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

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

Hopkins, Taylor set for July title fight.
May 1, 2005... Byline: Bernard Fernandez PHILADELPHIA _ Negotiations were protracted and contentious, but an agreement finally has been reached to stage a July 16 HBO pay-per-view bout between undisputed middleweight champion Bernard "The Executioner"...

The Chef's Table: Since you asked for it, here's a chowder recipe.
May 2, 2005... Byline: Jim Coleman and Candace Hagan Q: I was hoping you could give me a recipe for crab corn chowder. Thanks. _ Tara C. A: Tara, I normally don't do a straight recipe request because with this column I try to reply to questions about...

Was Abe gay?
May 2, 2005... Byline: William Bunch PHILADELPHIA _ Honestly, was Abe Lincoln gay? Or was our 16th president merely a man of his times -- times when it was no big deal for men to share the same bed. The controversy has been raging among academics...

Coming this month: New from Robert Plant, Dave Matthews.
May 2, 2005... Byline: Jonathan Takiff May proves one of the busiest months of the year for new album releases, with important new arrivals by Robert Plant, Dave Matthews, Robert Earl Keen, Keith Jarrett, Vivian Green, "Monty Python's Spamalot," the...

PUC probed for alleged taxicab payoffs.
May 2, 2005... Byline: Don Russell May 2--Months after Philadelphia taxi kingpin Michael Etemad testified in court that he had bribed officials at the state Public Utility Commission, a federal grand jury has launched an investigation into alleged...

Here's who should sit on Dr. Phil's couch.
May 3, 2005... Byline: Ellen Gray For a guy who gave up private practice as a psychologist because he didn't enjoy it, Dr. Phil McGraw sure is running after patients. I'm not talking about his syndicated show, "Dr. Phil," where he heals the...

Gettin' in the groove: She's ready to date again, but how?
May 3, 2005... Byline: Steve and Mia Q: I am a 33-year-old divorced mother of a 3-year-old son. I so desperately want to get my "groove" back. Please tell me where I could go, to avoid the hoochie mamas and papas, and enjoy myself with people my age or...

Philadelphia Daily News Plugged In column.
May 3, 2005... Byline: Jonathan Takiff May 3--WHAT'S HOT IN THE WORLD OF AUDIO THE GIZMOS: Portable XM and Sirius Satellite radios; Tivoli Audio and Boston Acoustic table radios. RADIO TO GO: When you're spending $13 a month for satellite radio,...

Iverson shows his importance to Sixers.
May 3, 2005... Byline: Rich Hofmann AUBURN HILLS, Mich. _ Allen Iverson had been through the drill before, the one at the end, the very end. And so it went again Tuesday night, with Chauncey Billups dribbling out the clock, with the Pistons up by 10...

Mariano leaves lots of blanks on $$ report.
May 3, 2005... Byline: Chris Brennan May 3--City Councilman Rick Mariano, facing a federal investigation, filed statements of financial interests yesterday that raised more questions than they answered. Mariano invoked his legal right to not...

PGW pegs renters' debt on landlords.
May 3, 2005... Byline: Mark McDonald May 3--For at least a decade, the Philadelphia Gas Works has placed liens on properties on which the resident-owner is delinquent on his gas bill. Years might pass before PGW would get its money, but when the...

A Vos of reason in wireless plan.
May 3, 2005... Byline: Michael Hinkelman May 3--Esme Vos knows wireless cities. She lives in one -- Amsterdam, and she runs a Web site devoted to them: www.muniwireless.com. "I thought cities needed to have one place on the Internet where they could...

Dispute could KO lightweight showdown.
May 4, 2005... Byline: Bernard Fernandez PHILADELPHIA _ If something is meant to be, there are no cancellations, only postponements. Had everything gone according to plan, the two finest lightweights in the world, WBC champion Jose Luis Castillo...

Winning designer advises students to follow their passions.
May 4, 2005... Byline: Myung Oak Kim PHILADELPHIA _ Jay McCarroll had just finished a television interview and was talking by cell phone to a newspaper reporter outside a Loews Hotel Friday morning when the onslaught began. One guy wanted an...

