Category Archives: News and Editorial Clips

Boys Banned From Allentown School Field Hockey Teams

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No boys allowed. A school board in Lehigh County confirmed a committee’s decision to ban boys from its field hockey team after concerns they caused injuries to girl players.

The Allentown School Board ruled 8-1 that boys would be prohibited from playing on school-sponsored teams that are usually all-female in the United States.  The vote upheld a decision made by a school committee in the Pennsylvania county Sept. 4.

“We had an injury where there was an incidental collision between a boy and a girl,” Russell Mayo, Allentown School Board president, told NBC10 earlier this month. “Upon legal counsel, we decided that we would err on the side of safety.”

The PIAA – the state’s governing body of high school sports — decided earlier this summer that boys who do play on girls’ teams are not allowed to participate in post-season games.

But not everyone in the Allentown School District, which includes William Allen High School and Louis E. Dieruff High School, is in agreement with the decision.

“The girls were disappointed because [the boys] were a great part of the team,” Inez Seyler, Dieruff’s field hockey coach, told LehighValleyLive.com. “I’m disappointed because they don’t really have a sport that is comparable to field hockey for boys.”

“It’s going to be heartbreaking to them,” added Karen Nilson, William Allen’s coach.

Mixed gender teams are allowed under the PIAA’s rules, but only under special circumstances that protect girls on the team from injury or disqualification for size differences from potential male teammates.

Other standards for Pennsylvania schools, under the Pennsylvania Department of Education, support the right to a “physical environment for safety.” This includes physical standards along with social, emotional and intellectual. These policies are intended to protect students’ wellness and physical health.

Originally published on NBC10.com

Neutral Milk Hotel @ Union Transfer

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Faithful followers and comrades rejoice, for your leader and god among men has christened this unholy land with a renewal of ironic beards. He has brought forth to us the sight of good will sweaters and the heavenly scent of stale Pabst. Behold, all, for Jeff Mangum was in Philadelphia.

Neutral Milk Hotel’s 2013-14 reunion tour is based on best selling hipster-anthem-album, In The Aeroplane Over The Sea. Union Transfer was the ultimate opportunity to shoulder dance with small steps in one place to familiar songs with no other visual stimulation: No decorations besides a night-light shaped like a lamb in the background, but if you had more than one beer, you likely didn’t see it. Hopefully the lamb will be on the road with them for the next eight months as they travel the world touring with a 15-year-old album.

The group maintains its indie-cred since it’s still just unknown enough, or so we think, to be a big deal. In reality, even since the band broke up pre-y2k, most of the shrill fans were wrinkle free – both their shirts and their faces. Not many venue-approved bracelets to signify a primarily 21 + crowd, so it is fair to say that the majority of fans at Neutral Milk Hotel’s show at Union Transfer weren’t very old at the peak of the band’s popularity.

Jeff Mangum, the lead singer and guitarist, seemed to have gotten used to his years of touring solo and selling out small venues here and there for his quaint acoustic sets. He took the stage at times, just himself, a guitar, and the spotlight, without fellow bandmates Jeremy Barnes, drummer, Scott Spillane, trumpeter, or Julian Koster, who plays a variety of instruments on stage.

The quality of the show was worth the high price ticket, weird venue rules and long entrance line in 15 degree weather. There was no photography allowed and Union Transfer didn’t think ahead to bring in extra staff for a show with mandatory will-call, but none of it was bad enough to have made this show a non-worthwhile experience.

The group opened with “Two Headed Boy Pt. 1” and ended with “Two Headed Boy Pt. 2.” Throughout the 90 minute set, both die-hard fans who covet both of Neutral Milk Hotel’s albums could enjoy themselves along side the one-and-done “Holland, 1945” appreciators. The entire show was geared towards fan’s happiness and not towards selling or promoting a record. The gig was either a way for Neutral Milk Hotel to satisfy needy fans or just to score some extra cash knowing they could sell out a venue like Union Transfer in less than one minute (which they did, in August).

The opening act, Elf Power, had a dreamy psychedelic pop thing going on. A really nice looking group, they offered a variety of pieces from both their first album and their newest album, Sunlight On The Moon.

“My favorite time playing in Philly was in 1999,” said guitarist and vocalist Andrew Rieger. “A super wasted guy was on the back of the stage and was so drunk but wouldn’t leave. We eventually had to have him kicked off the stage. Of Montreal was getting into their van later and he was pissing on their van. The van had an Elf Power sticker so he must have assumed it was our van. I don’t know what happened to him, but if you’re here, this is for you.”

Originally published on JumpPhilly.com

Seismic Thrust @ World Cafe Live on Monday with Jackie Paper and Astro.

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Seismic Thrust is more than just a sex joke or the last few words of a one-liner.

The band has seen rapid expansion in the last few years, going from playing basement shows and suburban churches to landing gigs at Philly venues like the Fire and World Café Live. where they’ll perform Monday with Astro and Jackie Paper (see here for ticket info).

