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

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

Can two-timer be trusted?
March 1, 2005... Byline: Steve and Mia Q: I have been dating this guy for almost three years, and we are now engaged. He sent me flowers every week when we lived in different states. Recently he told me about a woman that he had been sleeping with while we...

Vote set on pay-to-play bill.
March 1, 2005... Byline: Dave Davies Mar. 1--A City Council committee is poised to approve historic legislation today barring big campaign contributors from getting city contracts, despite Mayor Street's continued opposition. "By the end of the hearing...

Feds wanted Kemp to wear wire.
March 1, 2005... Byline: Erin Einhorn Mar. 1--Long before former City Treasurer Corey Kemp became the biggest fish on the hook in the City Hall corruption case, federal agents tried to use him to make some bigger catches, Kemp's lawyer suggested yesterday....

Rep. Fattah: I'll decide on mayor this year.
March 1, 2005... Byline: Dave Davies Mar. 1--U.S. Rep. Chaka Fattah said he'll decide by the end of this year whether he'll run for mayor in 2007. Either way, Fattah said, he'll seek re-election to his congressional seat next year. If NAACP President...

Philadelphia Daily News Plugged In column.
March 1, 2005... Byline: Jonathan Takiff Mar. 1--THE GIZMO: 2005 tech toys from the American International Toy Fair, held last week in New York. Kids are growing older faster, a maturation phenomenon called "age compression." And they're aspiring to...

Bill would force firms to reveal slavery profits.
March 1, 2005... Byline: Mark McDonald Mar. 1--On the last day of Black History Month yesterday, City Council's Finance Committee unanimously supported a bill that would require any company that has won a city contract to disclose past profits from or...

Ed saves transit with $412 million.
March 1, 2005... Byline: Dan Geringer Mar. 1--A last-minute reprieve from Gov. Rendell yesterday saved the state's transit riders from "doomsday" fare boosts and service cuts with the earmarking of $412 million in new federal highway funds to keep buses...

McClellan, Blackburn provide a rare moment in a rough sport.
March 2, 2005... Byline: Bernard Fernandez PHILADELPHIA _ In one of my favorite scenes from "A League of Their Own," an exasperated Tom Hanks exclaims "There's no crying in baseball!" to a blubbering outfielder after his tirade when she again failed to hit...

Cosby tells National Enquirer his side of the story.
March 2, 2005... Byline: Nicole Weisensee Egan PHILADELPHIA _ Bill Cosby has finally broken his silence about drugging and groping allegations levied against him by a former Temple University employee. And he did it an exclusive interview with the...

Public servants earning bonus pay.
March 2, 2005... Byline: Mark McDonald Mar. 2--After more than two months of weighing his options, Mayor Street yesterday gave pay raises to 2,050 non-union city employees, including his senior staff. The raises go to two distinct groups: about 1,400...

Barnes board adds MOMA trustee.
March 3, 2005... Byline: Joseph R. Daughen Mar. 3--The Barnes Foundation has named Agnes Gund, former president of the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, to its board of trustees. Gund, 67, has been a MOMA trustee since 1976, and served as...

Dianah Neff logs in some time to explain future of Wi-Fi in Philly.
March 3, 2005... Byline: Michael Hinkelman Mar. 3--Philly has a shot at being the first major U.S. city to be covered entirely by a wireless Internet system, so that any resident could step out on her front porch and, with a Wi-Fi-enabled laptop or...

Librarians get noisy over cutbacks in hours.
March 3, 2005... Byline: Valerie M. Russ Mar. 3--Librarians don't usually tolerate loudmouths, and rarely do they get loud themselves. But yesterday, outside the Wyoming branch of the Free Library of Philadelphia, the librarians were making plenty of...

Pay-to-play reform, testimony.
March 3, 2005... Byline: Dave Davies Mar. 3--Imagine a day when giving the mayor a $50,000 contribution disqualifies you from getting city bond work. It could come as soon as Sept. 1, right here in Philadelphia. A City Council committee has approved...

