia y las noticias negativas”.

La motivación está en la base de lo que Núñez llamaría Wooder Ice. La idea surgió cuando aún estudiaba en la Universidad de Temple y fue algo que haría realidad unos años después de graduarse.

Sofía Deleón, la mejor empresaria de restaurantes, recuerda su primera aventura vendiéndoles helados a sus compañeros de clase cuando crecía en Ciudad de Guatemala. Su actual negocio en Filadelfia, El Merkury, abrió sus puertas por primera vez en Rittenhouse, en el 2018.

Ahora es un elemento básico del sur de Filadelfia, pero también representa otro pilar en su transformación, especialmente de Ninth Street, históricamente conocida como el Mercado Italiano. Todavía están Sarcone’s Bakery, Ralph’s Italian y Lorenzo’s Pizza. Anthony’s Coffee &

Casi una década más tarde, Wooder Ice es una marca de rápido crecimiento en la esfera de los medios digitales en Filadelfia y, ahora, el pan de cada día es exactamente lo que Núñez imaginó: historias positivas y edificantes sobre todos los acontecimientos de Filadelfia, que ofrecen ese anhelado respiro de los ciclos diarios de noticias de la televisión y la prensa.

La base de operaciones de Wooder Ice en el ámbito digital comienza en Instagram, con un perfil de más de 113.000 seguidores que se informan a diario sobre los acontecimientos de la ciudad y se entretienen con los memes centrados en Filadelfia. Ese conteni-

Alma Romero and Marcos Tlacopilco are the founders of Alma del Mar — a mustvisit along Philly’s Ninth Street in South Philadelphia. German Vazquez./AL DÍA News.

Alma Romero y Marcos Tlacopilco son los fundadores de Alma del Mar, una visita obligada en la calle Ninth Street, en el sur de Filadelfia. German Vazquez./AL DÍA News.

Los negocios son más difíciles para los latinos y las minorías en general.

Richard Olaya

do también se ha extendido a TikTok (sobre todo los memes) y YouTube, donde el creciente equipo de Wooder Ice publica fragmentos de su podcast, otras entrevistas y anuncios de empresas locales, entre otros contenidos audiovisuales.

Wooder Ice también tiene su propia mercancía, que los seguidores de la plataforma pueden adquirir con su logotipo: el padre fundador Ben Franklin con un pañuelo.

En muchos sentidos, con Wooder Ice, Núñez va camino de convertirse en un imperio de medios digitales por considerar que sitúa a Filadelfia en el mapa por buenas razones. “Reconocer esa capacidad ha sido gratificante. Es la marca en sí misma. Es una comunidad que hemos construido aquí en Filadelfia”, dijo Núñez a AL DÍA

LA TRANSFORMACIÓN DE LA COMUNIDAD

La comunidad es también el núcleo de la aplicación Philly Truce. Creada por Mazzie Casher, galardonado con el premio Changemaker 2023, la aplicación busca frenar la violencia armada, uno de los mayores retos de Filadelfia en los últimos tres años (y mucho antes, si se le pregunta a cualquier habitante de la ciudad).

Con el reciente y dramático aumento de los tiroteos, especialmente entre los jóvenes de Filadelfia, Casher y su amigo Steve Pickens llegaron a la misma conclusión: “Era hora de ser líderes”.

Philly Truce crea una comunidad de mediadores de conflictos cercanos con los que los jóvenes y otras personas en situaciones de violencia pueden ponerse en contacto a través de la aplicación. Los mediadores acuden al lugar de los hechos y actúan como pacificadores. Son voluntarios que también completan la formación sobre intervención en casos de violencia que ofrece Philly Truce.

La misión de Casher es que los jóvenes recurran a la aplicación en lugar de un arma para resolver sus conflictos con los demás y, de paso, reducir la violencia general con armas de fuego. La aplicación también combate la “mentalidad de chivato”, que a menudo infecta a los jóvenes en situación de riesgo, ya que no perpetúa la violencia.

“Una aplicación puede modificar el comportamiento si se implementa, comercializa y publicita adecuadamente”, declaró Casher a WHYY en el 2021. “Uber, Instagram, Yelp, Airbnb: estas cosas han llegado y han cambiado la forma en que hacemos cosas muy básicas”, dijo.

Desde su lanzamiento en 2021, Casher se ha convertido en un líder en la primera línea del movimiento contra la violencia armada en la ciudad. La transformación de este problema sigue en marcha, pero con esta aplicación hay una nueva solución en escena.

Al igual que para Casher, la transformación de Zambrano se ha producido en lo humano. Para ella, eso son los niños con los que interactúa cada día en Magic Memories, quienes, sin duda, se han multiplicado desde que se hizo cargo de la empresa en 2006.

Ahora cuenta con nueve centros de educación infantil en los condados de Montgomery y Chester. Estos atienden a cientos de niños cada día y emplean a más de 200 personas.

“Es un trabajo de equipo en todos los ámbitos”, explicó Zambrano a AL DÍA. Agregó que “el apoyo y el amor de quienes me rodean me ha permitido ser la persona que necesito ser para apoyar a mi equipo, a los niños y a las familias que servimos”.

La transformación también sigue en marcha para El Merkury. Su dueña, Sofia Deleón, tiene sus codiciados locales en Rittenhouse y Reading Terminal Market, pero sigue viendo cada día como una nueva oportunidad de aprendizaje para que sus clientes y el personal transmitan la grandeza (y la singularidad) de la comida centroamericana en forma de pupusas, tostadas, churros y taquitos.

Pero eso no quiere decir que la mentalidad de la gente no haya cambiado un poco en los últimos cinco años. “Quiero creer de verdad que hemos tenido mucho que ver en ello”, dijo De León sobre el cambio de opinión.

LA TRANSFORMACIÓN DEL PAISAJE URBANO

Para Olaya, al igual que para Marcos y Alma, la transformación está en los barrios y las estructuras físicas de Filadelfia. Durante el tiempo que ha dirigido Olaya Studio y O Z Collaborative, ha realizado importantes obras en Drexel, Temple y otras universidades cercanas, y ha construido la mezquita más grande de la ciudad, por nombrar solo algunos de sus proyectos.

Son ya 30 años de trabajo transformando el campo de la arquitectura, al menos en Filadelfia. Lo que antes era un grupo de viejos blancos ahora cuenta con algunos viejos latinos entre sus líderes, “incluido yo”, dijo Olaya a AL DÍA.

Ha llegado hasta donde está por su cuenta y empezando de cero, como el resto de los 2023 AL DÍA Top Entrepreneurs. z

Es una comunidad que hemos construido aquí en Filadelfia.

Hector Nuñez

ALMA ROMERO/ MARCOS TLACOPILCO

For 17 years, Marcos Tlacopilco and his wife Alma Romero operated Marco’s Fish Market and Crab House on South Ninth Street in the city’s Italian Market. Their next step was to acquire the lot next to the market and build Alma del Mar, a restaurant offering Mexican- and American-inspired dishes always with a healthy serving of seafood. It’s a must visit in what is now more popularly called the Mexican Market in South Philly, and Marcos and Alma sit at its source. The restaurant is also often a meeting and event spot for the burgeoning Latino community in the surrounding neighborhoods.

Durante 17 años, Marcos Tlacopilco y su esposa, Alma Romero, dirigieron Marco’s Fish Market and Crab House, al sur de Ninth Street , en el Mercado Italiano de la ciudad. Su siguiente paso fue adquirir el lote contiguo al mercado y construir Alma del Mar, un restaurante que ofrece platos de inspiración mexicana y americana, siempre con una buena ración de marisco. Es una visita obligada en lo que ahora se llama el Mercado Mexicano del sur de Filadelfia, y Marcos y Alma se sientan en su fuente. El restaurante suele ser también punto de encuentro y de eventos para la floreciente comunidad latina de los barrios de alrededor.

HECTOR NUÑEZ

Hector Nuñez is the founder of Wooder Ice, a digital media brand that’s built quite the buzz in Philadelphia over the last decade. At the center of Nuñez and Wooder Ice’s purpose is finding the positive narratives that make Philadelphia the great city it is and giving them a platform so the story of the city can change. A peek at Wooder Ice’s social media numbers and it’s obvious that narrative shift is well under way. A highlight is the brand’s Instagram, which boasts over 113,000 followers, but there’s also a podcast, a TikTok, YouTube channel and more to spread the great stories of Philly.

Héctor Núñez es el fundador de Wooder Ice, una marca de medios digitales que ha dado mucho de que hablar en Filadelfia durante la última década. El propósito de Nuñez y de Wooder Ice es encontrar las narrativas positivas que hacen de Filadelfia la gran ciudad que es y darles una plataforma para que su historia pueda cambiar. Basta con echar un vistazo a las cifras de las redes sociales de Wooder Ice para darse cuenta de que el cambio narrativo está en marcha. Lo más destacado es el Instagram de la marca, que cuenta con más de 113.000 seguidores, pero también hay un podcast, un perfil en TikTok, un canal de YouTube y mucho más para difundir las grandes historias de Filadelfia.

MAZZIE CASHER

Mazzie Casher is one of the two minds behind the Philly Truce App. He and friend Steven Pickens decided to join forces and launch the app after witnessing another gun death of a young Black man in their West Philadelphia neighborhood. The app trains mediators in conflict resolution and encourages users — predominantly Philadelphia youth — to call the mediators through its platform to play peacemakers in situations escalating towards violence. Rather than pull out a gun to resolve their problems, Casher sees Philly Truce as a much-needed alternative while also building a community of leaders on the frontlines helping young people through their conflicts.

Mazzie Casher es una de las dos mentes detrás de Philly Truce App. Él y su amigo Steven Pickens decidieron unir fuerzas y lanzar la aplicación, tras presenciar la muerte por arma de fuego de un joven negro en su barrio, al oeste de Filadelfia. La aplicación entrena a mediadores en resolución de conflictos y anima a los usuarios —principalmente jóvenes de Filadelfia— a llamar a estos mediadores a través de su plataforma, para que actúen como pacificadores en situaciones de violencia. En lugar de sacar un arma para resolver sus problemas, Casher ve Philly Truce como una alternativa necesaria y como una herramienta para construir una comunidad de líderes que ayuden a los jóvenes a superar sus conflictos.

Changemaker

NEYDARY ZAMBRANO

Neydary Zambrano sits atop the Magic Memories empire that operates nine early childhood development centers in Montgomery and Chester Counties in the Philadelphia suburbs. They employ over 200 people and provide educational services to hundreds of kids everyday. It started in 2006, when Zambrano purchased her early childhood development center in Phoenixville, PA. Zambrano is a native of Venezuela, and arrived in the U.S. more than 25 years ago to escape the rise of Hugo Chavez. She found work in the nonprofit world while also going to law school and formulating her plan for what would eventually be Magic Memories.

Neydary Zambrano encabeza el imperio Magic Memories, que gestiona nueve centros de desarrollo infantil en los condados de Montgomery y Chester, en los suburbios de Filadelfia. Emplean a más de 200 personas y prestan servicios educativos a cientos de niños cada día. Todo empezó en el 2006, cuando Zambrano compró su centro de desarrollo infantil temprano en Phoenixville, Pensilvania. Zambrano nació en Venezuela y llegó a Estados Unidos hace más de 25 años, huyendo del ascenso de Hugo Chávez. Encontró trabajo en el mundo de las organizaciones sin ánimo de lucro, al tiempo que estudiaba Derecho y formulaba su plan para lo que acabaría siendo Magic Memories.

RICHARD OLAYA

Richard Olaya is currently one of three principal architects leading The O Z Collaborative. The architecture firm works on projects across the spectrum — from higher education and k-12 buildings and religious structures, to commercial real estate, historic building restoration, and cultural community centers. It was created four years ago after Olaya merged his own firm, Olaya Studio, with another firm to compete for more work. He ran Olaya Studio for 13 years and has a total of 30 years in the architecture field. Olaya is also an adjunct architecture professor at Drexel University, where he guides the next generation of professionals in the field.

Richard Olaya es uno de los tres arquitectos principales de The O Z Collaborative. Este estudio de arquitectura trabaja en proyectos de todo tipo, desde edificios de enseñanza superior y primaria hasta estructuras religiosas, pasando por inmuebles comerciales, restauración de edificios históricos y centros culturales comunitarios. Se creó hace cuatro años, después de que Olaya fusionara su propia empresa, Olaya Studio, con otra para competir por más trabajo. Con más de 30 años de experiencia en el campo de la arquitectura, dirigió Olaya Studio durante 13 años y es profesor adjunto de arquitectura en la Universidad de Drexel, donde guía a la próxima generación de profesionales del sector.

