Philadelphia, PA

The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that there were three skinny, sheepish teenagers, pushing the limits of adolescence but not yet men. Ok, for one thing, if I was described as “sheepish” I may be offended. I don’t know if that’s just me.

A thirty eight year old Bucks County mother was ordered held for trial on a variety of sexual assault charges.

Angela Honeycutt of Lower Makefield Township is accused of engaging in sexual acts with two of the boys (the sheepish boys), ages fourteen and fifteen years old. The “crimes” allegedly occurred during a teen sleepover last April at the home of a female friend of Ms. Honeycutt’s, who lived in the neighborhood.

The “sheepish” boys testified that Ms. Honeycutt had danced provocatively, discussed sex with them, and kissed two or three of them before “disrobing” and heading for the shower.

She had asked the boys if any of them wanted to join her in the shower. The fifteen year old boy said that he wasn’t planning on having sex when he entered the bathroom with her. The boy said that “other stuff happened” and he changed his mind.

Blah, blah blah, the same old stuff.

One of the boys ended up engaging in two sexual acts in the shower with Ms. Honeycutt, but did not have intercourse, but than one of the boys did have intercourse with her (?).
(more…)

Philly.com’s Poll about homelessness:

From yesterday the polls are still roughly the same.

Yes, the one with the lowest number of responses was, of course, about helping people. And the #1 response was wondering why the city didn’t do something about it. I guess if you pay your taxes…

The government made it official yesterday and charged Larry Mendte with reading Alycia Lane’s email; apparently, doing so is a felony.

Mendte was charged with one count of intentionally accessing a protected computer without authorization. Authorities allege he checked Lane’s email 537 times (in a frickin’ row?!) after getting her password.

“As we continually have said from day one, Larry has been cooperating fully with the investigators. He continues to cooperate and will accept full responsibility for his actions,” Mendte’s lawyer said. Blah, blah, blah, jailtime is probably unlikely.

Coffee enthusiasts twitched yesterday when they heard that nine of 115 cafe’s in the Philadelphia area will be closing.

When one Starbucks goes down, there’s a new one right around the corner, so don’t worry.

A lot of people aren’t quite sure why Starbucks is having to close some of its stores, here’s the reason. The Seattle company that transformed coffee from a mud-slurping morning routine to a daily luxury indulgence is now closing a big batch of outlets to stem losses.

The reason why? Location.

Three of the nine stores on the Starbucks list in the Philadelphia region are on Route 611 in Montgomery and Bucks Counties, two within a mile in Willow Grove.

There’s so many around, it’s crazy though.

For example, in downtown Willow Grove, where Weinrich’s Bakery on route 611, there is a Starbucks across the street from him in a bookstore, one in a nearby mall and one in a supermarket.

Then, there are two more near the naval air station up the road. Don’t forget the two that are closing, on the 1100 and 2700 blocks of Route 611.

When a retailer opens too many stores in a geographic area, they run into the risk of “cannibalizing” their operations. That is, one store ends up eating into the sales of another.

There total number of Starbucks locations is listed at 600 stores. 70 percent of those stores have been open since 2006. Five of the nine closing in Philadelphia opened in 2006 or later.

Starbucks has become such a powerful part of people’s lives that the impending closures made headlines in cities nationwide yesterday.

An estimated of 180 area Starbucks employees will lose their jobs once the espresso machines are stored away.

Ridley Township Detective Sgt. Scott Willoughby thought he had seen it all during his 18 years on the force.
Then he met James Jones.

The 46-year-old township resident, who is being held at the Delaware County Prison on animal-cruelty charges, stabbed his dog “Baby” to death Sunday night with a 30-inch samurai-style sword, according to authorities.

His wife, Pamela, said he had been threatening to kill the 3-year-old American bulldog mix for several weeks, and that he finally made good on that threat in their Holland Street home.

She had rescued the dog from the Delaware County SPCA when it was a puppy, but she couldn’t save Baby from her husband.