Goldsmith: City pay structure is out of whack.
March 3, 2005... Byline: Mark McDonald Mar. 3--On the day that the Street administration announced raises for its senior staff, Managing Director Phil Goldsmith yesterday decried the city's salary structure as "way out of whack" and in urgent need of...

Vegas firm options riverfront plot.
March 3, 2005... Byline: Chris Brennan Mar. 3--A Las Vegas casino company has an option to buy 46 acres of waterfront property along the Delaware River in Fishtown near Penn Treaty Park. The land is owned by companies controlled by James J. Anderson, a...

Mayor Street: More work needed.
March 3, 2005... Byline: Carla Anderson Mar. 3--The immediate crisis may be over, but SEPTA's still in trouble, and long-term fixes are going to require long-term effort, Mayor Street told a group of transit organizers yesterday. "I think we did all...

Mourning bailing out on teams.
March 3, 2005... Byline: John Smallwood PHILADELPHIA _ Under normal circumstances, Alonzo Mourning returning to the Miami Heat would be a great story. The prodigal son who turned the struggling franchise into a contender but then left because of a...

Gaming Control Board sets deadline for issuing slots licenses.
March 4, 2005... Byline: Chris Brennan Mar. 4--HARRISBURG -- The state Gaming Control Board set out yesterday an "ambitious" agenda to start licensing some slot-machine operators by the end of the year. The board, however, has not been very adept at...

Webber must fit 76ers' system, not vice-versa.
March 5, 2005... Byline: Phil Jasner PHILADELPHIA _ Jim O'Brien could be preparing to face the Washington Generals and he'd still tell the 76ers to front the post, to protect the paint and recover in time to defend the perimeter. Billy King had to know...

There's no going back to Kobe Bryant's untarnished image.
March 5, 2005... Byline: John Smallwood PHILADELPHIA _ Now would be a good time for Kobe Bryant to get a little bit of Allen Iverson in him. With this week's out-of-court civil settlement between Bryant and the woman who accused him of rape, the dark...

Philadelphia fans win Trotter's heart.
March 5, 2005... Byline: Les Bowen PHILADELPHIA _ As this week continued, the disbelief grew among Eagles fans. They were angry at their team's front office for not signing middle linebacker Jeremiah Trotter to a new deal before free agency began at...

Kemp's lawyer bugs FBI agent.
March 5, 2005... Byline: Erin Einhorn Mar. 5--An attorney for former city treasurer Corey Kemp yesterday grilled the FBI agent in charge of the City Hall corruption case, suggesting that Kemp was indicted because agents couldn't nail Mayor Street. ...

Casey will run for Santorum's seat; rivals drop out.
March 5, 2005... Byline: Bob Warner Mar. 5--After weeks of courtship by national Democratic leaders, state treasurer Bob Casey Jr. announced yesterday that he'll run for the U.S. Senate next year, trying to unseat two-term Republican incumbent Rick...

Bush SocSec plan draws barbs, praise.
March 5, 2005... Byline: Chris Brennan Mar. 5--For Democrats, they give voice to the span of Social Security -- an 85-year-old widow and a 23-year-old college student. Bernice Hayes and Benjamin Schak were front and center yesterday in the raging...

For Diamondbacks, bouncing back is hard to do.
March 6, 2005... Byline: Paul Hagen ___ PHILADELPHIA _ The Philadelphia A's won four pennants and three world championships from 1910 through 1914. Then owner Connie Mack, fearing raids from the upstart Federal League, began selling off his stars. ...

Phillies' Manuel stays true to his small-town roots.
March 7, 2005... Byline: Marcus Hayes BUENA VISTA, Va. _ You have to pass a sign proclaiming this town the home of the new Phillies manager, this small burg by the Maury River, which eventually connects to the Chesapeake Bay. It is an hour from...

John Paul II: The lion in winter.
March 7, 2005... Byline: Christine M. Flowers Eulogies aren't for the living. They shouldn't be written when eyes still see, hearts still beat and lungs still breathe. But there are times when beloved people reach a certain twilight, and we know that...