Zach Decker, Tiffany Harris, and Galen Huggins record jammy/folky/pschedelic tunes but perform loud and noisy with hints of punk at certain times. The group has dropped three self-recorded EPs and one full album, all named conveniently after the different times of the year the albums drop: Black Friday Sales was dropped on Black Friday 2011, Spring Breakfast around Easter 2012, and Py Thanksgi on Thanksgiving 2012.

The group formed when they were in the 5th grade, with Harris on drums and vocals, Huggins on bass and Decker on guitar and vocals. Strangely enough, when the group hit the 9th grade, Decker kicked Huggins out of the band. Decker and Harris continued as Seismic Thrust with a random not-so-reliable bassist before they re-accepted Huggins into the group. Instead of being awkward about it, the group puts Decker at the butt of the joke and plays it off as old news.

Today, the group is constantly looking for and playing gigs. Their tragic flaw is one to be kept in mind: they lose equipment at almost every gig they play and they never bother to replace it. When you see them live, there’s a strong chance that they are operating with a lot of borrowed stuff.

They all lead busy lives. Finding time to write songs nowadays is tough but they are trying to put together another full album.

“We don’t want to keep releasing EPs,” said Decker. “We want to wait ’til we have a few songs.”

Originally published on JumpPhilly.com

Severely Burned Cat Rescued From Car in East Falls

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A small orange cat suffered burns over 25 percent of his body after getting trapped inside the engine of a car as a driver traveled to work in Philadelphia earlier this week.

“The fact that he survived … the drive is pretty incredible,” said Amanda Cox, founder and executive director of The Grannie Project, a Chester County animal shelter. “The steering wasn’t working quite right, and [the driver] looked under the hood and found Mr. Biscuits!”

Once the driver discovered the feline — after he arrived at work in East Falls — he contacted animal control, who took roughly two hours to free Mr. Biscuits from the dangerously hot spot in the car, she said.

The Grannie Project rushed the cat to Metropolitan Veterinary Associates, where a veterinarian with experience dealing with burned animals rushed from her home — arriving in pajamas with a baby in tow, she added.

Cox said the treating veterinarians told her Mr. Biscuits, who was initially named Engy, was burned so severely — he had a gaping hole in his back — that he may have caught fire during the drive.

As the injured cat began his recovery, shelter workers decided to rename the animal because his moniker reminded them of his time stuck in the car engine.

“Upon hearing that when he arrived at the vet, he was kneading, popularly known as making biscuits, with his paws,  he became Mr. Biscuits,” Cox explained. “We think it really fits him.”

It is common for cats to crawl under car hoods to stay warm, but Cox said this is the first time they treated an animal that got caught in an engine.

“It’s hard to say how many cats are injured or killed each year in car engines,” she said. “Most cats that seek shelter in engines and are unfortunate enough to still be there when the car is turned on aren’t as lucky as Mr. Biscuits. Most of them are killed.”

She emphasized the importance of honking and knocking on the hood of your car before ignition to allow any animals to escape.

Shelter staff thoroughly cleaned the cat’s wounds, but Mr. Biscuits will need continued care and additional surgeries, Cox said.

The cost to treat Mr. Biscuits is mounting for The Grannie Project, leading the organization to start a fundraiser to help pay for his treatment.

“Every dime goes directly to paying the vet bill for Mr. Biscuits care,” said Cox. “[…] His initial assessment and stabilization was over $1,500 and his costs right now are running about $750/day.”

Mr. Biscuits still needs time to recover before he can be placed for permanent adoption, but one kind person has committed to fostering Mr. Biscuits while he heals.

Originally published on NBC10.com

Six Men Charged in Scheme to Defraud South Philadelphia Woman’s Estate

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An intricate plot to steal property from a deceased woman in South Philadelphia fell through — now six men are each facing multiple charges.

The Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office Public Corruption Task Force charged six men on Thursday with various offenses, ranging from forgery to theft by deception. The men charged were allegedly trying to steal the estate of Dorothy Kennedy, a recently deceased woman from South Philadelphia.

An attorney, a real estate agent, two funeral home workers and two others face charges.

“The facts in this case are disturbing and extremely sad” said District Attorney Seth Williams. “It’s hard to believe that these people would steal a dead woman’s house and personal property.”

Andrew Kaufman, the lawyer facing charges, used his position to organize the scheme while Vincent Marciano, a real estate agent, put together a “sham sale” of the woman’s home, according to prosecutors.

The Public Corruption Task Force started investigating the scheme in 2013 after receiving an anonymous tip. They uncovered a complex attempt to exploit the woman who had no heirs or will, according to investigators.

The scheme would have taken over the woman’s estate, thus defrauding the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

Romanoff Quarles, one of the six men charged, lived around the corner from Kennedy. He decided to acquire her home after her 2010 passing and recruited friends for help, said investigators.

Antoine Turay and Marvin Kimble each face charges of tampering with public records and deceptive or fraudulent business practices for false alleged creation of a funeral bill.

Damion Rivers faces the nine charges for his alleged involvement in trying to take control of Kennedy’s vehicle with the assistance of Quarles.

The deceased woman did not have a will or any surviving heirs. Per Pennsylvania law, her estate should have been directed to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

Originally published on NBC10.com