Ocean City, NJ, 8:45 PM by JEFF FUSCO

ASSOCIATED PRESS: A sightseeing boat carrying 37 people was hit by a barge and overturned Wednesday afternoon, spilling passengers into the Delaware River and leaving two people unaccounted for after a frantic rescue effort. MORE INQUIRER:  Two passengers are missing, a 16-year-old girl and a 20-year-old man, both tourists from Hungary. Police divers entered the river about 5:30 p.m. to search for the victims. Police on both sides of the river searched the banks. MORE INQUIRER: Witness Jason Tilghman said the duck boat had stopped in the river for about 5 to 10 minutes. A crew member screamed “jump!” to […]

[Illustration by BEN HEINE] ASSOCIATED PRESS: A Pennsylvania law banning blasphemous or profane words from the names of corporations is unconstitutional because state employees who apply it must base their decisions on their own religious beliefs, a federal judge has ruled. U.S. District Judge Michael M. Baylson in Philadelphia issued a summary judgment Wednesday in favor of an independent filmmaker who sued over state officials’ rejection of his application to name his company “I Choose Hell Productions, LLC.” Baylson said the 1977 law barring the use of “words that constitute blasphemy, profane cursing or swearing or that profane the Lord’s […]

[Illustration by TROY GUA] DAILY MIRROR: “I don’t see why I should give my new music to iTunes or anyone else,” Prince explained. “They won’t pay me an advance for it and then they get angry when they can’t get it. I really believe in finding new ways to distribute my music,” Prince said of his plan to offer his new album for free in the Mirror. 20TEN will not be available for download, and Prince has prohibited iTunes and YouTube from hosting his music. He’s also shuttering his website. “The Internet’s like MTV,” Prince told the Mirror. “At one […]

  BY MAVIS LINNEMANN Trying to please everyone when it comes to dessert can be a difficult task, especially when you’re feeding a crowd. I recently paid a visit to my boyfriend’s parents in Midland, Michigan, and there was much debate between Doug and I as to what we should make for the family and guests at a BBQ his mom had planned. Doug loves cheesecake; his dad wanted chocolate; and his mom and sister like fruit desserts. I was at a loss until I found the below recipe on Allrecipes.com. Why not combine the three ingredients into one delicious […]

The Swann Fountain at Logan Circle, 7:39 PM by JEFF FUSCO

[Illustration by FATJEDGFX] BY MATTHEW HENGEVELD I’ll never understand this. Philadelphia is the home of The Roots, a Grammy-winning and critically acclaimed band. Yet, when the city needs a headliner for its 4th of July celebration, who does it go for? The Goo Goo fucking Dolls. Who even comes up with a name like that for a band? Seriously, who sits down and thinks, “Huh… the Goo Goo Dolls… that is a great name for my band.” The mayor? People who work for the mayor? Regardless, the Roots were shafted, once again. In their beloved hometown of Philadelphia—forced to open […]

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE: EXCESSIVE HEAT WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 PM EDT WEDNESDAY…AN EXCESSIVE HEAT WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 PM EDT WEDNESDAY FOR THE PHILADELPHIA WILMINGTON METRO CORRIDOR. RECORD BREAKING HIGH TEMPERATURES…OVER 15 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL… WITH VALUES JUST OVER 100 DEGREES…WILL SLOWLY EASE BACK THROUGH THE 90S THIS EVENING. TEMPERATURES WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON WILL APPROACH 100 DEGREES AND LIKELY EXCEED THE 98 DEGREE RECORD FOR THE DATE. WHILE IT PROBABLY WILL BE 2-4 DEGREES COOLER THAN IT WAS TODAY… HIGHER HUMIDITY COULD COMPENSATE AND RESULT IN HEAT INDICES JUST AS HOT AS THOSE OF THIS PAST TUESDAY […]

Syracuse, NY, July 3rd 8:45 PM  by JEFF FUSCO

WASHINGTON POST: In the 77 days since oil from the ruptured Deepwater Horizon began to gush into the Gulf of Mexico, BP has skimmed or burned about 60 percent of the amount it promised regulators it could remove in a single day. The disparity between what BP promised in its March 24 filing with federal regulators and the amount of oil recovered since the April 20 explosion underscores what some officials and environmental groups call a misleading numbers game that has led to widespread confusion about the extent of the spill and the progress of the recovery. In a March […]