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

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

Westbrook signs new deal with Eagles.
June 1, 2005... Byline: Les Bowen PHILADELPHIA _ Tuesday night, Brian Westbrook finally called agent Fletcher Smith. Westbrook had fired agent Tony Agnone nearly two weeks earlier, before going off on vacation to think over how he wanted to approach his...

Concert poses challenge for Parkway.
June 1, 2005... Byline: Michael Hinkelman Jun. 1--The institutions and neighborhoods lining the Ben Franklin Parkway have been working on making the city's Museum Mile a "truly unique" destination and "welcoming place." Talk about being careful what...

Nutter's delicate balancing act.
June 1, 2005... Byline: Mark McDonald Jun. 1--With his smoking-ban bill slated for a final vote tomorrow, City Councilman Michael Nutter is engaged in a delicate balancing act. Needing nine votes to pass the bill, Nutter has been stuck on eight since...

Philadelphia restaurateur pleads guilty to tax fraud.
June 1, 2005... Byline: Ramona Smith Jun. 1--The man credited with reviving the Center City restaurant scene may wind up spending a year or more in the cooler. But groundbreaking restaurateur Neil Stein, who pleaded guilty yesterday to federal tax-...

Vote expected today on biz tax.
June 2, 2005... Byline: Chris Brennan Jun. 2--If Philadelphia's business-privilege tax were a coin, one side would say it pays for city services and the other side would say it deters businesses from locating and thriving here. Today, that coin gets...

Nutter's smoke-ban bill remains up in the air.
June 2, 2005... Byline: Mark McDonald Jun. 2--City Councilman Michael Nutter may seek a vote on his controversial smoking-ban bill today, or he may not. It all depends on whether he has the elusive ninth vote needed for the bill to pass. And...

Council gives preliminary OK to 7-year trash contract.
June 2, 2005... Byline: Mark McDonald Jun. 2--City Council yesterday gave its preliminary approval to the Street administration's plan to parcel out a $339 million, seven-year trash contract to four waste companies. Without asking any of the behemoth...

Bank acknowledges, and apologizes for, links to slavery.
June 2, 2005... Jun. 2--In the 1700s, Revolutionary War financier Robert Morris and another merchant purchased an indigo plantation in Mississippi, and with it, "a number of Negroes." In 1791, Morris and Thomas Willig used their profits from the slave...

Yankees have the talent, but they don't have the wins.
June 3, 2005... Byline: Paul Hagen PHILADELPHIA _ Gary Sheffield recently allowed his eyes to roam around the New York Yankees' clubhouse. "When I look at this team, I feel . . . like we shouldn't ever lose. I don't see how we lose," he said this...

McNabb caught in the middle of Eagles' maelstrom.
June 3, 2005... Byline: Les Bowen PHILADELPHIA _ Donovan McNabb's rule of thumb for dealing with Eagles management isn't very different from his rule of thumb for dealing with just about anyone, the Birds' quarterback said Thursday. "If you're...

Little is found in `Lost' finale.
June 3, 2005... Byline: Ellen Gray I'm trying to move on. I really am. Tapes and DVDs of summer series are stacked all over my office, and every day's mail brings new fall pilots. After a season of doomed and desperate housewives, surreal...

Council OKs biz-tax cut, 2006 budget.
June 3, 2005... Byline: Chris Brennan Jun. 3--City Council yesterday approved a modest trim to the Philadelphia business-privilege tax, but Mayor Street said he will likely veto the measure. Street said the tax cut, which would have cost the city...

By golly, Dali exhibit succeeded 'brilliantly'.
June 3, 2005... Byline: Joseph R. Daughen Jun. 3--The Salvador Dali exhibition at the Philadelphia Museum of Art attracted more than 370,000 visitors, one of the largest totals in the museum's history. The exhibition, which ran from Feb. 16 through...

Abandoned anchor caused Athos oil spill.
June 3, 2005... Byline: Ramona Smith Jun. 3--The anchor did it. That was the villain that tore into the belly of the tanker Athos I, unleashing 265,000 gallons of crude oil into the Delaware River six months ago, the ship's representative said...

