The Philadelphia Daily News (Philadelphia, PA) articles from April 2005

The Philadelphia Daily News (Philadelphia, PA) archives from April 2005

What will be Terri Schiavo's legacy?
April 1, 2005... Byline: Ronnie Polaneczky So the mourning for Terri Schiavo has begun. Just don't ask anyone on either side of her family to concur on the word's definition. Like so many other words flung about in the bitter Schiavo vs. Schindler...

Schiavo case didn't bring out best in many people.
April 1, 2005... Byline: Jill Porter Like many of us, I wept Thursday when Terri Schiavo died. Not only for her. But for the ugly spectacle of human behavior that attended these last weeks of her life. It brought out the worst in us: In her...

Don't count out Braves . . . again.
April 1, 2005... Byline: Paul Hagen LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. _ When Bobby Cox gathers the Atlanta Braves for the first day of spring training, he likes to tell them about Greg McMichael, who pitched his way onto the team in 1993. "He had a sore arm, bad...

For Washington Nationals, there's no place like home.
April 1, 2005... Byline: Paul Hagen VIERA, Fla. _ Space Coast Stadium looks the same, sitting in splendid isolation in the middle of a swampy tract of land. The same manager, Frank Robinson, is in the same office, the same generic baseball print...

Even Terri Schiavo's return home sparks conflict.
April 1, 2005... Byline: William Bunch PHILADELPHIA _ She was a child of Philadelphia, and a child of the '70s. And if you grew up around here, around the same time as Terri Schiavo, there's a good chance you knew someone a lot like her _ the quiet,...

DiCicco tries to rescind $30M bond issue for library rehab.
April 1, 2005... Byline: Mark McDonald Apr. 1--City Councilman Frank DiCicco wasn't calling the Street administration a bunch of deceptive liars, but he wasn't far from it. Already angered by the administration's proposed cuts to the Fire Department,...

Philadelphia offers minimum-wage boost.
April 1, 2005... Byline: Mark McDonald Apr. 1--City Councilman Wilson Goode Jr. says it's time for the working poor to share in the city's economic growth. Yesterday, he introduced a bill to raise the minimum wage to 150 percent of the state or federal...

Clarke seeks $5M in tax breaks for Avenue North Project.
April 1, 2005... Byline: Earni Young Apr. 1--City Councilman Darrell Clarke is asking for $5 million in tax breaks for the movie theater and retail complex going up at Broad Street and Cecil B. Moore Avenue. The proposal for $5 million in Tax Increment...

For aiding FBI, crooked plumber gets off with probation.
April 1, 2005... Byline: Jim Smith Apr. 1--Plumber Mitchell Gordon, who was placed on probation yesterday, got caught buying more than $46,000 worth of city work permits at half-price from a Water Department clerk who was flushing the fees into her...

Feds seek Mariano's records.
April 2, 2005... Byline: Mark McDonald Apr. 2--With three of his closest allies on City Council subpoenaed by federal authorities, Mayor Street might be thinking that he's still the target of an investigation. "Do I think somehow that this is a big...

The Chef's Table: In a Blackberry Jam.
April 4, 2005... Byline: Jim Coleman and Candace Hagan Q: Last year I had an abundance of blackberries, so this year I'd like to make a jam or a jelly. This may sound like a silly question, but what is the difference between a jelly, a jam, and a preserve?...

The pope transcended TV's often-tawdry coverage.
April 4, 2005... Byline: Ellen Gray Those who think TV cheapens everything it touches can only marvel at Pope John Paul II, who used the cameras to his own ends right up until the end. Cable news has been on death watch for weeks now, with the final...

Coming this month: New from Garbage, Mariah Carey and more.
April 4, 2005... Byline: Jonathan Takiff April is busting out all over with new albums from Garbage, Mint Condition, Mariah Carey, Frank Sinatra and many lesser known but very deserving talents. ___ APRIL 5: Lady Day: Two days shy of what...

