STATE SEN. VINCENT HUGHES joins Conrad Foundation’s Nancy Conrad

check out W. Philly Hybrid X Team’s state-f-the-art electric sports car. Story

page 3.

PhiladelphiaDaily Record

Vol. II No. 129 (289) Keeping You Posted With The Politics Of Philadelphia August 26, 2011

Light LikeLightning

2 | THE PHILADELPHIA DAILY RECORD 26 AUGUST, 2011

T h e P h i l a d e l p h i a P u b l i c R e c o r d C a l e n d a rAug. 26-

State Sen. Shirley Kitchen and

State Rep. Mark Cohen host Sen-

ior Day in Memorial Hall at St.

William’s Ch., Robbins & Argyle,

10 a.m.-2 p.m. Free health screen-

ings, breakfast and lunch. For info

(215) 227-6161.

Aug. 26-

Golf Outing fundraiser for Demo-

crat candidate for 10th Dist.

Council candidate Bill Rubin at

Juniata Golf Course, 1392 E.

Cayuga St., registration 12:30

p.m., shotgun start 1 p.m. $80 in-

cludes green fees, cart, refresh-

ments and barbecue. For info Tom

Dooley (267) 246-5512.

Aug. 27-

State Rep. Michelle Brownlee

hosts Back to School Giveaway

Kids Day at Strawberry Sq. Mall,

2901 Dauphin St., 11 a.m.-3 p.m.

Free school supplies, health

screenings, entertainment. For

info (215) 684-3738.

Aug. 27-

Mantua Community Improvement

Ctr. hosts Family Day Festival at

34th & Mantua Ave., 12-7 p.m.

Loaded with family activities.

Event is supported by Council-

woman Jannie L. Blackwell and

others.

Aug. 27-

State Rep. Kenyatta Johnson’s

Community Apreciation Day at

22nd & Pt. Breeze Ave., 12-8 p.m.

Entertainment by R&B artists

“No Question”. Helen Divers to

be honored. For details (215) 952-

3378.

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CANDIDATES • POLITICIANSNews You Can Use!

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25 AUGUST, 2011 THE PHILADELPHIA DAILY RECORD | 3

No Lightweights: W. Philly Stu-

dents Electrify Auto Engineering

by State Sen. Vincent Hughes

Recently, I had the privilege of visiting the West

Philly Hybrid X Team (EVX Team) who just won yet

another national competition, Conrad Foundation’s

Spirit of Innovation Awards, for their development of

the Electric Very Light Car. The team is an incredible

example of what happens when you work together

with perseverance and dedication.

The West Philly Team includes students from an after

school program of the Academy of Automotive and

Mechanical Engineering, a program of Philadelphia

Academies, Inc. They are based in West Philadelphia

HS, a public high school serving one of Philadel-

phia’s most challenged neighborhoods.

Since 1998, the EVX Team has built and raced alter-

native fuel vehicles, and has had great success doing

so. When they entered the Northeast Sustainable En-

ergy Association’s Tour de Sol, they outperformed

university teams and production vehicles, winning the

competition in 2002, 2005 and 2006. In 2007, the

Team won the 21st Century Automotive Challenge.

Educators, engineers and volunteers assist the EVX

Team in their endeavors and provide valuable sup-

port. In 2010, the Team created two highly successful

hybrid vehicles for the Progressive Automotive X

PRIZE, a $10 million international competition to

build cars that exceed 100 MPG. Of the 111 teams

originally accepted to compete in the X PRIZE, the

EVX Team was the only high school chosen. While

they did not win the competition, they made it to the

final 22 competitors in the semi-finals.

In 2011, the EVX GT, the sports car they built for the

X PRIZE outperformed 44 other competitors, win-

ning the Green Grand Prix at Watkins Glen. As men-

tioned earlier, the team also won the Clean Energy

Division of the Conrad Foundation’s Spirit of Innova-

tion Awards for their work on the Electric Very Light

Car.

Earlier this year, the team’s successes raised enough

attention for the team to be invited to the White

House and afforded Brandon Ford, a student at West

Philadelphia HS and a leader of the West Philly Hy-

brid X Team, the opportunity to watch the President

deliver State of the Union Address alongside First

Lady Michelle Obama.

Kitchen, Cohen Host Seniors

Several hundred seniors are enjoying the Senior Day

event, annually hosted by State Sen. Shirley Kitchen

and State Rep. Mark Cohen (both D-N. Phila.) this

morning and early this afternoon. The event, held at

St. William’s Church Memorial Hall, Robbins & Ar-

gyle, gave seniors an opportunity to learn about all

the resources available to them.

They were also treated to breakfast and lunch as well

as health screenings, exhibitors, speakers, and enter-

tainment.

Kenyatta Sets Up Basketball

Tourney With Police

State Rep. Kenyatta Johnson’s (D-S. Phila.) 5th an-

nual Peace Not Guns Memorial Basketball Tourna-

ment which features police and local youths will take

place at the Chew Playground & Recreation Center,

1834 Ellsworth Street, at 5 p.m. this evening.

Each year, the Point Breeze Youth Basketball League

and members of the Philadelphia Police Dept. come

together for a friendly game of basketball to promote

positive relationships between the police and youths.

Johnson states. “We want the entire community to see

these positive relationships and use it to motivate

them to continue building positive community rela-

tions.”

Elected School Board Sought For

Philadelphia

State Sens. Mike Stack, Larry Farnese and Andrew

Dinniman and City Controller Alan Butkovitz will

announce their support of legislation to replace

4 | THE PHILADELPHIA DAILY RECORD 26 AUGUST, 2011

School Reform Commission with an elected school

board on Tuesday, Aug. 30 at 10:30 a.m. on the front

steps of the School District of Philadelphia Headquar-

ters, 440 N. Broad Street.

Calling the current system fundamentally flawed,

Stack’s legislation would eliminate the controversial

SRC and replace it with an unpaid elected school

board comprised of nine members elected by

Philadelphia citizens to four-year terms.