Philadelphia

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Group Will Give $10K to Random Voter

'Icky' Philadelphia scheme aims to boost turnout

(Newser) - A nonprofit group is throwing in $10,000 to sweeten the deal for potential voters in Philadelphia for whom the joy of taking part in democracy might not be enough. Voter turnout in the city has been declining for a long time and sank to just 27% in a mayoral...

Scrapyard Looms for 'America's Flagship'

Campaigners are scrambling to save the SS United States

(Newser) - The SS United States is a gigantic—and still useful—piece of American history that is just weeks away from the scrapyard, warn the owners of the legendary passenger liner. The huge ship, which was considered an amazing technological achievement when it was launched in 1952, is owned by a...

World Will Be 'Annihilated' by Day's End: Doomsday Group

Philly organization based its apocalyptic calendar on Harold Camping's dates

(Newser) - Harold Camping may be gone , but the doomsday predictor's legacy is not forgotten. According to eBible Fellowship , a Christian group based in Philadelphia, Wednesday is the Earth's final day—and it's based on Camping's former end-time predictions, the Guardian reports. The deceased prophet had originally...

FBI Warns of Threat to Philly Universities

There may be a link to the Oregon shooting

(Newser) - Monday could be a jittery day at universities in the Philadelphia area. The University of Philadelphia, Drexel University, and Temple University have warned students and faculty of a threat of violence at 2pm Eastern at an "unspecified university near Philadelphia," USA Today reports. The universities say they were...

Man's Fashion Choices Get Him Busted for Burglary

He probably shouldn't have used BMX bike as getaway vehicle, either

(Newser) - A burglary suspect dubbed "The Man of Steal" by local media was busted Tuesday by Philly police after his fashion choices made him easy to ID, the Philadelphia Daily News reports. Kyree Henneghan, 18, was nabbed trying to sell a stolen laptop from his BMX bike (his alleged getaway...

Pope to Huge Philly Crowd: This Is 'a Kind of Miracle'

Pope Francis caps 10-day trip with Mass for huge crowd

(Newser) - Pope Francis led hundreds of thousands of the faithful Sunday at the last and biggest event of his joyful, six-day US visit—a Mass on Philadelphia's grandest boulevard—after consoling victims of the church sex abuse scandal and offering words of hope to jail inmates. Riding through the streets...

Pope Stops Car to Bless Boy in Wheelchair

Michael Keating, 10, has cerebral palsy

(Newser) - Pope Francis made an impromptu stop minutes after arriving at the Philadelphia airport this morning when he had his driver pull over so he could bless a 10-year-old boy with cerebral palsy, NBC Philadelphia reports. The pope leaned over a barricade and kissed Michael Keating, who uses a wheelchair. He...

Philly Seminary Serving 'Holy' Beer During Pope's Stay

Do you think the pope will imbibe?

(Newser) - There's a distinct possibility that when Pope Francis kicks back after a long day of appearances and addresses in Philadelphia today, he'll relax with a frosty glass of local pope-inspired beer, the AP reports. The St. Charles Borromeo Seminary, where Pope Francis will be sleeping and resting during...

Pope Francis Arrives: 5 Unusual Details of His Visit

It's a big deal

(Newser) - Pope Francis sets foot on US soil at 4pm today (full schedule here ), and officials in DC, New York, and Philly are scrambling to ensure a smooth, safe stay. Here are five of the more unusual details of his visit:
  1. The visit has spurred one of the largest security
...

With Myriad Messages, Naked Bikers Hit Philly

Naked Bike Ride draws 3K to advocate positive body image, ditching fossil fuels, more

(Newser) - Thousands of bicyclists in various stages of undress have pedaled their way around the city to promote fuel conservation and positive body image. The Philly Naked Bike Ride yesterday featured people sporting masks, underwear, body paint, glitter, or nothing at all. A lot of riders wore just their shoes. Debbie...

White House Fence-Jumper Killed in Pa. Courthouse

He allegedly entered courthouse, slashed deputy

(Newser) - An alleged onetime White House fence-jumper was killed today during a courthouse confrontation in a Philadelphia suburb. Authorities say Curtis Smith entered the lobby of the West Chester courthouse at about 11am and slashed a deputy sheriff with a knife. Chester County District Attorney Thomas Hogan said on his Facebook...

Philly Police Make Super Odd Anti-Drug PSA

It'll look familiar to anyone who watched Saved By The Bell

(Newser) - Why make your own PSA when you can just reuse one from the 1990s? That’s apparently the logic of the Philadelphia Police Department, which on Aug. 4 released an anti-drug PSA that probably looks familiar. It’s essentially the same one aired during a 1991 episode of Saved By ...

Rogue Cops? 158 Drug Convictions Tossed in Philly

Narcotics officers were accused of being crooked

(Newser) - To the shock of at least one man who left court free as a result, a Philadelphia judge yesterday reversed 158 narcotics convictions considered tainted by police corruption, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports. As part of the reversals, two people will be released from prison and another 60 will have their...

Philadelphia 'Gayborhood' Gets Rainbow Crosswalks

Move will show tourists city is LGBT-friendly, tourist rep says

(Newser) - In a move that had been planned for some time before today's historic Supreme Court ruling , rainbow-colored crosswalks have been painted in a gay neighborhood of Philadelphia known as the Gayborhood. The Philadelphia Inquirer reports the walkways made up of six red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and violet stripes,...

One Dead, 16 Injured in Detroit, Philly Block- Party Shootings

Among the injured in Philadelphia: a toddler, an 11-year-old, and a young teen

(Newser) - A Detroit block party last night ended in mayhem when a gunman fired into the crowd, killing a 20-year-old man and injuring nine others, the AP reports. One man is said to be critically wounded, while eight others ranging in age from 21 to 46 were "seriously injured,"...

NTSB's New Focus: Amtrak Engineer's Cellphone

Brandon Bostian made calls and texted day of the crash, but unclear when

(Newser) - The Amtrak engineer who says he doesn't remember anything about the train he was operating flying off the tracks in Philadelphia on May 12 used his cellphone the day of the crash to make calls and text—but it's still unclear whether he was doing so while operating...

Just Before Crash, Amtrak Train Sped Up

Control system was months away from being switched on

(Newser) - The Amtrak train in Tuesday night's deadly crash was going the speed limit until just before the derailment, when it mysteriously sped up when it should have slowed down, according to National Transportation Safety Board investigators. NTSB member Robert Sumwalt says that in the space of around a minute,...

Boehner Blasts 'Stupid Question' on Amtrak

Death toll rises to 8

(Newser) - Anger related to the Amtrak crash in Philadelphia continued to percolate on Capitol Hill today, as John Boehner ripped into a reporter asking about whether funding cuts contributed. "Are you really going to ask such a stupid question?" Boehner interjected. "Listen: You know they (Democrats) started this yesterday....

Amtrak Engineer in Derailment Has 'No Explanation'

Brandon Bostian can't remember much, his lawyer says

(Newser) - The engineer of the Amtrak train that derailed Tuesday night , killing seven, remembers driving the train to the general crash area in Philadelphia, but he doesn't remember the crash itself, his attorney tells ABC News . Brandon Bostian, 32, does remember being banged around in the crash and ultimately regaining...

Reports: Amtrak Train Was Going 100MPH at Curve

That's twice the limit; death toll rises to 7 in Philadelphia

(Newser) - The Amtrak train that derailed in Philadelphia last night was going more than 100mph—twice the speed limit—as it derailed while entering a curve, report the Philadelphia Inquirer and the Wall Street Journal . Each independently cites anonymous sources familiar with the investigation. The Inquirer adds that the train's...

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