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

September 6, 2022

Food & Drink

Martorano's Prime, an Italian-American steakhouse, to open at Rivers Casino

by Michael Tanenbaum

Celebrity Chef Steve Martorano is opening a new restaurant at Rivers Casino Philadelphia in Fishtown. Martorano's Prime is an Italian-American steakhouse that builds off the success of the restaurant's first location, which opened last year at Rivers Casino in Pittsburgh. Martorano is a South Philadelphia native who emerged in the culinary world with Fort Lauderdale's Cafe Martorano, which now has a location in Las Vegas. He also has a Martorano's restaurant at Harrah's Atlantic City.

September 6, 2022

Social Media

Philly skaters stole a legendary 300-pound bench from New York City

by Michael Tanenbaum

A group of skateboarders from Philadelphia stole a green bench from New York City's Tompkins Square last month, bringing a piece of skating lore to the City of Brotherly Love. The 300-pound, curved bench, one of just two that originated in Santa Ana, California in the late 1990s, is now at Cecil B. Moore Station Plaza near Temple University after it was driven to Philly in a U-Haul. The bench was made famous by pro skaters Anthony Van Engelen and Jason Dill, who used it in a pair of 2003 skate videos and more recently in a video from the company they own.

September 6, 2022

Investigations

Woman stole money from scene of deadly crash in Berks County, police say

by Michael Tanenbaum

Exeter Township police in Berks County, Pennsylvania are searching for a woman who stole money from the scene of a Sept. 3, 2022 crash on Perkiomen Avenue, where a man was fatally struck by a vehicle as he attempted to pick up the windblown money from the road. The woman allegedly claimed she was a former EMT and took cash from the scene before leaving the area, police said.

September 1, 2022

Courts

Pennsylvania must return weapons to parents of Eric Frein, man convicted in deadly trooper ambush

by Michael Tanenbaum

Authorities in Pennsylvania have been ordered to return 46 guns that were seized from the parents of Eric Frein, the anti-government survivalist who ambushed two state troopers in the Poconos in September 2014, killing one of them and severely injuring the other.

September 1, 2022

Development

Wildwood Crest's Oceanview Motel, a Doo-Wop relic, to be spared demolition by new owner

by Michael Tanenbaum

Madison Resorts has purchased the Oceanview Motel at 7201 Ocean Ave. in Wildwood Crest, with plans to renovate the property while preserving its Doo-Wop architectural character. Built in 1963 as the Admiral Motel, the building fell into disrepair and closed in November 2021. It was slated to be renovated as condos, but preservationists in Wildwood sought to protect the historical structure and the previous plan dissolved. The building is expected to reopen in 2023 as the Madison Resort Wildwood Crest.

September 1, 2022

Food & Drink

Smitty's Clam Bar in Somers Point to return for 50th year next summer

by Michael Tanenbaum

The Clam Bar will return for its 50th year in Somers Point, New Jersey in 2023 after rumors the restaurant might close as a result of a property sale of Smith's Marina. The restaurant, affectionately known as Smitty's, opened in the early 1970s and has been popular place to drink outside dry Ocean City. In more recent years, The Clam Bar has taken on a family-friendly atmosphere with a casual menu.

August 31, 2022

Movies

Former Eagles player to star in 'The Good Nurse,' Netflix's movie about Pa., N.J. serial killer Charles Cullen

by Michael Tanenbaum

"The Good Nurse," an upcoming crime drama on Netflix, examines serial killer Charles Cullen, a nurse who killed dozens of patients at multiple hospitals in New Jersey and Pennsylvania by secretly administering lethal doses of stolen drugs. The film adaptation of Charles Graeber's book stars Eddie Redmayne and Jessica Chastain, with a supporting role from former Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha as Detective Dan Baldwin.

August 31, 2022

Investigations

Worker killed in construction accident at Martin's Famous Potato Rolls plant

by Michael Tanenbaum

A construction worker was killed at the Martin's Famous Potato Rolls and Bread plant in Guildford, Pennsylvania on Tuesday, after multiple walls collapsed during work on the company's new bakery line facility. The victim was identified as 30-year-old Steven Garrett Graby, an employee in the Structural Steel Erectors Division of Lancaster-based High Industries, Franklin County Coroner Jeff Conner said.

August 30, 2022

Business

Amazon Fresh plans to open grocery store in Willow Grove

by Michael Tanenbaum

Amazon Fresh plans to open a grocery store at the Willow Grove Shopping Center in Montgomery County. The tech-forward supermarket from the e-commerce giant, considered a lower-cost alternative to its Whole Foods brand, currently has stores open in Warrington and Broomall. The company also has stores planned in Philadelphia, including in Northern Liberties and Northeast Philadelphia, as well as in Bensalem, Langhorne and Havertown.

August 30, 2022

Investigations

Bucks County man allegedly strangled woman in North Wildwood road rage incident

by Michael Tanenbaum

A Bucks County man is charged with aggravated assault after a road rage incident in North Wildwood on Aug. 20. Christopher Krier, 49, of Jamison, allegedly drove aggressively and tailgated a woman in the area of 13th and New Jersey avenues. After words were exchanged, both drivers pulled to the side of the road and got out of their cars. Krier allegedly strangled the woman and then fled the scene before police arrived.