Heron's Nest

The archdiocese checks in

2012-02-17T07:54:00.000-05:00

We've now heard from the archdiocese. Here is their official advisory on this morning's press conference:

ARCHDIOCESE OF PHILADELPHIA TO ANNOUNCE FINAL DECISIONS OF THE BLUE RIBBON COMMISSION APPEALS PROCESS

FOR ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS

Decisions will be announced regarding elementary schools that appealed the Blue Ribbon Commission recommendations.

10:30 a.m.

Friday, February 17, 2012

Archdiocesan Pastoral Center

Auditorium

222 North 17th Street

Philadelphia, PA 19103

The Blue Ribbon Commission recommendations were originally announced on January 6, 2012. Following those announcements, the Archdiocese of Philadelphia established an appeals process to allow schools the opportunity to present fact-based evidence in support of their position to remain open or not merge.

The final decisions regarding the four high schools, Conwell-Egan Catholic High School; Saint Hubert Catholic High School for Girls; Monsignor Bonner and Archbishop Prendergast Catholic High School; and West Philadelphia Catholic High School are not ready to be announced at this time as information is still being clarified.

Review committees were established consisting of members of the Blue Ribbon Commission as well as Archdiocesan administrators to facilitate requests for review from parish elementary schools and high schools.

For review meetings involving elementary schools, participants included the pastors, principals, business managers from both partnering or all regionalizing schools in addition to the members of the Elementary School Review Committee.

Review meetings involving high schools consisted of members of the Blue Ribbon Commission and the Board of Education as well as Archdiocesan administrators in addition to the President, Principal, and Advisory Board Chair.

At the meetings, the review committees presented the facts considered by the Blue Ribbon Commission in reaching its recommendation. Those requesting a review were given the opportunity to present the reasoning for their request along with supporting facts and documentation.

At 10:30 a.m. the Faith In the Future website (www.faithinthefuture.com) will be updated to reflect the results of the appeals process regarding the elementary schools.

Also, at 12:00 p.m. there will be a conference call for media unable to attend at 10:30 a.m. The contact information will be communicated on Friday.

$5 million doesn't get you what it used to

2012-02-17T07:43:00.001-05:00

Apparently $5 million doesn't go as far as it once did.

That's how much the Monsignor Bonner and Archbishop Prendergast boosters raised to save their school.

And they still don't know. The decision to the archdiocese has been pushed back a week.

School President the Rev. James Olson indicated he thinks it's a sign that Archbishop Charles Chaput is taking seriously the fundraising effort that was launched to save the school.

Reaction from Bonner-Prendie: It's torture

2012-02-17T07:09:00.001-05:00

Here's a sampling of the kind of reaction we're hearing from Bonner and Prendie backers:

'It's unbelievable - I got two hours of sleep! They need to stop the agony. I hope this is all for the best but it's torture!'

Yep, it's going to be another long week.

Bonner-Prendie folks not happy with delay

2012-02-17T06:26:00.001-05:00

Judging by the first few comments posted to the earlier news that the archdiocese was delaying their decision on high schools, the Bonner-Prendie community is not happy.

To put it bluntly, many of them are beginning to feel likey they are getting jerked around.

If you want to talk about it, I'm hosting a live chat later this morning after the archdiocese makes its official announcement. Use the hashtag #delcocatholic to log on, or click here.

Another week on pins & needles for Bonner-Prendie

2012-02-17T06:06:00.001-05:00

The boosters trying desperately to keep Monsignor Bonner and Archbishop Prendergast High School alive will have to keep the faith for at least one more week.

Hard as it is to believe, the archdiocese is delaying this morning’s expected ruling on their appeal of the Blue Ribbon Commission’s recommendation that they be shut down.

Raising $5 million apparently is not enough to sway Archbishop Charles Chaput’s mind. At least not yet. He wants another week to mull over the fate of four high schools – including Bonner-Prendie on the list. One of the reasons given is that he wants to go over some new financial data.

The rest of the elementary schools are still expected to get word on their fate this morning.

There was juibilation yesterday at St. Francis de Sales in Aston. They learned their appeal had been granted. They will remain open at their current Aston site. That means St. Thomas the Apostle also will remain open in Glen Mills.

In the meantime, the appeal filed by St. John Chrysostom in Wallingford also was granted. It was originally supposed to merge with Nativity BVM at the Media location. Instead the two schools will still merge, but at the Wallingford site.

Still up in the air is the fate of the other Delco grade schools, including St. Cyril’s in East Lansdowne, which also had appealed its fate.

I will be hosting a live chat on the rulings on the Delco Catholic schools after the archdiocese holds its press update at 10:30. You can follow along here, and take part in the chat on Twitter by using the hashtag #delcocatholic.

Talk to you then.

The Daily Numbers - Feb. 16

2012-02-16T09:27:00.001-05:00

The Daily Numbers: 150 refinery workers from Delco who made the trip to Washington, D.C., to opposed shutdown of local plants.

15,000 that could be eliminated across the region by the shutdown of local refineries.

18 non-refinery jobs lost for every job lost in the shutdowns.

1,100 union members who are looking at the unemployment line.

5 million dollar grant being sought by Delaware County to aid local workers.

1 more day to wait for ruling from Archbishop Charles Chaput on appeals filed by Catholic schools targeted for closure, including Monsignor Bonner and Archbishop Prendergast.

4-3 vote by Folcroft Borough Council to can their code enforcement officer, stirring still more controversy in the town.

3 Wawa robberies admitted to by a Philadelphia man who was arrested by Upper Darby police.

30 years in law enforcement that came to an end this week with retirement of CID boss Capt. John McKenna.

24, age of pregnant woman found dead in the basement of her South Philly home.

3 killed in Upper Merion family and now the Montco D.A. is seeking the death penalty against the suspect.

3 million tickets already sold for the Phillies 2012 season.

680,000 single-game tix that went on sale at 8:30 this morning.

3 days until pitchers and catchers report to Clearwater for Phillies training camp.

65-51 loss for Villanova last night to South Florida. Not a good season for the Wildcats.

Call me a Phanatic: A look at the ups and downs of being a Philadelphia sports fan.Yeah, nothing says February like single-game Phillies tickets. Absolutely worth spending the night outside Citizens Bank Park.

I Don’t Get It: Refineries are being shut down, and prices at the pump are spiking. I don’t get it. Actually, I think I do.

Today’s Upper: Hang in there, Bonner-Prendie backers. The wait is almost over. One more day.

Quote Box: “It’s hard. It was a great place to work for a lot of years for a lot of people. Most of us feel that we were orchestrated into failure.”

- Union member Vince Scibello, who was in D.C. yesterday with refinery workers trying to save their jobs.

One more agonizing day for Bonner-Prendie

2012-02-16T08:37:00.000-05:00

Start the countdown clock. We’re less than 24 hours from a ruling that will forever alter the long tradition of Monsignor Bonner and Archbishop Prendergast high schools.

On Friday Archbishop Charles Chaput will rule on the appeals filed by many schools – including Bonner-Prendie – to the recommendation from the Blue Ribbon Commission that they be shut down.

The panel targeted 49 schools across the region, including the two traditional single-sex high schools in Drexel Hill and seven grade schools across the county.

Now there is only one problem. So far the archdiocese has not uttered a single word on how or what time this decision is going to be announced. So we have to sit and wait.

Judging by what I’ve been hearing from the Bonner-Prendie boosters, it’s been an agonizing week.

We could not confirm reports that a group of influential boosters met with Chaput one final time this week. Maybe they wanted to remind him that there were 5 million reasons why Bonner-Prendie should be kept open.

That’s how much money they’ve raised – in a very short time – in reponse to the recommendation that the schools close their doors forever.

An anonymous donor put up a matching $2.5 million, after other donors lifted the $1.4 raised by boosters to $2.5 million.

Now all they can is wait. And pray.

Will their prayers be answered. We’ll find out Friday. And we’ll let you know as soon as we get word.

If the archdiocese holds a press conference downtown, we’ll be there and we’ll be live-tweeting from the event.

Keep checking @philheron on Twitter, and DelcoTimes.com for any updates all day today and into tomorrow.

Oh, and one other thing. Keep the faith!

It's not oil over at the pumps

2012-02-16T08:21:00.000-05:00

You have to give it to the union workers at Sunoco and ConocoPhillips. They’re not going down without a fight.

Yesterday they made still another trek to Washington, D.C., to pressure elected officials to put more heat on the companies, which are in the process of shutting down refineries in Marcus Hook, Trainer, and South Philly.

You can read the story here. Our editorial on the situation is here.

Sunoco has said that despite talking to 150 potential suitors, no one has come forward with a legitimate offer. They are now in the process of shutting the plant down. This week they told workers there was nothing for them to do, so they should not bother showing up. Friday is their last day.

Meanwhile, anyone else notice what is happening at gas pumps these days? The price is going through the roof.

AAA reports the prices are at their highest point in more than four months.

In Philly, the average price per gallon is $3.62, up from $3.56 the week before and $3.20 a year ago.

Nationally, the average price per gallon is $3.51.

AAA reports the refineries have responded to very weak demand by cutting back on production. A report on NBC Nightly News this week linked refinery shutdowns in the Northeast with price spikes at the pump.

Yesterday in D.C., union leader Denis Stephano warned that all of us have a stake in this fight. That’s because refinery shutdowns will result in higher prices for gas, heating oil and jet fuel, he said.

Oil over? Not by a long shot.

Now both Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., and U.S. Rep. Pat Meehan, R-7, are planning congressional hearings on the refinery closures.

There’s still a lot about this story we don’t know. But one thing is becoming increasingly certain.

It’s going to cost all of us in ways that we haven’t even yet realized.

Phillies Phever arrives!

2012-02-16T07:52:00.001-05:00

If it’s the middle of February, that can mean only one thing.

Phillies Phever.

That’s because Phillies single-game tickets go on sale at 8:30 this morning. And there is a long line already in place at Citizens Bank Park for the chance to cop some ducats.

As usual, a gang of guys from Ridley upheld the tradition of being first in line. They showed up yesterday afternoon to stake out their turf.

You can read the full story here. We’ll have photos later this morning.

The Phils’ pitchers and catchers report to Clearwater for their first spring training workout on Sunday.

Spring can’t be far behind.

Octomom does Delco

2012-02-16T07:27:00.002-05:00

I have just one word for today.

Octomom.

Yes, the woman who rocketed to fame by having octuplets is in Delco. And we’ve got her – and the video.

Columnist Jack McCaffery caught up with Nadya Suleman and talked to her about her latest endeavor – pillow fighting.

CLICK HERE for Jack’s column.

Is this a great country or what?

The Daily Numbers - Feb. 15

2012-02-15T09:29:00.001-05:00

The Daily Numbers: 5 million dollars now raised in the effort to save Monsignor Bonner/Archbishop Prendergast High School.

1.4 million dollars raised by boosters.

1 million dollars and change put up by a couple of well-to-do local folks.

2.5 million dollar match by an anonymous donor to put them at $5 million. Unreal.

2 days until the archdiocese rules filed by Bonner-Prendie and other schools among the 49 targeted for closure by a Blue Ribbon Commission.

110 workers at the Sunoco refinery in Marcus Hook laid off.

19, age of cadet at Valley Forge Military Academy charged with sexual assault against a female cadet.

78 months in prison for the Chester Heights man and former Chester County elementary school teacher charged with child porn.

500,000 dollars ripped off from a local Wachovia Bank in Brookhaven by a former financial specialist. He pleaded guilty to ripping off his own bank.

9, age of girl struck by hit-run driver in Parkside section of Philly last night.

15 Phillies spring training games to be aired by Comcast SportsNet. First game up is Saturday, March 3 vs. the Yankees.

27 points last night for Knicks sensation Jeremy Lin.

3 pointer at the buzzer to win it. The guy is amazing. Or as the New York Post described him, ‘Amasian!’

4 days until pitchers and catchers report to Clearwater for Phillies training camp.

Call me a Phanatic: A look at the ups and downs of being a Philadelphia sports fan.Jeremy Lin is one of the best sports stories to come around in years. One question: How could he go unnoticed for so long?

I Don’t Get It: Police in Philadelphia say a man was shot to death in a neighborhood dispute over dog droppings. I don’t get it.

Today’s Upper: Kudos to everyone connected to Bonner and Prendie. You did it. $5 million reasons to keep the school open.

Quote Box: “It’s disheartening to say the least. It’s being done like you’re a bunch of sheep doing to the slaughter.”

- Union boss Dave Miller, on layoffs announced at Sunoco plant yesterday.

Just call it the 'Miracle in Drexel Hill'

2012-02-15T08:57:00.002-05:00

Just call it the “Miracle in Drexel Hill.”