The Chef's Table: Make your cashews crunch.
March 7, 2005... Byline: Jim Coleman and Candace Hagan Q: This past summer I bought some Cashew Glaze, "The Finest Nut Crunch Ever Made." The ingredients listed on the label are: sugar, corn syrup, salt, butter, nuts, lecithin. Can you tell me how much of...

Zooming in on digital photography.
March 7, 2005... Byline: Jonathan Takiff THE GIZMO: Product introductions at the Photo Marketing Association show in Orlando, Fla. For the last couple months I've been having fun with (but dawdling over the chore of reviewing) the Panasonic Lumix...

Eagles center separates from wife.
March 7, 2005... Byline: Dan Gross PHILADELPHIA _ Hank Fraley and wife, Christy, have separated. The Eagles center sold the couple's Sicklerville, N.J., home last summer Christy Fraley has moved to Pittsburgh with the couple's 10-month-old son....

Residents oppose shredder plans.
March 7, 2005... Byline: Ramona Smith Mar. 7--It's one of Philly's grittiest landmarks -- a massive shredder that rips away at junk cars and appliances near the foot of the Platt Memorial Bridge. Now neighbors from South and Southwest Philadelphia -- a...

Handling young problem students.
March 7, 2005... Byline: Mensah M. Dean Mar. 7--A simple trip to and from the bathroom for half a dozen third- and fourth-graders at Blankenburg Elementary School has become an exercise in chaos management. On the way back to their classroom, one boy...

TWU authorizes strike over co-pay issue.
March 7, 2005... Byline: Dan Geringer Mar. 7--SEPTA's biggest union voted yesterday to strike when its contract expires on March 15 if the transit agency insists on forcing veteran workers to start co-paying for health care. "Under no circumstances do...

Impersonator plays Michael Jackson in E! trial re-enactment.
March 8, 2005... Byline: Scott Flander You have to feel a little sorry for longtime Michael Jackson impersonator Edward Moss. He's in the role he was born for _ playing Jackson in E! Entertainment Television's nightly re-enactment of the singer's...

Defining moments.
March 8, 2005... Byline: Steve and Mia Q: Could you explain to me the difference (if any) among the following: "flirting with," "hitting on" and "coming on to" women? Steve: Definitions vary, but I'd say "flirting" could be half-innocent conversation,...

Philadelphia Daily News Plugged In column.
March 8, 2005... Byline: Jonathan Takiff Mar. 8--THE GIZMO: Product introductions at the Photo Marketing Association show in Orlando, Fla. For the last couple months I've been having fun with (but dawdling over the chore of reviewing) the Panasonic...

Sixers ought to throw back throwback game.
March 8, 2005... Byline: Sam Donnellon PHILADELPHIA _ It was "Throwback Night" at the Wachovia Center and all you kept thinking was, well, throw them back. Not all of them, of course. But it's becoming increasingly painful to watch this latest...

Cosby jokes about slipping drugs in woman's drink.
March 8, 2005... Byline: Nicole Weisensee Egan PHILADELPHIA _ A little over a week after being cleared of doping and groping a former Temple University women's basketball executive, Bill Cosby joked during a performance at the State Theater in New...

University of Pennsylvania casino-design winner used a spiraling concept.
March 8, 2005... Byline: Earni Young Mar. 8--At first glance, the winning design for a Center City slots parlor appears to have a whirlwind rising through its center. Closer scrutiny shows the circular pattern is a sweeping ramp that spirals would-be...

Pennsylvania state senator, dad own interest in potential casino site.
March 8, 2005... Byline: Chris Brennan Mar. 8--State Sen. Michael Stack III and his father, a Democratic ward leader under felony indictment, own stakes in a 46-acre plot optioned by a casino company vying for a slots parlor here. Sen. Stack did not...

Council committee OKs smoking-ban bill.
March 8, 2005... Byline: Mark McDonald Mar. 8--After more than five hours of testimony yesterday, City Council's Public Health Committee wasted no time or debate in unanimously recommending a bill that bans smoking in most public places including...