The Chef's Table: Vietnamese beef noodle dish.
June 3, 2005... Byline: Jim Coleman and Candace Hagan Q: I'm hoping you can help with a dish that I recently enjoyed at a very good Vietnamese Restaurant. The dish was called Stir Fried Beef, but it was actually hot sliced beef with sauteed onions served...

Mobile gaming is the way to go.
June 6, 2005... Byline: Jonathan Takiff THE GIZMO: Porta-party fun at E3. MIGHTY MITES: Pocketable, portable video game systems and software had a sizeable presence at the recent Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles _ they could tap a much...

Little is found in `Lost' finale.
June 6, 2005... Byline: Ellen Gray I'm trying to move on. I really am. Tapes and DVDs of summer series are stacked all over my office, and every day's mail brings new fall pilots. After a season of doomed and desperate housewives, surreal...

Milton Street's plan to repay lien was KO'd.
June 6, 2005... Byline: Joseph R. Daughen Jun. 6--The Penn's Landing Corp. had rejected as "unacceptable" a proposal by Milton Street to pay off a $36,550 judgment against him in monthly installments. Street made the offer while Penn's Landing was in...

Elmore says age limit would help players, NBA.
June 7, 2005... Byline: Phil Jasner PHILADELPHIA _ Len Elmore played at legendary Power Memorial High in New York. Later starred at Maryland. Then played two seasons in the old ABA and eight more in the NBA. Elmore, all 6-10 of him, is 53, an attorney...

Nudist beach is off-limits if she says no.
June 7, 2005... Byline: Steve and Mia Q: I promised my boyfriend whatever he wanted for his birthday, and he wanted us to go to the nude beach at Sandy Hook, N.J. We are in pretty good shape, and I wear bikinis, but I don't like this idea at all. If I saw...

Philadelphia Daily News Plugged In column.
June 7, 2005... Byline: Jonathan Takiff Jun. 7--THE GIZMO: Porta-party fun at E3. MIGHTY MITES: Pocketable, portable video game systems and software had a sizeable presence at the recent Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles -- they could tap a...

Pennsylvania politician, family cut from casino plan.
June 7, 2005... Byline: Chris Brennan Jun. 7--A Las Vegas casino company yesterday cut state Sen. Mike Stack III and his family out of its proposal to build a slots parlor on the Delaware River in Fishtown. Ameristar Casinos Inc. said it reconfigured...

Housing plan offers HOPE for once 'hopeless' program.
June 7, 2005... Byline: Earni Young Jun. 7--Just a week ago, public-housing advocate Nellie Reynolds said she complained to friends about the "hopeless six program." Reynolds, a Philadelphia Housing Authority board member, was frustrated over HUD...

Phillies' former No. 1 pick says he's learned his lesson.
June 8, 2005... Byline: Paul Hagen CLEARWATER, Fla. _ Razzel's is a loud, smoke-filled drinking bar, a joint with the reputation for being rough around the edges, located a mile-and-a-half from the Carpenter Complex. It used to be called Bobcat's and,...

Guv gambles may have cost him in this poll.
June 8, 2005... Byline: Dave Davies Jun. 8--Is Ed losing his edge? Gov. Rendell's popularity may be slipping as he approaches a re-election year, according to the latest Daily News/ CN8 Keystone poll. The survey showed that only 38 percent of those...

Viagra giving rise to new breed of bedroom pills.
June 8, 2005... Byline: William Bunch Jun. 8--Not too long ago, a couple seeking help in the bedroom visited the St. Paul, Minn., office of nationally known sex therapist Michael Metz. "The man said that he was upset, that he was suffering from...

Street: City smoking ban is certain.
June 8, 2005... Byline: Mark McDonald Jun. 8--Mayor Street boldly predicted yesterday that a smoking ban will be the law in Philadelphia by the end of the year, "for sure." But the means of getting there from the current impasse in City Council is as...

Tyson will not just fade away.
June 9, 2005... Byline: Sam Donnellon PHILADELPHIA _ To those who believe that Mike Tyson's career may be over should he lose to Kevin McBride on Saturday night, I have one question: How many times do you have to be hit upside the head? How can...

