Latrice Bryant apologized yesterday for flashing signs during a City Council meeting that accused of Fox 29 of racism. Specifically, she compared Jeff Cole, a white reporter for Fox 29, to the Ku Klux Klan. “I think I just lost it,” Bryant told NBC10’s Harry Hairston. Amid confusion and a shortage of volunteers, United Neighbors of Whitman Park, a Camden community center that offered summer and after-school programs among other services, has closed. Some volunteers......

Lori Delgado filed documents with the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas yesterday alleging that Vince DeMentri acted threateningly to her and her husband and that she feared for her life. For DeMentri’s part, he described their relationship as a "consensual, mutual romantic affiliation." An Upper Darby couple has been charged with a marijuana growing operation. Police were called to their house after they phoned in a report of a robbery. Upon searching the premises the......

Despite the presence of a large number of very excited Phillies fans at the game, the Rays won the second game of the World Series last night. The problems are the same: the big players on the offense are not getting big hits. That doesn't mean it's easy to get Series tickets. Yesterday City Councilman Darrell Clarke moved to lift a little known, almost four-decades-old city law that bans men massaging women and women......

The Phillies won Game 1 of the World Series last night, 3-2. Of course, being a Philly sports fan, this Phillyist would like to have seen them win better; there were a lot of missed opportunities to score, and Howard really needs to get out of this post-season slump he's stuck in. Still, a win is a win. Check out a preview for Game 2, and ponder what it might mean if Game 3......

McCain is still fighting for Pennsylvania, despite Obama's double-digit leads in the polls. His wife Cindy made four stops in Philadelphia and Yardley yesterday. Meanwhile, Philadelphia Democratic Party members are wondering if Obama will have any street money for them. On November 4th, voters will be asked to abolish the Fairmount Park Commission and merge it with the city Recreation Department, placing the whole under the mayor as a standard city department. The Inquirer looks......

Jocelyn Kirsch is due to be sentenced today in U.S. District Court. She could get as many as six or seven years in prison. Her boyfriend is scheduled to be sentenced on Tuesday. Democrats now outnumber Republicans in Pennsylvania by almost 1.2 million. Meanwhile, the Obama campaign has received threats at several of its Pennsylvania offices and is asking labor unions to help provide volunteer security at 27 of the offices between now and......

"Republican City Councilman Jack Kelly is suing a Lawncrest man for a smear campaign that Kelly says nearly cost him last year's general election." "Police are looking for the driver of a gray Ford pickup who may have been involved in or witnessed the wounding of a Glendora man in a road-rage shooting Sunday night near the Walt Whitman Bridge." Barack Obama will be all over Philly tomorrow, with rallies in four neighborhoods. A......

A report is due out today from the Pennsylvania Health Care Cost Containment Council comparing heart surgeries at area hospitals. John Jackey Worman, the Delaware County man whose child porn case we've been posting about here for some time, was convicted in federal court of dozens of child-pornography charges yesterday. Worman could spend the rest of his life in jail. It couldn't have happened to a nicer guy. An off-duty SEPTA police officer was......

Michael will soon be taking a look at legislation that will eliminate two seats from the City Council. In effect, it would kick Republicans off the City Council. But this would apparently be okay because, as Councilman Wilson Goode put it, Philadelphia "is already a one-party town." Michael's not the only Nutter with an entourage, as proven by the posse adorable Olivia rolled into her first day of school with. Michael helped usher in National......

"Authorities yesterday searched the Main Line home of a dentist who they believe may have been involved in dumping some of the syringes and other medical waste found on eight Jersey Shore beaches in the last two weeks." The Penn State football team is in trouble again. Coach Joe Paterno said last night that defensive end Maurice Evans, defensive tackle Abe Koroma, and tight end Andrew Quarless would not play tomorrow against Oregon State after......

Dorrell Shaw, 26, who was wanted for questioning in the recent series of sexual assaults in Frankford, turned himself in to police yesterday. But authorities warn the case is by no means closed; Shaw was in prison during the first of the assaults, and it's quite possible he was not responsible for any of them. The rebuilding of the Market-Frankford El, a project that is now $300 million over budget and two years behind schedule,......

Little Girl Lost is based on a real-life incident that involves a row house fire, the disappearance of newborn Delimar Vera, and a mother's six-year nightmare, spent believing her daughter had died in the blaze, as city officials told her. The all-star cast includes actors from Scrubs, The Shield, 24 and General Hospital, not to mention Ugly Betty star (and daughter of a former Philadelphia City Councilman) Ana Ortiz. This Lifetime Original Movie premieres Sunday,......

It’s only right to pick up a hard copy of this one: City Paper presents the Comics Issue! How subversive. Or not. Is oil animal by-product free? Vegans are hit hard by the rising cost of gas. Yeah, what has he done? A look at at-large City Council member Jack Kelly's record, which apparently includes parking garages and puppies (two of our favorite things!). A tale of two truthinesses: Another look at the bill requiring......

Yesterday afternoon in LOVE Park, two homeless women got into a fight over a homeless man's affections which ended in one woman stabbing the other to death. Perhaps not surprisingly, Mayor Nutter's recent press conference in which he angrily criticized DHS left some workers upset. He spent yesterday trying to placate them in a series of closed-door meetings. "A veteran Philadelphia-area Roman Catholic priest's transfer from Florida to Bucks County has been halted after......

"There will be overnight traffic restrictions on Route 202 at the Route 29 interchange in East Whiteland Township, Chester County, tonight and Monday." Also, I-95 North in Philadelphia will have a lane closure tonight, tomorrow night and Saturday morning for barrier construction. Newly released estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau reveal that Philadelphia lost more residents between 2000 and 2007 than any U.S. city except New Orleans. Ouch. High fuel costs are also affecting......