The future's still a bit fuzzy for HDTV.
April 4, 2005... Byline: Jonathan Takiff Are you preparing to take the high-definition television plunge? About 16 million HDTV-monitors are already installed in U.S. homes, able to nab high-def signals from cable and satellite boxes. Just three...

Brookings study offers solutions.
April 4, 2005... Byline: Michael Hinkelman Apr. 4--Low-income working families in Philadelphia often spend more for the same basic necessities than do higher-income families in the 'burbs. But can anything be done to change that? A new report by...

Poles hail Pope.
April 4, 2005... Byline: G.W. Miller III Apr. 4--Theresa Romanowski was nervous about meeting the pope. "I was so excited I didn't know what to say," she recalled. But Romanowski, a Polish-American from Port Richmond, said that when she met the...

Roy Williams leaves no doubt.
April 4, 2005... Byline: Dick Jerardi ST. LOUIS _ Roy Williams can go hang out at his beach house on the Outer Banks now. He can look down the fairway from the first tee. He can get away from coaching for a while. He said he was going to be doing that no...

Still under nation's sporting radar, U.S. soccer carves out a niche.
April 5, 2005... Byline: John Smallwood PHILADELPHIA _ OK, so soccer never lived up to the overly ambitious proclamation that it would become America's professional sport of the 1970s, 1980s or '90s. And despite the firm belief of some soccer backers,...

Strictly business: Should he ask his lawyer out?
April 5, 2005... Byline: Steve and Mia Q: A couple of weeks ago I retained an attorney for some personal matters. She is a very attractive woman in her middle to late 30s. I am 45. I find myself very attracted to her and would like to ask her out, maybe...

Philadelphia Daily News Plugged In column.
April 5, 2005... Byline: Jonathan Takiff Apr. 5--Are you preparing to take the high-definition television plunge? About 16 million HDTV-monitors are already installed in U.S. homes, able to nab high-def signals from cable and satellite boxes. Just...

Report: Certified teachers are needed.
April 5, 2005... Byline: Mensah M. Dean Apr. 5--The Philadelphia School District is doing a better job of hiring and keeping qualified teachers, but must do more to meet next year's federal deadline to have a qualified teacher in every classroom, according...

Police commish fixes budget.
April 5, 2005... Byline: Mark McDonald Apr. 5--Police Commissioner Sylvester Johnson said yesterday he has fixed the budget mess that forced him to withdraw his proposed spending plan after an embarrassing Council hearing in mid-March. Johnson said he...

Daily News photographer wins share of Pulitzer.
April 5, 2005... Byline: John F. Morrison Apr. 5--Jim MacMillan discovered that the safest place for a photographer in Iraq is with the troops in battle. He also discovered after a year photographing war and its horrors that there's no place like home....

A DVD bonanza for TV.
April 6, 2005... Byline: Ellen Gray If you've ever spent a lost weekend watching an entire season of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" (guilty) or "The West Wing" (ditto), then you already know how seductive it can be to slip into a TV world where the only reruns...

Daily News writers win several awards.
April 6, 2005... Byline: John F. Morrison Apr. 6--Daily News writers captured a number of honors in two important journalism contests. They won four first-place and five second-place prizes and an honorable mention in the annual Pennsylvania Newspaper...

Progress Plaza to get anchor tenant.
April 6, 2005... Byline: Earni Young Apr. 6--he Fresh Grocer has signed a lease to operate a 24-hour supermarket in Progress Plaza Shopping Center when, and if, the project gets built. Wendell Whitlock, chairman of Progress Investments Associates,...

Mayor to reveal ambitious wireless program.
April 7, 2005... Byline: Michael Hinkelman Apr. 7--High-speed wireless Internet access could be available in some Philly neighborhoods as soon as the end of this year -- and throughout the city by the summer of 2006, the mayor will announce today. ...

Casper is part nostalgia, part comic relief.
April 7, 2005... Byline: Rich Hofmann AUGUSTA, Ga. _ Reporters began arriving at the final green in ones and twos as the light faded. They were mostly staring at their shoes, a little bit embarrassed at what they were doing, which was gathering to watch...

