Neighborhood news in brief for the week of Jan. 8

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Stephen Starr’s newest eatery to open in Fishtown

Fishtown will call itself the home of team Stephen Starr and Aimee Olexy’s most recent project later on in the year. The restaurant will be located not far from Frankford Hall and Fette Sau, in a former warehouse on 1526–1530 Frankford Ave. that was restored last year, according to philly.com.

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Starr reportedly told Michael Klein of philly.com that the restaurant would contain a vegetable garden when it opens in the spring. ••

Film equipment robbed from NoLibs film festival

Organizers of The Awesome Fest, which runs regular outdoor film showings around the city, kicked off a shaky start to 2014 when their van containing thousands of dollars worth of screening equipment was reported stolen.

The incident was first reported when the 1993 Dodge Ram was noted missing around 8 a.m. on Dec. 31, according to philly.com. The vehicle contained movie screens, soundboards, speakers and a high-end projector.

An anonymous tip lead police to the vehicle on Jan. 1, which was discovered just two blocks away from where it was last seen, on the 800 block of N. American St. between Poplar and Brown streets. CBS3 reported that $50,000 to $60,000 worth of equipment was taken from the van.

A private surveillance camera tracking motion in the area snapped a photo of two people apparently removing equipment from the van, which occurred shortly before 2 a.m. according to philly.com. Police have that photo and are investigating. No arrests have been made.

Anyone with information is asked to contact their local police precinct, call 911, or submit an anonymous tip by dialing 215–686-TIPS (8477) or texting PDD TIP (773847).

Founded nearly four years ago, The Awesome Fest shows films from diverse genres in some of the city’s most unconventional places. The Awesome Fest team is trying to recoup the costs of the expensive equipment but has no plans to stop the screenings. ••

Suspect sought in Fishtown robberies

Police are searching for a suspect wanted for robbing several establishments in Fishtown.

The robberies took place during the early morning hours of Dec. 26. The first occurred at a CVS store at 2638 E. Cumberland St., at 2:16 a.m. according to 6ABC.

The suspect approached the counter to make a purchase and pointed a plastic bag in the shape of a gun at the cashier, who yelled for a store manager, causing the man to flee the scene.

The suspect struck again at a Dunkin’ Donuts at 717 E. Girard Ave., only several hours later at 4 a.m. police said. After purchasing a donut, the suspect revealed the same plastic bag, suggesting a weapon, and made off on foot with an undisclosed amount of cash.

Police describe the suspect as a white male, about 40 years of age, 5’8” to 5’10”, 160 pounds, light complexion, mustache with a light beard, thin build, wearing a gray hooded jacket, black shirt, blue jeans, black knit hat and white sneakers.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Philadelphia Police at 215–686-TIPS (8477), text a tip to PPD TIP (773847) or through phillypolice.com. ••

NoLibs murder last of 2013

An 18-year-old man was shot and killed on Dec. 31, making it the last known homicide of 2013 in Philadelphia.

The shooting occurred at 11:30 p.m. on Girard Avenue near 7th Street, according to philly.com. The victim was shot twice, in the head and chest, and was taken to Temple University Hospital in critical condition, police said. He was pronounced dead at the hospital just before midnight, at 11:47 p.m.

This final murder of 2013 makes the total 247 homicides for the year, down 25 percent from last year according to the Philadelphia Police Department. ••

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