Philadelphia City Council to vote on significant government reform bill.
March 8, 2005... Byline: Dave Davies Mar. 8--With a single vote in City Council Thursday, Philadelphia could move from being a national embarrassment to a national leader in government reform. The sweeping pay-to-play reform package on Council's agenda...

Philadelphia mayor aims to involve more minority-owned businesses in city work.
March 8, 2005... Byline: Earni Young Mar. 8--Mayor Street yesterday released a long-awaited executive order designed to increase the share of city business going to companies owned by minorities, women and the disabled. In signing the executive order...

Bus-depot plan protested.
March 8, 2005... Byline: Regina Medina Mar. 8--Philadelphians turned out last night for a meeting of the Lower Merion School Board to complain about a proposal to use the old Budd Co. tract in the city as a school-bus depot. "They are not providing...

TWU agrees to extend deadline for SEPTA contract.
March 8, 2005... Byline: Dan Geringer Mar. 8--Just one day after its members voted to strike if a new contract is not hammered out by the time the current one expires next Tuesday, SEPTA's biggest transit union agreed yesterday to extend that deadline for...

Junior lightweight pairing is a `fight fan's fight'.
March 9, 2005... Byline: Bernard Fernandez PHILADELPHIA _ What once looked to be two very significant rematches has morphed into a single, potentially bigger pay-per-view event. Fight fans seldom can count themselves so lucky. The March 19 junior...

Plenty of pressure on NHL sides.
March 9, 2005... Byline: Ed Moran Where's the pressure? When the NHL and players' union failed to get a deal in time to save the 2004-05 hockey season, the popular belief was there would not be enough pressure on either side to get a deal done in time...

`Desperate' past leads Cherry to award-winning `Housewives'.
March 9, 2005... Byline: Ellen Gray UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif. _ Before there were "Desperate Housewives," there was a desperate writer. "I went for 2 { years without getting an interview for a job, and then the most amazing thing happened: My agent was...

Cosby accuser described as outgoing, energetic, forthright.
March 9, 2005... Byline: Nicole Weisensee Egan PHILADELPHIA _Andrea Constand is strikingly beautiful, with long, curly red hair. Six feet tall. A smile a mile wide. Her father is Greek, but shortened his last name once he moved to Canada. Her mother is...

`Desperate' past leads Cherry to award-winning `Housewives'.
March 9, 2005... Byline: Ellen Gray UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif. _ Before there were "Desperate Housewives," there was a desperate writer. "I went for 2 { years without getting an interview for a job, and then the most amazing thing happened: My agent was...

Stack family could hit slots jackpot.
March 9, 2005... Byline: Chris Brennan Mar. 9--State Sen. Michael Stack and his family would hit the jackpot if a Las Vegas casino exercises its option on a plot of Delaware River waterfront. Stack yesterday confirmed that Ameristar Casino Inc. would...

Baseball fighting back against subpoenas.
March 9, 2005... Byline: Rich Hofmann PHILADELPHIA _ Legend has it that St. Patrick drove the snakes from Ireland. This year, on St. Patrick's Day, we get to find out where all of the snakes ended up _ in a Washington hearing room, on both sides of the...

Four Roush drivers lead the pack.
March 9, 2005... Byline: Bill Fleischman PHILADELPHIA _ Two races into the season is far too early to make a judgment on the full Nextel Cup season. But four Roush Racing drivers in the top five is not a comforting sight for their racing rivals. ...

Fox Chase, Penn., cancer center officials say expansion is vital.
March 9, 2005... Byline: Michael Hinkelman Mar. 9--Every afternoon at 3:30, staff and volunteers at Fox Chase Cancer Center in Northeast Philadelphia gather in the cafeteria to sip tea and munch on cookies. This is more than just a quaint tradition...

Philadelphia contract reform legislation hits a snag.
March 9, 2005... Byline: Dave Davies Mar. 9--City Councilman Michael Nutter's pay-to-play reform legislation, headed toward a vote in Council tomorrow has hit a snag that could delay action on the package. Councilwoman Marian Tasco, usually an ally of...