Link of sites under fed eye to Mariano: Campaign $$.
April 7, 2005... Apr. 7--While the reasons for the probe remain murky at best, there is one public link between City Councilman Rick Mariano and three properties that have been targeted by federal investigators. Money -- as in campaign contributions. ...

A testy hearing on library budget.
April 7, 2005... Byline: Valerie M. Russ Apr. 7--City Council hearings on the Free Library of Philadelphia's budget for next year became testy and loud yesterday, with members of Council demanding of library officials, "Where is the million dollars?" ...

Big-name baseball players must be outed to maintain credibility.
April 8, 2005... Byline: Paul Hagen PHILADELPHIA _ Cynics have long pointed out that the NFL's drug policy never seems to catch the biggest stars, the quarterbacks and top running backs and game-breaking wide receivers, in its web. These conspiracy...

A ruling on fire dep't closings.
April 9, 2005... Byline: Regina Medina Apr. 9--The clash between the city and the firefighters' union over the city's plan to close a number of engine and ladder companies took a turn yesterday with an arbitrator siding with City Hall. Although a...

New school HQ to cost $22M more.
April 9, 2005... Byline: Mensah M. Dean Apr. 9--The school district revealed yesterday that the new administration building being built at 440 N. Broad St. is going to cost $22.4 million more than it was expected to cost in 2003. Officials attributed...

The Chef's Table: A taste of the '70s _ Chicken croquettes.
April 11, 2005... Byline: Jim Coleman and Candace Hagan Q: I watch you every day on (TV) and enjoy it very much. Some day, would you please show your fans how to make chicken croquettes? I worked with a chef years ago that made them in the `70s, but no one...

Slots of other states eyeing Pa. gambling.
April 11, 2005... Byline: Chris Brennan Apr. 11--Pennsylvania's entry into the lucrative gaming industry has prompted surrounding states to ponder the potential for lost profits. Gambling proponents -- elected officials and private investors -- have...

Gaming movement among states to be slow.
April 11, 2005... Byline: Chris Brennan Apr. 11--Pennsylvania's entry into the lucrative gaming industry has prompted surrounding states to ponder the potential for lost profits. Gambling proponents -- elected officials and private investors -- have...

Blue-collar guys face off at SEPTA.
April 11, 2005... Byline: Dan Geringer Apr. 11--As the clock races towards Thursday midnight and the threat of a crippling citywide transit strike, the union leader and the management negotiator -- sitting on opposite sides of the bargaining table but cut...

Come clean this spring.
April 11, 2005... Byline: Jonathan Takiff THE GIZMOS: Dyson DC 11 Cyclonic Vacuum Cleaner, Philips Sonicare IntelliClean System and Mr. Clean AutoDry Pro Carwash. The fresh air, warming weather and longer hours of daylight sure lift us from our lethargy...

Doing what you love to do shouldn't kill you.
April 12, 2005... Byline: John Smallwood PHILADELPHIA _ I suppose the worst thing, other than the fact that Los Angeles Avengers player Al Lucas will never go home to see his wife and child again, is that there is no one or nothing to blame. It seems...

His fear? Getting hitched.
April 12, 2005... Byline: Steve and Mia Q: I've been dating a woman for nearly two years. We're in our early 30s and she is asking me to make a commitment. Truth is, I just don't know if marriage would work for me. I really love this woman and don't want to...

`Veronica Mars' makes it to a second season.
April 12, 2005... Byline: Ellen Gray Nowhere is it written that 2.4 million TV viewers can't be wrong. Nowhere, that is, but the new playbook for UPN, which has decided that the loyal and so- far lonely fans of "Veronica Mars" deserve another season...

Philadelphia Daily News Plugged In column.
April 12, 2005... Byline: Jonathan Takiff Apr. 12--THE GIZMOS: Dyson DC 11 Cyclonic Vacuum Cleaner, Philips Sonicare IntelliClean System and Mr. Clean AutoDry Pro Carwash. The fresh air, warming weather and longer hours of daylight sure lift us from our...