SOFIA DE LEON

Top Restaurateur

Sofia De León is the founder of El Merkury, a fast casual spot with locations in Rittenhouse and Reading Terminal Market that serves up the best of Central American Street food. That’s pupusas, tostadas, taquitos and churros, to name the heavy hitters on El Merkury’s menu. De León is a native of Guatemala and is out to differentiate her Central American culture and food from the all-too-common ‘Mexican’ label slapped on any food in the U.S. from south of the border. She is also very active in the women entrepreneur and restaurateur spaces locally and nationally.

Esta guatemalteca es la fundadora de El Merkury, un restaurante de comida rápida con locales en Rittenhouse y Reading Terminal Market. Con el ánimo de diferenciar su cultura y su comida centroamericanas de la etiqueta ‘mexicana’, demasiado común en Estados Unidos —pues se aplica a cualquier comida procedente del sur de la frontera—, sirve lo mejor de la comida callejera centroamericana. Pupusas, tostadas, taquitos y churros son algunos de los platos fuertes del menú. También es muy activa en el ámbito de las mujeres empresarias y dueñas de restaurantes locales y nacionales.

GLOBAL KIOSKO

WHAT THE WORLD PRESS IS TALKING ABOUT US

Edited By | FERNANDO MILLÁN | AL DÍA News Print Editor

CENSORSHIP OF BOOKS, UNACCEPTABLE EL NUEVO DÍA PUERTO RICO

An editorial analyzes the censorship of books in schools in the United States. “The scourge of supremacism has been installed in a sector of the Republican Party in the United States and intends to go beyond political boundaries to entrench itself in public institutions in states like Florida, in the form of censorship and other intimidating and dangerous actions against minorities. Puerto Ricans in Puerto Rico and in the states must remain alert and reject ideologies and actions that seek to exclude and destroy people because they are considered di erent. The racist policies adopted by educational institutions in Florida that prohibit books about prominent Puerto Rican figures and the Latino community in general are greatly outrageous. This despicable practice began even before the current outcry over book censorship that seeks to invisibilize minorities and rewrite U.S. history. Among other uncivilized acts, the Florida administration of Governor Ron DeSantis passed the “Don’t say gay” law [...]. The complacency that emanates from the fact that repressive policies do not yet a ect certain citizens becomes a complicity that at any moment can turn into horror for the groups that today feel protected”.

En un editorial se analiza la censura de libros en escuelas en Estados Unidos. “El flagelo del supremacismo se ha instalado en un sector del Partido Republicano de Estados Unidos y pretende rebasar las fronteras políticas para atrincherarse en la institucionalidad pública en estados como Florida, en forma de censuras y otras acciones intimidatorias y peligrosas contra minorías. Los puertorriqueños en Puerto Rico y los estados debemos permanecer alertas, y rechazar las ideologías y acciones que pretenden excluir y destruir a personas por considerarlas distintas. Indignan grandemente las políticas racistas adoptadas por instituciones educativas en Florida que prohíben libros sobre figuras prominentes puertorriqueñas y de la comunidad latina en general. Esta deleznable práctica empezó aún antes de que se formara la protesta actual por la censura de libros que persigue invisibilizar a minorías y reescribir la historia de Estados Unidos. Entre otros actos incivilizados, la administración floridana del gobernador Ron DeSantis aprobó la ley “no digas gay” (…). La complacencia que emana del hecho de que las políticas represivas no afectan aún a ciertos ciudadanos se convierte en una complicidad que en cualquier momento puede transformarse en horror para los grupos que hoy se sienten protegidos”.

IT’S THE BORDER, STUPID EL UNIVERSAL MEXICO

Commentator Antonio Rosas-Landa takes stock of Joe Biden’s administration. “[...] he has been very successful in promoting his policies [...] However, what the President has failed in is his handling of immigration and the control of the southern border. His political rivals have taken note of this and are capitalizing on this weakness heading into the 2024 presidential election. A recent Gallup poll found that 63 % of Americans are dissatisfied with immigration policy, and 40 % want to see fewer immigrants in the country. Even among Democrats, there is an increase in this dissatisfaction, which is currently 19 % for only 2 % in 2021. Even prominent Democratic lawmaker Peter Aguilar said in an interview that Biden’s rating on the border is ‘incomplete’, a term he avoids condemning, but definitely does not show confidence or support. According to the Pew Research Center, in the last months of 2022, the Border Patrol had more than 200,000 ‘encounters’ with migrants per month, a number not seen since the turn of the century. Of these illegal crossings, 65 % are from countries other than Mexico and North America”.

El comentarista Antonio Rosas-Landa hace un balance del gobierno de Joe Biden. “(…) ha sido muy exitoso en impulsar sus políticas (…). No obstante, en lo que sí ha fracasado el presidente es en su manejo de la inmigración y el control en la frontera sur. De esto sus rivales políticos han tomado nota y capitalizan esta debilidad de camino a la elección presidencial de 2024. Una encuesta reciente de Gallup encontró que el 63% de los estadounidenses están insatisfechos con la política migratoria, y 40% quieren ver menos inmigrantes en el país. Incluso entre los demócratas hay un aumento en esta insatisfacción que actualmente es del 19% por sólo el 2% en 2021. Incluso, el prominente legislador demócrata Peter Aguilar dijo en una entrevista que la calificación de Biden sobre la frontera es ‘incompleta’, término que evita condenar, pero que definitivamente no muestra confianza o apoyo. Según el Pew Research Center, en los últimos meses de 2022, la Patrulla Fronteriza tuvo más de 200,000 ‘encuentros’ con migrantes al mes, una cifra no vista desde el principio del siglo. De estos cruces ilegales, 65% provienen de países distintos a México y Norteamérica”.

SPIES OR TRADE WAR? EL NACIONAL VENEZUELA

Analyst Germán Creamer addresses what happened with the downing of alleged Chinese balloons by the United States. “[...] it reflects the complex relationship this country has with China, which has been exacerbated in recent years since Trump imposed new tari s on Chinese products in 2018, followed by China’s implicit support for Russia during the Ukraine war and Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan. [...] Rapid technological and industrial development has allowed China to produce high value-added goods from technologically sophisticated industries that compete with American industries, and at the same time, has led to the development of a growing middle class. [...] The problem is that the high savings rate and consequent limited consumption of the Chinese population limits the growth of the domestic market. In addition, China wants to maintain the trade benefits of a developing country within the World Trade Organization. Because of this, the protectionist trade policy of the United States leads to perceive it as its main obstacle to its long-term economic growth”.

El analista Germán Creamer aborda lo ocurrido con el derribamiento de supuestos globos chinos por Estados Unidos. “(…) es un reflejo de la compleja relación que este país mantiene con China, la cual se ha exacerbado en los últimos años desde que Trump impuso nuevos aranceles a los productos chinos en el 2018, seguido por el apoyo implícito de China a Rusia durante la guerra de Ucrania y la visita de Nancy Pelosi a Taiwán. (…) El rápido desarrollo tecnológico e industrial le ha permitido a China producir bienes de alto valor agregado provenientes de industrias tecnológicamente sofisticadas que compiten con las industrias americanas, y a la vez, ha llevado al desarrollo de una creciente clase media. (…) El problema es que la alta tasa de ahorros y el consiguiente consumo limitado de la población china limita el crecimiento del mercado interno. Adicionalmente, China quiere mantener los beneficios comerciales de un país en desarrollo dentro de la Organización Mundial de Comercio. Por esto, la política proteccionista comercial de Estados Unidos lleva a percibirlo como su principal obstáculo para su crecimiento económico de largo plazo”.

PORTAFOLIO COLOMBIA

UNCERTAINTY IN THE UNITED STATES

Rafael Herz analyzed President Joe Biden’s State of the Union speech. “He congratulated himself on the good news of the last few weeks, including the reduction of COVID-19-related deaths by 80 %, compared to the previous year, and legislative approvals to combat climate change, increase investment in infrastructure, legalize same-gender marriage, and partially regulate gun control. [...] However, there are several dark clouds and uncertainties. Politically, it is very likely that the Republican majority in the House will oppose the President’s agenda on the eve of the elections in two years. They have already announced a rejection of the administration’s immigration policy. Biden is unlikely to have support for pending reforms, including raising the debt limit. Add to this the 30 % increase in murders in major cities versus 2019 levels, which has been used by Republicans to point to Biden as weak regarding crime”.

Rafael Herz analizó el discurso del estado de la Unión del presidente Joe Biden. “Se felicitó por las buenas noticias de las últimas semanas, incluyendo la reducción de muertes relacionados con Covid-19 en un 80% frente al año anterior, y las aprobaciones del legislativo para combatir el cambio climático, aumentar la inversión en infraestructura, legalizar el matrimonio del mismos género, y reglamentar parcialmente el control de armas. (…) Sin embargo, existen varios nubarrones e incertidumbres. En lo político, es muy probable que la mayoría republicana en la Cámara se vaya a oponer a la agenda del presidente en vísperas de las elecciones en dos años. Ya han anunciado un rechazo a la política migratoria de la administración. Será poco probable que Biden cuente con el apoyo para reformas pendientes, incluyendo aumentar el límite de endeudamiento. A esto hay que añadir, el aumento de asesinatos en las grandes urbes de un 30% frente a los niveles del 2019, lo que ha sido utilizado por los republicanos para señalar a Biden como débil frente al crimen”.

CULTUR

THE REVOLUTION OF THE FUTURE IS IMMIGRATION

ARGENTINE ASTROLOGER LUDOVICA SQUIRRU HAS JUST PUBLISHED IN THE U.S. THE 2023 EDITION OF HER POPULAR CHINESE HOROSCOPE.

LA ASTRÓLOGA ARGENTINA LUDOVICA SQUIRRU ACABA DE PUBLICAR EN ESTADOS UNIDOS LA EDICIÓN 2023 DE SU POPULAR HORÓSCOPO CHINO.

Chinese culture may seem distant to someone born more than forty years ago in Argentina or another Latin American country, but it is certainly not for Ludovica Squirru, youngest daughter of the first cultural attaché of the first Argentine embassy in China, in 1945.

“My father studied law in China, he was a translator of Mao’s poems... He was totally in love with Chinese culture,” recalled with nostalgia this popular Argentine television actress and astrologer, who has just launched in the United States the 2023 edition of her annual Chinese horoscope.

“My father raised us in the outskirts of Buenos Aires, in a totally oriental environment, initiating us in Taoism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Chinese habits and traditions... His love for China rubbed off on me, and the only thing I wanted as a child was to go to China,” she confessed to AL DIA.

Finally, in 1984, at the age of 30, Squirru traveled to China, and there she wrote one of her first books, “My China: Intimate Diary of a Journey”, where she narrates the adventure of traveling alone to the Asian country with a suitcase and a lot of questions about oriental astrology when there was no Internet and it was not fashionable to travel to exotic places. At that time she had already begun to study oriental philosophy in Buenos Aires and integrated Chinese astrology into a popular Sunday TV sketch, but she felt the need to deepen her knowledge in the country where everything began, also to be taken more seriously. “It was the 1980s, there were reporters coming up to ask me if I was making it all up,” she laughed.

Over time, Squirru has become one of the most respected Chinese astrologers in Latin America, coinciding with globalization and a greater migratory flow. “I think the East has already reached the West: there are Chinese communities everywhere–New York, Mexico, Peru- , more and more people are celebrating the Chinese New Year, and in the U.S. there are thousands of books by Chinese authors that have brought people closer to Chinese culture and astrology,” she said. As with everything in life,” she added, “there is no obligation to believe, one approaches what one has more affinity to.”

La cultura china puede resultar lejana para alguien nacido hace más de cuarenta años en Argentina u otro país latinoamericano, pero sin duda no lo es para Ludovica Squirru, hija menor de quien fue el primer agregado cultural de la primera embajada argentina en China, en 1945.

“Mi padre cursó la carrera de abogacía en China, fue traductor de poemas de Mao… Estaba totalmente enamorado de la cultura china”, recuerda con nostalgia esta popular actriz de televisión y astróloga argentina, que acaba de lanzar en Estados Unidos la edición 2023 de su horóscopo chino, que publica cada año.

“Mi padre nos crio en las afueras de Buenos Aires, en un ambiente totalmente oriental, iniciándonos en el taoísmo, budismo, confucionismo, hábitos y tradiciones china. Su amor por China se me contagió y lo único que quería de niña era ir a China”, le confesó a AL DÍA.

Finalmente, en 1984, con 30 años, Squirru viajó a China, y allí escribió uno de sus primeros libros, Mi China: diario íntimo de un viaje, donde narra la aventura de viajar sola al país asiático con una valija y un montón de preguntas sobre la astrología oriental cuando no había Internet ni estaba de moda viajar a lugares exóticos.

