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

October 8, 2021

Illness

President Biden made personal call to overcrowded Pa. hospital on behalf of friend's sick wife

by Michael Tanenbaum

President Joe Biden said he personally called an emergency room at a Pennsylvania hospital to inquire about a delay in care for a sick friend's wife who was showing symptoms of COVID-19. Biden shared the anecdote on Thursday during a speech in Illinois, where he discussed the ongoing need to increase vaccination and his administration's push for broad requirements.

October 8, 2021

Sports Betting

Former Phillie Pete Rose to host new sports betting podcast

by Michael Tanenbaum

Pete Rose has teamed up with Quake Media to launch a new sports betting podcast that will handicap baseball, football, basketball, golf, horse racing and more. The 80-year-old former Phillie, who was banned from baseball in the late 1980s after investigation into his gambling habits, remains ineligible for enthrinement in the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown.

October 7, 2021

Celebrities

Ben Simmons is 'a f***ing star,' Kevin Hart says in defense of disgruntled Sixer

by Michael Tanenbaum

Kevin Hart defended Philadelphia 76ers holdout Ben Simmons during an appearance on the "All the Smoke" podcast with Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson. Simmons, who has demanded a trade out of Philadelphia, hasn't shown up to training camp and is being fined for his refusal to rejoin the team.

October 7, 2021

Investigations

Former Sixer Tony Wroten among 18 NBA players charged in health care fraud scheme

by Michael Tanenbaum

Former Philadelphia 76ers guard Tony Wroten is among 18 former NBA players charged in an alleged conspiracy to defraud the league's Health and Welfare Benefit Plan. Federal prosecutors allege Wroten, a key figure in the Sixers' Process-era years, submitted fake invoices for dental work that he never received. Terrence Williams, Glen "Big Baby" Davis, Sebastian Telfair and Darius Miles are among the most notable former players facing charges.

October 7, 2021

Government

Here are the road closures, travel restrictions for this weekend's Broad Street Run

by Michael Tanenbaum

Road closures and restrictions will be in effect this Sunday when the Broad Street Run returns to Philadelphia. More than 17,000 runners are expected to participate in the 10-mile race down Philadelphia's main corridor. A series of phased closures will begin as early as 3:30 a.m. on Oct. 10. City officials hope the roads will be reopened to traffic by around 11:30 a.m.

October 7, 2021

Investigations

Delco man charged in fatal shooting at SEPTA trolley stop

by Michael Tanenbaum

Nicholas Hoyle, 27, of Sharon Hill, is charged with homicide in the fatal shooting of 54-year-old Dwayne Williams on Monday, Oct. 4, 2021. Williams was found dead at the SEPTA's MacDade Blvd. trolley stop in Collingdale. Investigators reviewed surveillance footage from local businesses and used other evidence to identify Hoyle as the alleged gunman.

October 6, 2021

Recreation

Final designs unveiled for FDR Park Welcome Center, Pattison Playground

by Michael Tanenbaum

FDR Park in South Philadelphia is slated for a series of major renovations in the years ahead, including a new Welcome Center and a playground located near the park entrance at Broad Street and Pattison Avenue. The design for both projects has now been completed. They are expected to break ground in 2022, with a targeted opening the following year.

October 6, 2021

Investigations

Philly cop under investigation for New Year's encounter seen in viral YouTube video

by Michael Tanenbaum

Philadelphia police are investigating an officer who was filmed intimidating a provoking a Black man in the Poplar section of the city on New Year's Eve. The officer, who was not identified, was placed on administrative duty pending the outcome of an Internal Affairs investigation. The video was shared on the LackLuster YouTube channel, which publishes videos that seek to expose police misconduct.

October 6, 2021

Investigations

Philly's latest Vision Zero report on traffic deaths released in wake of fatal hit-and-run on Roosevelt Boulevard

by Michael Tanenbaum

A bicyclist was fatally struck by a hit-and-run driver Tuesday night on Roosevelt Boulevard in Northeast Philadelphia, becoming the eighth person to die this year on the dangerous roadway. Philadelphia police are searching for the driver of a Ford-150 who fled the scene of the accident. On Wednesday, the city released its annual Vision Zero report, which blamed aggressive driving for the increase in accidents resulting in death or serious injury.

October 5, 2021

Investigations

Chester County woman charged with killing her father and his girlfriend in Surf City

by Michael Tanenbaum

Ocean County prosecutors have charged Sherry Lee Heffernan, a Pennsylvania woman, with fatally stabbing her father and his girlfriend at a residence in Surf City, New Jersey on Sunday, Oct. 3, 2021. Heffernan, of Landenberg, Chester County, was taken into custody by Pennsylvania State Police and will be extradited to New Jersey on murder and weapons charges, authorities said.