Here is the latest Local News from the Philadelphia Inquirer.
The Interview: Why you’ll see Vai Sikahema at the big new Mormon Temple
THE FIRST time Vai Sikahema’s family traveled from their island home in Tonga to have a sacred ceremony performed at the nearest Mormon Temple, in New Zealand, it took four days, three modes of transport, and so much money that Sikahema’s parents had only enough for one-way tickets for their family of five.
Sign of the times: At 30th Street Station, display board will soon be no more
THE WARM, click-clacking sound of a forgotten time tumbles through the cavernous atrium of 30th Street Station. It emanates from a large, old-fashioned board that displays train departure and arrival times on flaps that spin and spin, cycling through a half-dozen destinations.
Woman convicted of dumping chemical-burned cat in Grays Ferry
A South Philadelphia woman has been found guilty of animal cruelty for failing to get veterinary care for her cat, which was suffering from chemical burns and was near death, the Pennsylvania SPCA said Friday.
2nd suspect nabbed in attempted murder of Philly food deliveryman
A second suspect has been charged in the June kidnapping, robbery, and attempted murder of a 34-year-old deliveryman in Kingsessing, police announced Friday.
Christie:, If called, willtestify in Bridgegate trial
TOMS RIVER, N.J. – Gov. Christie said Friday that he would testify if he is subpoenaed in the coming trial of two former allies in the George Washington Bridge lane closure scandal.
8-year-old Camden girl shot in head this week dies of her injuries
An 8-year-old Camden girl struck in the head by a stray bullet across the street from her home Wednesday night has died, her father announced Friday afternoon.
A ray of hope for Burlington City’s decrepit, but historic, McNeal Mansion
A year ago, the historic McNeal Mansion in Burlington City faced demolition after a redeveloper said the cost of restoring the fire-damaged building could approach $10 million.
Brown water in Maple Shade has some residents seeing red
The Facebook group set up by Anne Flynn for fellow residents of Maple Shade to register complaints has grown to 1,600 members.
8-year-old Camden girl shot in head this week dies of her injuries
An 8-year-old Camden girl struck in the head by a stray bullet across the street from her home Wednesday night has died, her father announced Friday afternoon.
West Deptford couple found beaten to death; son charged
A 28-year-old man has been charged with fatally beating his parents, who were found dead in their West Deptford home Friday morning, authorities said.
FBI seeks Kenney campaign records as part of union probe
Federal authorities have requested records from Mayor Kenney’s campaign committee as part of their investigation into the Electricians union and its leader John Dougherty, a political adviser to the Mayor said Friday.
PHA plans to move headquarters from Center City to Sharswood
Seven years later, strip-club manager’s fatal punch yields a prison sentence
Almost seven years after James Koons died from a punch to the head, a Philadelphia judge sentenced the manager of the Southwest Philadelphia strip club who threw that punch to 71/2 to 15 years in prison.
Man gets 30-60 years for rape and robbery of Chinatown business owner
Almost two years later, the victim remained so traumatized, she could not speak at Thursday’s sentencing of admitted rapist Brandon Menley.
Jaunts to jail: Pa. prison overcrowding leads to a Philly area cottage industry
By her estimate, Stacey Wilson has spent more than a week of her life traveling to and from prisons to visit her son Derron, who is serving 71/2 to 15 years for attempted murder.
$5,000 reward offered in shooting of 8-year-old in Camden
Authorities are offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person who shot an 8-year-old girl in the head as she played on a sidewalk in Camden on Wednesday evening.
Jellyfish threat in N.J. waters will persist, researchers say
Clinging jellyfish, a dime-size species with a horrific sting, are reproducing in Monmouth County’s Shrewsbury River and “will almost certainly be a presence” there next year, according to researchers.
Schwenksville man charged with striking Philly police sergeant while driving drunk
A 21-year-old Schwenksville man was arrested early Thursday, not long after he struck a Philadelphia police sergeant with his car in Manayunk and then took off.
Why N.J. troopers went to wrong home, shot a 76-year-old
A series of miscommunications among dispatchers on a 911 call may have caused New Jersey state troopers to erroneously respond to a rural South Jersey home, where one shot a 76-year-old man who feared the troopers were intruders.
Hundreds of Camden’s eyesores demolished, but more remain
Camden City and Camden County leaders announced Thursday that a project to demolish almost 600 of the most blighted properties in the city is more than 85 percent complete, meaning it will be done within months of the timeline set two years ago.
Zoning Board chair draws FBI interest in Electricians probe
Mayor Kenney’s appointee to lead the city’s Zoning Board of Adjustment this week became the latest ally of labor leader John “Johnny Doc” Dougherty to fall under federal scrutiny as part of the expanding investigation into the powerful Electricians union.
Philly’s Parkway Corp. plans N. Broad project with Nightingale of New York
North Broad garage building to be converted into apartments
Police: Bicyclist sexually assaults women as he pedals through Center City, South Philly
A bicyclist has been sexually assaulting women in dresses as he rides past them in Center City and South Philadelphia, police say – and as word spread Monday, another possible victim came forward.
Olympic boxing hopeful from North Philly charged with attempted murder
On his Team USA Boxing online profile, welterweight Paul Kroll listed his “mind and strength” as his greatest assets in the ring.
Christie vetoes ‘unreasonable requirements’ for gun ownership
Gov. Christie on Wednesday proposed loosening New Jersey’s “overly burdensome” gun laws, saying the state should make it easier for residents who are eligible to buy handguns to obtain a permit to carry them in public.
Burst of gunfire in Camden leaves 8-year-old girl clinging to life
An 8-year-old girl was shot in the head during a burst of gunfire Wednesday night on the streets of Camden.
Rescued archive of police photos traces South Jersey town’s history
A cache of 15,000 photographic negatives that nearly got tossed into the trash is offering Cinnaminson and its police department fresh pictures of a largely forgotten past.
5-year-old buys lunch to thank South Jersey police department
For months, William Evertz Jr. saved up his allowance, hoping to eventually have enough to buy a Power Wheels police car.
Rescued archive of police photos traces South Jersey town’s history
A cache of 15,000 photographic negatives that nearly got tossed into the trash is offering Cinnaminson and its police department fresh pictures of a largely forgotten past.
Bucks County’s 19th-century bridge: Repair it or replace it?
Second residential tower planned at East Market development site
Gun-control group backs McGinty; she says she’ll work with hunters
Picking up the backing of the gun-control group CeaseFirePA in a war of endorsements, Democratic U.S. Senate nominee Katie McGinty pledged Wednesday to work with Pennsylvania sportsmen and hunters on gun measures if she is elected.
Political operative gets probation for role in Chaka Fattah’s corruption case
A federal courtroom packed with supporters of political consultant Gregory Naylor erupted in cheers Tuesday as he was sentenced to probation for his role in the corruption case of former U.S. Rep. Chaka Fattah.
NJ approves controversial closure of Evesham’s Evans school
The New Jersey Department of Education has upheld the Evesham Township school board’s controversial decision to close Evans Elementary School next year, the school district announced Tuesday.
N.J. Supreme Court: Severely injured customer’s lawsuit against Sahara Sam’s can proceed
The New Jersey Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that a Voorhees man, seriously injured in 2010 while trying to surf on a wave machine at a water park, can proceed with a gross-negligence lawsuit.
Tour stop in South Jersey brings two Oak Ridge Boys home
For half of the award-winning country/gospel quartet the Oak Ridge Boys, the next stop on the band’s Celebration Tour will be familiar territory. On Friday, the quartet, which has shared the stage with the likes of Blake Shelton and Kenny Rogers, will perform two shows at the Levoy Theatre in Millville, N.J.
Federal appeals court orders a new trial in 1991 murder of 17-year-old girl killed for her earrings
A federal appeals court ruled Tuesday that a Philadelphia man sentenced to die for the 1991 murder of a teenage girl who was killed for her earrings should be freed or granted a new trial because evidence suggesting his innocence was withheld by police and prosecutors.
A fight over food, then fatal blows to a crying 2-year-old
Jamil Baskerville Jr. was sitting on a bed crying when his mother’s boyfriend punched him in the chest Saturday night, causing Jamil to fall backward and his head to hit the wall, authorities said.
Christie school funding plan gets skeptical reception at South Jersey forum
Gov. Christie got pushback Tuesday during a forum in Burlington County on his pitch to revamp New Jersey’s school funding system, as he faced questions on how poor districts would absorb the cuts his proposal would necessitate.
City Commissioners staffer slain in front of mother’s home, one of 4 weekend homicides
As a staffer in the Philadelphia City Commissioners office, Leonard Boyer III helped to make sure every voter’s voice counted on Election Day.
Robbers kill man in front of son, 13
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