Por aquel entonces ya había empezado a estudiar filosofía oriental en Buenos Aires e integrado la astrología china en un popular sketch de televisión que presentaba los domingos. Pero necesitaba ahondar sus conocimientos en el país de origen y lograr que la tomaran más en serio. “Eran los años 80, había periodistas que se acercaban para preguntarme si me lo inventaba todo”, se ríe.

Con el tiempo, Squirru se ha convertido en una de las astrólogas chinas más respetadas de América Latina, coincidiendo con la globalización y un mayor flujo migratorio. “Creo que Oriente ya llegó a Occidente: hay comunidades chinas en todas partes: Nueva York, México, Perú, cada vez más gente celebra el año nuevo chino y en Estados Unidos hay miles de libros de autores chinos que han acercado a la gente a la cultura y astrología china”, dijo.

“Como todo en la vida”, añade, “no hay obligación de creer, uno se acerca a lo que tiene más afinidad”.

ENGLISH ESPAÑOL

Chinese horoscope expert Ludovica Squirru unveils what the Year of the Rabbit brings. Courtesy of PENGUIN RANDOM HOUSE Ludovica Squirru, experta en el horóscopo chino, devela qué trae el Año del Conejo. Cortesía PENGUIN RANDOM HOUSE

HINGE GENERATION

This year 2023–the year of the water rabbit, according to the Chinese horoscope–is a blind year, according to Squirru, which implies that it will bring many more migratory flows, not only to the U.S., but to Argentina and Latin America in general, “since it is one of the few places left on the planet with water and land, and where migration laws are much easier for anyone to enter,” she augured. “It’s also where we need more fusions of races from around the world to start a territory that is totally stagnant because of the governments we have. The revolution of the future is immigration”, she assured, “and I am confident that there will be huge waves”, more in Latin America, in the South, than in the USA or Europe.

On the other hand, 2023 will bring “new human beings, and also more people, not only from NGOs, working in search of systemic changes, wanting to

help in every way. There will be much more communication, cooperation... the world is asking us to participate in one way or another,” she said.

Squirru is convinced that we are at the foundations of a hinge generation, which we will not get to see, but which will forge a change in the way we live, since the current one is not sustainable. “We have all somehow been touched by misfortune due to climate change, a conflict, a pandemic... 2023 represents everything that will move long before the year 2024, the year of the dragon,” she concluded.

Finally, the author warns that Chinese astrology, like Chinese medicine, “is more preventive than predictive”. It is true that there are many readers who buy her books to know what the future holds for them, but what she intends is that the Chinese horoscope, when studied in depth, “becomes an instrument of self-knowledge to guide them in time”. z

GENERACIÓN BISAGRA

Este 2023, año del conejo del agua, según el horóscopo chino, es un año ciego, según Squirru. Implica que va a traer muchas más corrientes migratorias, no solo a Estados Unidos, sino a Argentina y a América Latina en general, “ya que es uno de los pocos lugares que quedan en el planeta con agua y tierra, y donde las leyes de migración son mucho más fáciles para que entre cualquiera”, augura.

“Es también donde necesitamos más fusiones de razas de todo el mundo para que empiece a funcionar un territorio totalmente estancado por los gobiernos que tenemos.

La revolución del futuro es la inmigración”, asegura, “y confío en que va a haber oleadas inmensas”, más en Latinoamérica, en el sur, que en Estados Unidos o Europa.

Por otro lado, 2023 va a traer a “nuevos seres humanos y más gente, no solo de oenegés, trabajando en busca de cambios sistémicos, de querer ayudar en todos los sentidos.

Va a haber mucha más comunicación, cooperación… El mundo nos está pidiendo que participemos de una u otra forma”, comentó.

Squirru está convencida de que estamos ante los fundamentos de una generación bisagra, que nosotros no llegaremos a ver, pero que forjará un cambio en la forma de vivir, ya que la actual no es sostenible.

“A todos tarde o temprano nos tocó de cerca una desgracia debido al cambio climático, a un conflicto, a una pandemia. 2023 representa todo lo que se va a mover mucho antes del año 2024, el año del dragón”, concluyó. Por último, la autora alerta de que la astrología china, igual que la medicina china, “es más preventiva que predictiva”. Es cierto que son muchos los lectores que adquieren sus libros para saber qué les depara el futuro, pero lo que ella pretende es que el horóscopo chino estudiado en profundidad “se convierta en un instrumento de autoconocimiento para guiarse en el tiempo”. z

CONGRATULATIONS!

We congratulate our clients, associates, and all 2023 AL DÍA Top Entrepreneur honorees! PIDC is proud to provide Philadelphia’s small businesses with the capital they need to invest, develop, and grow.

Richard Olaya, O Z Collaborative

Hector Nuñez, Wooder Ice

Sofia Deleon, El Merkury

KEEPING STORIES ALIVE

ANN DÁVILA CARDINAL’S NOVEL, THE STORYTELLER’S DEATH, HIGHLIGHTS THE PUERTO RICAN TRADITION.

‘THE STORYTELLER’S DEATH’, NOVELA DE ANN DÁVILA CARDINAL, ES UN HOMENAJE A LOS ‘CUENTISTAS’ DE PUERTO RICO. UNA ADOLESCENTE LATINA, PROTAGONISTA.

By | Por: ANDREA RODÉS | AL DÍA News Writer

Ann Dávila Cardinal was born in New Jersey to a Puerto Rican family, but they never spoke Spanish at home because her father, “a giant Swedish/Irish guy with a language ‘block’”, couldn’t speak “and therefore didn’t want us plotting against him”, she jokes.

Raised between NJ and New York, Dávila defines herself as a Niuyorican, Vermont-based novelist who loves writing for teens, and she is the author of several young adult fantasy novels set between Puerto Rico and the East Coast, like Break Up From Hell (2023) and Category Five (2021).

Last October, however, Dávila published her first adult novel, the Puerto Rican magical realist mystery The Storyteller’s Death, starring Isla Larsen Sanchez’s, a Latino teenager whose life begins to unravel when her father passes away. Instead of being comforted at home in New Jersey, her mother starts leaving her in Puerto Rico with her grandmother and great-aunt each summer like a piece of forgotten luggage. When Isla turns eighteen, her grandmother, a great storyteller, dies. It is then that Isla discovers she has a gift passed down through her family’s cuentistas. The tales of dead family storytellers are brought back to life, replaying themselves over and over in front of her.

“I started The Storyteller’s Death as part of my MFA in Writing Program at Vermont College of Fine Arts. I was having a conversation with some writer friends about how different cultures treat their elderly, and I said: ‘There was always some old woman dying in the back room when I was a child.’ My friends were like: ‘That’s it! That’s the first line of a story!’”, Dávila recalled in a recent interview with AL DÍA. “When I sat down to write it, I started thinking about all the stories that die with each

Ann Dávila Cardinal nació en Nueva Jersey en el seno de una familia puertorriqueña, pero nunca hablaron español en casa porque su padre, “un sueco/irlandés gigante con un ‘bloqueo’ lingüístico”, no sabía hablarlo “y no quería que conspiráramos contra él”, bromea, recordando que eran cinco hermanos en casa.

Criada entre NJ y Nueva York, Dávila se define como una novelista niuyorican a la que le encanta escribir para adolescentes. Es autora de varias novelas de fantasía juvenil ambientadas entre Puerto Rico y Vermont, donde reside, como Break Up From Hell (2023) y Category Five (2021).

El pasado octubre, sin embargo, Dávila publicó su primera novela para adultos, una historia de misterio empapada de realismo mágico puertorriqueño: The Storyteller’s Death (La muerte del cuentista), protagonizada por Isla Larsen Sánchez, una adolescente latina cuya vida empieza a desmoronarse cuando fallece su padre. En lugar de buscar consuelo en su hogar de Nueva Jersey, su madre empieza a enviarla a Puerto Rico con su abuela y su tía abuela cada verano, como si fuera una maleta olvidada.

Cuando Isla cumple dieciocho años, su abuela, una gran contadora de historias, muere. Es entonces cuando Isla descubre que ha heredado el don de los cuentistas de su familia. Y las historias de esos cuentistas familiares muertos vuelven a la vida, reproduciéndose una y otra vez ante ella.

“Empecé The Storyteller’s Death como parte de mi programa de maestría en escritura en el Vermont College of Fine Arts. Estaba conversando con unos amigos escritores sobre cómo tratan las distintas culturas a sus ancianos, y les dije: “Cuando yo era niña, siempre había alguna anciana muriéndose en el cuarto trasero”. Mis amigos me dijeron: “¡Eso es! Esa es la primera línea de una historia!”, recuerda Dávila en una entrevista con AL DÍA. “Cuando me senté a escribirlo, empecé a pensar en todas las historias que mueren con cada gene-

ENGLISH ESPAÑOL

Cover The Storyteller’s Death. Courtesy

generation, how each one of those women held a world of stories, and now they would be gone. So, I imagined ways we could keep them alive”, she added.

Dávila read voraciously as a child, hiding in the bathroom to fit in a couple of pages at school, but she always thought writing was a magical gift only possessed by a privileged few. “I was content to lose myself in other people’s words and stories”, she said. It wasn’t until her late thirties, when her son was young, that she started writing. “I began because I wanted to share my family stories with him. My mother had died before he was born, and I was determined that he should know her in some way, so I started writing them down”.

FAR FROM PRETENTIOUSNESS

Although The Storyteller’s Death is for adults, teens are her favorite audience. “I love writing for teens. And Gen Zers are a bunch of badasses, so much smarter than my generation was when we were young”, she said. “I really enjoy writing for that group because you have to pare it down to the story, the real story. Teen readers will not tolerate pontificating or pretentiousness, and I like the clean writing that results”, she stated.

In addition, Dávila hopes that her books will let her young readers know “that they are seen, that they are not alone in the difficult things so many are dealing with, that they are so much stronger than they believe”.

Another of her goals as a writer is to share the great love she has for Puerto Rico with her readers, “to make them want to visit if they haven’t been, and, the ultimate goal, to bring it alive for those who have”, she said. “It’s a form of magic all its own. When I found out that some of the stories my mother told me might not be true, I was devastated. But then my cousin Jose Luis said that our

family is as defined by the stories that aren’t true as the ones that are. It was revelatory for me”, she added.

Particularly , in The Storyteller’s Death she wanted to pay tribute to cuentistas, the original Puerto Rican storytelling tradition. “I think Boricua culture is rooted in oral storytelling, especially through the Taino and African parts of our heritage”, she said. “My family stories are what started me on this creative trail, especially since there are some wonderful writers in the Dávila family”.

As a Nuyorican novelist based in Vermont, Dávila thinks in the last ten years things have gotten better for Latino writers in the field of publishing, “but we are far from having enough seats at the literary table. We need more Latine agents and editors and gatekeepers to ensure all our voices are heard, that our stories are told. We have a long way to go, but I have hope”, she concluded. z

ración, en cómo cada una de esas mujeres guardaba un mundo de historias y ahora habrían desaparecido. Así que imaginé formas de mantenerlas vivas”, añadió.

De niña, Dávila leía con voracidad -se escondía en el baño para poder leer un par de páginas en el colegio-, pero siempre pensó que escribir era un don mágico que sólo poseían unos pocos privilegiados. “Me conformaba con perderme en las palabras y las historias de los demás”, afirmó. No fue hasta finales de sus 30 años, cuando su hijo era pequeño, cuando empezó a escribir. “Lo hice porque quería compartir mis historias familiares con él. Mi madre murió antes de que naciera y yo estaba decidida a que él la conociera de alguna manera. Así que empecé a escribirlas”, contó

LEJOS DE LA PRETENCIOSIDAD

Aunque The Storyteller’s Death es para adultos, los adolescentes son su público favo-

rito. “Me encanta escribir para adolescentes. Y los de la Generación Z son una panda de malotes, mucho más listos que mi generación cuando éramos jóvenes”, dice. “Disfruto mucho escribiendo para ese grupo porque tienes que reducirte a la historia, a la historia real. Los lectores adolescentes no toleran la pontificación ni la pretenciosidad, y me gusta la escritura limpia que resulta”, afirmó.

Por otro lado, Dávila espera que sus libros hagan saber a sus jóvenes lectores “que se les tiene en cuenta, que no están solos en las cosas difíciles a las que tantos se enfrentan, que son mucho más fuertes de lo que creen”.

Otro de sus objetivos como escritora es compartir con sus lectores el gran amor que siente por Puerto Rico, “hacer que quieran visitar la isla si no han estado y, el objetivo final, hacerla revivir para aquellos que sí lo han hecho”, dijo.