Court knocks Braxton off city controller ballot.
May 4, 2005... Byline: Dave Davies May 4--The Democratic primary for city controller is over, two weeks early. The state Supreme Court has ordered former Common Pleas Judge John Braxton removed from the May 17 ballot, citing his failure to disclose...

A shad festival without any shad?
May 4, 2005... Byline: Ramona Smith May 4--This year's exuberant Shad Fest in the Delaware River town of Lambertville will be missing a few things. Like mainly, the famous shad. Organizers put off their annual celebration of the spawning run of the...

76ers need to work on Webber's psyche.
May 5, 2005... Byline: John Smallwood AUBURN HILLS, Mich. _ There was little to like about Chris Webber's demeanor, little in the glassy stare in his eyes, little in his monotone voice, little in the pregnant pauses before each answer. If nothing...

Did you catch this?
May 5, 2005... Byline: Ellen Gray So much TV, so little time: _Did you notice the alien saying a very rude thing in the Sunday premiere of Fox's "American Dad"? Don't feel bad if you didn't, because it flew right past me, too, but both my...

Wage hike pleases Philadelphia workers.
May 5, 2005... Byline: Mark McDonald May 5--As a City Council committee yesterday gave swift initial approval of a bill to raise the minimum wage for many working Philadelphians, Tili Ayala was pleased. Formerly a security worker, Ayala is a single...

Mariano's decision creates legal conflicts.
May 6, 2005... May 6--City Councilman Rick Mariano is treading on uncertain legal ground by invoking his constitutional right to not incriminate himself in refusing this week to answer questions about his personal finances on the annual disclosure form. ...

Baseball's steroid controversy mushrooming.
May 6, 2005... Byline: Paul Hagen PHILADELPHIA _ So baseball commissioner Bud Selig announced last weekend that he wants stiffer penalties for players caught using steroids. He also tried to spiff up his image as a guy who happily looked the other way by...

Time for joint strategy in baseball.
May 6, 2005... Byline: Rich Hofmann PHILADELPHIA _ On March 17, baseball commissioner Bud Selig did the raise-your-right-hand-and-repeat-after-me business before a committee of the United States Congress. That he managed to perform the function without...

How to pick a Kentucky Derby winner.
May 6, 2005... Byline: Dick Jerardi LOUISVILLE, Ky. _ What are the chances that the two favorites in the Kentucky Derby started their careers at Delaware Park? Probably about the same chance as the 2004 Derby favorite starting his career at Philadelphia...

Costs are rising for gaming study.
May 6, 2005... Byline: Mark McDonald May 6--Mayor Street's Gaming Advisory Task Force may eventually spend $450,000 or more recommending sites for two slots parlors in the city. And Street hopes that much of the money to pay for the sophisticated...

Download Daily 'Feed' to your MP3.
May 6, 2005... May 6--Ever wonder what your Daily News would sound like if it could speak? Well, starting tomorrow, you can find out. The paper is launching PhillyFeed, a program of news, on-the-street interviews, original music, sports talk -- stuff...

MVP choice was about perception, not race.
May 8, 2005... Byline: Sam Donnellon Wilt Chamberlain once said that nobody roots for Goliath. Apparently they don't often vote for him, either. Shaquille O'Neal has won the NBA's Most Valuable Player award once in his career. Now, so has...

How to get that 'pool of warm sunshine' broth.
May 9, 2005... Byline: Jim Coleman and Candace Hagan Question: Yo, Jim! I've been hooked on the wonton soup at a local Chinese restaurant, and I've been wondering how they get the broth so clear. It's like a sheer pool of warm sunshine dotted only with...

Montreal copes with empty sporting scene.
May 9, 2005... Byline: Paul Hagen MONTREAL _ The way it was supposed to be, before important decisions were made in high places and the deal came down, the Expos should have been at home to close out the first month of the season. Inside Olympic...