Or, as we did on today’s Page One, the “$5 million miracle.”

When they made their appeal to Archbishop Charles Chaput to reverse the recommendation of the Blue Ribbon Commission that their school be closed, boosters of Monsignor Bonner and Archbishop Prendergast high school promised that they would raise $5 million toward the effort.

Mission accomplished.

That’s right. An anonymous donor is vowing to match the $2.5 million raised. Actually the group only raised $1.5 million, but some other donors are “topping off the tank,” bringing the total raised to $2.5 million. With the matching funds, they have now hit their mark.

Amazing.

Now all that is left is to wait for the archbishop’s ruling on Friday.

Actually, first we will once again revisit the “Miracle of Drexel Hill” tonight on our Live From the Newsroom live-stream Internet broadcast.

If you’re connected with Bonner-Prendie, in particular the fundraising effort that has brought them to the brink of seeing their death order rescinded, we’d like to have you on to talk about the effort.

Email me at editor@delcotimes.com, or call me at 610-622-8818. Or contact Patti Groshon. She’s helping round up some people to appear on the show.

Just keepin’ the faith!

End of the line at Sunoco

2012-02-15T08:32:00.001-05:00

Got a call yesterday from a Sunoco worker. He was not a happy camper.

The result was the story we broke on DelcoTimes.com yesterday afternoon and the folo we ran today. You can read it here.

Sunoco is dropping the ax, laying off more than 100 workers at their Marcus Hook refinery.

Their last day is Friday.

While the worker I talked to was angry at Sunoco, he was even more peeved at both the company and his own union because, he claims, workers are being kept in the dark about what kind of package they might receive.

As he told me, his last day is Friday, and he has no idea if he’s getting a thing from the company.

All of this because the union and company are tied up in talks to determine what kind of severance package might be coming to them.

But as of right now, they don’t know a thing.

That’s what he gets after giving his life to the company.

Today, refinery workers will be back in Washington, D.C., to push elected officials to try to get answers from Sunoco.

We’ll keep you updated.

Union leader Dave Miller, president of USW 10-901, which represents workers at the Hook plant, said something I’ve been saying since Sunoco and ConocoPhillips announced their plans to get out of the refining business back in September.

“We’re losing a way of life,” Miller said.

And as Bruce Springsteen said, “it ain’t coming back.”

Octomom does Delco for pillow fight

2012-02-15T07:50:00.002-05:00

Brace yourself, Delaware County.

“Octomom” is coming. And she’s looking for a fight.

Actually a pillow fight.

That’s right, Nadya Suleman will be squaring off in a celebrity pillow match Thursday night vs. Lisa Marie.

They’re doing a press conference tonight. Jack McCaffery, our resident boxing expert, will be there to cover all the action.

Suleman rocketed to fame when she had octuplets a couple of years ago.

The press conference is tonight at The Warehouse 24 on MacDade Boulevard in Ridley, at 7:30. The fight will be at the same place tomorrow night.

It will be part of a 7-match card featuring three one-minute rounds in which women battle it out with pillows. There’s no hitting, kicking or wrestling allowed.

A Valentine for Eagles fans

2012-02-15T07:30:00.001-05:00

The Eagles offered a Valentine’s Day gift yesterday to the best, most passionate fans in football.

The team announced it would not hike ticket prices this year.

Can you feel the love?

The “Gold Standard” obviously realizes that an 8-8 “dream” season turned nightmare does not warrant asking your loyal fans to dig a little deeper for ducats.

A better move would have been to wave off forcing fans to buy those wretched exhibition games.

Then again, this year the scrutiny on Andy Reid and Juan Castillo is going to be so white-hot, even the preseason games will likely draw an intense reaction.

In a statement, Eagles President Joe Banner said the team was looking forward to “another exciting season.”

Did I miss the last one?

The Daily Numbers - Feb. 14

2012-02-14T09:24:00.001-05:00

The Daily Numbers: 52, age of Bhavnaben Ingle, who now faces murder charges in the death of her husband.

25, age of her son Parth, who also is charged in his father’s killing.

42 years after they first met at Upper Darby High, two classmates will celebrate their 2nd year together. Happy Valentine’s Day!

70, age of former Magisterial District Judge Gerald Liberace, who is appealing his conviction on corruption of minors charges.

1.5 million dollars raised by the boosters trying to save Monsignor Bonner and Archbishop Prendergast high schools.

3 days until the archdiocese rules filed by Bonner-Prendie and other schools among the 49 targeted for closure by a Blue Ribbon Commission.

30 deer, how many Rose Valley officials are hoping to reduce the herd by during a planned hunt Feb. 16-March 31.

31 million dollars in fed budget for dredging project to make Delaware River 5 feet deeper.

1,600 employees at Philadelphia Gas Works, which the city is now considering selling off. The city says it could raise $146 to $496 million.

14, age of eighth-grader in Philly charged with assaulting a 60-year-old male teacher.

39, age of Chester County man charged in fatal hit-run after the Super Bowl.

327 people who took part in a Soul Train line yesterday on the steps of the Art Museum in Philly, thus breaking a record.

133 thefts from vehicles believed to be the work of 1 man in Dover, Del.

500 dollars a share for Apple stock yesterday.

15 straight losses for the Charlotte Bobcats, who fell to the Sixers last night..

23 points off the bench for Lou Williams to lead Sixers.

2 game suspension for Flyers Zac Rinaldo for hit on Red Wings player.

5 days until pitchers and catchers report to Clearwater for Phillies training camp.

Call me a Phanatic: A look at the ups and downs of being a Philadelphia sports fan.Listen carefully and you can almost hear the sound of baseballs slapping into leather mitts.

I Don’t Get It: A student has been charged with attacking his teacher in Leeds Middle School in Mount Airy. He is a 14-year-old eighth grader. I don’t get it.

Today’s Upper: Kudos to everyone out there looking for love today. We have two examples in the paper today of why you should never give up looking.

Quote Box: “My car finally purrs since Joe came into my life. He finally purrs after nine years.”

- Charlotte Miller, talking about finding her life mate, Joe Kern.

Long week for Bonner-Prendie, Catholic schools

2012-02-14T07:57:00.001-05:00

It promises to be a very long week for the boosters of Monsignor Bonner and Archbishop Prendergast high schools.

While no one will confirm it for us, it is beginning to sound more and more as if the much-anticipated ruling on their appeal to stay open will be made on Friday.

Originally Archbishop Charles Chaput had indicated he would make his decision tomorrow. That apparently got pushed back because of the details surrounding the funeral for Cardinal Anthony Bevilacqua.

Now it looks like Friday is the day. If that changes we’ll let you know.

We’ll obviously have full coverage as soon as it breaks.

It will also be a big day for several archdiocesan grade schools in Delco that likewise filed formal appeals to the Blue Ribbon Commission’s recommendation that they be closed.

Stay tuned. And by all means, if you hear anything, feel free to email me at editor@delcotimes.com, or tweet me at @philheron. Or just pick up the phone and call me at 610-622-8818.

And most of all, keep the faith!

The day reserved for romance

2012-02-14T07:27:00.001-05:00

Today is the day reserved for matters of the heart.

Otherwise known as the stimulus package for florists, card companies and candy makers.

Happy Valentine’s Day.

I know, I’m such a romantic.

Today we feature stories on a couple who met on a SEPTA trolley, and another who found love the second time around when they got reacquainted at their 40th high school reunion.

On Sunday, we featured a story that we had been promoting on Twitter and Facebook, looking for people who decided to profess their love through tattoos. You can read that one here.

I’m not a tattoo guy, not that there’s anything wrong with that. It’s just not me.

All I know is that later this year I will celebrate 30 years here in beautiful downtown Primos. My wife will tell you that this newspaper has been the real love of my life. I think she is only partially kidding.

But I can also tell you that if I have been here three decades, then I have been married to her for exactly 29 years. It’s true, I got here in June 1982, and we got married one year later in June 1983.

For some reason, she has not kicked my sorry behind to the curb yet.

She has spent entirely too much of those 29 years alone, knowing the man sleeping next to her as the guy who showed up on weekends.

She was pretty much on her own while I was working nights for all those early years. Our kids are the young adults they are in large part because of her. And today she spends too much time in an empty house because I am preoccupied with being “wired-in” 24 hours a day.

I owe her more than I’ll ever be able to repay.

Here’s a down payment.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

All Whitney all the time

2012-02-14T07:04:00.001-05:00

Of the many things I did not need to know today, I suppose right up there near the top would be photos of the tub where Whitney Houston’s body was found.

But that is what one website is delivering today. Look, I’m in this business, too. I know what drives a lot of it. And I know that for the next week we are going to hear more about Whitney Houston than I ever wanted to know.

As I indicated yesterday, I don’t need to know all the tawdry details surrounding Whitney Houston’s death. All I need to know is that she is gone.

And that incredible voice has fallen silent.

Actually, it appears as if the voice has been gone for awhile now.

If that’s the case, I don’t need to know that either.

I don’t look at Whitney Houston as anything other than a fabulous entertainer. I didn't look at her as a role model, much the same as I try not to do that with athletes or other high-profile celebrities.

If you are intrigued about her descent from the top of the entertainment world, to the clutches of drug abuse and finally her death in a Lost Angeles hotel room bath tub, be my guest.

You’ll be fed a steady diet of if all week.

This newspaper will continue to cover Whitney updates, along with plans for her funeral.

Me? I’ll just remember her voice.

The Daily Numbers - Feb. 13

2012-02-13T08:51:00.000-05:00

The Daily Numbers: 2 people shot at a gas station in Chester Friday afternoon, including the new city controller.

25, age of Brennon Johnson, who was the apparent target of the attack. He’s now been charged in an incident a couple of weeks ago at Duffer’s in Lower Chi.

610-447-7908, the number for residents who have information on the shooter to call and talk to police.

7 elementary schools and 1 high school (Bonner-Prendie) that are waiting on word from the archdiocese on their appeals of recommendation they be closed. A ruling is expected this week.

30 percent hike in taxes in Colwyn that continues to spark controversy.

20 to 45 minute delays expected during construction project on the Platt Bridge in South Philly, starting Feb. 20.

1 ticket sold in Rhode Island with all 6 winning numbers in Saturday night’s Powerball game.

336 million dollars, how much that ticket is now worth.

1 ticket worth $1 million sold in Pa.

3.62, average price per gallon for gas in the Philly region.

3.56, what we were paying last week.

3.20, what we were paying last year.

177 month low for demand for gasoline, yet prices continue to go up.

6 Grammy Awards for British sensation Adele.

48, age of pop icon Whitney Houston, who died over the weekend.

4-3 loss for the Flyers in Detroit last night.

20 straight wins at home for the Red Wings.

6 days until pitchers and catchers report to Spring Training in Clearwater.

Call me a Phanatic: A look at the ups and downs of being a Philadelphia sports fan.Only the red shirt is the same. Tiger Woods failed to seal the deal again yesterday at Pebble Beach. Tiger now is just another good golfer.

I Don’t Get It: Some things don’t change in Chester. Administrations change. Street violence does not.

Today’s Upper: Kudos all those heartfelt memorials offered up to the memory of Whitney Houston at last night’s Grammy Awards.

Quote Box: “It’s not because it was a city official. It’s because or what tragedy could have occurred on any given day at 3 in the afternoon at Ninth and Kerlin. It’s a couple of blocks from our high school.”

- Chester Mayor John Linder, at press conference on latest shooting in city, in which his city controller was injured.

New administration, old problem in Chester

2012-02-13T07:51:00.001-05:00

Some things don’t change.

The new administration in Chester is battling an old problem.

Street violence.

And this time it affected a member of the new administration.

New city Controller Edith Blackwell was struck by a bullet when gunshots rang out at a city gas station at Ninth and Kerlin streets Friday afternoon.

Luckily, she was not seriously injured.

Now both the new mayor and his new police chief, longtime Chester officer Joe Bail, are facing one more familiar problem.

They want the community to come forward to tell them what they know.

You can read the latest on the investigation into the shooting here.

No one Democrat – or Republican – is going to change what is ailing Chester.

City residents are going to have to do that themselves.

They can start now.

The way I will remember Whitney Houston

2012-02-13T07:18:00.001-05:00

Spare me all the tawdry details of the fall of Whitney Houston.

You can read them elsewhere.

Yes, she had everything. And yes, she threw it all away.

For me, Whitney Houston will only mean one thing.

That Voice.

And one song. This one. It’s been done by a million people. No one has come close to this.

A lot of people have been asked to sing it. Most butcher it. It is not the easiest song to sing. Many stars simply insist on twisting it into something that is almost unrecognizable.

Not Whitney. Her version of the National Anthem, delivered at the 1991 Super Bowl, is simply majestic.

