Joseph O’Boyle, 23, of Bensalem, has pleaded guilty to killing his chiropractor James Sowa in 2020 and assaulting a detective who was investigating the homicide. O’Boyle was upset with the chiropractor because the jaw pain he had pursued treatment for didn’t go away. He beat Sowa to death with a blunt object. Investigators were quickly…
Philadelphia needs more lifeguards to open all its pools this summer
Philadelphia still needs to hire 60 more lifeguards in order to open all its pools this summer. Anyone 16 or older is eligible to apply. At this point, it has enough staff to open about two-thirds of its pools. The Lederer Pool in Fishtown will be the first to open on Independence Day. Lifeguards usually…
New Jersey woman fired for posting anti-Black Lives Matter comments loses appeal
Heather McVey, the New Jersey woman who was fired from her job over Facebook posts she wrote criticizing the Black Lives Matter movement, lost an appeal to her case on Friday. An appellate panel ruled that the First Amendment does not bar a private company from firing an at-will employee. Top Featured Tags: – Philadelphia…
Pottstown house explosion leaves 5 dead, 2 hospitalized
A Pottstown house exploded shortly after 8 p.m. Thursday, leaving five people dead and two hospitalized. The house, located near the corner of Washington Street and Butler Avenue, was razed and several nearby structures were damaged from a blast that reportedly could be felt from miles away. A cause has not yet been identified. Top…
Teacher mourned after death in Delaware River kayaking accident in Bucks County
Bethel Park High School teacher Jonathan Gentile, 38, died in a kayaking accident on May 22 while out with his father on the Delaware River in New Hope, Bucks County. Gentile’s kayak was overturned by rapids and he remained underwater for several minutes before resurfacing, authorities said. The school district mourned Gentile’s loss this week…
New Jersey’s recreational marijuana sales bring in $24 million in first month
Legal marijuana sales in New Jersey totaled $24 million dollars in the first month that dispensaries were open. The number is lower than other states, like Arizona and Mexico, which had more stores open when they began recreational pot sales. New Jersey’s Cannabis Regulatory Commission expects sales to increase as more licenses are approved. Top…
City Council pushes buyback plan to protect community gardens from sheriff’s sales
Councilmember Kendra Brooks unveiled the ‘Restore Community Land’ proposal, which urges the city to spend $10 million to reacquire the land it sold off during a failed effort to earn money for the School District of Philadelphia in 1997. These land parcels are currently held in liens by U.S. Bank, who plans to sell them…
Ex-police informant arrested for killing Bristol Township woman and lighting her house on fire in 1991
Robert Francis Atkins, 56, of Falls Township, Bucks County, was charged with murder and arson for allegedly killing of Joy Hibbs and setting her house on fire in April 1991. Hibbs, 35, was a mother of two. Atkins, a former informant who bought drugs for the Bristol Township Police Department, had been questioned at least…
Insomnia Cookies moving HQ to former Super Walgreen’s in Center City
Insomnia Cookies will relocate its headquarters to the building formerly occupied by Walgreens at the corner of Broad and Chestnut streets in Center City, the company announced. The new spaces will include offices, a test kitchen and a ground floor retail storefront. Insomnia Cookies was founded in Philadelphia in 2003 by then-University of Pennsylvania student…
Schools in Philadelphia region are among most segregated in the U.S.
Schools in Philadelphia and portions of Delaware County are among the most racially segregated in the U.S., according to a report from The Century Foundation. The report analyzed and mapped metropolitan areas for racial and income-based school segregation. It found that the Philadelphia region has the most extreme segregation among white and Latino students in…
Off-duty Philly police officer killed in motorcycle crash on Broad Street
Philadelphia police officer Thomas Munz Jr., 27, was killed in a motorcycle crash along Broad Street in South Philadelphia on Tuesday evening. Munz was off-duty at the time of the crash. Munz was one of two PPD officers involved in the fatal shooting of Walter Wallace Jr. in West Philadelphia in Oct. 2020, an incident…
Philly’s public high schools will not start later in the fall
The School District of Philadelphia will not change the start times of its high schools to a 9 a.m. for the 2022-2023 school year, Superintendent William Hite said Wednesday, reversing on a plan the district’s leaders had said would streamline school bus services and follow health recommendations for adolescents. Instead the city’s public schools will…
New Jersey to investigate Twitch and Discord content policies in wake of Buffalo shooting
On May 15, 18-year-old Payton Gendren opened fire on a supermarket in Buffalo, killing 10 people and injuring three others. Gendren livestreamed the incident on Twitch and released a months-long diary about his plans on Discord before the shooting. On Monday, New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin announced the state would investigate Twitch and Discord…
Coatesville Area Senior High School student stabbed 9 times during fight
A student at Coatesville Area Senior High School was stabbed nine times during a fight with another student Tuesday morning, prompting the school to be dismissed. The student was taken to Paoli Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, the Chester County District Attorney’s Office said. Authorities in Caln Township are searching for a known suspect in the…
Atlantic City tops list of most affordable homes of any beach town in the U.S.
Atlantic City is the most affordable beach town in the United States to buy a home for the second year in a row, a study from Realtor.com finds. Single family homes in the city are priced at one-third of what they go for in the rest of New Jersey on average. While property values in…
Marple Township police, family search for missing Delaware County business owner
George Hughes, a 57-year-old business owner in Delaware County, was last seen on May 16 and has been reported missing by his family. Hughes is the owner of Broomall Auto Body. Family members said he was last spotted at a Fine Wine and Good Spirits store in the Edgemont Square Shopping Center in Newtown Township.…
Judge halts PennDOT’s controversial bridge tolling plan amid lawsuit
A controversial PennDOT plan to introduce electronic tolls on up to nine interstate bridges has been put on hold by a Commonwealth Court judge, who issued a temporary injunction in response to a lawsuit filed by Cumberland County and seven municipalities. In South Philadelphia, the Girard Point Bridge over I-95 is among the proposed bridges…
Upper Darby business owner gets 30 months over SEPTA fraud scheme
Mark Irvello, 57, of Broomall, was sentenced to more than two years in federal prison for his role in defrauding SEPTA out of more than $1 million. He’s the owner of MSI Tool Supply and Repair in Upper Darby. Top Featured Tags: – Philadelphia News Press Release Distribution Service
City Council votes to approve additional asbestos inspections for Philadelphia schools
Philadelphia City Council unanimously approved an ordinance that would expand inspections of asbestos in public school buildings as a response to concerns from parents and families about the condition of School District facilities. Top Featured Tags: – Philadelphia News Press Release Distribution Service
Philly region under heat advisory this weekend with temperatures in the 90s
The Philadelphia region will be under a tornado watch until 7 p.m. on Friday. Damaging winds and hail could be present in some areas as a strong storm system moves east. A heat advisory also is in effect for this weekend, with temperatures climbing into the upper 90s on Saturday and remaining hot and humid…
Philly schools to bring back COVID-19 mask mandate, citing spike in cases
The School District of Philadelphia will again require face masks be worn by students and staff beginning Monday, May 23. The school district’s decision came after a recommendation from the city health department, which cited surging COVID-19 case counts. The new mandate, which also applies to school transportation, will remain in effect until further notice.…
Dippin’ Dots bought by South Jersey company behind ICEE and Superpretzel for $222 million
Dippin’ Dots will be sold to Pennsauken’s J&J Snack Foods, a company with over $1 billion in annual sales, by the end of next month. The purchase will help the company grow its sales at venues like theme parks, movie theaters and stadiums, which is where cryogenically frozen balls of ice cream, yogurt or sorbet…