Fox Chase, Penn., neighbors fear loss of recreation area.
March 9, 2005... Byline: Michael Hinkelman Mar. 9--Kate Friend has lived in Fox Chase for 20 years and walks through Burholme Park twice a week. An educator, she lives with her husband and two teenagers about 10 minutes away. "There's people all over...

`Starlet' kisses smack of exploitation.
March 10, 2005... Byline: Ellen Gray It sure didn't take long for the WB's "The Starlet" to get those girls making out in the hot tub. Trust executive producer Mike Fleiss, whose production of ABC's "The Bachelor" has easily earned him the title Worst...

Pol solicits ads for newspaper.
March 10, 2005... Byline: Mark McDonald Mar. 10--Last month, City Councilman Juan Ramos sent a letter to about 15 city departments soliciting advertising for Al Dia, one of the region's biggest Spanish-language newspapers. "A representative of Al Dia...

Philadelphia park agrees on deal to let cancer center expand.
March 10, 2005... Byline: Michael Hinkelman Mar. 10--Yes, the Fox Chase Cancer Center gets to expand into Burholme Park. But here's the price: The center must replace each tree it takes down with two new ones, and pony up land and millions of dollars...

Pennsylvania governor takes heat over land sold to casino company.
March 10, 2005... Byline: Chris Brennan Mar. 10--The controversial sale of state water rights for a plot of land along the Delaware River, now under option by a Las Vegas casino company, was launched in 2003 by House Speaker John Perzel. But Gov....

World's first hospital created to train female doctors closes in Philadelphia.
March 10, 2005... Byline: Joseph R. Daughen Mar. 10--Women's Medical Hospital, the first institution in the world created to train females as physicians, is shutting down after a long, and losing, struggle to stay afloat financially. Where once it had...

Philadelphia ends insurance contract linked to key contributor.
March 10, 2005... Byline: Mark McDonald Mar. 10--The Street administration has decided to end a controversial insurance policy that became entangled in the federal probe into City Hall corruption. The decision was largely driven by the economics of the...

Philadelphia's African American museum sees brighter days ahead.
March 10, 2005... Byline: Earni Young Mar. 10--The new leadership at the African American Museum in Philadelphia says it has devised a plan to ensure the museum will be open to celebrate its 30th anniversary next year. The museum, at 7th and Arch...

Streets commissioner unveils plan to improve safety at Philadelphia schools.
March 10, 2005... Byline: Myung Oak Kim Mar. 10--The city will be able to significantly expand its ability to make streets around schools safer for children thanks to $1 million in funding announced yesterday by PennDOT. The school safety project,...

Pennsylvania transit authority keeps mum about possible fare hike.
March 10, 2005... Byline: Dan Geringer Mar. 10--SEPTA's $42.7 million deficit, which triggered threats of severe fare hikes and service cuts, vanished yesterday when the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission approved Gov. Rendell's using federal...

Philadelphia Daily News William Bunch column.
March 11, 2005... Byline: William Bunch Mar. 11--The great, raging debate about Social Security is a lot like the famous Far Side cartoon about what we say to dogs, and what dogs hear. So when President Bush says, as he did yesterday -- "We don't need...

Two condo towers proposed.
March 11, 2005... Byline: Earni Young Mar. 11--Thomas Miles and Alex Generalis know Callowhill: They've converted a number of old industrial buildings in the area just north of Vine Street into 140 or so expensive loft condos. Their efforts have...

Blowin' smoke over effect of ban?
March 11, 2005... Byline: Mark McDonald Mar. 11--Opponents of a bill that would ban smoking in public places paint a doom-and-gloom picture of an exodus by smoking patrons to suburban bars and restaurants where smoking is allowed, should the bill become...

Nutter awaits showdown on his ethics-reform bill.
March 11, 2005... Byline: Dave Davies Mar. 11--One vote short, seven days to find it. City Councilman Michael Nutter has amended his pay-to-play reform package to address objections from several colleagues, but as a final vote looms next Thursday, five...