And why shouldn’t it be.

After all, once you tear everything else away, there remains one thing:

The voice.

Life's not a beach for Tiger

2012-02-13T07:01:00.000-05:00

Forgive me if I’m a bit cranky this morning.

I’m adjusting to the fact that it is, after all, winter. Guess I got spoiled by all those 50-degree days. Walking out into that frigid wind yesterday afternoon, and again this morning, reminded me that it is February, after all.

Something else yesterday reminded me that it’s dead in the middle of February.

No, not the fact that tomorrow is Valentine’s Day. Yesterday was the ATT National Pro-Am at Pebble Beach. It's one of my favorite golf tournaments of the year. It's worth it just for the scenery. But I was looking forward to yesterday for another reason, My man Tiger was back on the prowl.

Pebble Beach is on my bucket list. Sure I’d love to play it. But I’d settle for just seeing it. Walking the fairways. Strolling down and traipsing along the beach.

The weather wasn’t even all that nice this year, but the place still looks spectacular.

I’ve always wanted to rent a little two-seater convertible and drive the coastline out there.

But something else was bothering me yesterday.

My guy let me down again. I had gone on record with some golfing buddies on Thursday that Tiger Woods was going to win Pebble Beach. And for three days, it looked like he might do just that.

But a funny thing happened on Sunday.

Again.

The guy in the red shirt, the guy who used to own Sunday, the guy who used to beat most guys just by walking onto the first tee, went into reverse again.

Woods was in good position going into Sunday's final round, in second place just a few shots off the lead.

But he – and everyone else – got smoked by Phil Mickelson, who shot six under to win the tournament.

Tiger couldn’t make anything, wound up shooting 2 over and wound up 15th on the leaderboard.

I still think Tiger Woods, who now has not won on the PGA Tour for more than two years, will win this year. It might even be at the Masters.

But I don’t think he will ever again approach being the dominant golfer who the closest thing to a sure bet that the sports world has ever known.

Now he’s just a good golfer. In a tour jam-packed with good golfers.

At least for me, the game’s not nearly as much fun this way.

The Daily Numbers - Feb. 10

2012-02-10T09:35:00.001-05:00

The Daily Numbers: 2010 murder in Chester of Rahum Hicks that was solved yesterday with arrest of suspect.

2011 murder of Saleen Allen, who was gunned down on June 19, that remains unsolved.

28 citations for speeding on I-95 issued by state police in an operation dubbed ‘Operation Yellow Jacket.’ Undercover police manned vehicles dressed like PennDOT workers.

1.4 million, how much has been raised so far by boosters of Monsignor Bonner and Archbishop Prendergast in effort to save the school.

2.5 million, how much an anonymous benefactor apparently is willing to pony up in a matching offer if the group can reach that level themselves. That means they need to raise another $1.1 million.

13 million dollars, how much the Chester Upland School District says it needs to keep operating the schools this year.

9.8 million, how much Chester Community Charter School says it is owed by the school district and the state.

8.3 million dollars, how much Chester Upland is vowing to cut if they get the state funding.

8.7 million dollar loan the district wants the state to forgive.

2 robbers being sought by police after they held up a Main Line Wawa last night.

27, age of woman from Chester County charged with having sex with a 17-year-old student at a Christian school in Rockville, Md.

1.9 million dollars for a library to be named for Sen. Arlen Specter that has now been approved by Gov. Corbett. He ridiculed the move while he was running for office.

10 million dollar goal for social services announced yesterday for the annual Catholic Charities Appeal.

4-3 win for Flyers over Maple Leafs last night.

6 game goal-scoring drought snapped by Scott Hartnell and Max Talbot.

9 days until pitchers and catchers report to Spring Training in Clearwater.

Call me a Phanatic: A look at the ups and downs of being a Philadelphia sports fan.How hot are the Sixers? Tonight’s game at the Wells Fargo Center against the L.A. Clippers is sold out. Already.

I Don’t Get It: The amount of time spent on the weather around here. Yes, we’re getting a little more snow Saturday. No reason to panic … or invade the local supermarket.

Today’s Upper: Good to see Chester police knock down one of the city’s unsolved homicides with an arrest in the 2010 killing of Rahim Hicks.

Quote Box: “I am very pleased this individual has been brought into the light. I am faithful in the justice system, especially the Delaware County justice system.”

- Tyrone Fitzgerald, uncle of murder victim Rahim Hicks.

Casey ups ante in refinery fight

2012-02-10T08:34:00.000-05:00

U.S. Sen. Bob Casey is about to up the ante on Sunoco and ConocoPhillips.

The Democrat will be back in Marcus Hook for a noon press conference at which he is expected to discuss the impact the possible closure of the local refineries will have on the local workforce as well as energy prices on the East Coast.

Sunoco announced back in September that they were getting out of the refinery business. They indicated they would put their iconic Marcus Hook refinery up for sale, and that if no buyer came forward, they would shutter the facility. The same would hold true for their refinery in South Philly.

Two weeks later ConocoPhillips said they would do the same with their refinery in Trainer. Only they were speeding up the process, idling the plant and preparing to lay off workers.

Workers at the Sunoco plant were dismayed to hear from the company last week that there is no buyer interested in the Marcus Hook plant, despite discussions with as many as 150 suitors.

It’s also expected that Casey could call for Senate hearings into the potential plant closings.

We’ll have all the details from the press conference, which is set for the United Steelworkers Union Hall in Linwood, at 12:15.

And we’ll be back in the Hook tomorrow for another huge rally being held from 1-6 p.m. Stay with us as we stay on top of one of the biggest economic stories to hit the county in years.

More drama on the Catholic school front

2012-02-10T07:46:00.001-05:00

The closure of a slew of schools across the archdiocese has claimed another victim.

Brother Tim Ahern, the president of West Catholic High School, has resigned his post effective immediately, the archdiocese announced yesterday.

Ahern had found himself in the center of a firestorm because of his decision not to appeal the ruling of the archdiocese Blue Ribbon Commission that West be closed. It was the only one of the four high schools not to do so.

Ahern did so because the numbers told him there was no future for West Catholic. It wasn’t necessarily that he would not like to see the school continue, but the financial situation – due mostly to declining enrollment - simply was not one that he foresaw being reversed.

More than that, Ahern did not want to get anyone’s hopes up unnecessarily, only to have them dashed once again.

That obviously also has been much on the mind of the Rev. James Olson, the president of Monsignor Bonner and Archbishop Prendergast High School in Drexel Hill.

We got word yesterday that if the boosters looking to save the school – or at least a merged version of it – could get their fundraising efforts to $2.5 million (they're at about $1.5 million now), an anonymous benefactor would fork over a matching $2.5 million. That would get them to the $5 million threshold that Olson says is needed to make the school viable into the future.

No one yesterday would confirm the benefactor, but as with almost everything else about this story, it was blazing across the Internet via Facebooka and Twitter.

We also heard that there could be a delay in the ruling on the appeals from Archbishop Charles Chaput, due in part to him being preoccupied with the funeral of Cardinal Anthony Bevilacqua. A ruling was expected on Wednesday, Feb. 15. Now all the archdiocese is saying is that they expect a ruling to come down sometime in mid-February. That could be the 15th, or it could be later.

In the meantime, the wait is proving tough for all involved.

Staff writer Jeff Wolfe has more here. And we’ll have another preview on Monday to what should be a huge week for Catholic education, both here in Delaware County and across the region.

Delco taken by storm - and Octomom!

2012-02-10T07:16:00.000-05:00

What do you think will cause more hysteria, another dusting of snow due here this weekend, or the arrival of Octomom?

That’s right, brace yourself for another storm. Two of them.

We’re going to get another dusting of snow over the weekend. It should start as rain tonight, before changing over to snow Saturday morning. We’re not going to get much more than a dusting, or maybe an inch or so on the yard. Roads will likely just be wet.

The bigger story is the fact that it is going to get cold – we’re talking frigid, not the mild stuff we’ve had for the most part this winter – that will help us seriously chill out Saturday and Sunday.

If that doesn’t excite you, how about the arrival of Octomom in Delco.

That’s right, Nadya Suleman, mother of those infamous octuplets, will be in town next Thursday for a pillow fight.

Honest.

Jack McCaffery has the details.

The Daily Numbers - Feb. 9

2012-02-09T09:06:00.001-05:00

The Daily Numbers: 80 refinery workers who took their case to Harrisburg yesterday.

3 decades, how long union boss Denis Stephano spent at the ConocoPhillips refinery in Trainer before being laid off last week.

2,500 jobs that would be directly affected by shutdown of 3 local refineries.

25,000 ancillary positions that also could be affected across the region by a shutdown.

50 years, how long Vince Donohue has been teaching at Monsignor Bonner High School.

45, age of Radnor man who faces trial in connection with a road-rage incident in which police say he assaulted a female driver while his young child looked on from inside his car.

6 cars damaged in Radnor by someone who is throwing stones from an overpass.

50 table games approved for the new casino going in at King of Prussia. That’s in addition to 600 slot machines.

101-90 vote in the House to OK fee on natural gas drillers in the state, largely along party lines.

7 Democrats voted in favor; 13 Republicans voted against.

4 teens held for trial in Philly for the slaying of a pizza deliveryman who was from Chester.

78 million to $94 million cut, what some educators are saying is included in the Corbett budget.

2 teens sentenced to 4 years in a juvenile facility for the vicious attack on a Vietnam vet.

310 million dollars, how much the Powerball drawing will be worth Saturday night. Nobody hit all the numbers again last night.

37 points for Tony Parker to lead the Spurs to a 100-90 win over the Sixers last night.

22 points for Lou Williams in the loss.

10 days until pitchers and catchers report to Spring Training in Clearwater.

Call me a Phanatic: A look at the ups and downs of being a Philadelphia sports fan.Seems to me the Sixers have problems defending big point guards. Last night it was Tony Parker of the Spurs. Last week it was Deron Williams of the Nets. They feast on the Sixers.

I Don’t Get It: Nothing new here. The TV folks were hyperventilating all day yesterday about the snow. Anyone have any problems? Didn’t think so.

Today’s Upper: Kudos to refinery workers who are not going away quietly. Yesterday they took their case to Harrisburg and urged Gov. Tom Corbett to get involved in efforts to save jobs here.

Quote Box: “We need every elected official to get on board.”

- Union official John DeFazio, at yesterday’s rally in the state Capitol.

Refinery workers feel deceived

2012-02-09T08:05:00.001-05:00

Angry refinery workers took their case to the state capital yesterday, holding a noon press conference in their bid to get support for their efforts to save refinery jobs, and then later holding a vigil outside the governor’s mansion.

You can read that story here.

But before that, early yesterday morning, I got a call from a guy who works at the Sunoco plant. He calls me often to give me updates on what is going on.

Yesterday he sounded about as down as I’ve heard him. He said he wasn’t alone.

What is really aggravating a lot of these union workers is their belief that they have been misled from the beginning of this nightmare back in September, when Sunoco announced they would put their Marcus Hook and South Philly refineries up for sale, and that if a buyer was not found, they would be shut down.

ConocoPhillips announced a similar fate for their Trainer refinery two weeks later, only speeding up the process, shutting down production at the plant immediately.

What is bothering union members is the statements, both from local politicians and the company, that there were several parties interested in buying the plant, and at least one that was interested in maintaining the facility as a refinery. That would save most of the jobs at the plant.

Many of those statements were published in this newspaper and on this website.

Those hopes appeared to be dashed last week when Sunoco announced its earnings – along with another whopping loss tied to writeoffs connected to its money-losing refining operation. More than that, Sunoco also intimated that although they had reached out to as many as 150 potential buyers, none of them is seen as a legitimate suitor, and their belief now is that the plant will not continue to operate. To that end, they are proceeding with plans to shut it down.

A Sunoco spokesman could not have been more blunt:

"We did not receive a single offer for the Marcus Hook refinery," he said. "So we will continue to pursue alternate uses for the site."

The workers feel deceived.

As the guy who called me indicated, they would rather have been told this back in September and simply been able to come to grips with it and move on with their lives.

So, how about it, Sen. Casey? Rep. Meehan? Rep. Adolph?

Was all that talk about a potential buyer just talk?

Seems to me these workers have a right to know.

The weather outside is not exactly frightful

2012-02-09T07:32:00.000-05:00

Looks like everyone survived that massive snow yesterday.

Yes, that’s called sarcasm.

Look, I realize that we haven’t had much of a winter this year. And that must be driving the TV folks crazy, especially those who insist on touting their latest super-duper radar devices. By the way, if anyone can explain to me just what the hell it is that these things are supposed to be telling us, I’d be forever grateful.