“Es magia en sí misma. Cuando descubrí que algunas de las historias que me contaba mi madre podían no ser ciertas, me sentí desolada. Pero entonces mi primo José Luis dijo que nuestra familia se define tanto por las historias que no son ciertas como por las que sí lo son. Fue revelador para mí”, agregó.

Esta última novela en particular es, de hecho, un homenaje a los cuentistas puertorriqueños, en particular los de su familia. “Creo que la cultura boricua tiene sus raíces en la narración oral, especialmente a través de las partes taína y africana de nuestra herencia”, indicó. “Las historias de mi familia son las que me iniciaron en este camino creativo, sobre todo porque hay algunos escritores maravillosos”, manifestó la autora, que ya está terminando su próxima novela. Como novelista nuyorican, cree que en los últimos diez años las cosas han mejorado para los escritores latinos en el campo editorial, “pero estamos lejos de tener suficientes asientos en la mesa literaria. Necesitamos más agentes, editores y guardianes latinos para garantizar que se oigan todas nuestras voces, que se cuenten nuestras historias. Nos queda un largo camino por recorrer, pero tengo esperanzas.” z

Empecé a escribir porque quería compartir mis historias familiares con mi hijo

I began writing because I wanted to share my family stories with my son.

Ann Dávila Cardinal

Ann Dávila Cardinal hopes her books will let her young readers know that they are stronger than they believe. Courtesy Ann Dávila Cardinal espera que sus libros hagan saber a sus jóvenes lectores que son más fuertes de lo que creen. Cortesía

DISCOVERING HER VALUE AS ARCHITECT

ARCHITECT VIVIAN URRA IS A HARVARD STUDENT FIGHTING FOR CHILE’S ECONOMIC GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT. LA ARQUITECTA VIVIAN URRA VIENE LUCHANDO POR EL CRECIMIENTO ECONÓMICO Y EL DESARROLLO DE SU PAÍS. HIZO UN MÁSTER EN ENERGÍA Y MEDIO AMBIENTE.

By | Por: JENNIFER HERNANDEZ | AL DÍA News Staff Writer

Viviana Urra is a Chilean architect and graduate of the University of Chile. Her undergraduate research focused on recovering the plastic debris from the south pacific gyre. She is in her last semester pursuing a Master’s in Energy and Environment from Harvard University Graduate School of Design.

In 2019, when she applied to attend Harvard, Urra was living in Chile, which marked more than 40 days of the social strike as protestors demanded better pensions and job protection, health care and education, and wage increase.

She cites systematic issues as the main factor in making the application process more complicated—all her documents, transcripts, and grades needed to be translated by either an official translator and if not by an official translator, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stamp was

required—which was arduous to achieve due to the strike.

“I was unable to complete some applications on time,” she reiterates. But her determination paid off despite social unrest, the COVID-19 pandemic, and poor internet connection. Despite this, she submitted all documentation required by Harvard—later receiving her acceptance letter and embarking on a new journey, assimilation.

CHILE EDUCATION SYSTEM

Chile’s education system follows specific entrance criteria for higher education with exams administered by a Council of Rectors with mandatory examinations in math and language. Also, students need to take course-specific exams.

Viviana Urra es una arquitecta chilena licenciada por la Universidad de Chile. Sus intereses orientaron su investigación de pregrado, centrada en la recuperación de los desechos plásticos de la Corriente del Pacífico Sur, así como sus elecciones posteriores, que se reflejaron en un Máster en Energía y Medio Ambiente, en la Escuela de Posgrado de Diseño de la Universidad de Harvard.

En el 2019, cuando solicitó su ingreso en Harvard, Urra vivía en Chile, justo en el momento en que se cumplían más de 40 días de huelga social, mientras los manifestantes exigían mejores pensiones y protección del empleo, atención sanitaria, educación y un aumento salarial.

Todos sus documentos, expedientes académicos y calificaciones debían ser traducidos por un traductor oficial; de lo contrario, requerían el sello del Ministerio

de Asuntos Exteriores, proceso difícil de conseguir debido a la huelga.

A pesar de que no pudo “completar algunas solicitudes a tiempo”, según cuenta, su determinación dio sus frutos, a pesar del malestar social, la pandemia de COVID-19 y la mala conexión a Internet. Presentó toda la documentación requerida por Harvard, recibió su carta de aceptación y se embarcó en un nuevo viaje: la asimilación.

EL SISTEMA EDUCATIVO CHILENO

El sistema educativo chileno sigue unos criterios de acceso específicos para la enseñanza superior, con exámenes administrados por un consejo de rectores y exámenes obligatorios de matemáticas y lenguas. Además, los estudiantes deben presentarse a exámenes específicos de cada curso.

ENGLISH ESPAÑOL

I was unable to complete some applications on time.

No pude completar algunas solicitudes a tiempo.

Viviana Urra focusing on sustainable design and climate change. Courtesy Viviana Urra se centra en el diseño sostenible y el cambio climático. Cortesía

ENGLISH ESPAÑOL

Urra needed to decide whether to take history or science—deciding to take the history exam to become an architect.

“You could have a final score that will lead you into a ranking that tells you, you can go to this university,” she adds.

Deficits in study plan mobility only meant eighteen-year-old Urra would pursue a career in what she “knew”—choosing a career in architecture because she was good at drawing and, in her words, could allow her to “understand the world more.”

A “discovery path” is what Urra calls being an architect. “I’m discovering what I’m doing, and I think that’s part of my path and the charm of the situation,” she assures.

According to the World Bank Group, Chile is part of the “Pacific Ring of Fire,” a region exposed to the occurrence of geological and hydrometeorological disasters— earthquakes, volcanic activity, and tsunamis that impact climate change and causes Chile to be more prone to floods, landslides, and droughts—presenting significant implications for economic growth and development.

Acknowledging how prevalent droughts are in Chile and the importance of climate change mitigation, she discusses the need to acquire technical skills, “I’m not going to be the most expert in building computational science because, one, I never had the resources before to explore this area and that of course, is a skill that you learned from before.” She adds that it took for her to be at Harvard to know that she is an asset in the field and has skills that are also valuable.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AT HARVARD

Urra was engrossed by how sustainability works. She shared that her mother passed away last year, which forced her to prioritize her mental health.

After a much-needed break from her studies, the Chilean zealot explored how sustainability works with communities in Puerto Rico as one of four students from Harvard who attended The Puerto Rico Winter Institute early this year.

The student group came from diverse professional fields: architecture and planning, law, culture, religion, romantic literature, international politics, and sustainable design— providing different views regarding climate change and, in Urra’s words, was “an interesting way of learning.”

“It’s difficult to be an immigrant and be far away in these situations—Puerto Rico helped me to find myself again,” she explained. “[I was able to] understand that despite these situations, I am still a good professional.”

Loiza, Puerto Rico, a location surrounded by two rivers—Urra was interested in mitigating the impact of climate change and a sustainable design for the community.

She continues taking additional courses and participating in projects related to climate-sensitive and urban and environmental technology implementation.z

Urra tuvo que decidir si se matriculaba en historia o en ciencias, así que optó por el examen de historia para ser arquitecta. “Puedes tener una nota final que te lleve a un ranking que te diga: puedes ir a esta universidad”, añade. Las deficiencias en la movilidad del plan de estudios solo hicieron que Urra, de 18 años, tomara una decisión: elegir la carrera de arquitectura porque se le daba bien dibujar y “entender más el mundo”, como ella misma lo reconoce. Un “camino de descubrimiento” es lo que Urra llama ser arquitecto. “Estoy descubriendo lo que hago, y creo que eso es parte de mi camino y del encanto de la situación”, asegura.

Según el Grupo del Banco Mundial, Chile forma parte del cinturón de fuego del Pacífico, una región expuesta a catástrofes geológicas e hidrometeorológicas —terremotos, actividad volcánica y tsunamis— que repercuten en el cambio climático y hacen que Chile sea más propenso a sufrir inundaciones, deslizamientos de tierra y sequías, lo que tiene importantes consecuencias para el crecimiento económico y el desarrollo.

Reconociendo lo frecuentes que son las sequías en Chile y la importancia de la mitigación del cambio climático, Urra habla de la necesidad de adquirir habilidades técnicas. Si bien reconoce no ser la más experta en construir ciencia computacional porque nunca tuvo los recursos para explorar dicha área, añade que no fue sino hasta que estuvo en Harvard que descubrió que es un activo en este campo y que tiene habilidades valiosas.

DESARROLLO PROFESIONAL EN HARVARD

Urra estaba absorta en cómo funciona la sostenibilidad. Contó que su madre falleció el año pasado, lo que la obligó a dar prioridad a su salud mental.

Tras un muy necesario descanso de sus estudios, la chilena exploró cómo funciona la sostenibilidad con las comunidades de Puerto Rico, como una de los cuatro estudiantes de Harvard que asistieron al Instituto de Invierno de Puerto Rico a principios de este año.

El grupo de estudiantes procedía de diversos campos profesionales: arquitectura y planificación, derecho, cultura, religión, literatura romántica, política internacional y diseño sostenible, lo que aportó distintos puntos de vista sobre el cambio climático y, en palabras de Urra, fue “una forma interesante de aprender”.

“Es difícil ser inmigrante y estar lejos en estas situaciones, pero Puerto Rico me ayudó a reencontrarme conmigo misma. Pude entender que, a pesar de estas situaciones, sigo siendo una buena profesional”.

En Loiza, Puerto Rico, una localidad rodeada por dos ríos, Urra se interesó por la mitigación del impacto del cambio climático y un diseño sostenible para la comunidad.

Sigue tomando cursos adicionales y participando en proyectos relacionados con la aplicación de tecnologías sensibles al clima, urbanas y medioambientales. z

“I love The Welcoming Center’s mission and my life has forever been changed by the marvelous people in our community,” Gonzales told AL DÍA in a statement.

He added, “Thank you for believing in me and my colleagues for supporting our work to make sure immigrants are valued and respected and able to participate more fully in the economic, social and cultural life of our city.”

LOOKING AHEAD

This year, The Welcoming Center is celebrating 20 anniversary, and will do so during its annual Solas Awards event on April 24.

OPIOIDS, EDUCATION, AND ACCOUNTABILITY

When it comes to the opioid crisis, Oropeza is opposed to safe injection sites, and says they don’t reduce the overall overdose numbers despite saving the lives of those that use them.

However, he did show a willingness to change that viewpoint should a majority of residents let him know.

“I’m here to serve the people of Philadelphia,” said Oropeza, “but I don’t hear that right now.”

The other two parts of his campaign tout providing a quality education and bringing more accountability to city government.

At the event, they will be recognizing the history of the organization by honoring its early founders while celebrating the many contributions and expanding impact immigrants are having in our region.

Throughout the organization’s 20 years, The Welcoming Center has only had two CEOs.

As it wraps up its second decade and prepares for its third, the organization will also do so with a new leader at the helm.

As the region’s immigrant population continues to grow, the organization that is primarily focused on helping them integrate into the U.S. society in Philadelphia, is set to do so, as well. z

rector general de The Welcoming Center a finales de junio.

Gonzales se refirió así a su inminente partida: “Me encanta la misión de The Welcoming Center, mi vida ha cambiado para siempre gracias a la maravillosa gente de nuestra comunidad [...]. Gracias por creer en mí y en mis colegas, por apoyar nuestro trabajo para que los inmigrantes sean valorados y respetados y puedan participar más plenamente en la vida económica, social y cultural de nuestra ciudad”.

DE CARA AL FUTURO

Este año, The Welcoming Center celebra su vigésimo aniversario y lo hará du-

rante su evento anual de los Premios Solas, el 24 de abril. En el acto, se reconocerá la historia de la organización, honrando a sus fundadores y celebrando las numerosas contribuciones y el creciente impacto que los inmigrantes están teniendo en la región.

A lo largo de sus 20 años de existencia, The Welcoming Center solo ha tenido dos directores generales. Ahora que termina su segunda década y se prepara para la tercera, tendrá un nuevo líder al timón.

A medida que la población inmigrante de la región sigue creciendo, la organización que se centra en ayudarles a integrarse en la sociedad estadounidense en Filadelfia se dispone también a hacerlo. z

She leaned toward enacting an executive order to kickstart a digital transformation in City Hall, though the details, operationally, remain to be seen.

POLICING AND MORE

Throughout the development of the mayoral race, candidates have made public safety their foremost priority and could often be seen touting records at different events to lay out policy platforms.