“She wasn’t going to bite him, wasn’t going to attack him,” Pamela Jones said of the family dog. “He stabbed her in her heart and there was blood squirting all over the place, then all four of her legs got wobbly and she fell to the floor and she bled to death on the floor. Her tongue came out of her mouth and she was gone. I couldn’t even help her.”

Police say Jones had accidentally struck the dog in the head, causing it to growl at him, and that he became enraged.

“You see a lot of crazy things,” said Willoughby, a former K-9 officer, “but to kill your own dog with a sword? Jesus Christ!”

Willoughby said that the dog was sitting upright when it was stabbed and the blade went 8 inches into its chest.

“And then he stabbed it again,” he said.

Jones was arraigned Monday by Senior Magisterial District Judge Leonard McDevitt Sr. and was transported to the George W. Hill Correctional Facility after he failed to post 10 percent of $25,000 bail.

Pamela Jones, who has been married to James for 15 years, immediately sought a temporary protection-from-abuse order, and it was granted Monday while her husband was still in custody of Ridley police. She plans to get a divorce because of the incident.

Police confiscated 20 daggers and 10 swords from the house.

“It could have been me,” she said of the stabbing. “I’m going to serve him the [divorce] papers when I have to go testify against him in court.”

Meanwhile, two sisters of James Jones said he is an animal lover - not just dogs, but iguanas, lizards, ferrets and other creatures - who was born and raised in Chester and served in the Army as a young man.

“He loved animals. I don’t believe it,” said one sister, Frances Jones.

“It’s very sad if he did it,” said another sister, Janet Brown. “What was going through his mind?”

A West Philadelphia man is facing serious charges after allegedly posting a video online encouraging the murder of Philadelphia Police officers.

Andre Moore, 44, was taken into custody Thursday on charges of aggravated assault, making terroristic threats, corruption of a minor and related offenses for the video posted on YouTube. The video has since been removed from the site.

In the video, Moore is seen holding a weapon saying, “The Philadelphia Police are nothing but a bunch of liars, especially the 18th District. I can’t stand the 18th District. That’s why I rejoice whenever they shoot a cop in Philadelphia cause I hate them.”

Later in the video, Moore is talking about the recent officer deaths in Philadelphia saying, “Boom … when you shoot the cops, you shoot them dead OK? Anywhere in the head or heart. That’s why the last cops lost their lives. Because those guys knew what they were doin’ when they were killin them.”

Moore worked as a security guard at Albert Einstein Medical Center, the same hospital where Officer Charles Cassidy died after being shot in the line of duty last October.

His wife told CBS 3 he was upset over what he suspected was harassment from officers in the 18th District.

“Why my husband did what he did is beyond me. I’m in a state of shock,” she said.

Sources said Moore’s son was behind the camera as he made his disturbing rant..

“It’s a disgrace, instead of coming and saying thank you to a cop who are out there doing their job, protecting the citizens in the community, he’s making a rap song or video about killing a cop,” Fraternal Order of Police President John McNesby said.

A spokeswoman for Albert Einstein Medical Center issued a statement that read in part; “We are aware of the investigation. We are cooperating with the authorities and he — Andre Moore– has been suspended pending the outcome of the legal proceedings.”

An arrest warrant was issued for Moore after he was identified in the video, which was posted June 7, said Kevin Harley, spokesman for the state Attorney General’s Office. Moore was arrested at his apartment, police said.

“We believe these were terroristic threats that are not protected by the First Amendment, particularly when he encourages people to promote violence in Philadelphia and when he shows people how to use a gun to shoot a cop,” Harley said.

Moore remains in custody on $500,000 bail.

(more…)

Jurors have found a former Bucks County elementary school teacher guilty of making a series of terrorizing threats.

Susan Romanyszyn, 46, a former teacher at Longstreth Elementary School in Warminster, was found guilty of 11 of 18 counts, which included making terroristic threats.

Over a nine-day period last October, authorities said Romanyszyn left the school in a state of fear after leaving over a dozen threatening notes, planting a fake bomb consisting of water bottle screws and a white substance and leaving nails in the parking lot.