Press has lost its `Deep Throat' ways.
June 9, 2005... Byline: Carol Towarnicky I was on vacation in Turkey when I saw the story in the International Herald Tribune: "Deep Throat" had been revealed as W. Mark Felt, ex-FBI official. Drat! For sure, the revelation would be all over the news...

Ritchey's training methods to be put to the test again.
June 9, 2005... Byline: Dick Jerardi ELMONT, N.Y. _ There are some who are billing Saturday's Belmont Stakes as a rematch between Kentucky Derby winner Giacomo and Preakness winner Afleet Alex. Actually, the Preakness was the rematch. And it wasn't close....

Game 1 is tough on the eyes.
June 9, 2005... Byline: John Smallwood SAN ANTONIO _ That clicking sound you heard about 11 o'clock Thursday night was America turning off the NBA Finals. Going into Game 1, everyone knew that while the San Antonio Spurs against the Detroit Pistons...

Two ex-J.P. Morgan execs sentenced for pay-to-play.
June 9, 2005... Byline: Erin Einhorn Jun. 9--Calling former J.P. Morgan exec Charles LeCroy an "enabler" who allowed attorney Ron White to wield great power in Philadelphia, U.S. District Judge Michael Baylson yesterday sentenced LeCroy to three months in...

Bond underwriting rules don't change.
June 9, 2005... Byline: Mark McDonald Jun. 9--City Council's Finance Committee yesterday rejected a proposal to change the way teams of lawyers and underwriters are selected to manage lucrative municipal-bond sales. The proposed system, unanimously...

NBA age limit has supporters among college coaches.
June 10, 2005... Byline: Dick Jerardi PHILADELPHIA _ If the NBA enacts the 20-year age limit, how exactly will it affect college basketball? It would stand to reason that the game would be better if the successors to LeBron James, Kobe Bryant and Kevin...

Afleet Alex, Lost in the Fog headline Saturday at the races.
June 10, 2005... Byline: Dick Jerardi ELMONT, N.Y. _ Saturday's Belmont Stakes has two possible outcomes. Afleet Alex is the 2005 version of Point Given, the best 3-year-old of 2001, who was unlucky to lose the Derby and dominated the Preakness and...

Pitching coach Mike Maddux a credit to Brewers.
June 10, 2005... Byline: Paul Hagen PHILADELPHIA _ In Milwaukee, they tell the story about the day in 2002 when Greg Maddux was shagging fly balls in the outfield at Houston and several Astros pitchers came by to tell the four-time Cy Young Award winner...

Council approves plan to boost housing for the poor.
June 10, 2005... Byline: Earni Young Jun. 10--City Council unanimously approved a long-awaited Housing Trust Fund to build more affordable housing for the poor yesterday. Money for the fund will come from an increase in deed recording fees that will...

Pennsylvania tightens land-sale rules.
June 10, 2005... Byline: Chris Brennan Jun. 10--Real estate investors looking to buy state land on the cheap and then sell it for big bucks to gaming corporations are now out of luck. A new policy put into place by Gov. Rendell halts the practice, as...

Ladies: You're in luck, potty parity is on the way.
June 10, 2005... Byline: Barbara J. Isenberg Jun. 10--For women, the wait just might be over. And they can't be more pleased. Philadelphians milling in and around City Hall yesterday were enthusiastic about proposed legislation in City Council...

Street pledges smoking-ban bill by end of the year.
June 10, 2005... Byline: Mark McDonald Jun. 10--While a smoking ban bill won't happen this month, Mayor Street yesterday renewed his pledge to get either a new or improved bill through City Council by the end of the year. The delay was caused by a...

Best or a pest? Rosenhaus' reputation as agent subject of debate.
June 11, 2005... Byline: Paul Domowitch PHILADELPHIA _ Ask Drew Rosenhaus about all the fist-balling and teeth-gnashing and Maalox-guzzling that he is prompting around the NFL with his minicamp boycotts and renegotiation requests for several of his...

Abreu is new king of pop.
June 11, 2005... Byline: Paul Hagen DETROIT _ One of the most storied home runs in All-Star history was hit down the street from Comerica Park, at the old Tiger Stadium, by Reggie Jackson in 1971. A local physics professor calculated that it would have...