Microsoft, HP unveil new high-def video disc formats.
May 9, 2005... Byline: Jonathan Takiff THE GIZMO: New products at the Home Entertainment Show. HIGH-DEF DISCS, TODAY: While a compromise standard for high-definition DVDs is being negotiated in Japan between backers of the HD-DVD and rival Blu-Ray...

Go for it on `Idol,' Anthony.
May 9, 2005... Byline: Ellen Gray With two weeks to go until the finale of Fox's "American Idol," I'm still waiting for the moment that changes everything. And I'm hoping it's not going to turn out to be that sad, sleazy song by former contestant...

Phillies trying to regroup and recoup by Memorial Day.
May 9, 2005... Byline: John Smallwood PHILADELPHIA _ Before the season, the Phillies had to look at their May 31 game against the San Francisco Giants at Citizens Bank Park as the perfect kickoff to a summer of enjoyable and profitable baseball in...

New city tax collector stirs fuss.
May 9, 2005... Byline: Earni Young May 9--Philadelphia is loath to send owner-occupied homes, especially those belonging to the poor and elderly, to sheriff's sale for unpaid property taxes. It just doesn't look good to kick Grandma to the curb. ...

Lusting to get it out in the open.
May 10, 2005... Byline: Steve and Mia Q: I am friends with a guy who, whenever I think of him, I just wanna film loads of porn with him and do it in public places. What should I make of my feelings? Is it love or lust? Steve: Lust, for sure, love...

Conviction of former Philadelphia treasurer vindicates troubled probe.
May 10, 2005... Byline: Erin Einhorn PHILADELPHIA _ As federal prosecutors continue to pursue what they've called Philadelphia's culture of corruption, the conviction Monday of former City Treasurer Corey Kemp and four others vindicated an investigation...

Too optimistic for our own good.
May 11, 2005... Byline: Carol Towarnicky I was 12 when I learned the facts of life: My family wasn't rich. Until then, I thought we were. After all, we always had fresh fruit to eat, my standard for economic well being at the time. In fact, my...

Tie Domi appears to be making some sense.
May 11, 2005... Byline: Ed Moran PHILADELPHIA _ Every time I see Tie Domi, or hear him talk, I have the urge to whack him on the side of his head. The smirk on his face, the glint of wiseguy in his eyes, and the way he plays hockey, and just the size of...

Tie Domi appears to be making some sense.
May 11, 2005... Byline: Ed Moran PHILADELPHIA _ Every time I see Tie Domi, or hear him talk, I have the urge to whack him on the side of his head. The smirk on his face, the glint of wiseguy in his eyes, and the way he plays hockey, and just the size of...

Willow Grove base is nervous.
May 11, 2005... Byline: Gloria Campisi May 11--It isn't just current military personnel from the naval air station at Willow Grove who stop into Otto's Restaurant for some homemade soup. The area has a "huge contingency" of retired military...

Verdicts closed 'exit' for mayor; Street record will be tarnished.
May 11, 2005... May 11--For a moment, it seemed that Mayor Street would find an exit from the Grand Jury Turnpike. Acquittals in the federal corruption trial would have sapped the momentum of the FBI probe and allowed Street to mock his tormentors for...

Trinidad taking Wright way to Hopkins.
May 12, 2005... Byline: Bernard Fernandez PHILADELPHIA _ Felix Trinidad likes being paid as much as the next guy. And why not? His contract with promoter Don King guarantees him a minimum of $10 million for every bout on the comeback trail. "I think I...

Eagles' owner too cold toward Owens.
May 12, 2005... Byline: Sam Donnellon PHILADELPHIA _ I had this liberal-minded uncle who was a developer. He built the first house I lived in as a child; the second one, too. He took open space and knocked down trees and created lovely housing...

A billion for your NFL team.
May 12, 2005... Byline: Rich Hofmann PHILADELPHIA _ It is all speculation, of course. As John Antil, an associate professor of marketing at the University of Delaware, said, "The Philadelphia Eagles are worth whatever somebody is willing to pay," and we...