Report: Philly's wireless plan flawed.
April 12, 2005... Byline: Michael Hinkelman Apr. 12--A Washington think tank with ties to the cable and telecommunications industry said yesterday that Wireless Philadelphia, the city's ambitious plan to provide low-cost, high-speed wireless Internet access...

The embryo-rights movement.
April 13, 2005... Byline: Carol Towarnicky The "Microscopic-Americans" rights movement has been growing for a while, but it's just beginning to show. Yes, "Miscroscopic Americans." That's what a writer for the conservative National Review called zygotes...

Time to sort the mess.
April 13, 2005... Byline: Erin Einhorn Apr. 13--The seven women and five men on the jury in the City Hall corruption trial have listened to 70 witnesses and 381 recorded phone calls in the past eight weeks. They've sat through 26 hours of arguments, ranging...

Ex-MBEC employee gets year in jail for credit-card fraud.
April 13, 2005... Byline: Jim Smith Apr. 13--Paul J. Newman, who was sentenced yesterday to a year and a day in prison for credit-card fraud, came from a supportive, loving and church-going family. His basketball skills won him a college scholarship....

Pension adviser under fire.
April 13, 2005... Byline: Bob Warner Apr. 13--Tina Poitevien, the top investment adviser to the city pension fund, is under fire in Bermuda, accused of importing pay-to-play politics from Philadelphia. The Mid-Ocean News reported this month that...

Plumber fined 30G for paying a bribe.
April 13, 2005... Byline: Jim Smith Apr. 13--Former plumbing contractor George Manosis yesterday was placed under house arrest for four months and fined $30,000 by a federal judge for bribing a corrupt Water Department clerk. Manosis, who owned several...

SEPTA & TWU running out of time.
April 13, 2005... Byline: Dan Geringer Apr. 13--As tomorrow's midnight strike deadline roars toward them like a runaway train, SEPTA and Transport Workers Union Local 234 negotiators remain deadlocked over who pays the enormous cost of employee health care...

Staley's dream come true helps others.
April 14, 2005... Byline: John Smallwood PHILADELPHIA _ The dream began almost a decade ago when Dawn Staley was in the midst of the most exhilarating moments of her basketball career. In the summer of 1996, while standing on the podium in Atlanta with...

Potential cost of Philadelphia house-bombing incident up to $59 million.
April 14, 2005... Byline: Joseph R. Daughen Apr. 14--The potential cost to Philadelphia taxpayers of the MOVE house-bombing 20 years ago has risen to an eye-popping $59 million -- higher than previous estimates -- thanks to a jury award of $12.8 million...

Budget cuts in art areas spark protests.
April 14, 2005... Byline: Michael Hinkelman Apr. 14--Asya Monique Leslie, a student at Franklin Learning Center, spends her Sundays greeting visitors at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. And it's something, she said, that has changed her life. "For me...

SEPTA-TWU: Extension.
April 14, 2005... Byline: Dan Geringer Apr. 14--There won't be a city transit strike before June 15. That was the good news for 400,000 daily riders last night after a day laced with SEPTA's verbal attacks on Transport Workers Union Local 234 President Jeff...

Owens' agent says it's time to pay up.
April 14, 2005... Byline: Les Bowen PHILADELPHIA _ Drew Rosenhaus, new agent for Terrell Owens, carried his T.O.-contract campaign to Dan Patrick's show on ESPN Radio on Thursday, laying out his rationale for revisiting a seven-year contract after one...

Deal buoys Kvaerner future; Firm gets contract to build 10 ships.
April 14, 2005... Byline: Earni Young Apr. 14--When the 750 workers at the Kvaerner Philadelphia Shipyard laid the keel for their fourth ship last month, they didn't know if there would be another. Or if the yard would close once the ship was finished next...

DualDiscs offer both sides of the story.
April 14, 2005... Byline: Jonathan Takiff THE GIZMO: DualDiscs to double your pleasure. ANTICIPATION: Trans-World Entertainment marketing executive Fred Fox can get his hands on any new software in his 900 stores (which include FYE, Strawberries,...