Three Philadelphia Tour Guides are up-in-arms due to a City Council bill that says all guides must be certified by obtaining a license. The license is given after the guides pass an exam that tests their knowledge of Philadelphia history. They feel this is in violation of their rights and have filed a lawsuit against the city. Phillyist has obtained a copy of the guides' original complaint to City Council President Anna C. Verna: Dear......

Phillyist reader Adrian Holovaty tipped us off to EveryBlock Philadelphia. They aggregate City Council actions, restaurant inspections, crimes and other useful data and make it searchable by address, ZIP, neighborhood or even Council District. It's a great resource for those of us looking to move elsewhere in the city limits or just trying to stay informed about our surroundings. The media coverage and photos sections can be especially interesting, depending, of course, on where exactly......

The Phlash Center City trolley will have special hours this Friday and Saturday to accommodate Independence Day celebrations. The Phlash will operate until 7PM on Friday and until 11PM on Saturday. (Via RJ) The Inquirer tells the story of how a plan to convert an empty convent in Germantown into apartments for formerly homeless men went south, in order to underscore the problems Mayor Nutter is likely to face with his initiative to fight......

Remember, Eagles fans: tickets go on sale this morning at 10AM. The Inquirer offers tips on how to score some for yourself. Today is Philadelphia City Council's last meeting before summer break, so they're going to try to make decisions on a lot of leftover items at the last minute, including proposals to hike fines for littering, privatize the city's sludge plant, take control of Fairmount Park, force contractors to keep sidewalks open during construction......

Hello. I’m former Mayor of Philadelphia John F. Street for the new Apple 3G iPhone. The “3G” stands for “Gimmee, gimmee, gimmee!” Just a little joke. But there’s no joking about this incredible piece of technology. The new 3G iPhone has everything a former Mayor of Philadelphia needs. Take Push Email: now when my lawyer needs to reach me about a subpoena or schedule a hearing, I get his email instantly. And with Push Calendar,......

Yesterday a Delaware County trade-school instructor mistakenly left his 14-month-old grandson in the backseat of his sweltering car in the Lawrence Park Shopping Center while he went to work for several hours in Broomall. Apparently he typically picks the child up in the morning and takes him to day care, but yesterday he forgot the boy was with him, and only realized his mistake when he came back in the afternoon to get something out......

Mayor Nutter is scheduled to tour the recently restored baseball field at Hancock Playground in Kensington today, where he'll announce initiatives for recreation-center safety, summer jobs for youth, and new rules for the city's summer camp programs. The Inquirer has some more details on how the FBI got involved in the case of Larry Mendte allegedly reading Alycia Lane's email. This week the the Sheriff's Office Bench Warrant Unit in Delaware County is holding......

Michael's been in office for a little over four months now, which apparently means it's time to start fund-raising for his reelection campaign. Michael appointed former Daily News columnist Mark Alan Hughes as the city's "sustainability director," charged with overseeing environmental initiatives. Michael's proposed budget easily cruised through a City Council committee, clearing the way for approval by the whole Council, which should come next week. Some people are accusing Michael of inappropriately excusing the......

The fourth annual commuter competition sponsored by the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia started this morning at 8AM. Three commuters race from 45th and Spruce to City Hall, one on a bike, one in a car, and one in a bus. The BCGP is obviously expecting the cyclist to win, thus proving that two wheels are better than four. Philly's own Bonnie and Clyde are the "poster children for identity theft," according to Federal authorities.......

We previously posted about SEPTA's celebration this past weekend of the 100th anniversary of service for 69th Street Terminal and the Route 100 Norristown High Speed Line. What we didn't realize is that SEPTA was more than a year late with its celebration. Fresh news on the Bonnie and Clyde front! We know you're excited. Looks like Jocelyn Kirsch is nearing a federal plea deal. Prison time is still likely, however, given the scope of......

Figures released yesterday revealed that $613 million of the money gamblers have been pumping into slot machines in Pennsylvania will go to property-tax relief for most homeowners and to lower the wage tax in Philadelphia. It's all thanks to Act 1, passed in 2006, which gave the state a portion of the gaming revenues from slots to use for tax relief. The Inquirer points out that finding the lowest gas prices in the area......

Beginning at 10AM today at City Hall, Philadelphia School District officials will present their proposed $2.28 billion budget to City Council. You can already see the budget and prepared testimony on the district's website. Members of the public will offer testimony on the budget tomorrow. The Inquirer investigates the lasting effects of the shooting death of 33-year-old Moroccan-born Ouadii Souliman. He was gunned down at the door Al Aqsa Mosque on the border between Northern......

The Eagles' 2008 schedule has been released, and one of the more exciting games will be the one they'll they'll play at home versus the Arizona Cardinals on Thanksgiving night. It will be nationally televised on the NFL Network. (Via Sarah) Barack Obama's wife, Michelle Obama, was apparently well received when she spoke at a rally at Haverford College yesterday. A new Daily News/Franklin & Marshall poll has Clinton still in the lead with......

Michael's well-publicized citywide cleanup was last weekend. He called the effort, which drew 15,000 volunteers, the largest cleanup in United States history. All in all, volunteers cleaned up more than 2.5 million pounds in trash. Now the city needs to listen to Natalia Smirnov and everyone else in the city calling for more trash cans. The Michael Nutter lovefest continued this week, with the mayor being honored by Philadelphia Hospitality with the Vision of......

Around 2:46PM yesterday afternoon, in the underground SEPTA concourse at 13th and Market streets near the City Hall station, four teens shouted at a 36-year-old Starbucks employee named Sean Patrick Conroy, then surrounded him and attacked him as he crouched defensively. The victim lost consciousness on the concourse and was taken to Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 3:09PM. There appeared to be no prior connection between Conroy and his......