In Parker’s case, it came in the form of 300 uniformed officers, following a Neighborhood Safety and Community Policing plan introduced in 2022, after the city continued to recover from 562 homicides in 2021.

On education, Oropeza hones in on providing a safe environment for children to learn and teachers to teach. Structurally, he suggested breaking up the School District of Philadelphia into smaller districts.

When it comes to accountability, Oropeza wants “to spend as little time inside City Hall as possible,” he said.

Instead, he wants to be in communities like Kensington where he can be present with residents.

“We need youth and we need energy,” said Oropeza. “We need to work together.”

The Republican primary in Philadelphia is on May 16, 2023. The general election is on Nov. 7, 2023.z

OPIÁCEOS, EDUCACIÓN Y RESPONSABILIDAD

Sobre la crisis de los opiáceos, se opone a los puntos de inyección segura y afirma que estos no reducen las cifras globales de sobredosis, a pesar de salvar la vida de quienes los utilizan. Sin embargo, se mostró dispuesto a cambiar este punto de vista si la mayoría de los residentes se lo hacen saber: “Estoy aquí para servir a la gente de Filadelfia, pero ahora mismo no oigo ninguna objeción al respecto”.

Las otras dos partes de su campaña se centran en proporcionar una educación de calidad y aumentar la responsabilidad del gobierno municipal.

En cuanto a la educación, Oropeza se centra en proporcionar un entorno seguro para que los niños aprendan y los profesores enseñen. Estructuralmente, sugiere dividir el Distrito Escolar de Filadelfia en distritos más pequeños.

En cuanto a la rendición de cuentas, quiere “pasar el menor tiempo posible dentro del Ayuntamiento”, según dijo. En su lugar, quiere estar en comunidades como Kensington, donde puede estar presente con los residentes. “Necesitamos juventud y energía. Necesitamos trabajar juntos”, señaló.

Las primarias republicanas en Filadelfia serán el próximo 16 de mayo. Las elecciones generales, el 7 de noviembre. z

Parker believes in the power of policing “with zero tolerance for any misuse and abuse of authority,” she said.

She also seeks to engage the state to intervene, although details remain undefined. What did remain clear is that Parker would invest in community policing to continue her previous measures in City Hall to “ensure that we have proactive, community policing” and address crime through what she called the three buckets: prevention, intervention, and enforcement.

“I want community policing as well,” Parker underlined. “No one will tell me that I don’t have a right to have both. I want my son to be safe. I want him to be safe, live in and walk in and enjoy this Philadelphia life.” z

POLICÍA Y MÁS

A lo largo del desarrollo de su carrera por la Alcaldía, los candidatos han hecho de la seguridad pública su principal prioridad. A menudo se les ha visto pregonando sus récords en distintos actos para exponer sus plataformas políticas.

En el caso de Parker, llegó en forma de 300 agentes uniformados, siguiendo el plan Seguridad Vecinal y Vigilancia Comunitaria introducido en el 2022, después de que la ciudad siguiera recuperándose de 562 homicidios en el 2021.

Parker cree en el poder de la Policía, eso sí, “con tolerancia cero para cualquier mal uso y abuso de autoridad”.

También pretende que el Estado intervenga, aunque los detalles siguen sin definirse. Lo que sí ha quedado claro es que invertirá en la policía de proximidad, para continuar con sus medidas anteriores en el Ayuntamiento de “garantizar una policía de proximidad proactiva” y hacer frente a la delincuencia a través de lo que llamó “los tres cubos”: prevención, intervención y aplicación de la ley.

“Yo también quiero una policía de proximidad. Nadie me dirá que no tengo derecho a tener ambas cosas. Quiero que mi hijo esté seguro, que viva, pasee y disfrute de esta vida en Filadelfia”, manifestó. z

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SHERIFF’S SALE

By virtue of a Writ of execution, to me directed, issued out of the SUPERIOR COURT OF NEW JERSEY CHANCERY DIVISION, CAMDEN COUNTY, DOCKET NO. F00203022 at Public Vendue on WEDNESDAY the 15th Day of MARCH, 2023 A.D. at 12 o'clock, LOCAL TIME, noon of said day, at CAMDEN COUNTY COLLEGE–CAMDEN CAMPUS CAMDEN CONFERENCE CENTER, 200 NORTH BROADWAY CAMDEN, NJ 08102

https://www.camdencc.edu/about-1/contact-cccblackwood-directions/

Property to be sold is located in the TOWNSHIP OF PENNSAUKEN, County of CAMDEN, in the State of New Jersey. Premises commonly known as:

3357 Lexington Ave., Pennsauken, NJ 08109

TAX LOT: 11, Tax Block: 5105

APPROXIMATE DIMENSIONS: 50’ X 175’

NEAREST CROSS STREET:

Chestnut Avenue

SURPLUS MONEY: If After the sale and satisfaction of the mortgage debt, including costs and expenses, there remains any surplus money, the money will be deposited into the Superior Court Trust Fund and any person claiming the surplus, or any part thereof, may file a motion pursuant to Court Rules 4:64-3 and 4:57-2 stating the nature and extent of that person’s claim and asking for an order directing payment of the surplus money. The sheri or other person conducting the sale will have information regarding the surplus, if any.

Lien Holder: USBANK CUST/PC8 FIRSTRTUST BANK hold a TSC # 21-00295 in the amount of $1,018.96 as of 10/14 2021.

***PLEASE CONTACT THE TAX OFFICE FOR THE CURRENT LIEN REDEMPTION AMOUNT***

“THE SHERIFF HEREBY RESERVES THE RIGHT TO ADJOURN THIS SALE WITHOUT FURTHER NOTICE THROUGH PUBLICATION.”

The judgment sought to be satisfied by the sale is:

‘APPROXIMATELY’ $220,645.65

TWENTY PERCENT DEPOSIT REQUIRED

Seized as the property of: MICHAEL V. O’MALLEY, ET AL., And taken in execution of NEW JERSEY HOUSING AND MORTGAGE FINANCE AGENCY.

GILBERT L. “WHIP” WILSON

SHERIFF

Sheri ’s Number: 23000125

DATED: 2/15, 2/22, 3/1, 3/8/2023

Attorney:

PLUESE, BECKER & SALTZMAN 20000 HORIZON WAY SUITE 900 MT. LAUREL, NJ 08054 $170.64

DEADLINE: Mondays at 4:00pm for Wednesday publication. Prepayment required.

Make sure to revise your ad first week when published. We are not responsible for incorrect ads after the first week. CALL 215-789-6971 immediately if you find an error. No refunds only credit for future new ad.

TIEMPO LÍMITE: Lunes 4:00 PM para la semana siguiente. Todos los anuncios tienen que ser prepagados. Asegúrese de revisar los anuncios en la primera edición que aparecen. No nos hacemos responsables por más de una inserción incorrecta. Llame al 215-789-6971 inmediatamente con cualquier error. NO se hace devolución de dinero, sólo se otorga crédito para nuevo anuncio.

Former

The path

begins with supporting,

SHERIFF’S SALE

By virtue of a Writ of execution, to me directed, issued out of the SUPERIOR COURT OF NEW JERSEY CHANCERY DIVISION, CAMDEN COUNTY, DOCKET NO. F00328021 at Public Vendue on WEDNESDAY the 22nd Day of March, 2023 A.D. at 12 o'clock, LOCAL TIME, noon of said day, at the CAMDEN COUNTY COLLEGE–CAMDEN CAMPUS CAMDEN CONFERENCE CENTER, 200 NORTH BROADWAY CAMDEN, NJ 08102

https://www.camdencc.edu/about-1/contact-cccblackwood-directions/

The property to be sold is located in the BOROUGH OF LINDENWOLD in the County of Camden and State of New Jersey.

Commonly known as:

S16 TENTH AVENUE, LINDENWOLD, NJ 08021

Tax LOT 9 & 10, BLOCK: 224

Dimensions of Lot: (approximately) 100 X 100 Nearest Cross Street: HOMESITE AVENUE (approx. 350 feet away)

Amount Due for Taxes:

Subject to any additional unpaid taxes, municipal liens or other charges, and any such taxes, charges, liens, insurance premiums, or other advances made by Plainti prior to this sale. All interested parties are to conduct and rely upon their own independent investigation to ascertain whether or not any outstanding interest remain of record and/or have priority over the lien being foreclosed and if so the current amount due thereon. If the sale is set aside for any reason, the purchaser at the sle shall be entitled only a return of the deposit paid. The purchaser shall have no further recourse against the mortgagor, the mortgagee or the mortgagee’s attorney.

As the above description does not constitute a full legal description, said full legal description is annexed to that certain mortgagee in the O ce of the Register/Clerk of the Camden County in Mortgage Book 11188 at Page 15, et seq., Camden, New Jersey, and the Writ of Execution of file with the Sheri of Camden County.

Surplus Money: If after the sale and satisfaction of the mortgage debt, including costs and expenses, there remains any surplus money, the money will be deposited into the Superior Court Trust Fund and any person claiming the surplus, or any part thereof, may file a motion pursuant to Court Rules 4:64-3 and 4:57-2 stating the nature and extent of that person's claim and asking for an order directing payment of the surplus money.

The Sheri or other person conducting the sale will have information regarding the surplus, if any.

THE SHERIFF HEREBY RESERVES THE RIGHT TO ADJOURN THIS SALE WITHOUT FURTHER NOTICE THROUGH PUBLICATION.

For sale information, please visit Auction. At www. Auction.com or call (800) 280-2832.

The judgment sought to be satisfied by the sale is:

"APPROXIMATELY"

$162,378.32

TWENTY PERCENT DEPOSIT REQUIRED

Seized as the property of BRASS INVESTMENT GROUP, LLC; DANE BRASSLETT, STATE OF NEW JERSEY, ET

A,. defendant(s) and taken in execution of U.S. BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS INDENTURE TRUSTEE FOR VCC 2020-MCI TRUST, plainti , GILBERT L. "WHIP" WILSON

SHERIFF

Sheri 's Number: 23000239

DATED: February 22, March 1, 8, 15, 2023

Attorney:

SCHILLER, KNAPP, LEFKOWITZ & HERTZEL, LLP 15 CORNELL ROAD

LATHAM, NY 12110

SHERIFF’S SALE

By virtue of a Writ of execution, to me directed, issued out of the SUPERIOR COURT OF NEW JERSEY CHANCERY DIVISION, CAMDEN COUNTY, DOCKET NO. F2274818 at Public Vendue on WEDNESDAY the 22nd Day of March, 2023 A.D. at 12 o'clock, LOCAL TIME, noon of said day, at the CAMDEN COUNTY COLLEGE–CAMDEN CAMPUS CAMDEN CONFERENCE CENTER, 200 NORTH BROADWAY CAMDEN, NJ 08102

https://www.camdencc.edu/about-1/contact-cccblackwood-directions/

The property to be sold is located in the TOWNSHIP OF GLOUCESTER in the County of CAMDEN and State of New Jersey.

Commonly known as:

120 LEHIGH AVENUE, GLOUCESTER, NJ 08012 WITH A MAILING ADDRESS OF 120 LEHIGH AVENUE, BLACKWOOD NJ 08012

Tax LOT 2, BLOCK 11904

Dimensions of Lot (approximately) 75 X 110 Nearest Cross Street: CAROL AVENUE

BEGINNING at a point in the Westerly line of Lehigh Avenue (50 feet wide Tax Map), at a corner to Lot 3, Block 11904, located a total arc and tangent distance of 662.20 feet from the end of a 15 foot radius curve connecting said Westerly line of Lehigh Avenue, with the Northerly line of Carol Avenue (50 feet wide Tax Map) and extending:

PRIOR LIENS/ ENCUMBRANCE

CCMUA OPEN AND DUE $88.00

CCMUA OPEN AND DUE $1,495.66

SEWER AND DUE $46.00

SEWER OPEN PLUS PENALTY

$230.00

TOTAL AS OF January 3, 2023:

$1,859.66

Surplus Money: If after the sale and satisfaction of the mortgage debt, including costs and expenses, there remains any surplus money, the money will be deposited into the Superior Court Trust Fund and any person claiming the surplus, or any part thereof, may file a motion pursuant to Court Rules 4:64-3 and 4:57-2 stating the nature and extent of that person's claim and asking for an order directing payment of the surplus money.

The Sheri or other person conducting the sale will have information regarding the surplus, if any.

THE SHERIFF HEREBY RESERVES THE RIGHT TO ADJOURN THIS SALE WITHOUT FURTHER NOTICE THROUGH PUBLICATION.

For sale information, please visit Auction. at www. Auction.com or call (800) 280-2832.

