Michael Tanenbaum

Michael Tanenbaum is a senior staff writer for PhillyVoice.com, with interests ranging from technology and behavioral health to local community initiatives and cultural life. Michael has written for the Argentina Independent and Bespoke Magazine and previously served as a news editor for Xfinity.com before joining PhillyVoice. He received his B.A. in The Writing Seminars at Johns Hopkins University.

tanenbaum@phillyvoice.com

March 7, 2023

Investigations

Eight people wanted for beating woman unconscious in Center City, police say

by Michael Tanenbaum

Philadelphia police are looking for eight people for the beating a woman on a street corner in Center City. Authorities released video of the attack and photos of the people police are seeking to identify. The assault happened around 7:15 p.m. on Feb. 23 at the intersection of 15th and Chestnut streets.

March 6, 2023

A&E series 'City Confidential' to detail notorious 2017 murders in Bucks County

by Michael Tanenbaum

The high-profile murders of four young men in Solebury Township, Bucks County will be featured on an episode of the A&E Series "City Confidential" on May 25. In July 2017, the missing persons investigation put Bucks County in the national spotlight as authorities searched for the men, who were found murdered and buried on a farm belonging to the family of confessed killer Cosmo DiNardo. Sean Kratz, DiNardo's cousin, was also involved in the murders. Both men are serving life sentences.

March 6, 2023

Courts

Former NFL player Frank Gore ordered to pay fine in Atlantic City domestic violence case

by Michael Tanenbaum

Frank Gore. former NFL running back, is ordered to pay a fine after pleading guilty to a low-level offense stemming from the domestic violence case filed against him last summer in Atlantic City. Police said, Gore dragged a 28-year-old woman along a hallway of the 59th floor of the Havana Tower at the Tropicana Atlantic City Casino. The woman was naked at the time, investigators said.

March 3, 2023

Social Media

Block of Market Street in Center City gets unofficially renamed for Matisse Thybulle

by Michael Tanenbaum

A sticker put on a Market Street sign in Philly unofficially changed Market Street to Matisse Street, named for former 76ers player Mattisse Thybulle. The sign was changed near 22nd Street. Before being traded to the Portland Trailblazers, Thybulle's jersey number was 22.

March 3, 2023

Media

NBC10 hires Fred Shropshire to replace Jim Rosenfield as weekday evening anchor

by Michael Tanenbaum

NBC10 has hired Fred Shropshire as a new co-anchor for the station's weekday evening newscasts. He will fill some of the newscasts formerly co-anchored by Jim Rosenfield, who left the station at the beginning of the year. Shropshire has worked at WCNC-TV in Charlotte, North Carolina and held TV news roles in Illinois and Texas. He will make his debut Monday, June 26, 2023. Jacqueline London co-anchors NBC10's evening newscasts.

March 3, 2023

QVC hosts Carolyn Gracie, Dan Hughes among 400 laid off by network's parent company

by Michael Tanenbaum

Longtime QVC hosts Carolyn Grace and Dan Hughes were among about 400 people laid off by the TV network's West Chester-based parent company, Qurate Retail Group. Gracie said she setting up new Facebook and Instagram channels to remain connected with her audience. Hughes said fans can follow him on his public Facebook page.

March 3, 2023

Investigations

Coworker charged with kidnapping, killing missing Sellersville man

by Michael Tanenbaum

Michael Stark, 49, of Royersford, has been charged with homicide, kidnapping and related offenses in the disappearance of 50-year-old Matthew Branning. Stark and Branning were coworkers at a small parts manufacturer, Encholor, Inc., in Bucks County. Branning went missing on Oct. 15, 2021 and his body was never found. Bucks County prosecutors allege Stark kidnapped Branning from their workplace and killed him before fleeing the state.

March 2, 2023

Courts

Driver who fatally struck Lower Merion firefighter on I-76 sentenced to prison

by Michael Tanenbaum

Jacquelyn Walker, the driver who struck a group of first responders on I-76 in July 2021, killing 58-year-old Thomas Royds, was sentenced Thursday to 12 to 24 years in prison. Walker, 64, pleaded guilty last fall to third-degree murder, aggravated assault and reckless endangerment. Royds, a firefighter with the Belmont Hills Fire Co., was among a group of first responders at the scene of an earlier DUI crash. Walker's Jeep Grand Cherokee slammed into them along the right shoulder of the highway between the Conshohocken and Gladwyne exits.

March 2, 2023

Food & Drink

Love & Honey Fried Chicken plans to open new franchise locations

by Michael Tanenbaum

Love & Honey Fried Chicken, the southern style takeout concept in Northern Liberties, announced plans this week to begin a franchising effort that could bring six new locations in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware. The restaurant was founded in 2017 by husband-and-wife Todd and Laura Lyons. They serve fried chicken tenders, wings and sandwiches, along with biscuits, tater tots and sauces made from scratch.

March 1, 2023

Addiction

FDA moves to restrict importation of xylazine, the animal tranquilizer exacerbating Philly's fentanyl crisis

by Michael Tanenbaum

Xyazine, the animal tranquilizer combined with fentanyl to make tranq dope, will be more tightly restricted by the FDA. Tranq dope, which has become common in Philadelphia's illegal opioid market, results in serious overdose complications and painful skin wounds.