Still, the coverage afforded this “storm” bordered on shameful. We got a dusting of snow. The roads remains wet. That happens when it snows.

This morning, we were again reminded to be wary of “icy patches.” I must have missed them. I sailed into the office without a problem.

Don’t worry, there’s another chance of flurries on Saturday. Too bad we won’t be able to shut down the schools or have late openings.

How many days until pitchers and catchers, again?

The mysteries of food & romance

2012-02-09T07:05:00.001-05:00

My thanks to Lorraine Rannalli and all the Cucina Chatter gang, who once again joined us last night for our live-stream “Live From the Newsroom” show.

We focused on the mysteries of romance (yes, they’re almost totally a mystery to me), in particular how some foods are hailed as aphrodisiacs.

I will never look at a rack of lamb the same way again.

If you missed it, you can view the show here.

The Daily Numbers - Feb. 8

2012-02-08T09:21:00.001-05:00

The Daily Numbers: 27 billion dollar budget unveiled by Gov. Tom Corbett yesterday.

0 tax hike included in the spending plan.

45 million dollar boost in basic subsidy to local school districts, but a loss of $100 million used for kindergarten and other programs.

25 percent cut in funding for state universities, including Penn State, Pitt and Temple.

4 percent cut in aid for community colleges.

93 million dollar surplus projected for end of fiscal year on June 30.

0 tax on natural gas drilling.

10 billion in spending for the Department of Public Welfare.

163.5 million cut in funding for Penn State.

97.9 million dollar cut for Temple University.

330 million dollar cut for state universities, including West Chester and Cheyney.

221.9 million dollar cut for community colleges.

395.7 million dollar cut for financial assistance for college students through PHEAA.

126 million dollars for the Department of Environmental Protection, that’s an 8 percent decrease.

3 years probation for a Trainer man convicted of a road-rage incident.

1.719 mill tax hike being eyed by Ridley School District. They are looking for ways to cut.

800 jobs being cut by Acme supermarkets, 25 of them in the Philly area.

6 million dollars ripped off from investors by man who ran a massive Ponzi scheme. He’s being sentenced in Philly this week.

29,000 dollars, what the viewings and services for legendary coach Joe Paterno cost Penn State.

20,000 dollar reward posted for info on the shooting death of the son of a Philadelphia police officer.

110, age of last known WWI vet, who died in London.

3 big wins last night for Rick Santorum in GOP races in Minnesota, Colorado and Missouri.

74-72 win for Villanova over Providence. At one point the ‘Cats were down by 19.

45 shots and 0 goals for the Flyers against Islanders’ goalie Evgeni Nabokov. The Isles win, 1-0, in a shootout.

77 percent spike in viewers for Sixers games on Comcast this year. Amazing what winning will do.

5.1 rating for Lakers game, the highest-rated game since march 1, 2005.

11 days until pitchers and catchers report to Spring Training in Clearwater.

Call me a Phanatic: A look at the ups and downs of being a Philadelphia sports fan.Three straight losses for the Flyers. This just is not the same team without Chris Pronger.

I Don’t Get It: What is it with men turning on their girlfriends. We’ve now had two fairly brutal incidents in the past couple of days. Sad.

Today’s Upper: Look at the bright side on the Corbett budget. There’s no hike in taxes. Unless you consider your local property taxes going up as a result of state cuts.

Quote Box: “This was a good night for Rick Santorum.”

- Stunned Mitt Romey last night after the former Pa. U.S. senator swept three GOP races.

Tough lessons in the Corbett budget

2012-02-08T08:05:00.001-05:00

Hard lessons in the Corbett budget

Here’s the bottom line on Gov. Tom Corbett’s budget, which he delivered yesterday.

It includes no new taxes. Good news, right? Absolutely.

So what’s the bad news? If you are planning to go to college, especially if you are looking to attend one of the state-affiliated schools.

Bottom line? They are all going to cost more. That means Temple, Penn State, West Chester and Cheyney.

Read the full story here.

'Live From the Newsroom' tackles romance

2012-02-08T07:39:00.001-05:00

Pop quiz time, folks: The way to that special someone’s heart is through his or her ……

… Stomach, of course.

And tonight we’ll try to prove it.

Our live-stream Internet show ‘Live From the Newsroom’ will tackle the mysteries of romance, and how food just might be the answer.

Now, your humble editor has never professed to be Don Juan, but I will take one for the team tonight as we explore the vagaries of Valentine’s Day.

I’ll be joined by the gang from Lorraine Ranalli’s Cucina Chatter, including Chef Jacquie, who will be preparing a rack of lamb, which she assures us has some kind of aphrodisiac effect. And here I always thought it was the sauerkraut? Or is that pork?

Jacquie will attempt to debunk some other foods as aphrodisiac legends, while pointing out what foods actually do put you in the mood. No, I don’t think a six-pack will be on the menu.

Actress and author Natalie Stone will have a few items she guarantees will liberate your libido. I’ll be all ears.

Lorraine Ranalli promises to bring green M&Ms. Who knew?

Lorraine and blogger Jim Vanore also will offer their thoughts on Valentine’s Day and romance.

Don’t plan your Valentine’s Day meal without checking us out first. Or at least the rest of the panel.

As for me, do you think I can still return that can opener?

Sorry, honey.

Join us tonight at 7. If you have a love question you’d like to put to the panel, email me at editor@delcotimes.com Or log in tonight to DelcoTimes.com and take part in our live chat.

Ya gotta’ 'love' it!

Winter Wonderland? Not exactly

2012-02-08T07:16:00.001-05:00

Repeat after me: DO NOT PANIC.

There is no need to storm the supermarket and engage in bare knuckle brawling over that last quart of milk or loaf of bread.

Yes, we are expecting to get some snow this afternoon. Here's the forecast.

This no doubt will send the TV folks into hyperventilating overdrive this morning.

Here are the facts. Sometime this afternoon, around 2 p.m., some kind of combination of wet snow and rain is expected to arrive in the Delaware Valley.

This sounds like a dusting. The ground might be coated, but the streets are only going to be wet.

At least that’s the forecast.

Don’t blame me if we get more.

But I wouldn’t be the house on it.

For those who have been longing for a real winter, this doesn’t look like it. This storm likely will not even be cause for plowing, much to the chagrin of the folks whose winter livelihood depends on snowy weather.

At most it sounds like we might have to brush off the windshield before a wet ride home tonight.

That’s my kind of snow storm.

Bring on spring.

Groundhog Day for Pa. Budget

2012-02-07T08:11:00.001-05:00

Remember the movie, Groundhog Day?

In it Bill Murray has the misfortune of waking up every day to the same thing – being in Punxsutawney for the day reserved for the state’s prognosticating rodent. Murray, himself a weatherman, hates everything about the nightmarish hoopla surrounding Groundhog Day.

Welcome to the Pennsylvania budget version of Groundhog Day.

Tom Corbett will emerge from the governor’s mansion today, see his shadow, and predict more budget cuts.

You can read the advance here.

It’s not going to be pretty. And education and social programs figure to be at the top of the list.

If you attend West Chester or Cheyney universities – or for that matter any of the state-related schools – brace yourself. It’s likely going to cost more. That’s because Corbett is looking to cut funding for the state universities. And that money has to be made up somehow. Guess who’s going to be stuck with the tab? You got it. Break out the checkbook.

The state continues to sink in a mire of red ink. Just how bad is it? Here’s a look at what appears to be a $500 million budget shortfall.

The governor speaks at 11:30.

Brace yourself; you’ve been warned.

Phils on FM? Hard to believe

2012-02-07T07:47:00.001-05:00

Somewhere, Harry Kalas must be smiling.

That sweet baritone, burnished by years of good drink and a jore than occasional cigar, never needed the smooth sound of FM stereo to sound so sweet.

For the rest of us, that will arrive this year.

The Phillies announced yesterday that all their games will be broadcast in stereo on Sportsradio WIP-94 FM. They also will remain on their longtime home on the AM dial, WPHT 1210.

Summer can’t be far off.

Calling all bloggers

2012-02-07T07:32:00.002-05:00

Want to be a part of our blogging team? Now’s your chance.

If you’ve ever wondered what it might be like to sit on this side of the keyboard and bang out all this glorious prose, we just might give you that opportunity.

We continue to seek bloggers to write for DelcoTimes.com.

Currently we feature a small army of folks who write about everything from their local communities, to their favorite hobbies, to astrology.

If you’d like to give it a shot, join us for our monthly meeting of our community media lab and blog team.

We will gather here in our Primos office, 500 Mildred Ave., just off Providence Road, at 6 p.m. Thursday.

You’ll never know if you have what it takes until you give it a shot.

Hope to see Thursday night.

The Daily Numbers - Feb. 6

2012-02-06T09:21:00.000-05:00

The Daily Numbers: 2 Super Bowl titles in the last 4 years for Giants.

2 MVP trophies for Eli Manning. That’s 1 more title that his more acclaimed older brother has.

7-7, what the Giants were at one point this season.

30 for 40 for 296 yards for Eli.

27 for 41 for 276 yards for Tom Brady. He also had 1 INT.

57 seconds, how much time Brady had to pull out a win. His final pass fell incomplete in the end zone.

2 points surrendered by Brady on his 1st play by getting called for intentional grounding from his own end zone.

44 inches of snow, how much we got last winter.

2.5 inches, how much we’ve gotten so far this winter.

0 inches of snow, how much we got in 1972-73. Hard to beat that.

45, age of principal of Darby Township Elementary, who has been charged with domestic assault.

200 million dollars set to build 2 new dorms at Villanova.

45 people out of their homes after fire broke out in a Chester apartment complex late last night.

7 people injured in South Philly row home fire.

5-2 loss for the Flyers against the Rangers yesterday.

2 bas losses for the Orange & Black over the weekend.

4 straight losses by the Flyers to the Rangers.

79-70 loss for Villanova to Pitt.

•

Call me a Phanatic: A look at the ups and downs of being a Philadelphia sports fan.Admit it, Eagles fans. That Eli Manning can play, especially when the money is on the table in the 4th quarter.

•

I Don’t Get It: Super Bowl commercials. If they don’t have a baby or a dog, do they still count?

•

Today’s Upper: Football is over. We’re now 16 days until pitchers and catchers report to Clearwater.

•

Quote Box: “This isn’t about one person. It’s about one team, a team coming together.”

- Eli Manning, after winning Super Bowl and capturing another MVP Award.

Refinery battle moves to Harrisburg

2012-02-06T08:42:00.001-05:00

The battle of Marcus Hook continues unabated.

Yes, things are looking break for the union workers who man two local refineries. Both ConocoPhillips and Sunoco have made it abundantly clear that they want out of the refining business.

That point became even more acute last week when Sunoco admitted that while they had conversations with a lot of people about potentially buying their Marcus Hook refinery, no one came forward with a real proposal. They now do not believe they will find a buyer and are moving ahead with plans to shutter the facility.

Today there will be a key hearing of a state Senate panel to consider the impact of closing the two local refineries, as well as Sunoco’s facility in South Philadelphia.

One of the key aspects being looked at today will be the impact that the refinery closings in Trainer and Marcus Hook could have on the supply of petroleum products – including gasoline, diesel fuel, and heating oil – in Pennsylvania.

We’ll have complete coverage with Kathleen Carey in Harrisburg.

Another Giant effort from Eli

2012-02-06T08:30:00.000-05:00

What’s more painful, watching all those Super Bowl commercials, listening to Madonna’s halftime show, or coming to the realization that the New York Giants have now won two Lombardi trophies in the last four years?

Or is it actually this: Swallow hard, Eagles fans, and admit it. Eli Manning is a big-time quarterback.

Eli, with that little kid grin, once again proved himself to be a fourth-quarter assassin. It was Cool Hand Eli who again made the 'money' plays last night as he led the Giants to a Super Bowl win over Tom Brady and the Patriots. For that he collected another Super Bowl MVP triphy.

If you're keeping score (and aren't we all?) that now two title and two trophies for little brother, as compared to his legendary sibling (you know, the guy with the neck problem).

And, of course, that's two more than anybody connected with Jeff Lurie's Eagles have.

Count me among those who never thought Eli was going to be a great quarterback, let alone eclipse the mark of Peyton. I was wrong.

With the money on the table, again and again this guy comes up huge.

It’s still hard to believe that at one time the Giants were 7-7 and seemingly going nowhere, except for driving Tom Coughlin to the unemployment office.

For Eagles fans, don’t spend too much time wondering what would have happened if the Eagles had simply won one more game. Despite what Andy Reid and Jeff Lurie want to sell you, the Eagles are not the New York Giants. Not even close.

Do you think the Mara family would have brought Coughlin back had the Giants done what the Eagles did, that being wind up 8-8 and out of the playoffs. Not a chance.