The judgment sought to be satisfied by the sale is:

"APPROXIMATELY"

$136,247.57

TWENTY PERCENT DEPOSIT REQUIRED

Seized as the property of JOSEPH R. MORGAN, ET ALS, defendant(s), and taken in execution of LAKEVIEW LOAN SERVICING, LLC, plainti , GILBERT L. “WHIP” WILSON

SHERIFF

Sheri ’s Number: 22000459

DATED: February 22, March 1, 8, 15, 2023

Attorney:

FEIN SUCH KAHN & SHEPARD P.C.

7 CENTURY DRIVE

$233.84

2ND FLOOR PARSIPPANY, NJ 07054 $211.72

SHERIFF’S SALE

By virtue of a Writ of execution, to me directed, issued out of the SUPERIOR COURT OF NEW JERSEY CHANCERY DIVISION, CAMDEN COUNTY, DOCKET NO. F00893622 at Public Vendue on WEDNESDAY the 22nd Day of March, 2023 A.D. at 12 o'clock, LOCAL TIME, noon of said day, at the CAMDEN COUNTY COLLEGE–CAMDEN CAMPUS CAMDEN CONFERENCE CENTER, 200 NORTH BROADWAY CAMDEN, NJ 08102 https://www.camdencc.edu/about-1/contact-cccblackwood-directions/

The property to be sold is located in the BOROUGH OF RUNNEMEDE in the County of CAMDEN and State of New Jersey.

Commonly known as:

125 PINE AVENUE, RUNNEMEDE, NJ 08078

Tax LOT 16.01, BLOCK: 137 on the o cial Tax Map of the BOROUGH OF RUNNEMEDE

Dimensions of Lot: (approximately) 50.00FT X 125.00FT 50.00FT X 125.00FT

Nearest Cross Street: DAVIS AVENUE

*SUBJECT TO ANY UNPAID TAXES, MUNICIPAL LIENS OR OTHER CHARGES, AND ANY SUCH TAXES, CHARGES, LIENS, INSURANCE PREMIUMS OR OTHER ADVANCES MADE BY PLAINTIFF PRIOR TO THIS SALE. ALL INTERESTED PARTIES ARE TO CONDUCT AND RELY UPON THEIR OWN INDEPENDENT INVESTIGATION TO ASCERTAIN WHETHER OR NOT ANY OUTSTANDING INTEREST REMAIN OF RECORD AND/OR HAVE PRIORITY OVER THE LIEN BEING FORECLOSED AND, IF SO THE CURRENT AMOUNT DUE THEREON.

**IF THE SALE IS SET ASIDE FOR ANY REASON, THE PURCHASER AT THE SALE SHALL BE ENTITLED ONLY TO A RETURN OF THE DEPOSIT PAID. THE PURCHASER SHALL HAVE NO FURTHER RECOURSE AGAINST THE MORTGAGOR, THE MORTGAGOR’S ATTORNEY.

Surplus Money: If after the sale and satisfaction of the mortgage debt, including costs and expenses, there remains any surplus money, the money will be deposited into the Superior Court Trust Fund and any person claiming the surplus, or any part thereof, may file a motion pursuant to Court Rules 4:64-3 and 4:57-2 stating the nature and extent of that person's claim and asking for an order directing payment of the surplus money. The Sheri or other person conducting the sale will have information regarding the surplus, if any.

THE SHERIFF HEREBY RESERVES THE RIGHT TO ADJOURN THIS SALE WITHOUT FURTHER NOTICE THROUGH PUBLICATION.

For sale information, please visit Auction. at www. Auction.com or call (800) 280-2832.

The judgment sought to be satisfied by the sale is: "APPROXIMATELY" $224,533.49 TWENTY PERCENT DEPOSIT REQUIRED

Seized as the property of ANTHONY BUNDESMANN, ET AL, defendant(s), and taken in execution of SANTANDER BANK, N.A., plainti , GILBERT L. “WHIP” WILSON SHERIFF

Sheri ’s Number: 23000208

DATED: February 22, March 1, 8, 15, 2023

Attorney: BROCK & SCOTT, PLLC

302 FELLOWSHIP ROAD SUITE 130

MOUNT LAUREL, NJ 08054 $214.88

SHERIFF’S SALE

By virtue of a Writ of execution, to me directed, issued out of the SUPERIOR COURT OF NEW JERSEY CHANCERY DIVISION, CAMDEN COUNTY, DOCKET NO. F00816920 at Public Vendue on WEDNESDAY the 22nd Day of March, 2023 A.D. at 12 o'clock, LOCAL TIME, noon of said day, at the CAMDEN COUNTY COLLEGE–CAMDEN CAMPUS CAMDEN CONFERENCE CENTER, 200 NORTH BROADWAY CAMDEN, NJ 08102

https://www.camdencc.edu/about-1/contact-cccblackwood-directions/

The property to be sold is located in the TOWNSHIP OF GLOUCESTER in the County of CAMDEN and State of New Jersey.

The property to be sold is located in the BOROUGH OF BERLIN in the County of CAMDEN and State of New Jersey.

Commonly known as:

229 ROOSEVELT BOULEVARD, BERLIN, NJ 08009

Tax LOT 72, BLOCK: 2401

Dimension of Lot: (approximately) 24.33 X 133.66 X 119.62

Nearest Cross Street: WYNDAM ROAD

Surplus Money: If after the sale and satisfaction of the mortgage debt, including costs and expenses, there remains any surplus money, the money will be deposited into the Superior Court Trust Fund and any person claiming the surplus, or any part thereof, may file a motion pursuant to Court Rules 4:64-3 and 4:57-2 stating the nature and extent of that person's claim and asking for an order directing payment of the surplus money.

The Sheri or other person conducting the sale will have information regarding the surplus, if any.

THE SHERIFF HEREBY RESERVES THE RIGHT TO ADJOURN THIS SALE WITHOUT FURTHER NOTICE THROUGH PUBLICATION.

For sale information, please visit Auction. at www. Auction.com or call (800) 280-2832.

The judgment sought to be satisfied by the sale is:

"APPROXIMATELY"

$148,823.34

TWENTY PERCENT DEPOSIT REQUIRED

Seized as the property of JOSEPH DEFULVIO MICHELLE DEFULVIO, ET AL, defendant(s), and taken in execution of WEST COAST SERVICING, INC, plainti , GILBERT L. “WHIP” WILSON

SHERIFF

Sheri ’s Number: 22000345

DATED: February 22, March 1, 8, 15, 2023

Attorney:

HLADIK, ONORATO & FEDERMAN, LLP

1451 CHEWS LANDING ROAD

SUITE 206

LAUREL SPRINGS, NJ 08021 $170.64

SHERIFF’S SALE

By virtue of a Writ of execution, to me directed, issued out of the SUPERIOR COURT OF NEW JERSEY CHANCERY DIVISION, CAMDEN COUNTY, DOCKET NO. F01219818 at Public Vendue on WEDNESDAY the 1st Day of MARCH, 2023 A.D. at 12 o'clock, LOCAL TIME, noon of said day, at the CAMDEN COUNTY COLLEGE–CAMDEN CAMPUS CAMDEN CONFERENCE CENTER, 200 NORTH BROADWAY CAMDEN, NJ 08102 https://www.camdencc.edu/about-1/contact-ccc-blackwood-directions/

The property to be sold is located in the CITY OF CAMDEN, County of CAMDEN and State of New Jersey.

PREMISES COMMONLY KNOWN AS: 1577 GREENWOOD AVENUE, CAMDEN, NJ 08103; TAX LOT #115, Block 1283

APPROXIMATE DIMENSIONS: 17 x 100

Nearest Cross Street: Vesper Blvd.

A full legal description can be found at the O ce of the Register

Taxes and Other Encumbrances:

1st Quarter of 2023 open balance in the amount of $567.17*

Water/Sewer – Plainti is unable to confirm these amounts.

Prospective purchasers must conduct their own investigations to determine the same.

*Plus interest on these figures through the date of payo and any and all subsequent taxes, water and sewer amounts.

SUBJECT TO THE CONDITIONS OF SALE AS SET FORTH BY THE SHERIFF WHO RESERVES THE RIGHT TO ADJOURN THE SALE WITHOUT FURTHER NOTICE THROUGH PUBLICATION

SURPLUS MONEY: If After the sale and satisfaction of the mortgage debt, including costs and expenses, there remains any surplus money, the money will be deposited into the Superior Court Trust Fund and any person claiming the surplus, or any part thereof, may file a motion pursuant to Court Rules 4:64-3 and 4:57-2 stating the nature and extent of that person’s claim and asking for an order directing payment ofthe surplus money. The sheri or other person conducting the sale will have information regarding the surplus, if any.

SUBJECT TO: SUCH FACTS AS AN ACCURATE SURVEY AND PHYSICAL INSPECTION OF THE PREMISES MAY REVEAL, EASEMENTS AND RESTRICTIONS OF RECORD, IF ANY, UNPAID TAXES, ASSESSMENTS, WATER AND SEWER LIENS, IF ANY, RIGHTS OF TENANTS AND OCCUPANTS, IF ANY, STATE AND MUNICIPAL ORDINANCES, STATUTES AND REGULATIONS, INCLUDING ZONING ORDINANCES; ANY OUTSTANDING TAXES, WATER AND SEWER WITH INTEREST THROUGH THE DATE OF PAY-OFF ; IF THE SALE IS SET ASIDE FOR ANY REASON, THE PURCHASER AT THE SALE SHALL BE ENTITLED ONLY TO A RETURN OF THE DEPOSIT PAID. THE PURCHASER SHALL HAVE NO FURTHER RECOURSE, INCLUDING ANY COSTS AND EXPENSES, INCLUDING ATTORNEYS’ FEES, FOR BIDDING UPON THE PROPERTY, AGAINST THE MORTGAGEE, OR THE MORTGAGEE’S MTORNEY; THE OUTSTANDING TAXES, LIENS AND/OR ENCUMBRANCES DISCLOSED IN THIS PUBLICATION ARE ACCURATE AS OF THE DATE OF SUBMISSION TO THE SHERIFF ONLY. IT THE RESPONSIBILITY OF ANY POTENTIAL BIDDER AT SALE TO DETERMINE THE AMOUNT DUE, WHICH CAN BE OBTAINED FROM THE LOCAL TAXING AUTHORITY. PLAINTIFF HAS NO OBLIGATION TO FURTHER INVESTIGATE, PUBLISH OR ANNOUNCE ANY SUBSEQUENTLY ACCRUING TAXES, LIENS AND/OR ENCUMBRANCES. THIRD PARTY BIDDERS EXPRESSLY AGREE AND RECOGNIZE THAT THEY WILL TAKE TITLE SUBJECT TO THE EXISTENCE OF ANY SUBSEQUENTLY ACCRUING TAXES, LIENS AND / OR ENCUMBRANCES AND ABSOLUTELY AND UNEQUIVOCALLY RELEASE ANY RIGHT TO CHALLENGE THE VALIDITY OF THE SALE BASED ON TUE EXISTENCE OF THE SAME.

The Judgment sought to be satisfied by the sale is:

"APPROXIMATELY"

$112,328.10

TWENTY PERCENT DEPOSIT REQUIRED

Seized as the property of: RENEE ALICE-DIXON A/K/A RENEE A. DIXON, ET AL., and taken in execution of U.S. BANK TRUST, N.A., AS TRUSTEE FOR LSF8 MASTER PARTICIPATION TRUST.

GILBERT L. “WHIP” WILSON

SHERIFF

Sheri 's Number: 19003983

DATED: 2/1, 2/8, 2/15, 2/22//2023

Attorney: STERN & EISENBERG, PC 1040 NORTH KINGS HIGHWAY

SUITE 407

CHERRY HILL, NJ 07068

SHERIFF’S SALE

$167.48

By virtue of a Writ of execution, to me directed, issued out of the SUPERIOR COURT OF NEW JERSEY CHANCERY DIVISION, CAMDEN COUNTY, DOCKET NO. F00371522 at Public Vendue on WEDNESDAY the 8th D Day of MARCH, 2023 A.D. at 12 o'clock, LOCAL TIME, noon of said day, at CAMDEN COUNTY COLLEGE–CAMDEN CAMPUS CAMDEN CONFERENCE CENTER, 200 NORTH BROADWAY CAMDEN, NJ 08102 https://www.camdencc.edu/about-1/contact-ccc-blackwood-directions/

The property to be sold is located in the MUNICIPALITY OF THE TOWNSHIP OF PENNSAUKEN in the County of CAMDEN and State of New Jersey.

