Michael Tanenbaum

Michael Tanenbaum Headshot

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

January 16, 2023

Investigations

Pa. Turnpike defrauded of $1 million by alleged scheme to sell E-ZPass transponders linked to fake accounts

Two people are charged with defrauding the Pennsylvania Turnpike of $1 million with a scheme involving E-ZPass transponders linked to fake personal and credit card information, federal prosecutors said. Duvany Zambrano, 43, of Hamilton, New Jersey, and Sergio Jara, 37, of Allentown, allegedly began the scheme in 2018.

January 16, 2023

Adult Health

Millennials' risk of fatal stroke could be higher than past generations

Millennials could be at greater risk for dying from a stroke than past generations, according to a new analysis out of Rutgers University. Although overall stroke mortality in the United States has declined, the rate at which younger people are dying from strokes is increasing. The Rutgers study is the first stroke death analysis to divide patients by their years of birth and the first to identify the steady rise in age-adjusted ischemic stroke risk from the late 1950s to the early 1990s.

January 13, 2023

Lottery

$5 million-winning scratch-off lottery ticket sold at 7-Eleven in South Philly

A Pennsylvania Lottery scratch-off ticket worth $5 million was recently sold at the 7-Eleven convenience store at at 2301 West Passyunk Ave in South Philadelphia, officials said. The 7-Eleven will get a $10,000 bonus for the sale of the winning ticket. The prize is one of the largest among Pennsylvania Lottery winners in Philadelphia in recent memory.

January 13, 2023

Investigations

'Boy in the Box' gets new gravestone after breakthrough in Philly cold case

Joseph Augustus Zarelli, long known as the "Boy in the Box" and "America's Unknown Child," received a new headstone at Ivy Hill Cemetery in Northwest Philadelphia on Friday, marking what would have been the slain boy's 70th birthday. Zarelli's body was found in a cardboard carton in a Fox Chase field in 1957, when he was 4 years old. His identity remained unknown until last month, when police revealed the findings of a new DNA analysis. The case remains unsolved, but the investigation is still active.

January 13, 2023

Investigations

Burglars stole $60,000 worth of equipment from East Falls construction site, police say

Two men are wanted for stealing $60,000 worth of equipment and material from a construction site at 4300 Ridge Ave. on New Year's Eve, Philadelphia police said. The suspects were captured on surveillance video from the construction site and from neighboring businesses. Anyone with information about the burglary is asked to contact Northwest Detectives.

January 13, 2023

Food & Drink

New Louisiana Hot Sauce bottle features Eagles star Jalen Hurts

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts has partnered with Louisiana Hot Sauce on a limited-edition, signature bottle. A portion of the proceeds benefit OneMindSet Foundation, an organization established by former University of Oklahoma teammate Chanse Sylvie. Hurts previously professed his love of the brand to GQ, saying people in his native Houston put the sauce on everything.

January 12, 2023

Media

Al Morganti to remain at SportsRadio 94WIP after inking 5-year contract

SportsRadio 94WIP has reached a five-year contract with Al Morganti, the longtime "Morning Show" crew member. Morganti, who is also a Flyers analyst for NBC Sports Philadelphia, will move to a weekend shift and produce a new Flyers podcast after Angelo Cataldi retires at the end of the Eagles season.

January 12, 2023

Development

34-story high-rise apartment building planned in University City

Landmark Properties will construct a 34-story residential tower in University City at 3615 Chestnut St. near the campuses of the University of Pennsylvania and Drexel University. The Mark will have 363 fully furnished residential units and a rooftop amenity area. The building is expected to welcome its first residents in the fall of 2026.

January 12, 2023

Investigations

Philly woman freed after mistaken identity landed her in jail on Texas warrant

Julie Hudson, a 31-year-old Ph.D. student in Philadelphia, was released from jail on Thursday after seven nights behind bars due to a case of mistaken identity. Hudson was wrongly identified as a suspect in a robbery in Webster, Texas — outside Houston — last May. A warrant was issued and she was arrested in Philadelphia as a fugitive of justice after she went to local police station to clear her name. The charges against her were dropped after Hudson's family was able to prove that she was in Pennsylvania at the time of the robbery.

January 11, 2023

Transportation

Computer failure delays flights nationwide, including dozens at Philly airport

All domestic flights in the United States, including those from Philadelphia International Airport, resumed Wednesday morning after the FAA halted most air travel due to computer problems overnight with the Notice to Air Missions system. At least 7,000 U.S. flights were delayed and more than 700 were canceled. Dozens scheduled to leave the Philadelphia airport were affected.

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