'Blue-chipper' to head Select Greater Phila.
May 12, 2005... Byline: Earni Young May 12--When Philadelphia-area business leaders went looking for someone to head their fledgling economic-development effort, they had a list of must-haves. They wanted someone who was first or second in command at...

SEPTA complains about TWU & talks.
May 12, 2005... Byline: Dan Geringer May 12--SEPTA spokesman Richard Maloney announced yesterday that the transit agency had filed an unfair-labor-practices complaint with the Pennsylvania Labor Relations Board "due to the unwillingness of the Transport...

Trump casino in nicetown?
May 12, 2005... Byline: Chris Brennan May 12--Donald Trump, one of the best-known brands in the casino business, is shopping for a potential slots-parlor location at the former Budd Co. plant in the city's Nicetown section. That should come as good...

Well-traveled Mourning shows his pride.
May 12, 2005... Byline: John Smallwood WASHINGTON _ I did not like the way Alonzo Mourning weaseled his way back to South Beach and the Miami Heat. I thought pouting his way into a trade from the New Jersey Nets and then securing his release from the...

Mayor refuses to let theater employee search his bag.
May 12, 2005... Byline: Mark McDonald May 12--In these days of heightened post-9/11 security, most Philadelphians have grudgingly come to accept the scanners, the security checks, the requests to open their bags. But apparently the mayor has not. ...

Phillies appear to be locked into trouble.
May 13, 2005... Byline: Paul Hagen PHILADELPHIA _ Charlie Manuel was saying that it's time for the Phillies to sit down and talk about what's been going on and, sure enough, there was a lengthy, closed-door meeting Thursday night at Citizens Bank Park....

You can't suit yourself in the NFL.
May 13, 2005... Byline: John Smallwood PHILADELPHIA _ Much to my wife's chagrin, and as those of you who routinely see me on cable television can attest, my sense of fashion will never garner me any awards from GQ magazine. While I have been known to...

Guv's sour on Budd site for slots parlor.
May 13, 2005... Byline: Chris Brennan May 13--Gov. Rendell, a Donald Trump fan who hopes the Trump brand will enter the Philadelphia market, was less than impressed yesterday with a potential slot-machine parlor in Nicetown. Trump's company is talking...

You've got some tough decisions, Monty.
May 13, 2005... Byline: Bill Conlin PHILADELPHIA _ The charges are in place, Monty. The wires are attached to the switch box. All you need do is set the timers. I suggest you choose long intervals between explosions. It is going to take a lot longer...

Mayor: $5M in taxes can fund budget.
May 13, 2005... Byline: Mark McDonald May 13--Hoping to move City Council toward a compromise over his proposed 2006 budget, Mayor Street yesterday sent three bills to Council that would raise roughly $5 million a year by taxing billboard owners and...

Ethics bills piling up; council members, mayor offer different versions.
May 13, 2005... Byline: Mark McDonald May 13--Mayor Street and City Councilman Michael Nutter agreed on one thing yesterday -- they're both hoping for significant ethics reform by the time Council recesses in mid-June. Trouble is, both men are working...

5-yr. jail term for crooked chiropractor.
May 13, 2005... Byline: Jim Smith May 13--Dr. William Matura, who was sentenced yesterday to five years in prison, had swindled more than $1 million from insurance companies by billing for therapy never provided. Matura claimed he stole the money so...

Street urges gentler way to get taxes; collection firm ripped.
May 13, 2005... Byline: Earni Young May 13--Mayor Street yesterday said his administration is taking a look at ways to make it easier for the poor and elderly to catch up on their back property taxes. The city hired a Texas law firm last fall to begin...

The Chef's Table: Vegetarians on the hunt for mock ingredients.
May 16, 2005... Byline: Jim Coleman and Candace Hagan Q: My husband and I are vegetarians and we both like to cook Italian, Greek, Mexican, and Chinese inspired dishes. We've yet to discover recipes for the "mock beef" and "mock chicken" included in some...