Commonly known as: 1919 46TH STREET, PENNSAUKEN TOWNSHIP, NJ 08110 Tax LOT 10 f/k/a 3AJ, BLOCK: 804 f/k/a 5E

Dimensions of Lot: (approximately) 18feet by 100feet Nearest Cross Street: HIGH STREET

Surplus Money: If After the sale and satisfaction of the mortgage debt, including costs and expenses, there remains any surplus money, the money will be deposited into the Superior Court Trust Fund and any person claiming the surplus, or any part thereof, may file a motion pursuant to Court Rules 4:64-3 and 4:57-2 stating the nature and extent of that person’s claim and asking for an order directing payment of the surplus money. The sheri or other person conducting the sale will have information regarding the surplus, if any.

THE SHERIFF HEREBY RESERVES THE RIGHT TO ADJOURN THIS SALE WITHOUT FURTHER NOTICE THROUGH PUBLICATION.

For sale information, please visit Auction. at www.Auction.com or call (800) 280-2832.

The judgment sought to be satisfied by the sale is:

“APPROXIMATELY” $128,107.87 TWENTY PERCENT DEPOSIT REQUIRED

Seized as the property of: WILLIAM F. KUCHERA JR., ET AL, defendant(s), and taken in execution of LAKEVIEW LOAN SERVICING, LLC, plainti ,

GILBERT L. “WHIP” WILSON SHERIFF

Sheri ’s Number: 23000039

DATED: February 8, 15, 22, and March 1, 2023

Attorney: KML LAW GROUP, PC

MELLON INDEPENDENCE CENTER

701 MARKET STREET

SUITE 5000

PHILADELPHIA, PA 19106

SHERIFF’S SALE

By virtue of a Writ of execution, to me directed, issued out of the SUPERIOR COURT OF NEW JERSEY CHANCERY DIVISION, CAMDEN COUNTY, DOCKET NO. F00948520 at Public Vendue on WEDNESDAY the 15th Day of MARCH, 2023 A.D. at 12 o'clock, LOCAL TIME, noon of said day, at CAMDEN COUNTY COLLEGE–CAMDEN CAMPUS CAMDEN CONFERENCE CENTER, 200 NORTH BROADWAY CAMDEN, NJ 08102

https://www.camdencc.edu/about-1/contact-cccblackwood-directions/

Property to be sold is located in BOROUGH OF LINDENWOLD, County of CAMDEN, in the State of New Jersey. Commonly known as:

413 Seventh Avenue, Lindenwold, NJ 08021

Tax Lot(s): 3.01, in Block; 207 Dimensions (Approx.) : 50X100 Nearest Cross Street: COTTAGE AVE.

Important:

Indicate lien information, if any, to be advertised pursuant to the Supreme Court decision of 10/28/99 – Summit Bank vs. Dennis Thiel (A-58-98).

Sheri kindly advertise the following: Tax Certificate

Recorded; 2020-01-11

Holder: US Bank Cust/PC 8/PC

Mgt II

Amount: $494.65

Book: 11299

PAGE: 1363

SURPLUS MONEY: If After the sale and satisfaction of the mortgage debt, including costs and expenses, there remains any surplus money, the money will be deposited into the Superior Court Trust Fund and any person claiming the surplus, or any part thereof, may file a motion pursuant to Court Rules 4:64-3 and 4:57-2 stating the nature and extent of that person’s claim and asking for an order directing payment of the surplus money. The sheri or other person conducting the sale will have information regarding the surplus, if any. The judgment sought to be satisfied by the sale is:

“Approximately”

$111,090.70

SHERIFF’S SALE

By virtue of a Writ of execution, to me directed, issued out of the SUPERIOR COURT OF NEW JERSEY CHANCERY DIVISION, CAMDEN COUNTY, DOCKET NO. F02745815 at Public Vendue on WEDNESDAY the 15th Day of MARCH, 2023 A.D. at 12 o'clock, LOCAL TIME, noon of said day, at CAMDEN COUNTY COLLEGE–CAMDEN CAMPUS CAMDEN CONFERENCE CENTER, 200 NORTH BROADWAY CAMDEN, NJ 08102

https://www.camdencc.edu/about-1/contact-cccblackwood-directions/

Property to be sold is located in the municipality of GLOUCESTER TWP in the County of CAMDEN and State of New Jersey.

Commonly known as 138 HILLCREST AVENUE, BLACKWOOD, NJ 08012

Tax LOT 6, BLOCK 12609

Dimensions of Lot: 65 x 125

Nearest Cross Street: Estelle Avenue

THE SHERIFF HEREBY RESERVES THE RIGHT TO ADJOURN THIS SALE WITHOUT FURTHER NOTICE THROUGH PUBLICATION.

*SUBJECT TO ANY UNPAID TAXES, MUNICIPAL LIENS OR OTHER CHARGES, AND ANY SUCH TAXES, CHARGES, LIENS, INSURANCE PREMIUMS OR OTHER ADVANCES MADE BY PLAINTIFF PRIOR TO THIS SALE, ALL INTERESTED PARTIES ARE TO CONDUCT AND RELY UPON THEIR OWN INDEPENDENT INVESTIGATION TO ASCERTAIN WHETHER OR NOT ANY OUTSTANDING INTEREST REMAIN OF RECORD AND/OR HAVE PRIORITY OVER THE LIEN BEING FORECLOSED AND, IF SO, THE CURRENT AMOUNT DUE THEREON.

2023 Qtr 1 Due: 02/01/2023

$1,481.48 OPEN

2023 Qtr 2 Due: 05/01/2023

$1,481.47 OPEN

CCMUA: CCMUA, 1645 Ferry Ave., Camden, NJ 08104, 856-541-3700, Acct: 150098572 12/01/2022-02/28/2023 $88.00

OPEN AND DUE 01/15/2023

Sewer: Gloucester TWP. MUA, 71 Landing Rd, Blackwood, NJ 08012 856-227-8666 Acct: 805390 01/01/202303/31/2023 $46.00 OPEN AND DUE 01/15/2023

Vacant lot charge: Acct: To: 08/27/2022 $550.00 OPEN PLUS PENALTY.

$164.32

REQUIRED

TWENTY PERCENT DEPOSIT

Seized as the property of: RON S. CASKEY; SHARON A. CASKEY, and taken in execution of WILMINGTON TRUST NATIONAL ASSOCIATION NOT IN ITS INDIVIDUAL CAPACITY BUT SOLELY AS TRUSTEE OF MFRA TRUST 2015-1.

GILBERT L. “WHIP” WILSON SHERIFF

Sheri ’s Number: 23000130

DATED: 2/15, 2/22, 3/1, 3/8/2023

Attorney: FRIEDMAN VARTOLO LLP

1325 FRANKLIN AVENUE SUITE 160

GARDEN CITY, NY 11530

$189.6

SURPLUS MONEY: If After the sale and satisfaction of the mortgage debt, including costs and expenses, there remains any surplus money, the money will be deposited into the Superior Court Trust Fund and any person claiming the surplus, or any part thereof, may file a motion pursuant to Court Rules 4:64-3 and 4:57-2 stating the nature and extent of that person’s claim and asking for an order directing payment of the surplus money. The sheri or other person conducting the sale will have information regarding the surplus, if any.

The judgment sought to be satisfied by the sale is: “APPROXIMATELY”

$201,893.71

TWENTY PERCENT DEPOSIT REQUIRED

Seized as the property of: SAMUEL SAIA; ANNETTE R. SAIA; UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, and taken in execution of BANK OF AMERICA, NA.

GILBERT L. “WHIP” WILSON

SHERIFF

Sheri ’s Number: 23000155

DATED: 2/15, 2/22, 3/1, 3/8/2023

Attorney: RAS CITRON LLC

130 CITRON LLC

130 CLINTON ROAD SUITE 202 FAIRFIELD, NJ 07004 $230.68

GIVEN

PUBLIC NOTICE IS HEREBY

IS HERE TO GIVE YOUR LEGAL NOTICES THE AUDIENCE THEY NEED

PUBLIC HEARINGS, NAME CHANGE, COURT ACTIONS, BIDS & PROPOSALS, FORECLOSURES, UNCLAIMED PROPERTY, ZONING NOTICES, LIENS, AND MORE

ADVERTISE TODAY AVISOS LEGALES/PÚBLICOS IN

BEST RATES BEST RESULTS

Call 215 789 6971

ASK FOR MARTIN ALFARO OR EMAIL: MARTINA@ALDIANEWS.COM

Estamos a su servicio

DEADLINE: FRIDAY / VIERNES A 5:00 P.M.

SHERIFF’S SALE

By virtue of a Writ of execution, to me directed, issued out of the SUPERIOR COURT OF NEW JERSEY CHANCERY DIVISION, CAMDEN COUNTY, DOCKET NO. F00931222 at Public Vendue on WEDNESDAY the 8th D Day of MARCH, 2023 A.D. at 12 o'clock, LOCAL TIME, noon of said day, at CAMDEN COUNTY COLLEGE–CAMDEN CAMPUS CAMDEN CONFERENCE CENTER, 200 NORTH BROADWAY CAMDEN, NJ 08102

https://www.camdencc.edu/about-1/contact-cccblackwood-directions/

Property to be sold is located in the MUNICIPALITY OF THE MOUNT EPHRAIM BOROUGH in the County of CAMDEN and State of New Jersey.

Commonly known as:

323 LAKE STREET, NJ 08059

Tax LOT 5, BLOCK: 2

Dimensions of Lot: (approximately) 44’ x 125’

Nearest Cross Street: IDORA AVENUE (FKA GEORGE STREET SUPERIOR INTEREST (if any): Any and all easements, covenants, restrictions and reservations of record; Any set of facts which an accurate survey and inspection would disclose: All unpaid municipal taxes, assessments and liens; Any unpaid assessments and any outstanding tax sale certificate; Right of any party in possession/rights protected by the NJ Anti-Eviction Act: All Local, County, State and Federal ordinances and regulations; Any condominium association lien granted priority by N.J.S.A. 46:BB-21b; Any outstanding Condominium, PUD or Homeowner Association dues or fees; Rights of the United States of America, if any; The property is sold in its “AS IS” condition; purchaser shall be responsible for Sheri ’s costs, commission, deed recording fees and realty transfer fees; Any solar panels a xed to the property will not be conveyed by this sale. CCMUA holds a claim for taxes due and/or other municipal utilities such as water and/or sewer in the amount of $88.00 plus penalty and $347.72 plus penalty in arrears as of 12/09/2022.

Vacant Lot Fee–Contact Tara Martin, Construction O ce 856-931-1546 for balance due, if any.

Surplus Money: If after the sale and satisfaction of the mortgage debt, including costs and expenses, there remains any surplus money, the money will be deposited into the Superior Court Trust Fund and any person claiming the surplus, or any part thereof, may file a motion pursuant to Court Rules 4:64-3 and 4:57-2 stating the nature and extent of that person’s claim and asking for an order directing payment of the surplus money. The sheri or other person conducting the sale will have information regarding the surplus, if any.

THE SHERIFF HEREBY RESERVES THE RIGHT TO ADJOURN THIS SALE WITHOUT FURTHER NOTICE THROUGH PUBLICATION.

For sale information, please visit Auction. at www. Auction.com or call (800) 280-2832.

The judgment sought to be satisfied by the sale is:

‘APPROXIMATELY’

$175,655.79

TWENTY PERCENT DEPOSIT REQUIRED

Seized as the property of: NICHOLAS G. POOLEY, ET AL, defendant(s), and taken in execution of PENNYMAC LOAN SERVICES, LLC, plainti , GILBERT L. “WHIP” WILSON

SHERIFF

Sheri ’s Number: 23000055

DATED: February 8, 15, 22, and March 1, 2023

Attorney:

POWER KIRN, LLC

308 HARPER DRIVE SUITE 210

P.O BOX 848

MOORESTOWN, NJ 08057 $230.68

SHERIFF’S SALE

By virtue of a Writ of execution, to me directed, issued out of the SUPERIOR COURT OF NEW JERSEY CHANCERY DIVISION, CAMDEN COUNTY, DOCKET NO. F03498015 at Public Vendue on WEDNESDAY the15th Day of MARCH, 2023 A.D. at 12 o'clock, LOCAL TIME, noon of said day, at CAMDEN COUNTY COLLEGE–CAMDEN CAMPUS CAMDEN CONFERENCE CENTER, 200 NORTH BROADWAY CAMDEN, NJ 08102 https://www.camdencc.edu/about-1/contact-cccblackwood-directions/

The property to be sold is located in the TOWNSHIP OF WINSLOW, County of CAMDEN, in the State of New Jersey.