Electronic gifts for Dad and grad.
June 13, 2005... Byline: Jonathan Takiff THE GIZMOS: Nothing says loving to Dad or grad like the gift of a cool electronic gadget. Here are some of our faves, most newly available and "state of the art." PERFECT PICTURES EVERYWHERE: Anyone with a...

Write it down: Phillies are contractually set.
June 13, 2005... Byline: Rich Hofmann PHILADELPHIA _ Back in 2000, as a going-away present to manager Terry Francona, Phillies general manager Ed Wade ran 50-something players through his team's clubhouse _ which, that year, lacked only three rings and a...

Cosby accusers ask to remain anonymous in civil case.
June 13, 2005... Byline: Nicole Weisensee Egan PHILADELPHIA _Jane Doe No. 1 does not want her elderly parents to be subjected to a media frenzy. Jane Doe No. 2 has bipolar disorder and fears releasing her identity would worsen her condition. And...

Fair lending is Goode's 'reparations' goal.
June 13, 2005... Byline: Mark McDonald Jun. 13--Last week, City Councilman Wilson Goode Jr. introduced a bill that in one fell swoop pulled together a volatile mixture of banks that hold city deposits, their past profits from slavery and future...

The Chef's Table: Sweetbreads.
June 14, 2005... Byline: Jim Coleman and Candace Hagan Q: I have been trying to find out exactly what "sweetbreads" are _ I've heard that they are either the glands or the brains of a cow or a lamb. And why are they considered a delicacy? Can you let me...

Aging debate: Dawkins has no regrets in going pro after high school.
June 14, 2005... Byline: Phil Jasner PHILADELPHIA _ He was 6-11, and easily carried a solid, muscular 250-plus pounds. Physically, he was fully grown and developed. He could run, jump and shoot. He could absorb a blow and could deliver one, even though he...

Rollins inks new deal with Phillies.
June 14, 2005... Byline: Marcus Hayes PHILADELPHIA _ Jimmy Rollins wanted a couple of things. He wanted to make as least as much money as Orlando Cabrera got from the Angels. He wanted to end negotiations when spring training ended, mainly because he...

There's something about Larry.
June 14, 2005... Byline: Phil Jasner SAN ANTONIO, Texas _ Dan Gilbert, the new owner of the Cleveland Cavaliers, wanted to speak with Detroit coach Larry Brown about an opportunity. Sure, said Pistons president of basketball operations Joe Dumars. ...

Ex-Sixers star returning to the team as assistant coach.
June 14, 2005... Byline: Phil Jasner TROY, Mich. _ Andrew Toney is, in a sense, coming home. Yes, he played at Southwestern Louisiana. But he spent his entire eight-season NBA career with the 76ers. And now he's coming back to them. The Sixers have...

Time for `serious moves'?
June 14, 2005... Byline: Steve and Mia Q: After how many dates is it appropriate for a man to put serious moves on a woman? Steve: As Larry David said in "Curb Your Enthusiasm," "When I was dating, I would wait four months before I made a breast...

Philadelphia Daily News Plugged In column.
June 14, 2005... Byline: Jonathan Takiff Jun. 14--THE GIZMOS: Nothing says loving to Dad or grad like the gift of a cool electronic gadget. Here are some of our faves, most newly available and "state of the art." PERFECT PICTURES EVERYWHERE: Anyone...

Barnes losing dedicated leader.
June 14, 2005... Byline: Joseph R. Daughen Jun. 14--Kimberly Camp, who presided over the Barnes Foundation during its fight to relocate its multi-billion art collection to Center City, is resigning "not later than Jan. 1, 2006." Camp, in her late 40s,...

Expected crowd forces closures.
June 14, 2005... Byline: Michael Hinkelman Jun. 14--The big Live 8 concert on the Ben Franklin Parkway on July 2 -- which could draw up to a million visitors -- has forced the two biggest Parkway cultural draws to shutter their doors that day. Both the...

Bill would let people appeal zoning rulings.
June 14, 2005... Byline: Mark McDonald Jun. 14--State Rep. Mark Cohen remembers fondly his legal battle against the owner of a drug house at Broad and Olney. It was the late '80s and Cohen used the city's zoning ordinance to get the property owner...

