January 03, 2016
Forget about March, it was December that came in like a lamb and went out like a lion. An angry one.
A relatively quiet month that featured record-high temperatures came to a resounding halt on Dec. 30, first when Bill Cosby was arraigned in Montgomery County on charges of aggravated indecent assault for an alleged incident in his Cheltenham Township home in 2004.
And then, a few hours later, the Eagles shocked the sports world when they announced that Chip Kelly had been "released" as head coach of the team with one game remaining in his third season on the Birds' sideline.
Here are some must-read stories from PhillyVoice in December:
As a writer who is comparatively new to this wild game of journalism, I'm always eager to hone my craft. Part of that is learning from the best. And the best, obviously, is the great Stephen A. Smith. What I'm about to say is a bit of a confession -- I stalk Stephen A. Smith. Seriously. I follow him everywhere. Literally everywhere. There. I said it. And really, I'm not that ashamed, because the reality is that if you have the chance to stalk Stephen A. Smith, and you don't, you're just wasting an opportunity to become a better journalist. A better professional. A better man.
Once completed, the Discovery Center will allow public access to the trails around East Park Reservoir, which has been fenced-off to the Strawberry Mansion community since the '70s.
For more than 45 years, a 50-acre parcel of land in Fairmount Park has been closed off, barred and inaccessible to the public. On the eastern edge of one of the largest urban parks in the country, the property is an important home to migratory birds and contains a massive 37-acre, 8-foot-deep freshwater lake – the largest body of pollution-free water in the city. And, if everything goes according to plan, by the summer of 2017, the site will be home to a $16.7 million, 16,000-square-foot educational facility, named The Discovery Center, that will allow students from across the city to learn about nature and test their mettle on a new "challenge course."
The past year has been full of engaging stories and breaking news. While it's hard to predict what exactly 2016 will have in store for Philadelphia, there are a few things you can already start marking on your calendar. These noteworthy events are the must-do, can't-miss Philly occasions to look forward to in the new year.
Ryan Howard has been implicated in a doping ring, according to an undercover investigation that was posted on HuffingtonPost.com on Saturday night. The headline of the story is that 14-time NFL Pro Bowl quarterback Peyton Manning was supplied with human growth hormone by an Indianapolis anti-aging clinic, according to a pharmacist who worked at the clinic.
After a series of contentious, "heated" deliberations, a Philadelphia jury returned a mixed verdict on Dec. 18 in the assault trial of Kathryn Knott, finding the Bucks County woman guilty of simple assault and conspiracy to commit simple assault against Zachary Hesse, one of two victims beaten as they walked to get pizza in Center City on Sept. 11, 2014. After four days of testimony in a Common Pleas Court of Philadelphia courtroom and three days of deliberations, Knott also was found guilty of reckless endangerment against both Hesse and his boyfriend, Andrew Haught, but acquitted of aggravated assault, a felony and the most serious charge against her. Her sentencing is scheduled for Feb. 8.
Jim Kenney's political life – and his life as a whole, in fact – is a tale of two educations: one at his parents' kitchen table, and another in Catholic classrooms. The mayor-elect of Philadelphia hasn't been able to sit still since his days on the 300 block of Cantrell St., in a neighborhood where rowhomes are bunched together so tightly that they look like great red-brick accordions. Not since the neighbors could walk into the house next door without knocking in fear of getting shot, when streets would be filled during the summer with kids playing. Kenney’s political career was forged in this crucible, at the kitchen table of a fireman, his father James, and Barbara, a working mother. Kenney, to some degree, was the Irish Catholic South Philly version of the precocious “C” character in “A Bronx Tale.” He was a google-eyed, street-wise kid who absorbed everything around him.
The Schuylkill River Trail (SRT) was recently named USA Today’s Best Urban Trail. But on the west side of the river, a less famous section of the trail connects other great green spaces in Southwest Philadelphia, like Bartram's Garden and Mount Moriah.
Ed Snider speaks after being inducted into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame during a ceremony and dinner in Chicago, Monday, Dec. 12, 2011.