That’s just one reason why the Giants are better. Want another. Try Jason Pierre Paul. The Giants took him a couple of picks after the Eagles moved up to snag Brandon Graham.

How’d that work out?

Case closed.

The Eagles will start next season where they usually are – looking up at the Giants.

Immaterial Girl?

2012-02-06T07:56:00.002-05:00

First things first.

No, not the commercials. They were mediocre at best. It seemed like every one of them involved a dog or a baby.

But I want to talk about the halftime show.

I have to admit I was a bit dubious at the choice of Madonna as the headliner. Although I figured almost anything would have been an improvement over last year.

Of course there was a lot of wailing and gnashing of teeth over the Material Girl’s propensity for outrageous acts.

I’m sure the people who run the NFL and NBC didn’t want any rerun of Madge swapping spit with another woman, as she famously once did with Britney Spears at the Grammys.

So instead there was a minor uproar when one of the supporting singers, someone named M.I.A., flipped the audience the bird, along with a national TV audience.

Somehow I think the Republic will survive.

I want to talk about something else. Maybe it’s just me. Or at least me and my wife.

Were we the only ones who noticed that Madonna seemed to be lip-synching the songs?

My wife picked up on this immediately. At first I doubted it, but the more I listened – and watched – the more I started to wonder.

If that’s the case, I’m dumbfounded there aren’t more people talking about it this morning.

The Super Bowl halftime act has become something of a cultural icon. We’ve had dynamite shows from The Boss Bruce Springsteen; Prince, Paul McCartney, U2, the Rolling Stones, Aerosmith and Tom Petty.

All of them performed live.

And all of them managed to do it without the kind of outrageous Egyptian land of the pharoahs that acccompanied Madonna as she took the stage.

If in fact Madonna was only mouthing the words and nor actually performing them live, it’s a slight on the proud tradition of Super Bowl shows.

If the Material Girl was afraid of delivering the goods all by herself, then she shouldn’t have been on the stage in the first place.

By the way, it wasn't my wife's only sharp observation of the day. She knows more sports than most of the guys I talk to.

She wants the Monday after the Super Bowl made a national holiday? What do you think? Maybe we should move Presidents Day to the Monday after Super Bowl? Or should the game be played on a Saturday night?

Post a comment and let me know!

The Daily Numbers - Feb. 3

2012-02-03T09:26:00.001-05:00

337 wings eaten by the great Kobayashi to take Wing Bowl crown this morning.

660 million dollar loss posted yesterday by Sunoco.

117 million loss for the refining part of the business.

2008, when Elsenhans came on board. She announced she would step down on March 1.

500 people due to be laid off at the Marcus Hook refinery, with word that there is no buyer in line for the site.

19.9 percent of stock to be bought back by the company over the next 18 months.

52 percent boost in value for stockholders under Elsenhans’ term.

1 dollar gain in the stock price after the news was announced yesterday.

100,000 dollar check for Columbus Elementary School delivered to teacher Sara Ferguson on the ‘Ellen’ show yesterday.

52, age of widow of man slain in 2008 in Middletown who now stands charged, along with her son, in her husband’s murder.

2005 killing in the Highland Gardens section of Chester solved with arrest of man yesterday.

3 vehicles torched in Aston. It is being considered suspicious.

6.81 percent dip in revenue for Harrah’s Chester slots operation.

7.4 percent increase in revenue for slots statewide.

1 casino that had a decline in slots revenue. That would be Harrah’s Chester.

60, age of woman charged with prostitution in Philly.

4-1 win for the Flyers over the Predators at the Wells Fargo Center.

80-57 win for the Chester Clippers over Penn Wood last night.

19-0 record for the Clippers, ranked No. 4 in the nation by ESPN.

Call me a Phanatic: A look at the ups and downs of being a Philadelphia sports fan.

The overwhelming sentiment among the fans and entourages at this morning’s Wing Bowl: Fire Andy Reid. It was a recurring theme.

I Don’t Get It: How exactly does one consume 317 wings in 30 minutes.

Today’s Upper: Kudos to Ellen DeGeneres and the J.C. Penney Foundation, which gave $100,000 for Columbus Elementary School in Chester to teacher Sara Ferguson while she was on her show yesterday.

Quote Box: “She was brought in to do something, she did it, and now she’s going. I know a couple of thousand people who wouldn’t mind helping her pack.”

- Union official Jim Savage, on word that Sunoco boss Lynn Elsenhans was stepping down.

Sun sets on the Hook

2012-02-03T07:54:00.001-05:00

Mission Accomplished.

That might be the mantra today of Sunoco boss lady Lynn Elsenhans.

When she came aboard to refining giant in 2008, she made no secret of her plan. Refining was increasingly a losing proposition, so Sunoco, with a legacy that dates back to the Pew family more than a century ago, would get out of the refining business.

She started closing or selling off refineries. In September, she finally turned her sights on the company’s iconic Marcus Hook refinery.

Yesterday, the company announced Elsenhans would step down on March 1. Sunoco is a shell of the company she inherited as she shed things that did not make money.

Any glee among union workers at word that Elsenhans was stepping down was tempered by the other things the company had to say.

First, they continue to lose money. Tons of money. The company posted a $660 million loss for the quarter, a lot of that write-downs that stem from shutting down both the Marcus Hook and South Philly refineries.

But here’s the killer. Despite persistent rumors that there was a serious potential buyer in discussions to take over the Hook plant, the company said yesterday there is no such entity.

Not only that, but that they do not see Marcus Hook operating as a refinery. In the meantime, they will proceed with shutting down the plant.

Mission accomplished, indeed.

You can read the entire story here.

Check it out! Big day for CU teacher on 'Ellen'

2012-02-03T07:26:00.002-05:00

Chester Upland school teacher Sara Ferguson got more than she bargained for when she made an appearance on the “Ellen” show yesterday.

Comic and talk host Ellen DeGeneres had noticed Ferguson when she was a guest of First Lady Michelle Obama at the State of the Union Address.

Ferguson got that invite because of her stand – along with other members of the Chester Upland Education Association – to stay in their classrooms despite the possibility that the broke district would not be able to pay them.

DeGeneres presented Ferguson with a check for $100,000 by way of a foundation set up by JC Penney.

You can read the full story here.

Punxsutawney Tom readies another budget

2012-02-03T07:12:00.001-05:00

Gov. Tom Corbett was out at Punxsutawney yesterday for the Groundhog Day festivities.

As we now know, ol’ Phil saw his shadow and predicted six more weeks of winter.

There’s a lot of people in education in this state who believe Corbett also saw his shadow, and that portends another brutal education budget.

Corbett will deliver his budget address on Tuesday. You can almost hear the wailing and gnashing of teeth among school board members across the county.

We will have a special report on Sunday as educators brace themselves for what could be another brutal budget season.

Nothing says Philly like Wing Bowl

2012-02-03T06:55:00.001-05:00

Nothing really quite says Philadelphia like Wing Bowl.

Forget the Super Bowl. That party pales when compared to the debauchery that is taking place down at the Wells Fargo Center right now.

Lots of big, fat guys gulping down chicken wings, cheered on by a bunch of scantily clad women, all in front of a throng of 20,000 beer-guzzling fanatics looking for something to focus on since the Eagles again have failed to make the big game.

The Wingettes come in handy for that, too.

The brainchild of WIP’s Al Morganti and Angelo Cataldi is celebrating its 20th anniversary.

You can click here for full coverage.

The only thing missing is the Mummers.

The Daily Numbers - Feb. 2

2012-02-02T08:43:00.002-05:00

The Daily Numbers: 1,345,211 dollars, how much the boosters of Bonner and Prendie have raised in their push to save their school.

5 million dollars, how much officials feel they need to make the school viable into the foreseeable future.

15 of February, when most expect to hear a ruling on appeals from Archbishop Charles Chaput.

500 jobs being added at SAP’s Newtown Square campus.

400 residential units that would be part of Ellis Preserve Plan nearby, along with 465,00 square feet of commercial space and 405,000 square feet of office space.

2 hotels also planned for the development, which has been tied up in the courts for 40 months in a dispute with rival developer Claude deBotton.

1.3 million dollars raised for his re-election campaign by U.S. Rep. Pat Meehan.

2.49 property tax hike included in the preliminary budget given an OK by Haverford School Board.

34 years ago the infamous Wade Dump fire exploded in Chester.

6 people busted in a drug raid in Upper Darby.

6 more weeks of winter, according to Punxsutawney Phil this morning.

67, high temperature reached in some areas of the region yesterday.

23 people sickened after consuming raw milk in central Pennsylvania.

5,500 dollars in assets, the revised threshold for income in Pa. to be eligible for food stamps.

.05 decline in revenue collections by Pa. last month. They took in $2.2 billion.

7,300 jobs being slashed by Astra Zeneca.

55 years of wedded bliss celebrated yesterday by Ron Paul and his wife.

1 million birth control packs being recalled by Pfizer because of a risk of accidental pregnancy.

75, age of ‘Soul Train’ host Don Cornelius, who took his own life in L.A.

74 people killed when a crowd rushed the field after a soccer match in Egypt.

98-82 win for the Sixers over the Bulls last night.

19 points and 9 rebounds for Andre Iguodala.

18,325 fans in the Wells Fargo Center.

16-6 record for the Sixers.

11 wins at the Wells Fargo Center.

17 days until Phillies pitchers and catchers report to Clearwater.

Call me a Phanatic: A look at the ups and downs of being a Philadelphia sports fan.Maybe it’s time to start taking the Sixers seriously. Bring on LeBron and the Heat Friday night.

I Don’t Get It: All the hoopla surrounding Punxutawney Phil, especially this year. Hasn’t he noticed it’s been in the 60s around here the last couple of days. Bring on Spring.

Today’s Upper: Kudos to the astounding fundraising effort that’s part of the move to save Monsignor Bonner and Archbishop Prendergast. So far they have raised $1.3 million.

Quote Box: “They are booming and it’s great for the county and it’s great for Newtown.”

- State Rep. Tom Killion, R-168, on news that SAP is adding 500 jobs to its Newtown Square campus.

At Bonner & Prendie, they believe in miracles

2012-02-02T07:42:00.000-05:00

Do you believe in miracles? They do in Drexel Hill.

And the boosters who have rallied to save Monsignor Bonner and Archbishop Prendergast high schools are hoping Archbishop Charles Chaput does as well.

And just in case he doesn’t, they have something else he might be interested in.

$1,345,211.

That’s how much money they’ve raised in the last month since an archdiocese Blue Ribbon Commission recommended both single-sex high schools be closed, along with seven elementary schools in Delaware County. In total, the archdiocese is looking to shutter 49 schools across the region.

We revisted what is being termed “the miracle of Drexel Hill” last night on our live-stream Internet broadcast, “Live From the Newsroom.” If you missed it, you can catch the replay here.

My thanks first and foremost to Bonner-Prendie Principal Bill Brannick, who was helpful in putting the panel together, along with Patti Groshon, who has proved quite the fundraiser.

A couple of things have now struck me about this story. One is that while the archdiocese made it clear they were not interested in talking about sentiment and tradition as they review the appeals filed by many schools, including Bonner-Prendie, that is clearly what is driving this astounding fundraising effort.

In this county, the single-sex traditions of Bonner and Prendie run deep. While most had resigned themselves to the idea that the schools would have to merge, no one really believed that both schools would be closed.

When hit with that cold slap in the face, they galvanized and took action.

You could hear the sentiment in their voices when Tricia Scepansky, a Prendie alum and parent of two Prendie students, spoke. The same goes for Shannon Mallon, a 2002 Prendie girl who came up with the @SaveOurSchoolBP Twitter account that has been pushing the message.

Tom Meakim, the longtime basketball coach at Bonner, spoke reverently of the long tradition of outstanding athletes who have walked the halls there.

And Anne Marie Montgomery, another Prendie alum, reinforced that the notion of raising $5 million to ensure the future viability of the school was within reach.

Brannick also delivered a bit of news. He confirmed that Chestnut Hill College was interested in utilizing the Prendie building, likely leaving a merged school to exist in the Bonner building.

That, of course, is if there’s a merged school at all. For now we will wait. Archbishop Chaput has indicated he will make his ruling on the appeals somewhere around Feb 15.

He could deliver the perfect Valentine’s gift to the Bonner-Prendie extended family.

Forget having lots of heart. These people are putting their money where their mouths are.

Keeping the faith. And hoping to “buck” a trend.

Sunoco numbers due out today

2012-02-02T07:16:00.000-05:00

We’lll be paying close attention this afternoon when Sunoco announces its quarterly earnings.

The company will let everyone know how it is doing after the close of the markets this afternoon.