Along school walls, authorities found messages saying, “Die” and “I will kill.”

Investigators received a break in the case when a fingerprint on one of the threatening notes matched Romanyszyn’s.

Romanyszyn, who is also fighting breast cancer, said she must have accidentally touched the note as she took the stand in her defense on Wednesday.

The district attorney’s office said the evidence against the former fourth grade teacher was clear.

“We have videotape evidence showing her going into classrooms, library where she says she was never in. We have physical evidence in the way of notes with her fingerprints on them,” Assistant District Attorney Gary Gambardella said.

Police believe Romanyszyn, who taught the school for three years, made the threats after being passed over for a fifth grade teaching position.

“She was upset or disgruntled at not getting the classroom assignment that she wanted,” Bucks County District Attorney Michelle Henry said shortly after Romanyszyn’s arrest.

(more…)

Edward Kanterman, 59 years old, was charged yesterday with involuntary manslaughter in the death of Nicholas McCorkie. He picked up Nicholas at his daughter’s house on June 10th and was supposed to drop him off at a Drexel Hill day-care center. Instead, he went straight to work at CHI Institute in Broomall, where he teaches classes from 8:05 a.m. to 1:25 p.m. while the toddler remained strapped in a car seat in Kanterman’s Ford Explorer during a heat wave.

The outdoor temperature had reached the mid-90’s by 11 a.m., but inside the vehicle, it was well over 100 degrees.

When Edward returned to the truck, he discovered Nicholas unconscious, soaked in sweat and barely breathing, and repeatedly told CHI staff that “he couldn’t believe he left his grandson in the car all day.”

The toddler was admitted to Bryn Mawr Hospital with a core body temperature of 107.2 degrees, and was later transferred to Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, where was declared brain dead on June 14th and taken off life support.

Edward Kanterman was arraigned yesterday in Marple Distric Court on one count of involuntary manslaughter - which is upgraded from a misdemeanor to a felony in Pennsylvania when it involves a young child. He was released on $10,000 unsecured bail and declined comment as he left the court room.

(more…)

CBS3 today announced that anchor Larry Mendte was released from his contract, nearly four weeks after the FBI seized his personal computer and showed up the station to inform management that Mendte was being investigated for allegedly reading former co-anchor Alycia Lane’s e-mail and feeding gossip to reporters.

In a statement read on the 6 p.m. news, anchor Susan Barnett said that Mendte, who last worked May 29, was released effective immediately and that Mendte was under investigation by the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

The station said the decision to let him go was based on an independent investigation conducted by CBS.

While you’re here, would you mind taking a short survey about About-PhiladelphiaPA.com? Click here to take the survey.

Yesterday, Twigga, who was 29 years old and one of the nation’s oldest giraffes was euthanized. She had lived at the Philadelphia Zoo since 1979.

When Twigga’s death was announced, the zoo said that she had been on medications for age-related arthritis for quite some time.

“Based on Twigga’s comfort and behavior, the zoo’s veterinary team decided this week that humane euthanasia was now the best course for her,” the zoo’s statement said.

Giraffes typically live into their late teens and early 20s.

She is the second giraffe to be euthanized at the zoo this year. Puzzles, 27, was euthanized in March due to age-related problems.

Earlier this month, Petal, then the oldest African zoo elephant in the nation at 52, died at the zoo.

“The zoo has a lot of very old animals, and we’re coming up to the end of the life cycle for many of them,” said Kirsten Wilf, a zoo spokeswoman.

Twigga was born at the Knoxville (Tenn.) Zoo, and was described as “an extraordinarily gentle giraffe” who was well liked by staff and visitors. She raised six calves during her years at the zoo.

The Philadelphia Zoo has two other giraffes: Stella, a 7-year-old female, and Gus, a male who will turn 2 next month. Gus recently arrived at the zoo from Texas.

The giraffe exhibit has been empty while the young male completes a precautionary quarantine period expected to end in mid-July.