It has been a long and storied journey for the man who has been the Flyers' archangel since he brought the team into the league in 1967, and throughout his entire tenure, the goal has been very simple – do everything and anything it takes to win. And through the years, it has been Ed Snider who has made the Flyers into an iconic sports franchise.
Many of the most successful franchises around the league have had the same head coach in place for a long time. The importance of stability at the head coaching level cannot be understated. However, there comes a point when the negative outlook of a franchise dictates that a move is necessary to begin the process over again. I believe the tea leaves say that a continued regression is more likely than a turnaround to some kind of Super Bowl contender. Barring some sort of miraculous turnaround that involves the Eagles playing well down the stretch, winning the division and playing reasonably well in the playoffs, the Eagles should be looking to part with Chip Kelly after this season.
On my father’s side, it was never about presents. We didn’t gather to unwrap gifts, and there was no expectation to show up with any. Food, games, singing Christmas carols and putting on our own Christmas pageant took center stage. One year, I was chosen to play Mary and my beloved cousin Hans played Joseph, his costume completed with a blue towel on his head. Another year, we rented out a church hall with wooden floors and spent hours roller-skating. At some point, the breaking open of a candy-filled piñata became part of our eclectic traditions. My aunts loved to read “How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” and my grandfather shared stories about a porcelain cat, the only present he received one year, as his family of nine had little means. “Christmas isn’t about getting lots of presents,” he taught us. “Small things can teach us to be grateful for what we have.”
On Dec. 21, Pennsylvania's youngest sitting judge was sworn into office. And no one was more excited about it than Greg Scott, the Norristown native who took the bench – at the age of 28 – as magisterial district judge in the 38th Judicial District of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. In fact, Scott said before his swearing-in, his election victory didn't feel real until recently – when his judicial robes arrived in the mail. "That was a moment for me," he said. "It really hit me that 'Hey, I'm about to be sworn in as a judge.'" Scott said he was excited to become district justice in a community where he has lived his entire life. The 38th District, he said, comprises about 20 blocks, stretching from "where I grew up to where my home is now."
Drummer Leon Jordan Sr., right, presents the Jazzy Jam Open Mic night at SOUTH Kitchen & Jazz Parlor, now open on North Broad Street.
It's 8 p.m. on a Wednesday in November, and the room starts to fill. The sound of cheers and laughter emanate from a group of sophisticates in a corner booth, a 20-something couple on "date night" sip bourbon martinis at a table nearby, and three performers, dressed in their Sunday best, file on stage as a fleet of hanging brass lights dim, blanketing the room in a warm glow. Add smoke, Dizzy Gillespie and some scatting, and you'd think it was 1950 in Philadelphia, not 2015. It is, Robert Bynum says outright, an attempt to bring attention back to jazz in Philadelphia.
Because there's been so much mediocrity in the NFL this season, the playoff picture is far from sorted out with just three weeks remaining. So far, only three teams have clinched playoff berths (Arizona, Carolina, New England), and the races for the remaining spots are more than a little crowded. In the NFC alone, 14 of the 16 teams are still in the playoff hunt. And because the NFC East is such a mess, even the 4-9 Dallas Cowboys still have a chance of not only making the playoffs but also hosting a first-round game.
Making good on a campaign pledge, the incoming Montgomery County district attorney on Dec. 30 announced that comedy legend Bill Cosby had been charged with aggravated indecent assault for an alleged incident in his Cheltenham Township home in 2004. At his arraignment in Elkins Park, Cosby posted bail – 10 percent of $1 million – surrendered his passport, answered "yes" softly to all of the judge's questions and yelled "Thank you!" when District Justice Elizabeth McHugh concluded the arraignment by wishing him good luck. "Reopening this case was not a question," District Attorney-elect Kevin Steele told a news conference in Norristown before the arraignment. "Rather, reopening this case was our duty as law enforcement officers with a sworn obligation to uphold our constitutions and to uphold the law."
From Brussels sprouts given an addictive General Tso’s treatment to the staple black garlic wings freshened with Shishito peppers and herbs, Cheu Noodle Bar never stops churning out creative, flavor-doused dishes. The menu changes frequently, but the taste-bud-awakening Asian ingredients never leave. This is key for seasoning up the neutral bases that occupy the latter half of the restaurant’s menu.