That will be of no small interest to a lot of people in the lower end of the county. That’s because Sunoco has shut down production at their iconic Marcus Hook refinery as they seek a buyer for the plant. If none comes forward, the company says it will shutter the facility.

We keep hearing that there is at least one serious suitor who wants to operate the plant as a refinery, which would preserve the hundreds of jobs at the site.

It was just a week ago that ConocoPhillips announced its quarterly earnings. The company that used to operate a refinery in Trainer reported profits were up 66 percent in the quarter. The next morning they started laying workers off.

One of the reasons that Sunoco is getting out of the refinery business is because it has been a consistent loser, losing money in the last nine quarters.

We’ll let you know what the numbers are – and what that means for the workers in Marcus Hook – just as soon as they are released after 4 p.m.

Check back to DelcoTimes.com for the update.

Break up the Sixers

2012-02-02T07:06:00.001-05:00

Maybe it’s time to start taking the Sixers seriously.

Sure, they were 15-6 going into last night’s game. But the critics could not resist pointing out that they had not exactly been playing the cream of the NBA crop.

Not anymore.

Last night the team with the best record in the NBA paid a visit to the Wells Fargo Center.

And were summarily sent on their way after being Bull-dozed by this Sixers juggernaut.

The Sixers took a 5-point lead at the half and blew the game open with a stupendous third period in winning going away, 98-82.

You can read Dennis Deitch’s account of the game here.

It does not get any easier from here. Next up? LeBron James and the Miami Heat on Friday night.

Mother Nature trumps Punxsutawney Phil

2012-02-02T06:55:00.001-05:00

Is it just me or does the whole idea of Punxsutawney Phil and Groundhog Day lose a lot of its appeal when we’re having 60-degree days on Feb. 1?

Who cares if he sees his shadow or not, just so long as we continue this kind of winter weather.

Last year most of us were beaten and battered by what seemed like a new snow storm every other day. We looked to the famous Pennsylvania rodent to deliver us some glimmer of hope. Either that or dreams of pitchers and catchers returning to Clearwater.

But when you can go out side in your shirtsleeves, winter doesn’t seem so bad.

Of course, if you are interested in all the increasingly phony hoopla out there in Gobblers Notch, you can click here. You'll love the lead.

Me? I’ll settle for another month or so without show.

Then again, if the temperature suddenly shot up to 80 degrees, I wouldn’t be complaining.

2 icons, 2 sets of questions

2012-02-01T07:36:00.001-05:00

The comparisons are inescapable.

We just buried Joe Paterno, the Lion King of Happy Valley.

And at the same time his amazing legacy included the stain of his last weeks at the helm of the Penn State football program, which operated under the cloud of the Jerry Sandusky child sexual abuse scandal.

This morning I woke up to the news that former Philadelphia Archbishop Caredinal Anthony Bevilacqua had died.

And again I cannot remove his long service to the church from the questions that hover over his administration and how it handled questions of child sexual abuse by priests.

I have no doubt that both were very good men.

I also have no doubt that both will continue to be remembered for what they did did not do when it comes to preventing child sexual abuse.

Bonner, Prendie & the Miracle of Drexel Hill

2012-02-01T07:21:00.001-05:00

Call it the Miracle of Drexel Hill.

Never let it be said that the proud tradition of Monsignor Bonner and Archbishop Prendergast high schools went down without a fight.

As Archbishop Charles Chaput mulls a decision on whether to grant their appeal of the archdiocese Blue Ribbon Commission’s recommendation that both Delco schools be closed, alumni are giving him 1,345,511 reasons why that would be a good idea.

That is the astounding sum of money friends and alumni of the two schools have raised in just a few weeks since the recommendation was made public.

We’ll have representatives from the school and alumni groups on with us tonight for our live-stream Internet show, “Live From the Newsroom,” tonight to update their fundraising efforts and when they expect to hear from the archdiocese.

Tune in at 7 and join in the live chat. If you have a question you’d like me to ask them, feel free to email it to me at editor@delcotimes.com.

Reid-ing between the lines

2012-02-01T07:07:00.001-05:00

Just as a I predicted yesterday, Punxsutawney Andy emerged from his burrow yesterday …. and predicted another year of Juan Castillo.

Not that Reid’s first press conference following a most disappointing season was without its surprises.

Reid opened the affair by admitting that he had offered a position to former Eagles assistant Steve Spagnuolo after he was fired as head coach of the Rams. But as he usually is, Reid remained coy on just what he offered his old pal “Spags.” Specifically, Reid would not get into whether Spagnuolo would be brought in as the new defensive coordinator, or would work in tandem with embattled DC Juan Castillo.

You can read Bob Grotz’s story here as our beat writer tries to read through the lines of Reid’s press conference.

Here’s one man’s unsolicited opinion. Reid wanted Spagnuolo. But Spagnuolo did not want to enter a situation where Castillo was still in place. He took the job with the Saints instead.

It’s now entirely possible that Reid and the Eagles will enter a second straight year with a guy heading their defense who was not Reid’s first choice.

One other thing is clear. Reid no longer has any room for error. Keeping Castillo better work out.

If it does not, they both will be looking for work.

The Daily Numbers - Jan. 31

2012-01-31T08:54:00.000-05:00

The Daily Numbers: 10 years since Upper Darby Police Officer Dennis McNamara was gunned down in the line of duty.

25,000 donated to build a gym in his honor at the Upper Darby Police Administration building.

360 dollars stolen from the cash box at Maggie O’Neill’s in Drexel Hill. A former employee has been charged.

6.8 million dollars, how much Chester Community Charter School says the Chester Upland School District and state owe it. Commonwealth Court has nixed a request to make them pay up.

550 dollars, how much a company is ponying up to pay the cost of a flagpole in front of the Cheese Club in Haverford.

2.67 percent tax hike being eyed in Marple Newtown School District.

4-3 vote by which Parkside Council passed an ordinance limiting use of firearms outdoors.

12 suspects arrested in Chester County in what police are calling gang-related slayings in the southern part of the county.

98.78 per barrel, price for crude oil yesterday as it slipped below $99 a barrel.

100 million dollar asking price for Philadelphia Media Network, which owns the Inky, Daily News and Philly.com.

4 people bused in connection with the brutal attack on a cabbie in Burlington County, N.J.

3 teens charged with attacking a man was he got out of a cab at 15th and Chestnut streets.

20, age of man in Newark, Del., charged with sexually assaulting a 17-year-old woman and then throwing her out of a 2nd-floor window.

71,269 people who went through the doors on the first weekend of the Philly Auto Show.

74-69 win for the Sixers over the Magic last night.

9 points, what the Magic scored in the 3rd period.

38 percent, what the Sixers shot from the floor.

27 percent from the 3-point line; 53 percent from the foul line.

11-2 record for the Sixers at the Wells Fargo Center. They 15-6 overall.

16,299 people who went through the turnstiles to see the game.

12 noon, when Andy Reid will address the media for the 1st time since the Eagles’ inglorious end of the season, one in which they did not make the playoffs.

Call me a Phanatic: A look at the ups and downs of being a Philadelphia sports fan.Anyone think Doug Collins should be named the Sixers defensive coordinator?

I Don’t Get It: Suddenly it seems to be open season on cabbies and people riding in them. I don’t get it.

Today’s Upper: The gym that was dedicated at the Upper Darby police department will make for a fitting tribute to slain Officer Dennis McNamara, gunned down 10 yeas ago.

Quote Box: “We promised together that we would never gorget. Once again, we stand together to remember that wonderful person, husband, father, police officer Dennis was.”

- Upper Darby Mayor Tom Micozzie, in remembering Officer Dennis McNamara.

10 years gone, RIP Dennis McNamara

2012-01-31T07:43:00.001-05:00

I’m always amazed in this job at how quickly time goes by.

It seems like yesterday we were reacting to the worst two words that can possibly go out over police radio:

Officer down.

It was 10 years ago that we lost Upper Darby Officer Dennis McNamara.

He is not forgotten. Not by his fellow officers. Not by the citizens of Upper Darby Township, and not by this newspaper.

Yesterday, his widow again bravely stood for her husband as the township dedicated a new gym inside the Upper Darby Police Department in his memory.

You can read the story here.

It’s my sincere hope we never have to do another story like that again.

It’s my worst fear that won’t be the case.

Spring Fever - in January!

2012-01-31T07:30:00.001-05:00

Forget February. We’re apparently skipping the shortest month of the year altogether this year.

Today, on the last day of January, we’re expected to push 60 degrees after a chilly start. Tomorrow, on the first day of February, the thermometer readings will hit the low 60s.

In the meantime, there is little or no indication of any big storms – as in snow.

Don’t expect me to complain.

If we don’t see another flake, that would be just fine with me.

But I realize that is not everyone’s cup of tea, nor everyone’s idea of winter.

And we also know that this lack of snow has a bigger effect on some people than others, such as newspaper editors.

We’re planning a story for this weekend on who wins and who loses in this kind of mild winter.

If you’d like to take part, contact reporter Jeff Wolfe at jwolfe@delcotimes.com.

In the meantime, in your face Punxsatawney!

Spring Fever never felt so good.

Andy Reid's version of Groundhog Day

2012-01-31T07:03:00.001-05:00

Maybe Andy Reid should just hire Doug Collins as his defensive coordinator.

Last night the Sixers scored only 74 points – and still won. That’s because they held the vaunted Orlando Magic and Dwight Howard to 69 points, including just 9 in the third quarter.

Even with a horrific offensive performance on a night when they shot 38 percent from the floor, 27 percent from three-point land and just 53 percent from the free throw line, the Sixers used their smothering defense to make the Magic disappear and raise their record to 15-6.

Things won’t get any easier for the Collins’ surging bunch. They host the Chicago Bulls Wednesday and LeBron James and the Heat Saturday.

In the meantime, Reid will do his best Groundhog Day imitation today, emerging from his burrow at noon at the NovaCare Center. Rumor has it that Reid will see his shadow and predict another year of Juan Castillo.

After that he’s going to tell us how Todd Bowles coming on as the defensive secondary coach is going to make all the difference when it comes to putting players in a better position to make plays.

In other words, despite all those words from Eagles owner Jeff Lurie, not much is going to change in Birds land.

Time’s yours, Andy.

The Daily Numbers - Jan. 30

2012-01-30T08:47:00.001-05:00

The Daily Numbers: 1.23 million dollars raised so far by friends, alums of Monsignor Bonner-Archbishop Prendergast.

500 people who packed into Casey’s Restaurant in Drexel Hill yesterday for the latest fundraiser.

1 man charged in a wild brawl inside a tavern in Lower Chichester.

2 men shot while they sat inside a home in Lansdowne by a gunman who fired from outside the home.

36, age of Morgan Mengel, of West Chester, who goes on trial today for plotting with her lover to kill her husband, whose body was found dumped behind Marple Newtown High School.

2 people arrested at an Occupy Philadelphia rally in the city yesterday.

21,500 dollars taken by robbers who held up the Greyhound bus terminal in Philly yesterday.

2 people, a woman and her teen daughter, shot in North Philadelphia Sunday night.

3 teens charged with the brutal beating of a Philly cab driver.

1 million dollars allegedly ripped off by the former chief financial officer of the Philadelphia Archdiocese.

6 days until the Super Bowl.

6 days of unending hype as well.

2 carries, and 1 fumble for Eagles’ LeSean McCoy in the Pro Bowl yesterday.

2 assists for Scott Hartnell at the NHL All-Star game yesterday.

Call me a Phanatic: A look at the ups and downs of being a Philadelphia sports fan.Maybe it’s time the Eagles put out an all points bulleting for Andy Reid. It’s kind of hard to believe the team has allowed this much time to go by since Jeff Lurie announced he was bringing his head coach back without any word from Reid.

I Don’t Get It: Other than the Major League Baseball’s Mid-Summer Classic, you can put all-star games in this category. Any game that’s based on physically colliding with other players is pretty much going to be just a shell of itself in an all-star format. No one is going to risk getting hurt.

Today’s Upper: Another huge fundraising effort yesterday for the backers of Monsignor Bonner and Archbishop Prendergast. They’ve now raised $1.23 million.

Quote Box: “Look at this turnout. It makes me proud to be a Bonner guy.”

- Sean Knapp, at yesterday’s Bonner-Prendie fundraiser at Casey’s.

The irony of Catholic Schools Week

2012-01-30T07:53:00.001-05:00

There is a certain irony that the Archdiocese of Philadelphia yesterday kicked off the celebration of Catholic Schools Week.

That’s because, for at least seven elementary schools and Monsignor Bonner-Archbishop Prendergast High School, they are wondering if it will also be their last.

Those eight schools are on the list of those that an archdiocese Blue Ribbon Commission recommended be closed as part of a huge cost-cutting move that would shutter 49 schools across the region.