Parking garages gouging Flower Show patrons.
March 11, 2005... Byline: Scott Flander Mar. 11--Planning on driving to the Flower Show this weekend? Poor little lamb, prepare to get fleeced. In what has become a time-honored Philly tradition, parking-lot and garage operators around the...

Ex-White aide tells of Linc fund-raisers.
March 12, 2005... Byline: Erin Einhorn Mar. 12--A former secretary to power-lawyer Ron White testified in federal court yesterday that she planned fund-raisers for Mayor Street at Lincoln Financial Field. The mayor has repeatedly denied that...

Departing planner: More plans not needed.
March 12, 2005... Byline: Mark McDonald Mar. 12--The day after Mayor Street announced the imminent departure of the city's top planner, Maxine Griffith, City Controller Jonathan Saidel said it's time for Philadelphia to create a new Comprehensive Plan. ...

University City High to get new principal.
March 12, 2005... Mar. 12--Schools CEO Paul Vallas announced yesterday that University City High School will be getting a new principal, the first of many changes for the troubled school, which he labeled as "too disruptive." The replacement of principal...

Early season forecasts hold true.
March 13, 2005... Byline: Dick Jerardi PHILADELPHIA _ Unlike last season, when No. 1 seemed to change almost weekly, this college basketball season has gone almost entirely to form. The preseason Associated Press Top 10 included Kansas, Wake Forest, Georgia...

The Chef's Table: How to keep your poppers from poppin'.
March 14, 2005... Byline: Jim Coleman and Candace Hagan Q: I found an absolutely delicious appetizer at the Saltgrass Steakhouse 8 { miles west of Houston on Route 10. They're jalapeno poppers stuffed with whole shrimp and Jack cheese, and they call them...

Updates on satellite radio, iPod and Xbox.
March 14, 2005... Byline: Jonathan Takiff THE GIZMO: News you can use from the electronics marketplace. RADIO WAVES: Been thinking about taking the plunge, signing up for satellite radio service to access all those terrific (60+) commercial-free music...

'Joanie' misses politics.
March 14, 2005... Byline: Mark McDonald Mar. 14--City Council just isn't the same without her gravelly voice, her sunny, "How ya doin', Hon?" or her ready willingness to quip her cliche-spouting colleagues down to size. That's right. For those of...

Ban on smoking unpopular in S. Philly pub.
March 14, 2005... Byline: Barbara J. Isenberg Mar. 14--Joe Bilotti sat at the bar at Passyunk Tavern last week doing what he does nearly every day after work: drinking and smoking. Bilotti, a man in his 50s with a full head of salt-and-pepper hair,...

Is anyone expecting clarity from Capitol Hill?
March 15, 2005... Byline: Sam Donnellon PHILADELPHIA _ So, what do you get when you mix a roomful of inquisitive congressmen with television cameras, Curt Schilling and Jose Canseco? Looks like we're about to find out. Partly through its own...

Upsets will happen . . . somewhere.
March 15, 2005... Byline: Dick Jerardi PHILADELPHIA _ Illinois was the best team in college basketball all season. Forget conference affiliation. Forget reputation. Forget RPI. Forget whom they played, when they played or where they played. With these...

NFL players can't duck the blitz of time.
March 15, 2005... Byline: Rich Hofmann PHILADELPHIA _ The NFL Players Association puts out these voluminous annual reports about salary trends and stuff that would give you way too much of a headache if you spent too much time reading them. The story they...

Advice from folks about facts of life.
March 15, 2005... Byline: Steve and Mia Q: My 15-year-old son spends hours a day on the phone with his girlfriend. He has gone to her house a few times and to parties with her. We've lectured him on the facts of life but want to be sure that nothing's...

Webber surprised by subpar play.
March 15, 2005... Byline: Phil Jasner PHILADELPHIA _ Chris Webber left the floor with 1:26 remaining to polite but sustained applause. The 76ers were putting the finishing touches on what would be a 108-91 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday...