BY MICHAEL MATZA INQUIRER STAFF WRITER With an amen chorus of supportive preachers responsively shouting, “He is the man!” Philadelphia mayoral candidate Dwight Evans last night received the endorsement of the Black Clergy of Philadelphia and Vicinity, an influential group representing 300,000 parishioners in the politically active world of Philadelphia’s black churches. In a crowded field of candidates, including three African Americans, the group’s nod can provide a boost, particularly if the race is close. “We need a man with vision… and a passion to improve the whole city, not just the downtown, but the whole town. We need a […]
GUNCRAZY: Son In Kabul Safer Than Mom In Mantua?
Philadelphia was very much on Gregory’s mind before his mother’s death, even as bombs exploded and people died at the hands of the Taliban. He took a few moments to do what military people do when they’re far from loved ones. He got on the Internet and ordered his mother bubble bath and lotion for her birthday. He included a note: Mummy, happy birthday to the best mother and grandmother in the world. Hope you will live to see many, many healthy and happy birthdays. Gregory paid extra to get the gift delivered to his mother’s home in West Philadelphia […]
GAMBLOR: Anti-Petition Craps Out In Kangaroo Court
But the quick, conclusive ruling by a Court of Common Pleas judge was a victory for the two casinos that have been awarded licenses for giant slots parlors along the Delaware River. The judge upheld a claim that the petition organizers, who submitted paperwork with 27,000 signatures, actually had collected fewer than 7,000 valid signatures of registered voters. “We’re pleased that the judge saw that the claim that there were 27,000 signatures was false,” said Richard Sprague, the Philadelphia lawyer and SugarHouse casino investor who handled the case. “It really was a bad play by those so desperate to knock […]
HIZZONER ’07: Who Bum Rushed The Show?
It seems that page after page of Milton Street’s petitions are in what looks like exactly the same handwriting. Could this mean that the mayoral brother’s circle of acquaintances includes people who share a unique penmanship style? Or could it be that they were…like…phony? Apparently the officials in the elections office have spent much of the past half-hour guffawing over the documents. More importantly as far as the election goes, judges have a tendency to frown upon such sorts of petitions–such as those submitted in 2004 by presidential candidate Ralph Nader, who was soon bounced from the ballot. MAYORPALOOZA: You […]
EARLY WORD: We Gotta Get Outta This Place!
ERIC BURDON & THE ANIMALS Special Guest TOMMY CONWELL & THE LITTLE KINGS Friday, March 23 Showtime 8 p.m./ Tickets $43 & $33 Visit ERIC BURDON & THE ANIMALS at www.ericburdon.com
TODAY I SAW…
BY JEFF DEENEY “Today I saw…” is a series of nonfiction shorts based on my experiences as a caseworker serving formerly homeless families now living in North and West Philadelphia. I decided not long after starting the job that I was seeing so many fascinating and disturbing things in the city’s poorest neighborhoods that I needed to start cataloging them. I hope this bi-weekly column serves as a record of a side of the city that many Philadelphians don’t come in contact with on a daily basis. I want to capture moments not frequently covered by the local media, which […]
THE YELLOW MENACE: Adorable Little Duckies Annoying The SHIT Out Of Philly.com Users
What we wouldn’t give for a bag of stale digital bread and a polo mallet.
HIZZONER ’07: Kinks Guitarist Nails Mayoral Race Like It’s The Bridge In ‘You Really Got Me’*
Dave Davies | Knox’s $5 million came with fine print THERE AREN’T A lot of laughs in the mayor’s race, but I always get a chuckle when millionaire candidate Tom Knox says he’s running to take the “for sale” sign off city hall. I mean, the guy’s dumping millions into 30-second TV spots, mucking up our first-ever chance to see what a mayor’s race with campaign contribution limits would look like, and he says he wants to prevent the sale of the mayor’s office. At a community forum last Monday, Knox put his proposition a little more candidly. “I’m trying […]
PA Man Charged In Beheading of Ronald McDonald
STEWARTSTOWN, Pa. – State police have charged a 22-year-old man with theft, alleging he took a family’s Ronald McDonald statue that was later found beheaded in a wood patch. Jason Anthony Nocar, of Hopewell Township, has been charged with theft, conspiracy and related counts, state police said Saturday. Troopers are looking for a second suspect. The iconic fast-food clown disappeared from the Grieger home on Jan. 15. About two weeks later, Joy Grieger found its severed head on her family’s Stewartstown property with X’s drawn over its eyes. The rest of the 300-pound statue turned up elsewhere a few days […]
We Know It’s Only Disco, But Babies Like It, Like It
DON’T EAT THE RED BALLOONS: Baby Loves Disco, Shampoo, Yesterday CITIZEN MOM REPORTS: Ever seen that Reese Witherspoon movie Sweet Home Alabama, where she goes back to her redneck hometown and runs into an old pal in a saloon? “Look at you, you’ve got a baby . . . in a bar!” I had a moment like that yesterday at Baby Loves Disco, the monthly dj dance party that gives over Shampoo to the area’s funkinest munchkins and their adult handlers. Over on the dance floor, you had DJ KTell and Chatty Cathy getting the Pampers workin’ right along with […]
VIET NOW: Local GI Killed By Death
PHILADELPHIA — A 23-year-old Philadelphia soldier died Friday in Baghdad, the Department of Defense announced Sunday. Pvt. Wesley J. Williams’ death was the result of a non-combat related injury while he was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom, a DOD press release states. Williams was assigned to the 163d Military Intelligence Battalion of the Army’s 504th Military Intelligence Brigade, based at Fort Hood, Texas. NBC10: He Also Served ASSOCIATED PRESS: BAGHDAD, Iraq — A suicide car bomber turned a venerable book market into a deadly inferno and gunmen targeted Shiite pilgrims Monday as suspected Sunni insurgents brought major bloodshed back into the […]
Cover Wars: Whose Artfag Kung-Fu Is Stronger?
Back when we were starting a band, the guitar player wanted to call it One Percent Off. Walking through the produce aisle of the grocery store one day, he said, he saw a sticker on some arugula that said 1% Off and it struck him as a eureka moment. “The whole goddamn world is one percent off!” he said. Unfortunately we went with The Floating Doo Doo Balls instead, which in part explains why you never heard of us. But the good news is that boy finally got the help he so obviously needed. We bring this up because it’s […]
THE EARLY WORD: Meet The Phawker
For reasons that continue to elude us, the folks hosting this event asked us to be one of the so-called celebrity judges. And for reasons that, again, continue to elude us, we said yes.