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 25, 2021

Road Safety

Atlantic City will repaint Black Lives Matter road mural because it has become hazardous to motorists

by Michael Tanenbaum

Atlantic City will spend $36,000 to repaint a "Black Lives Matter" road mural on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard that has created problems for motorists struggling to distinguish lanes. The mural was painted in September in response to civil unrest and justice movements for George Floyd and other Black Americans killed by police officers.

March 25, 2021

Food & Drink

Delco Cheesesteak Bowl winner inhaled a 2-foot steak in 94 seconds

by Michael Tanenbaum

Competitive eater Dan Kennedy, 38, of West Decatur, won the Cheesesteak Bowl held by Delco Steaks at Splash Swim Club in Delaware County on National Cheesesteak Day on March 24, 2021. Kennedy ate two 24-inch cheesesteaks in 99 seconds and 94 seconds, respectively, to earn a trip to Cancun, Mexico.

March 24, 2021

Business

Philly bakery Barry's Buns to open location in Wildwood Crest

by Michael Tanenbaum

Barry's Buns will open a new location in Wildwood Crest on May 7, 2021. The Philadelphia bakery opened its first shop in Chestnut Hill in 2016 and now plans to expand to the Jersey Shore with a larger storefront at 6107 New Jersey Ave.

March 24, 2021

Investigations

Philly woman identified as homicide victim in Delaware cold case

by Michael Tanenbaum

Marie Petry Heiser, 50, was found dead in New Castle County, Delaware in June 1977. Her remains remained unidentified until recently, when investigators teamed up with forensics experts to link a DNA profile to living relatives. Heiser was a former resident of Northeast Philadelphia in the 1950s and 1960s prior to her death, according to authorities.

March 24, 2021

Politics

Senate confirms Dr. Rachel Levine for U.S. health department post in Biden administration

by Michael Tanenbaum

Former Pennsylvania Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on Wednesday as the Biden administration's next assistant secretary for health in the Department of Health and Human Services.

March 24, 2021

Music

Kurt Vile's Matador labelmates write joke song about Philly rocker ghosting them

by Michael Tanenbaum

In their latest album, Car Seat Headrest side project 1 Trait Danger has a song about how they were unable to get Matador labelmate and Philadelphia-based folk rocker Kurt Vile to collaborate with them.

March 23, 2021

Sixers

Sixers make Hennessy the official spirit of the team

by Michael Tanenbaum

The Philadelphia 76ers have teamed up with Hennessy to make them the official spirit of the organization. The partnership will include new signage at the Wells Fargo Center and will support the Sixers' initiative to assist small businesses from the Philadelphia region.

March 23, 2021

Investigations

Camelback Resort investigating lift chair fall that injured three people

by Michael Tanenbaum

Camelback Resort, located in the Pocono mountains in Monroe County, Pennsylvania, is investigating the cause of a ski lift detachment that injured three people on March 21, 2021. The lift chair plummeted 15 feet after it broke loose from the line.

March 23, 2021

Media

New Jersey reporter fired for photo caption calling woman a 'f***ing hot nurse'

by Michael Tanenbaum

Asbury Park Press reporter Gustavo Martínez Contreras was fired after writing an offensive photo caption that referred to a woman as a "f***ing hot nurse" and used an ethnic epithet demeaning Jewish women. The caption, now removed from the website, prompted outrage in New Jersey and led the newspaper's executive editor to implement changes in the site's editing process.

March 23, 2021

Government

Philly will not ease COVID-19 capacity limits on restaurants, bars, other venues until at least April 30

by Michael Tanenbaum

Because Philadelphia is seeing a steady increase in new cases of COVID-19 – and, recently, an uptick in hospitalizations – city officials said Tuesday they will not be further relaxing COVID-19 restrictions on restaurants and large outdoor events when the rest of Pennsylvania does so in less than two weeks.