Twigga’s remains were taken to the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine’s New Bolton Center in Kennett Square for a necropsy and burial.

Guess what? Alycia Lane finally went and sued CBS 3, and it actually contains the phrase “the Prince Albert of Monaco Exploitation.” Oh, this is amazing.

Lane’s lawsuit against her employer alleges the station didn’t respond to complaints her private email had been viewed and also said the station treated female employees worse than its male ones. The suit also says co-anchor/alleged email snooper Larry Mendte was jealous of Lane’s higher salary (reportedly $800k vs. $700k) and her popularity.

Michael Klein writes:

Lane’s suit claims that a statement from Colleran that Mendte read on-air on Jan. 7 killed her career. It read in part: “After assessing the overall impact of a series of incidents resulting from judgments she has made, we have concluded that it would be impossible for Alycia to continue to report the news as she, herself, has become the focus of so many news stories.” It added, “We understand that Alycia expects to be fully vindicated in that proceeding” in New York.
The suit says the “clear meaning” was that Lane was “now unable to report the news for any news station anywhere in the world.”

Video under the belt.

(more…)

The Inquirer’s Patrick Kerkstra reported that a group of local investors have rescued Wireless Philadelphia.

The group includes Derek Pew and Mark Rupp, who are apparently both local and businessmen. “Little if any” taxpayer money was used in the deal; the two plan to offer free, advertising-supported wireless Internet in the city. Hey, how long until we can start taking bets on the advertising market collapsing? Opps, I guess I just started.

Mayor Nutter talked about Wireless Philadelphia at noon.

Black bears tend to be solitary animals, with the exception of mothers and cubs. The bears usually forage alone, but will tolerate each other and forage in groups if there is an abundance of food in one area. - Defenders.org

Even though Black bears are reported to not be really threatening, Deborah Samsel had the surprise of her life. Doesn’t this bear in back yard nonsense happen all the time though?

Hola, Jocelyn Kirsch is in the news again, and Philly.com has it on the front page. What fun! This time, it’s the Inquirer who has the goods: Apparently, prosecutors will seek a revocation of her bail, sending her to jail.

Kirsch, 22, the sometimes-violet-eyed beauty who captivated an international audience once tantalizing photos of her on vacation hit the Internet, had been scheduled to plead guilty this afternoon in U.S. District Court in Philadelphia.
But last night, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said that the plea hearing would be rescheduled and that a detention hearing would be held instead.

“The government will move to detain her,” said Assistant U.S. Attorney Louis D. Lappen, who declined to elaborate last night about the underlying reason for the detention request.

There’s also a poll asking how long Kirsch should go to jail for; “More than 15 years” is currently leading.

If you have any Philadelphia News, Events, etc. please email them to phillytips@kyledylanconner.com.

I would also like to personally apologize for about-philadelphiapa.com being down for the past 24-48 hours. 451 Press was experiencing some difficulties.

Bobbi Booker and her unborn baby lost their live because of an idiotic game of one-upmanship three days ago.

Police said that Booker, 27 years old, who was four months pregnant, died at 9:20 p.m. Monday at Albert Einstein Medical Center.

Doctors had tried to find a way to save the mother of two and her fetus since Sunday night, when Booker was hit in the side of the head with a stray bullet while her boyfriend, Michael Thomas, traded gunfire with Lamar Johnson, police said.

Thomas, 26 years old, and Johnson, 22 years old, were officially charged yesterday with Booker’s murder and the murder of her unborn baby.

Homicide investigators said that the gunfight, which occurred outside the Queen Lane Apartments in Germantown, was simply an escalation in an ongoing petty feud involving Thomas, Johnson, and several other men.

Thomas used a shotgun during the shoot-out, while Johnson fired shots from a 9-mm handgun, police stated. Homicide Capt. James Clark has said that both men have “lengthy” criminal records.

Book was inside of the apartment building and was apparently hit by a stray bullet from the 9-mm when she walked by a window.