Don't assume there are two strikes against Nationals.
April 15, 2005... Byline: Paul Hagen PHILADELPHIA _ When it was announced that the Montreal Expos were being moved to Washington, there were two quick and nearly-universal reactions. The first was that Major League Baseball, backed into a corner, had...

Airport honored for defibrillators.
April 15, 2005... Byline: Dan Geringer Apr. 15--A week after the Daily News quoted a cardiologist describing the failure of a Philadelphia International Airport defibrillator to deliver an electrical jolt to a collapsed passenger's heart, the airport...

Has Philly flight hit bottom?
April 15, 2005... Apr. 15--Could it be that the incredible shrinking city is no longer shrinking? New data from the U.S. Census Bureau suggest that Philadelphia's population was still declining as of early 2004. The feds estimated the city's population in...

Clinton mobbed at signing of Kvaerner deal.
April 15, 2005... Byline: Earni Young Apr. 15--It was supposed to be all about the Benjamins as Kvaerner Philadelphia Shipyard yesterday celebrated the signing of a $1 billion contract to build 10 new tankers. Instead, former President Bill Clinton --...

Acela service comes to screeching halt.
April 16, 2005... Byline: David Gambacorta Apr. 16--As riders and politicians worried yesterday about Amtrak's future, the rail company announced that their acclaimed Acela Express won't be running for months. After cracks were discovered on disc-brake...

Elton John to headline 7/4 concert.
April 16, 2005... Byline: Earni Young Apr. 16--Philadelphia will host the biggest block party and outdoor concert of the year on July Fourth to climax the Sunoco Welcome America! Festival. British pop great Sir Elton John will headline the concert and...

City's gotta say 'Ciao !' to Chitwood.
April 16, 2005... Byline: Simone Weichselbaum Apr. 16--Lt. Mike Chitwood -- Philly's most quotable cop -- is leaving these tough city streets to lead the police force in a peaceful, prairie town in Oklahoma. After 17 years of chasing down low-level...

Pointing fingers at Sixers? Then Iverson isn't the answer.
April 17, 2005... Byline: John Smallwood EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. _ When the final chapter is written, the 76ers probably will not have won an NBA championship with Allen Iverson. And if at that time the Iverson detractors want to chirp that they said so...

The Chef's Table: How do you fry up chicken like the Colonel's?
April 18, 2005... Byline: Jim Coleman and Candace Hagan Q: I'm trying to make good fried chicken. KFC is the only kind of chicken that my kids will eat. I've tried many types of batter, but none have come even close to what the Colonel makes. Do you have a...

TIME MAGAZINE: Low rating for mayor.
April 18, 2005... Byline: Dan Geringer Apr. 18--John Street is one of the worst mayors in the country, according to the new issue of Time magazine, which hits newsstands today. While noting that "even his critics agree he has made considerable...

Barbara C. Peek, Blue Horizon exec.
April 18, 2005... Byline: Bernard Fernandez Apr. 18--Barbara C. Peek always had a big smile, hug and positive message for anyone she met. Peek, who served as vice president of the Blue Horizon and executive vice president of Blue Horizon Boxing...

Armstrong's legend will only grow.
April 19, 2005... Byline: Sam Donnellon PHILADELPHIA _ It was an interesting juxtaposition, what happened Monday. Just hours after another unknown name crossed the finish line first at the Boston Marathon, Lance Armstrong announced he would retire as an...

Don't count on big changes after age 30.
April 19, 2005... Byline: Steve and Mia Q: I have been dating a very sweet woman for a year now. We're in our early 30s and she's looking for a commitment, but I'm not sure. She is emotionally needy and requires a lot of hand-holding just to get through...

Clear as Daly: Star of ABC's `Eyes' knows he's the man for the part.
April 19, 2005... Byline: Ellen Gray Sometimes it's not who you know, it's what the people you know don't know about you. That's what Tim Daly found out when he first read the pilot script for ABC's "Eyes," a smart, funny take on a private-eye drama,...