... But the biz of finding a cure keeps on growing.
June 15, 2005... Byline: Michael Hinkelman Jun. 15--At least three of the four major cancer centers in Philadelphia have expansion plans under way or in the works: --Construction is under way on a $4.8-million, 14,000- square-foot diagnostic-imaging...

Can Philly cure cancer?
June 15, 2005... Byline: Michael Hinkelman Jun. 15--When Dr. Ronald E. Myers, a prominent cancer researcher at Thomas Jefferson University, recruited a leading scientist last year from Beth Israel Hospital in New York, Philadelphia gained a brilliant new...

Both sides agree to keep SEPTA running.
June 15, 2005... Byline: Dan Geringer Jun. 15--Yesterday brought good news for the transit-riding public: There will be no citywide SEPTA strike anytime soon. As the clock ticked toward a midnight strike deadline and the afternoon's brutal heat failed...

Pa. is $hunning stem-cell research.
June 15, 2005... Byline: Michael Hinkelman Jun. 15--While Pennsylvania considers whether or not to scale back funding for biomedical research, nearby states are taking a different approach. Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey and New York are...

Great at the plate: Ichiro makes his mark.
June 16, 2005... Byline: Paul Hagen PHILADELPHIA _ Lee Elia was the Philadelphia Phillies' manager in 1988 when a game ended with outfielder Mike Young looking at a called third strike with runners in scoring position. In the silent clubhouse afterward,...

Rapper to face charges in shooting spree.
June 16, 2005... Byline: Simone Weichselbaum PHILADELPHIA _ The Philadelphia rapper Cassidy was due to surrender to police Friday in connection with an April 15 shooting spree that left one man dead and two seriously wounded in the city's West Oak Lane...

For Phillies, the best medicine is patience.
June 17, 2005... Byline: Paul Hagen PHILADELPHIA _ Fan polls are fun, but they have their limits. Take, for example, the proposition that has been posed in a couple of places in the last few days. Should the Phillies address the expected loss of Randy...

Not every young player can be a LeBron James.
June 17, 2005... Byline: Kevin Mulligan PHILADELPHIA _ For every Moses Malone, Darryl Dawkins, Kobe Bryant or Dwight Howard, the list of high school kids who have attempted the express lane from high school to the NBA and failed would stretch as long as a...

Chamber threatens Council over biz tax.
June 17, 2005... Byline: Mark McDonald Jun. 17--In the wake of Mayor Street's veto of a modest business-tax-reduction bill yesterday, the head of the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce took off the kid gloves and threatened the political lives of...

Philadelphia television station, guild reach agreement.
June 17, 2005... Byline: Dan Gross Jun. 17--And the big story at CBS 3 is that a tentative agreement has been reached between the station and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists. We reported last month that AFTRA members at CBS 3...

Philadelphia mayor's program for children, families, faces budget ax.
June 17, 2005... Byline: Mark McDonald Jun. 17--Somebody dropped the ball. Somebody made a mistake, and now the Street administration's crown jewel, its special programming for children and families in need, is facing a sharp budget ax. What's unclear...

Philadelphia city council members bond against funding bill.
June 17, 2005... Byline: Mark McDonald Jun. 17--For the first time in memory, City Council yesterday rejected a routine ordinance that would have asked voters in November to approve a bond issue to fund the city's $70 million capital program for 2006. ...

Movie industry faces worst slump in 20 years.
June 17, 2005... Byline: William Bunch Jun. 17--A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, Americans used to flock to some pretty mediocre movies in the summertime -- just to enjoy two hours of powerful air conditioning. "It used to be that in the...

Ex-union big jailed 6 months.
June 17, 2005... Byline: Jim Smith Jun. 17--A former official of the International Laborers Union yesterday was sentenced to six months in prison by a federal judge for bribery and theft. Gordon N. Green, 38, of Annapolis, Md., had admitted that he...

Is it time to close the curtain on Mike Tyson?
June 19, 2005... Byline: Bernard Fernandez PHILADELPHIA _ Now playing at theaters nationwide: "Cinderella Man," the uplifting, redemptive tale of heavyweight boxer James J. Braddock, who fought his way through injuries and the Great Depression to finally...