Premises commonly known as 3 OAK HOLLOW LANE, WINSLOW TOWNSHIP, NJ 08081, MAILING ADDRESS OF 3 OAK HOLLOW LANE, SICKLERVILLE, NJ 08081 TAX LOT 35, BLOCK 12710

APPROXIMATE DIMENSIONS: 60 X 100.

NEAREST CROSS STREET: Stone Hollow Drive

*Taxes – at time of inquiry–taxes paid through 4th quarter 2022;

*Water – at time of inquiry-delinquent balance due in the nearest amount of $1,402/04+ interest and any additional charges that may become due through pay-o ;

*Sewer – at the time of inquiry–delinquent amount open in the amount of $877.81 + interest and any additional charges that may become due through payo ;

*CCMUA – at the time of inquiry – delinquent amount open in the amount of $792.00 + interest and any additional charges that may become due through payo ;

(XX) Subject to: If property is located in a Homeowner’s Association, then it is sold subject to any assessments and other fees which may be responsibility of new owner under NJ Supreme Court case if Highland Lakes Country Club & Community Association v. Franzino, 186 N.J. 99 (2006);

(XX) Subject to: If property is located in a Condo Association, then it may be sold subject to a 6-month limited priority lien of the condo association;

(XX) Subject to: *If the subject property is part of an age restricted community, you must be 55 and older and intend to reside in the property or you may be precluded membership in the Community;

*Also subject to subsequent taxes, water and sewer plus interest through date of payo .

SURPLUS MONEY: If After the sale and satisfaction of the mortgage debt, including costs and expenses, there remains any surplus money, the money will be deposited into the Superior Court Trust Fund and any person claiming the surplus, or any past thereof, may file a motion pursuant to Court Rules 4;64-3 and 4:57-2 stating the nature and extent of that person’s claim and asking for an order directing payment ofthe surplus money. The sheri or other person conducting the sale will have information regarding the surplus, if any.

THE SHERIFF HEREBY RESERVES THE RIGHT TO ADJOURN THIS SALE WITHOUT FURTHER NOTICE THROUGH PUBLICATION.

A FULL LEGAL DESCRIPTION OF THE PREMISES CAN BE FOUND IN THE OFFICE OF THE SHERIFF OF CAMDEN COUNTY.

The judgment sought to be satisfied by the sale is: “APPROXIMATELY”

$734,844.60

TWENTY PERCENT DEPOSIT REQUIRED

Seized as the property of: MELODY BISH; WACHOVIA DEALER SERVICES INC; BOOTH RADIOLOGY; NEW CENTURY FINANCIAL SERVICES; NORTH STAR CAPITAL ACQUISITION LLC, and taken in execution of U.S. BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION AS LEGAL TITLE TRUSTEE FOR TRUMAN 2016 SC6 TITLE TRUST GILBERT L “WHIP” WILSON

SHERIFF

Sheri ’s Number: 21001441

Dated: 2/15, 2/22, 3/1, 3/8/2023

Attorney:

ROMANO GARUBO & ARGENTIERI

52 NEWTON AVENUE

P.O. BOX 456 WOODBURY, NJ 08096 $259.12

SHERIFF’S SALE

By virtue of a Writ of execution, to me directed, issued out of the SUPERIOR COURT OF NEW JERSEY CHANCERY DIVISION, CAMDEN COUNTY, DOCKET NO. F00488522 at Public Vendue on WEDNESDAY the 1st Day of MARCH, 2023 A.D. at 12 o'clock, LOCAL TIME, noon of said day, at the CAMDEN COUNTY COLLEGE–CAMDEN CAMPUS CAMDEN CONFERENCE CENTER, 200 NORTH BROADWAY CAMDEN, NJ 08102 https://www.camdencc.edu/about-1/contact-cccblackwood-directions/

Property to be sold is located in the TOWNSHIP OF GLOUCESTER, County of CAMDEN, State of New Jersey. Premises commonly known as:

22 13TH AVENUE, GLOUCESTER TOWNSHIP, NJ 08029; BEING KNOWN as LOT 5 BLOCK 1104 on the o cial Tax Map of the Township of Gloucester

DIMENSIONS: 60.0FT X 100.00FT X 60.0FT X 100.00FT Nearest Cross Street: Black Horse Pike

The Sheri hereby reserves the right to adjourn this sale without further notice by publication.

*Subject to any unpaid taxes, municipal liens or other charges, and any such taxes, charges, liens, insurance premiums or other advances made by plainti prior to this sale. All interested parties are to conduct and rely upon their own independent investigation to ascertain whether or not any outstanding interest remain of record and/or have priority over the lien being foreclosed and, if so the current amount due thereon.

**if the sale is set aside for any reason, the Purchaser at the sale shall be entitled only to a return of the deposit paid. The Purchaser shall have no further recourse against the Mortgagor, the Mortgagee or the Mortgagee’s attorney.

***If After the sale and satisfaction of the mortgage debt, including costs and expenses, there remains any surplus money, the money will be deposited into the Superior Court Trust Fund and any person claiming the surplus, or any part thereof, may file a motion pursuant to Court Rules 4:64-3 and 4:57-2 stating the nature and extent of that person’s claim and asking for an order directing payment ofthe surplus money. The Sheri or other person conducting the sale will have information regarding the surplus, if any.

The judgment sought to be satisfied by the sale is:

‘APPROXIMATELY’ $126,382.14

TWENTY PERCENT DEPOSIT REQUIRED

Seized as the property of:MICHAEL D. PASCAL; MRS. MICHAEL D. PASCAL, HIS WIFE; SARAH E. MACKINNON, and taken in execution of MCLP ASSET COMPANY, INC.

GILBERT L. “WHIP” WILSON

SHERIFF

Sheri ’s Number: 2203301

DATED: 2/1, 2/8, 2/15, 2/22//2023

Attorney: PINCUS LAW GROUP, PLLC 425 RXR PLAZA

UNIONDALE, NY 11556

$183.28

WEEKLY SECTION

By NIGEL THOMPSON | AL DÍA THOUGHT LEADERS

Monday, Feb. 20, was President’s Day, and if you know anything about U.S. presidents outside of the years 2008 to 2016, they’ve all been white. In fact, looking at the whole of U.S. government history outside of the last decade, and it’s painfully white.

There have been your trailblazers, but it’s really been the last decade or so that’s seen the most progress away from a white-dominated Washington D.C.

It started with President Barack Obama in 2008. He didn’t usher in the “post-racial” world everyone in the media thought he would at the time, but did take the lead in diversifying the halls of power in the U.S.

Since then, the number Black and Latino reps has multiplied by exponential numbers.

Before Obama took office, only four Latino senators had ever served at the same time in the U.S. Senate, and that was before Obama took one of them — Ken Salazar — to be his Secretary of the Interior. No Latina had also ever served in the Senate.

Heading into the 118th Congress of 2023, there are six Latino Senators serving at the same time, one of them being the first Latina ever in Nevada Senator Catherine Cortez Masto.

The impact is even starker in the U.S. House, where 52 representatives of Latino or Hispanic descent had served in the 231 years before Obama’s election in 2008. In the 15 years after, 63 representatives of Hispanic or Latino descent have been elected, with the 118th Congress boasting the biggest class of Latinos ever.

With that growth, also comes more potential for some of those leaders to elevate to even higher rungs of the U.S. government. Biden’s administration boasts the first Latino HHS Secretary and DHS Secretary in Xavier Becerra and Alejandro Mayorkas, respectively.

But what about those that could eventually challenge for the chief executive’s office in the White House? Sure, Becerra is currently 12th in line and Mayorkas is

18th, but we’re talking about those Latino figures who could capture the nation’s support in a presidential campaign.

There’s a growing roster, and the reality is there will likely be a Latino president at some point in my millennial-Gen Z cusper life (born 1996).

HERE’S SOME TOP CANDIDATES:

• Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

— Yes, this still feels like a longshot in 2023, but 2024 will be the first year she’s eligible to file her name in a presidential election if she so chooses. She’s progressive and wars with her party far too often to be a viable candidate right now, but give it time. Anyone with AOC’s appeal to the youth and social media following — one of the biggest in the world, not just the U.S. — could hang with the big dogs in a race for the White House.

• Rep. Ruben Gallego — Gallego still has to win his upcoming 2024 race against Sen. Kyrsten Sinema and a Republican challenger, but he has the leadership chops and appeal to be a formidable candidate if he can get some backing. He’s a military vet and has never been shy to let the world know his feelings about the issues that matter to him and Arizonans.

• Rep. Joaquin Castro — Sure, his brother Julian ran and didn’t make it very far in the 2020 Democratic primaries, but he did put the Castro name on the national radar. Joaquin also holds a longtime post on the House Foreign Affairs Committee and was a manager in the second impeachment trial of President Donald Trump.

• Rep. Pete Aguilar — A relatively unknown California representative before last year, Aguilar is now the highest-ranking Latino in Congress as the chair of the House Democratic Caucus.z

Este 20 de febrero fue el Día del Presidente y, como dato curioso, todos los presidentes de Estados Unidos, excepto en el periodo 2008-2016, han sido blancos. De hecho, si se mira toda la historia del Gobierno de Estados Unidos, fuera de la última década, es dolorosamente blanca.

Ha habido pioneros, pero ha sido en la última década cuando se ha dado el mayor progreso para alejarse de un Washington D.C. dominado por los blancos.

Todo comenzó con Barack Obama, en el 2008. Si bien él no marcó el comienzo de ese mundo ‘posracial’ que todos los medios de comunicación pensaban entonces, sí lideró la diversificación de las esferas de poder en el país. Desde entonces, el número de representantes negros y latinos se ha multiplicado exponencialmente.

Antes de que Obama asumiera el cargo, solo cuatro senadores latinos habían servido al mismo tiempo en el Senado, y eso fue antes de que el expresidente contara con uno de ellos —Ken Salazar— para ser su secretario del Interior. Ninguna latina había ocupado nunca un escaño en el Senado.

En el actual Congreso hay seis senadores latinos sirviendo al mismo tiempo, y uno de ellos es la primera latina de la historia, la senadora Catherine Cortez Masto, por Nevada.

El impacto ha sido aún mayor en la Cámara de Representantes, donde 52 delegados de ascendencia latina o hispana han ocupado un escaño, luego de los 231 años anteriores a la elección de Obama, en el 2008. En los 15 años posteriores, se han elegido 63 representantes de ascendencia hispana o latina, y el 118º Congreso cuenta con la mayor cantidad de latinos de la historia.

Con ese crecimiento, también aumenta la posibilidad de que algunos de esos líderes asciendan a escalones aún más altos del Gobierno. La administración de Biden cuenta con el primer secretario latino del HHS y del DHS, Xavier Becerra y Alejandro Mayorkas, respectivamente.

Pero, ¿qué hay de los que podrían llegar a disputar el puesto de jefe del Ejecutivo en la Casa Blanca? Si bien Becerra ocupa actualmente el puesto 12 y Mayorkas el 18, estamos hablando de aquellas figuras

latinas que podrían captar el apoyo de la nación en una campaña presidencial. Con una lista cada vez mayor, la realidad es que los milenials hijos de la generación Z (nacidos a mediados de la década de los noventa) probablemente veremos un presidente latino en algún momento de nuestra vida.

HE AQUÍ ALGUNOS DE LOS PRINCIPALES CANDIDATOS:

• Representante Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez: si bien se siente como una posibilidad remota en el 2023, en el próximo año será elegible para presentar su nombre en una elección presidencial, si así lo desea. Es progresista y entra en guerra con su partido con demasiada frecuencia como para ser una candidata viable ahora mismo, pero hay que darle tiempo. Cualquiera con su atractivo para los jóvenes y los seguidores de las redes sociales —uno de los más grandes del mundo, no solo de Estados Unidos— podría estar a la altura de los grandes en una carrera por la Casa Blanca.

• Representante Rubén Gallego: todavía tiene que ganar su próxima carrera en el 2024 contra el senador Kyrsten Sinema y un aspirante republicano, pero tiene las habilidades de liderazgo y el atractivo para ser un candidato formidable, si consigue apoyo. Es veterano militar y nunca ha sido tímido para dejar que el mundo conozca sus sentimientos sobre los temas que le importan a él y a los arizonenses.

• Representante Joaquín Castro: su hermano Julián se postuló y no llegó muy lejos en las primarias demócratas del 2020, pero puso el nombre Castro en el radar nacional. Joaquín también ocupa un puesto de larga data en el Comité de Asuntos Exteriores de la Cámara y fue gerente en el segundo juicio de destitución del presidente Donald Trump.

• Representante Pete Aguilar: relativamente desconocido antes del año pasado, este representante de California es ahora el latino de más alto rango en el Congreso, como presidente del Caucus Demócrata de la Cámara.z