Philadelphia Daily News Plugged In column.
April 19, 2005... Byline: Jonathan Takiff Apr. 19--THE GIZMO: DualDiscs to double your pleasure. ANTICIPATION: Trans-World Entertainment marketing executive Fred Fox can get his hands on any new software in his 900 stores (which include FYE,...

School custodians cut.
April 19, 2005... Byline: Mensah M. Dean Apr. 19--In July 220 custodian jobs at 22 high schools will be privatized, Philadelphia School District officials said yesterday during their annual budget hearing in City Council. "The goal here is less about...

Street Q&A on riverfront plans.
April 19, 2005... Byline: Earni Young Apr. 19--First, the whale showed up. Then, in the same week, came Bill Clinton and the promise of sustained work at the former Navy shipyard. If only Philly could pay this much attention to its riverfronts...

Street mulling end to tax abatements.
April 19, 2005... Byline: Earni Young Apr. 19--Patrick and Aliya Hines, two medical students from Baltimore, are looking forward to moving into their new house in South Philly this fall. The home in Jefferson Square is a stretch for the couple. And they...

Lend an ear, Tyson-Holyfield a notion to chew on.
April 20, 2005... Byline: Bernard Fernandez PHILADELPHIA _ Eight years ago, the rematch between Evander Holyfield and Mike Tyson _ the infamous Bite Fight _ generated 1.9 million pay-per-view purchases, a record for a boxing event that still stands. ...

Judge: Jury queries are secret.
April 20, 2005... Apr. 20--For the second day in a row, the jury in the City Hall corruption trial yesterday sent a note to Judge Michael Baylson that prompted him to hold a closed-door meeting with prosecutors, defendants, and their attorneys. Baylson has...

Rob & Amber: They're really a couple.
April 21, 2005... Byline: Ellen Gray Depending on whom you believe, "reality" show power couple Rob Mariano and Amber Brkich were either married last Saturday in the Bahamas or will tie the knot on CBS on May 24. I tend to favor the reporting done by...

Failing schools brace for aggressive reforms.
April 21, 2005... Byline: Mensah M. Dean Apr. 21--Reforms called "bold" and "courageous" by school district officials yesterday will be implemented at 11 of Philadelphia's lowest-performing public schools starting this fall. Each school will get its own...

Matt Jones a great physical specimen but where does he play.
April 21, 2005... Byline: Paul Domowitch PHILADELPHIA _ It took Matt Jones just 4.37 seconds to go from a second-tier NFL draft prospect to a possible first-round pick. The standard line from NFL scouts is that predraft workouts are just a part _ a...

Franklin winner cleared static.
April 21, 2005... Byline: Michael Hinkelman Apr. 21--Next time you're chatting away on your cell phone, you might want to thank Andrew J. Viterbi. Viterbi, 70, an icon in the world of wireless technology, will be honored tonight in Philadelphia with one...

Corruption trial: Juror seeks clarification.
April 21, 2005... Byline: Dave Davies Apr. 21--At least one juror in the City Hall corruption trial appears to be struggling with key elements of the government's case. The juror's note sent to U.S. District Judge Judge Michael Baylson asked whether...

Pay to play? Not my firm, says Philly adviser Poitevien.
April 21, 2005... Byline: Bob Warner Apr. 21--The top investment adviser to Philadelphia's pension fund issued a statement yesterday acknowledging that she and her firm have made "modest contributions to a handful of political campaigns," while denying that...

Santorum upfront over Outback?
April 21, 2005... Byline: William Bunch Apr. 21--Executives for Outback Steakhouses chain hosted a Florida fund-raiser for GOP Sen. Rick Santorum just days after the Pennsylvanian pushed in the Senate for the donor's pet issue: Blocking higher minimum pay...

Managers taking a stand in baseball.
April 22, 2005... Byline: Paul Hagen PHILADELPHIA _ George Steinbrenner lashed out at his Yankees this week, particularly targeting manager Joe Torre and his staff for being responsible for turning a slow start around. What did Torre do? Basically made...