The folks at Bonner-Prendie, as well as several of the elementary schools, have filed formal appeals of that ruling, and have met with archdiocesan officials to plead their case.

In the meantime, they continue to raise money.

The latest Bonner-Prendie fundraiser was held yesterday at Casey’s in Drexel Hill. To date the group has raised $1.23 million.

School President the Rev. James Olson had said he believes the schools need $5 million to assure its financial viability down the road.

Of course, that is if their appeal is granted.

Now the waiting begins.

I offered my thoughts on the Bonner-Prendie situation in my print column today as well. You can read it here.

The tradition of single-sex education is almost certainly going by the boards.

But a merged Bonner-Prendie appears to be a very good possibility.

Of course, no one believed the commission would recommend both schools in the first place.

Keepin’ the faith? Absolutely.

And trying it at the same time.

A lifetime in newspapers

2012-01-30T07:20:00.000-05:00

My first real job – other than mowing lawns in the summer – was also my introduction to the newspaper world.
I delivered 44 Philadelphia Evening Bulletins.
The ink must have gotten in my veins. I’ve been in newspapers ever since.
I’ve now spent more than three decades as an ink-stained wretch, although today I probably spend more time every day working online, writing this blog among other things.
I was thinking about that whole notion of the past 30 years this weekend.
That’s because it was 30 years ago yesterday that the Bulletin closed its doors forever. I still have a copy of the last edition of the paper.
There was a time when I could not fathom the notion of a newspaper as grand as the Bulletin going under.
Not anymore.
The newspaper where I cut my teeth in the business, the place where I started my career after getting out of college, was The Record in Coatesville.
It has something in common with the Bulletin. It no longer exists, either.
This morning there is word that Philadelphia Media Holdings, the company that owns the Inquirer, Daily News and Philly.com, may be putting those venerable institutions back on the market.
They are owned, in part, by the same people that own us.
These are very difficult times for newspapers. Readers’ habits are changing. They are much more likely to get their information online than in print.
That means fewer readers in print, which means fewer ads. That means less revenue.
The good news is that advertising and readership online is exploding. I’m still amazed that in any month four million people now go to DelcoTimes.com.
The problem, in the short term, is that the print ads are much more lucrative for our industry than online ads. There also is the notion that many online readers hate the pop-ups and other devices we use to create revenue online.
The saying in the industry is that while we traditionally dealt with print dollars, we are now in competition for digital dimes.
So we are stacking the dimes.
I’ve never done anything else in my adult life aside from newspaper work.
I sure as hell don’t want to start now.
I’m a lifer.
Even if some of the places I once toiled are not.

A lost sports weekend

2012-01-30T06:47:00.001-05:00

If there’s a worse weekend for sports, I’d like to know what it is.

Yesterday we were treated to two of the biggest farces in sports. Those would be the NFL’s Pro Bowl, and the NHL’s All-Star Game.

Both suffer from the same problem. They bring together the best players from two very physical - you could say violent, - games, and then they spend several hours trying desperately not to collide with one another.

No one wants to get hurt in one of these affairs, and the results show it. Hitting is at a minimum, and that is a huge part of the basic appeal of both games.

So both leagues have turned to gimmicks in an attempt to spark interest.

The NFL has moved their all-star game, which used to occur after the Super Bowl, to the week in the interim. I suppose you could make the argument that it gives us our football fix for this dead weekend before the Super Bowl hype machines revs up. But that would assume that you could call what happens in the game football. I’m not so sure that’s the case. And, of course, in moving the game you automatically remove from contention any players on the two best teams who are busy preparing for their date next Sunday in the Super Bowl.

The NHL has another problem. Its farce of a game manages to take any notion of defense out of the equation altogether. What looks like fun for a lot of offensive players must be a nightmare if you happen to be one of the players who has to stand in those goal in what is little more than a shooting gallery.

Maybe it’s time for both these games to go by the boards. These innovations haven’t worked.

Hell, even Tiger Woods couldn’t save the weekend. Tied for the lead going into the final round of a tournament in Abuu Dhabi, Tiger failed to deliver the goods as well. He finished third.

Now we have to sit through a week of superfluous Super Bowl interviews before getting another dose of real sports.

Maybe it's time to start paying attention to the Sixers.

Then again, how many days until pitchers and catchers report?

The Daily Numbers - Jan. 27

2012-01-27T09:09:00.001-05:00

The Daily Numbers: 385 workers at the Conoco Phillips refinery in Trainer who are getting layoff notices.

2 shifts got the word yesterday, 2 more will hear today.

175,000 barrels a day, how much crude the nearby Sunoco refinery handled. Now there’s word investors may be willing to operate the facility as a refinery, saving hundreds of jobs.

8-0 vote by the Chester Upland School Board to reject the application for a charter school from Chester Upland School of the Arts.

20,000 dollar reward being put up by city of Philadelphia for information on murders.

500 dollars for info on anyone with an illegal gun.

8 years in jail for Bucks County hoax mom Bonnie Sweeten.

1 million dollars, how much she stole from friends and co-workers.

48, age of Ukrainian ice hockey coach charged with molesting one of his players.

65, age of man who shot 2 teens who tried to rob him as he rode his bike in Reading.

42 percent responding to poll who now support firing of Joe Paterno. That’s down from 55 percent in November.

76 million dollars in earnings in the quarter for Sunoco Logistics.

Call me a Phanatic: A look at the ups and downs of being a Philadelphia sports fan.Joe Paterno is gone. The Penn State story is not. This one is not going away for a long time.

I Don’t Get It: I’m not quite sure I’m ready to back raising money for schools by keeping the bars open an extra hour, until 3 a.m.

Today’s Upper: Kudos to Upper Darby Officer Ray Blohm, who was awarded a federal medal and accepted it in the name of slain Upper Darby Officer Dennis McNamara. Class move.

Quote Box: “Hopefully someone will buy it, but I’m not expecting to come back.”

- Laid-off ConocoPhillips employee Rich Wright Jr.

Comings & goings in refinery biz

2012-01-27T08:22:00.001-05:00

The ax fell yesterday in Trainer.

This was the outcome so many workers feared back in September when ConocoPhillips announced it would idle the plant and seek a buyer.

The pink slips started going out yesterday.

Workers seemed resigned to their fate.

“I like working here,” said Rioch Wright Jr. “Hopefully, somebody willl buy it, but I’m not expecting to come back.”

You can read our full story here.

In the meantime, there is a sliver of hope next door at the Sunoco refinery in Marcus Hook.

Sunoco CEO started all this back on the day after Labor Day when she announced the company was getting out of the refinery business and would seek a buyer for their iconic plant on the Delaware River.

Not it appears there is at least one serious suit interested in opoerating the facility as a refinery.

You can read that story here.

Fiery morning for Chester Upland

2012-01-27T07:57:00.000-05:00

It is a very important morning for the Chester Upland School District.
There will be two separate hearings centering on the financially ailing city schools.
First, state Sen. Dominic Pileggi, R-9, who just happens to be a former Chester mayor, will hold a forum from 8:30-9:30 at the Chester Upland School District Administration Building, at 15th and Melrose in the city.
Pileggi wants to hear from concerned parents and also offer an update on the district’s cash crisis.
Then at 10 a.m. state Rep. Bill Adolph, R-165, of Springfield, will hold a public hearing of the state House Appropriations Committee, which he chairs. The hearing will take place at Widener University. Both state and local officials are expected to testify.
There also is word that both the school district and Chester Community Charter School are expected to hold a press conference this morning to rap the state for a lack of funding.
In the meantime, it is beginning to look more and more like the state plan is to put the district back under state control, as it was for 16 years.
A draft plan from the state Department of Education points to a “Special Board of Control.”
It would have fiscal control over the district, as well as control over personnel and the authority to convert a public school to a charter school.
We’ll likely hear more today, including the public reaction to such a plan.
Stay tuned.

What's next for Penn State?

2012-01-27T07:39:00.001-05:00

Now comes the hard part.
Joe Paterno has been properly Lion-ized.
We still have to deal with Jerry Sandusky, the man who brought such pain and anguish to Happy Valley.
And also the two Penn State executives who were charged with lying to a grand jury.
The more I think about it, the more I wonder about the move to sack Paterno. But part of me will always wonder why he did not do more. And yes, I am of those who believe that very little happened in State College, Pa., that did not come under Paterno’s scrutiny.
For Sandusky, I have no doubts.
One or two kids might be able to get together and make up such a story. But this number? I don’t think so.
Here’s a prediction. Sandusky never sees a courtroom. He cuts a deal and spends the rest of his life in jail.
Not so for Tim Curley and Gary Schultz. I say they both go to trial – and both are acquitted.
The state has a big problem with the crucial testimony of Mike McQueary. He appears to have told the grand jury one thing, but something else to his father, and a friend of the family who was in the room at the time and who will testify that McQueary never gave them the detail he gave the grand jury.
In the meantime, Penn State will remain in the headlines for a long time.
Joe Paterno is gone. This story is not.
And it will not be pretty.
Child sexual abuse never is.

The Daily Numbers - Jan. 26

2012-01-26T08:34:00.000-05:00

The Daily Numbers: 66 percent boost in profits for ConocoPhillips last quarter. This morning they will start laying off workers at Trainer refinery.

3.4 billion in earnings for ConocoPhillips, compared to $2 billion same period last year.

235 union jobs in jeopardy out of 385 employees at the refinery.

100,000 dollars a year savings being eyed by Norwood Borough, which laid off the highway department and an assistant secretary.

50 jobs at the new Save-A-Lot supermarket that opened in Drexel Hill.

5,000 dollar reward for suspect in bank holdup last month.

3 of the 7 archdiocesan elementary schools in Delco targeted for closing that are appealing the ruling.

1,166,925 now raised in the effort to save Monsignor Bonner and Archbishop Prendergast high schools.

3-6 years in jail for an Upper Darby man in the rape of a child.

1.2 million square feet of development in revised plan for the former Franklin Mint site in Middletown.

200 age-restricted residential units, 120,000 square foot office building and 2 150,000 square foot commercial buildings in the plan.

50 percent smaller, how this plan compares to initial one dubbed “The City” by critics who opposed it.

31 homicides in 25 days to start the new year in Philadelphia.

2 dead in murder-suicide in the Logan section.

3 a.m. closing for bars in Philly, 1 hour later. That’s plan being pushed by city council member to raise money for education.

5 million dollars a year, how much the move could generate.

4 people rescued from burning home in Kingsessing.

29 points for Nets point guard Deron Williams to lead Jersey over the Sixers, 97-90.

2 home losses now for the Sixers.

Call me a Phanatic: A look at the ups and downs of being a Philadelphia sports fan.A bit of a hiccup last night for the Sixers. They should not lose at home to the Nets.

I Don’t Get It: Why is anyone surprised that the state high court rejected that legislative redistricting plan. I’m only surprised the congressional plan has survived. This process needs to be taken out of the hands of politicians.

Today’s Upper: All those people lining the path of the funeral cortege for Joe Paterno. That is his true legacy.

Quote Box: “Our decision to idle and sell the Trainer refinery was based on the level of investment required to remain competitive in the U.S. East coast refining market that has been under severe market pressure for several years.”

- ConocoPhillips spokesman Rich Johnson.

Back to drawing board for legislative redistricting

2012-01-26T07:47:00.000-05:00

So much for that much-debated Pennsylvania legislative redistricting plan.

Delco Democrats cried foul when it was rolled out, arguing that several areas were specifically being redrawn to help Republicans.

Yesterday the state Supreme Court agreed with them. A divided high court knocked down the plan, calling it “contrary to law.”

Among the areas that drew derision was the 166th District in Haverford, where several wards in the township were being pulled out of state Rep. Greg Vitali’s turf. He argued that splitting up areas in a municipality was in itself unconstitutional. Dems claimed the move of those areas into the 163rd was an effort to aid Republican Rep. Nick Micozzie.

Now it’s back to the drawing board.

You can read the full story on the court ruling here.

One important thing to note, however. This affects only the plan for state legislative districts.

The bizarre redrawing of the 7th District congressional district will stand.

We’ll be dealing with that with an extended look at the new district on Sunday.

The good news in Chester

2012-01-26T07:25:00.001-05:00

I had a very interesting phone call earlier this week.

Brenda Johnson lives in Chester. She says she stopped reading the newspaper a few years ago because she was tired of the way her city was so often portrayed in these pages.

But she said her daughter had a copy of Monday’s paper and it was sitting on a table in her house when she picked it up.

She was calling to tell me she enjoyed my column. In it I lauded the work being done in the city by a grass roots organization called Brothers of Concern. They are rolling out a very important literacy initiative called Real Men Really Read. The newspaper is going to partner with them.