The Chef's Table: Vegetarians on the hunt for mock ingredients.
May 16, 2005... Byline: Jim Coleman and Candace Hagan Q: My husband and I are vegetarians and we both like to cook Italian, Greek, Mexican, and Chinese inspired dishes. We've yet to discover recipes for the "mock beef" and "mock chicken" included in some...

What's hot from Sony, Samsung and LG Electronics.
May 16, 2005... Byline: Jonathan Takiff THE GIZMOS: Sony's wireless wonder VAIO; high-tech home appliances from Samsung and LG Electronics. VAIO TO GO: Almost 95 percent of the 20 million notebooks to be manufactured this year will include on-board...

Developer sees luxury apartments packing retail punch.
May 16, 2005... Byline: Earni Young May 16--Before now, a "water feature" in a North Broad Street apartment building most likely meant a roof leak. Now, there's Lofts 640, a former factory at Broad and Mt. Vernon, which has not one but two water...

A blindspot on bus fatalities.
May 16, 2005... Byline: Dan Geringer May 16--Was it bus-driver error or a blind spot behind the huge side-view bus mirror that killed two pedestrians, months apart, in eerily similar SEPTA accidents last year? The transit agency blames the operators...

Group urges ethics reform on Nov. ballot.
May 16, 2005... Byline: Chris Brennan May 16--The formula for ethics reform in city government before last week went something like this: Propose a bunch of new rules and then see if any issue survived the ensuing political brawl. Here's a new...

Is it over for the Phillies?
May 16, 2005... Byline: Rich Hofmann PHILADELPHIA _ About every third e-mail these days wonders why it isn't time to give up on the Phillies _ you know: dynamite, plunger, stack the bodies for disposal. Part of it, admittedly, is stubbornness. You...

About that tattoo: She has no time for him since she got one.
May 17, 2005... Byline: Steve and Mia Q: I'm 26 and my 19-year-old girlfriend recently got a tattoo with my name on it. Now she seems to want to be apart more... is it me, or is this confusing? We were always together before she got the tattoo. Now she...

Philadelphia Daily News Plugged In column.
May 17, 2005... Byline: Jonathan Takiff May 17--THE GIZMOS: Sony's wireless wonder VAIO; high-tech home appliances from Samsung and LG Electronics. VAIO TO GO: Almost 95 percent of the 20 million notebooks to be manufactured this year will include...

Crash landing for free-spending doctor.
May 17, 2005... Byline: Jim Smith May 17--Dr. Gregory Nelson, who was sentenced yesterday to a month in prison for the misdemeanor of failing to pay millions of dollars in federal income taxes, recently fired his daughter's nanny. U.S. District Judge...

W. Philly High automakers v-r-o-o-m to national title.
May 17, 2005... Byline: G.W. Miller III May 17--The West Philadelphia High School team's custom-built, 300-horsepower hot rod -- fueled by soybean oil and electricity -- busted an axle during a joy-ride Saturday afternoon, and it looked as if the team's...

Contract between city and Art Museum could play role in budget wrangling.
May 17, 2005... Byline: Michael Hinkelman May 17--The city and the Philadelphia Museum of Art have a deal. A contract, actually. That contract, which dates from 1968, requires the city to pick up the tab for all of the museum's maintenance and...

Court's wine ruling not likely to ferment much change here.
May 17, 2005... Byline: Don Russell May 17--Don't pop your cork yet, Pennsylvania. The state's much-maligned liquor-store system won't shut down just because the U.S. Supreme Court ruled yesterday that wine lovers can buy their Chateau de Rotgeaut...

Hopkins disappointed but not shocked by Trinidad's defeat.
May 18, 2005... Byline: Bernard Fernandez PHILADELPHIA _ From the comfort of his Newark, Del., estate, Bernard "The Executioner" Hopkins watched impassively as millions of dollars flew out the window like an escaped parakeet. The undisputed...

More Parkway lighting to come.
May 18, 2005... Byline: Michael Hinkelman May 18--Even more building facades and sculptures along the Ben Franklin Parkway will shine brightly at night, thanks to the Center City District. The second phase of its lighting project provides new...