The Chef's Table: Keeping tabs on the trends.
June 20, 2005... Byline: Jim Coleman I got a call from Jill at "All American Speakers." Since most of the phone calls I get are from people trying to sell me something, I thought maybe she was selling car speakers or stereo speakers. To my surprise, she...

Ticket sale slump means little to bottom line thanks to DVDs.
June 20, 2005... Byline: Gary Thompson To understand why Hollywood isn't panicked about its three-month run of bad ticket sales, you have to think outside the box, or in this case, box office. Consider: In Hollywood's golden age, studios made virtually...

`Apocalypse Now' for America's movie theaters?
June 20, 2005... Byline: William Bunch Americans used to flock to some pretty mediocre movies in the summertime _ just to enjoy two hours of powerful air conditioning. "It used to be that in the summer, people would just go to the movies regardless,"...

Pioneer's plasma TV worth the high price.
June 20, 2005... Byline: Jonathan Takiff THE GIZMO: Pioneer PDP-4350HD Plasma TV, recent winner of a Sound & Vision Magazine plasma-screen "shoot out." PLASMA AND MORE PLASMA: Yes, there are cheaper hang-on-the wall plasma screens than the $5,000 list...

Horry dazzles in June, then disappears.
June 20, 2005... Byline: Rich Hofmann PHILADELPHIA _ Robert Horry of the San Antonio Spurs might have the greatest deal in professional sports right now _ Mr. Big Shot (with no other heavy lifting required). Horry owns five NBA championship rings, and...

For the Spurs' sake, it's better to win Game 6 than . . .
June 20, 2005... Byline: John Smallwood SAN ANTONIO _ Perhaps the Detroit Pistons are speaking with a bravado fueled by nothing more than the fact that the desperation of their situation allows them to say whatever they want without additional...

Rosenhaus says he called Reid about Owens.
June 20, 2005... Byline: Les Bowen PHILADELPHIA _ Drew Rosenhaus said Monday he has spoken to Andy Reid "this week" about the stalemated situation between the Eagles and their All-Pro wide receiver, Terrell Owens. "I called Andy and talked to him,"...

Boxing's junior welterweight division the class of the sport.
June 21, 2005... Byline: Bernard Fernandez PHILADELPHIA _ Ask anyone whose knowledge of boxing extends beyond Mike Tyson's latest pratfall and they'll tell you that the 140-pound weight class is the deepest and best in the sport. This has been a June...

Honeymoon or the house?
June 21, 2005... Byline: Steve and Mia Q: My fiancee and I are getting married in September, and we are arguing over our honeymoon. Her life's dream is to go to Tahiti/Bora Bora. But we also bought a house last year and need to fix it up. I've tried to...

Philadelphia Daily News Plugged In column.
June 21, 2005... Byline: Jonathan Takiff Jun. 21--THE GIZMO: Pioneer PDP-4350HD Plasma TV, recent winner of a Sound & Vision Magazine plasma-screen "shoot out." PLASMA AND MORE PLASMA: Yes, there are cheaper hang-on-the wall plasma screens than the...

Cosby's lawyers object to anonymity requests in civil suit.
June 21, 2005... Byline: Nicole Weisensee Egan PHILADELPHIA _ Bill Cosby's attorneys Tuesday filed a motion objecting to anonymity requests by 11 Jane Doe witnesses in a civil suit against the entertainer. "Defendant does not wish to intrude on the...

Huge deficit in Philadelphia's long-range spending concerns state group.
June 21, 2005... Byline: Mark McDonald Jun. 21--Over at PICA, the state fiscal watchdog, they call it the "nuclear option." It's what would happen if the board of directors of the Pennsylvania Intergovernmental Cooperation Authority were to reject the...

Philadelphia is the new hot spot in the life sciences field.
June 21, 2005... Byline: Earni Young Jun. 21--It's official: The Philly region is a hot spot -- third behind Boston and greater San Francisco -- for the life-sciences industry. At least according the Milken Institute, which took a first-time-ever look...