Philadelphia making a name for itself in Triple Crown affair.
May 19, 2005... Byline: Dick Jerardi BALTIMORE _ In the last four Triple Crown races, Philadelphia-owned horses have two wins, two seconds and a third. If you had found somebody to take a bet on that proposition around Jan. 1, 2004, you would have gotten...

Mayor, Council clash on Fire Dept. funding.
May 19, 2005... Byline: Mark McDonald May 19--Despite an olive branch from Mayor Street on Tuesday, City Council now appears poised to move forward today on its own 2006 city budget, rejecting many of the mayor's controversial cuts in libraries, museums,...

School's auto program spared.
May 19, 2005... Byline: G.W. Miller III May 19--A squad of students from an underachieving city high school custom-built an eye-catching, fuel-efficient sports car that topped the nation's best engineering schools in a national competition. How were...

Shifting 2 schools delayed.
May 19, 2005... Byline: Mensah M. Dean May 19--Philadelphia school officials yesterday put the brakes on handing over control of two more low-performing schools to a controversial for-profit management company. Before agreeing to place Hartranft...

Fans surfed the galaxy early to ensure good seats.
May 19, 2005... Byline: Barbara J. Isenberg May 19--Nick Capoferri and Buddy Vegas weren't taking any chances: They arrived at the United Artists Riverview Stadium in South Philadelphia yesterday almost 7 hours before showtime for "Star Wars Episode III:...

Debate over Senate procedure a bust.
May 20, 2005... Byline: John Baer Anyone who's worked in official Washington, as I once did for a year on a fellowship, knows Capitol Hill is an isolated, self-consumed world of its own. Heck, all one need do is walk the halls of the Capitol and...

Indians sound alarm of sense of urgency.
May 20, 2005... Byline: Paul Hagen PHILADELPHIA _ Like Charlie Manuel, Cleveland Indians manager Eric Wedge asked fans for patience as his team got off to a disappointing start. Like the Phillies, the Indians' offense hasn't manufactured runs at...

Model, mom Brooke Shields describes struggle with depression.
May 20, 2005... Byline: Ronnie Polaneczky NEW YORK _ My God, she's stunning. Dressed in a casual suit and sensible flats, she exudes a wholesome glamour that makes the rest of us look utterly ordinary, even though we have all primped for this panel...

Street gets a budget break.
May 20, 2005... Byline: Mark McDonald May 20--After showing some flexibility on restoring budget cuts that he'd called for last winter, Mayor Street scored a minor victory yesterday as City Council delayed action on a spate of budget and tax-reduction...

'Long road' leads to homes.
May 20, 2005... Byline: Earni Young May 20--Four years ago, developer John Westrum was reading the Wall Street Journal when he saw an advertisement for a warehouse for sale in Brewerytown. That ad encountered by chance led Westrum to buy not only the...

7 female reporters sue Inquirer, citing bias.
May 20, 2005... Byline: Jim Smith May 20--Seven female Inquirer reporters, all covering suburban beats for years, sued the newspaper this week for alleged age and sex discrimination and retaliation. The reporters filed a civil lawsuit Wednesday in...

Frustrated Park director resigns.
May 20, 2005... Byline: Michael Hinkelman May 20--Acting Fairmount Park Commission executive director Karen Borski said she is leaving the post on July 1, apparently frustrated at her lack of any real authority. Borski announced her resignation...

Afleet Alex a good bet this time around.
May 20, 2005... Byline: Dick Jerardi BALTIMORE _ Do you know anybody who wouldn't take 7-1 on their money, even if the initial investment were rather large? Well, 7-1 was available in the Kentucky Derby. The investment was a mere $116,280. The return was...

Ethics bill lives.
May 20, 2005... Byline: Dave Davies May 20--Ethics legislation that seemed dead only a month ago has been revived and strengthened in City Council, and could be approved as soon as next week. Meanwhile, Mayor Street has introduced a long-promised...