I had a very nice conversation with Ms. Johnson. But first, I had to admit to her that there is some truth to the argument that a lot of bad news emanates from the city. And it usually ends up in this newspaper. And that’s why I told her it was incumbent upon us to be sure to point out there are other stories in the city as well.

She seemed genuinely surprised that I felt that way.

She might be surprised at today’s editorial as well.

It details more good news in the city.

You can read it here.

The Paterno Legacy

2012-01-26T07:07:00.001-05:00

I have to admit I was never much of a Penn State fan.

And I always thought their crusty, old coach, the guy wearing the rolled up khakis with the coke bottle glasses, was a bit much.

But I have to admit I’ve been moved by what has happened the past couple of days in Happy Valley.

I have been among those who have said that Joe Paterno was Penn State. It’s part of the reason I could not understand why he did not do more when confronted with allegations against his former defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky.

But that’s for another day.

The last two days, and one final public service today, have been for remembering the man they simply called ‘JoePa.’

Over 61 years, he became the face of Penn State.

He touched countless young lives. Over the past few days, they have tried to repay the favor.

They all came back, all those players, all those students who identified him as a mentor and father figure.

They came back to pay their respects, and to offer a simple thank you.

That, much more than anything that has happened over the past few months, is Joe Paterno’s legacy.

Rest well, coach.

The Daily Numbers - Jan. 25

2012-01-25T09:10:00.000-05:00

The Daily Numbers: 21 years, how long Sara Ferguson has been teaching in Chester Upland. She was the guest of the first lady at the State of the Union Address last night.

16 years, how long the district spent under state control. Now the state Education Department is mulling a ‘Special Board of Control’ to do it again.

18 months, how long it has been back under control of the elected school board.

600,000 dollars, how much a Ridley woman is charged with stealing from the company she worked for in Folcroft.

3-6 years in prison for a Haverford man who pleaded guilty to a fatal hit-run in which he struck and killed a man on a bicycle.

105,000 dollar salary for the new county solicitor. The old one, John McBlain, made $109,000. He’s now on County Council.

7.2 million dollar contract from the Army for Alloy Surfaces of Chester Township.

1 half mile, how long the line was at one point yesterday as mourners waited to say goodbye to Joe Paterno.

7 minute, how long it took for 16,000 tickets to the Thursday memorial for JoePa to be snapped up.

33, age of woman gunned down in her Philly convenience store. Police now believe she was executed, either by drug gangs or possibly because she witnessed another murder.

20 million dollars, how much Mitt Romney made last year. Yeah, he’s just one of us.

15 percent, his tax bracket, which in fact is more just like the rest of us.

37 million iPhones sold by Apple in the last quarter.

2 billion dollar loss posted by Verizon last quarter, even though it sold 4.3 million of the iPhone 4S.

153 members of the state House, down from the current 203, under a plan being considered in Harrisburg.

3-2 win for the Flyers in a shootout over the Florida Panthers.

25 goals for Scott Hartnell, who was added to the NHL All-Star Game.

Call me a Phanatic: A look at the ups and downs of being a Philadelphia sports fan.Eyes of the nation will be on Chester come July 25, when Major League Soccer holds its All-Star game at PPL Park in Chester.

I Don’t Get It: Some mourners who got tickets to the public memorial for Joe Paterno were posting them for sale on eBay. I don’t get it.

Today’s Upper: Kudos to Sara Ferguson, the Chester Upland teacher who was selected to join First Lady Michelle Obama in her box at the State of the Union last night.

Quote Box: “I was a public school student who was taken to the White House by a teacher. So, for me to come back and represent teachers is a joy.”

- Sara Ferguson, on her honor at the State of the Union last night.

Seeking solutions in Chester Upland

2012-01-25T08:38:00.001-05:00

We went searching for answers to the financial riddle that is the Chester Upland School District last night on our live Internet broadcast, “Live From the Newsroom.”

Our guest was state Rep. Thaddeus Kirkland, D-159, of Chester. The representative joined us via the phone from his office in Harrisburg, where the Legislature is in session.

We also were expecting Thomas Persing, the assistant superintendent of Chester Upland, to join us in the office, but he had a conflict come up at the last moment and had to cancel.

If you missed the show you can watch the full replay here.

A lot of people talk about Chester Upland, about its money problems, and its future. Not nearly as many people have an idea of what to do about it.

The state Education Department is apparently considering a 'Special Board of Control' to take over the district. You can read about that plan here.

Kirkland has a different idea, and he talked about it last night.

First off, he plans to meet with state Auditor General Jack Wagner this morning about his request for a forensic audit of the school district’s finances.

Seems like a good idea. Last week the district was flat broke. They weren’t going to be able to pay their bills – or their staff – until a federal judge ordered the state to turn over $3.2 million to tide them over until the end of the month.

But that’s not really an answer. It's the result of a lawsuit filed by the district against Corbett and the state Education Department. Since then Gov. Tom Corbett and Sen. Dominic Pileggi, R-9, of Chester, held something of a summit about Chester Upland with the Delco delegation in Harrisburg. There was lots of talk, not much in the way of solutions, other than a pledge to keep the schools open the remainder of the year.

Of course, there’s always the option of just throwing more money at the situation.

Even Kirkland concedes that hasn’t worked.

Here’s what he wants to do. He wants to place the district not back under state control, where it spent 16 years, but instead under the wing of the city and new Mayor John Linder.

Linder is a longtime educator and has experience in running a charter school.

I have no idea if the mayor, who as you might guess has a pretty full plate in the city in the early days of his administration, is interested. I also don’t know what kind of reaction it would get from the elected school board, which has been back in control for the last 18 months.

It likely would take an act of the state Legislature to pull it off, but it is at least something no one else has considered.

Give Kirkland credit for that.

Today we’ll go about getting more reaction to Kirkland’s idea.

And a reminder to Gov. Corbett, Sen. Pileggi, anyone from the school district and the state Education Department: Our invitation stands. If you want to come on the show and talk about the problems facing the district, feel free. You can reach me at 610-622-8818, or email me at editor@delcotimes.com.

I can be an equal opportunity publicist. I have the platform. Now I need more people to get involved.

In the meantime, our thanks to Rep. Kirkland for coming on the show.

A question for all E Streeters

2012-01-25T07:43:00.001-05:00

And now to the burning question of the day, at least for a major Bruce Springsteen fan like myself.

I noticed yesterday that Bruce and the E Street Band announced a new tour to back up release of a new album, “Wrecking Ball.”

They’ve already released a single, “We Take Care of Our Own.” You can listen to it here.

The tour kicks off March 18 in Atlanta, Ga., and will arrive for two nights at the Wells Fargo Center in South Philly on March 28-29. Tickets go on sale at Comcasttix.com Saturday morning.

Life is good, right? Absolutely.

I don’t know if it’s because I grew up in a small town, or that most of what we did as teens amounted to riding around in cars, trying to impress girls and drinking beer, but I’ve always identified with Springsteen’s lyrics and his music.

And therein lies the problem. It's not just Bruce. It's the band, in my humble opinion the best, tightest band I've ever seen, and I've seen tons of them. OK, not in a lot of years. It's the E Street Sound that first drew me in a lifetime ago when I discovered 'Greetings From Asbury Park.' I will never forget regaling my friends at the University of Colorado, and urging all of them to join me to see for themselves when Springsteen and the E Street Band played the picturesque Red Rocks Amphitheatre on the 'Darkness on the Edge of Town.' Many of them got so tired of hearing me talk about it that they went along for the ride. They didn't regret it. It's still the best Springsteen show I've ever seen. "Big rocks you got out here," he deadpanned.

But when the band takes the stage March 18 in Atlanta to kick off their U.S. tour, something will be missing. Something integral. The signature of the E Street Sound.

The Big Man won't be there. Clarence Clemons, the legendary E Street Band sax player and longtime Springsteen sidekick, died last summer of complications from a stroke.

This will mark the first tour since his passing.

So here is my question. Can you have an E Street Band without its signature sound? I refer of course to that wailing sax, so integral to so many Springsteen classics.

When I heard about the tour, I went to brucespringsteen.net to get more information. They listed the members of the band. There is no one listed as playing sax.

The E Streeters have been through this before. Danny Federici died of melanoma a few years ago, and the band persevered. Charlie Giordano is playing keyboards on this tour.

But replacing that wailing sax, which to so many "is" the E Street sound, is another matter.

What I’m wondering is if they can tour without a sax player, or if they are simply not yet ready to announce who will try to fill the Big Man’s boots.

If anyone knows, please post a comment on the blog.

I have always loved Springsteen and the E Street Sound. I’m just not sure it’s the same without its signature sound.

Rest well, Clarence.

A big day for the city of Chester

2012-01-25T07:06:00.003-05:00

Pretty good day for the city of Chester yesterday.

Yesterday morning, Major League Soccer announced that it would bring its All-Star game to the city’s waterfront on July 25.

The league’s best and brightest will assemble at PPL Park, in the shadow of the Commodore Barry Bridge, where the Philadelphia Union play their home games.

The game will undoubtedly bring an economic fusion to the city and region, and will also once again put the city in a national spotlight.

Then last night, none other than a teacher from the embattled Chester Upland School District was the guest of First Lady Michelle Obama and sat in her box for the State of the Union Address.

Sara Ferguson is a Chester native who has been a teacher at Columbus Elementary School for 21 years.

She was tapped by the White House because of her efforts – along with the other members of the Chester Upland Education Association – to remain in their classes despite the possibility that the financially ailing district might not be able to make its payroll.

Ferguson said her initial reaction on learning of the honor was “shock” at what she referred to as the thrill of a lifetime.

More than that, she wanted to deliver a message.

“I want everyone out there to know that I’m from the Chester Upland School District, but there are other districts suffering the same fate,” Ferguson said.

Well said.

The Daily Numbers - Jan. 24

2012-01-24T09:23:00.001-05:00

The Daily Numbers: 90 minute meeting between Gov. Tom Corbett and members of the Delco delegation concerning Chester Upland School District yesterday.

3.2 million dollars delivered to Chester Upland by a court order last week. That should get them through the end of the month.

1 million dollars raised in the effort to save Monsignor Bonner-Archbishop Prendergast high schools.

4 people charged with the ambush murder of a pizza delivery man in Philadelphia. The victim was from Chester.

21 ball python snakes at the center of a dispute that ended in gunfire in Ridley Township. 1 man was wounded, another is facing charges.

15, age of girl who was victim of attempted luring in Chester. Police are looking for a suspect.

15,000 dollars given to Community Action Agency of Delco by Boeing.

1 clerk gunned down in a Kensington convenience store last night.

15,000 dollar reward posted for info in the murder of a Chinese takeout restaurant in Philadelphia.

7.2 million dollar contract from the Army for Alloy Surfaces Co. Inc. of Chester Township.

15 JC Penney’s stores in the Philly region. All 1,200 U.S. stores in the company are expected to be hit with layoffs, which could number in the thousands.

74, age of longtime Phillies broadcaster Andy Musser, who died yesterday.

17 points for Elton Brand as the Sixers rolled over the Wizards again last night.

20 point margin for Sixers, who won, 103-83.

3 wins for the Sixers over the Wizards already this year.

31 and 13 point victories in the other 2 contests.

Call me a Phanatic: A look at the ups and downs of being a Philadelphia sports fan.Too bad the Sixers don’t play the Wizards every night. That is one bad basketball team. Poor Flip Sanders looked miserable on their bench last night.

I Don’t Get It: If someone can make sense out of the numbers in Chester Upland, could you give me a call? I don’t get it.

Today’s Upper: Kudos to the friends and alumni of Monsignor Bonner-Archbishop Prendergast. They hit their goal of raising $1 million.

Quote Box: “He buried it.”

- Andy Musser, in his classic all of Mike Schmidt home run back in October 1980 in key Phils’ win over the Expos, leading to Eastern Division title.

Following the money in Chester Upland

2012-01-24T08:06:00.002-05:00

They held that much ballyhooed “summit” in Harrisburg yesterday to focus on the financial condition of the Chester Upland School District.

Not surprising is that everyone agrees the district is in fire fiscal straits. Even more surprising is that no one seems to know what exactly to do about it.

You can read our story here. And an editorial on what the future of Chester Upland might look like here.

Gov. Tom Corbett and Sen. Dominic Pileggi, R-9, of Chester, have pledged to keep the schools open.

That’s going to be easier said than done.

In the meantime, we will revisit the subject tonight with our live-stream Internet broadcast, “Live From the Newsroom.”

Joining us will be Chester Upland Assistant Superintendent Thomas Persing here in the office. And on the phone from Harrisburg we’ll have state Rep. Thaddeus Kirkland, D-159, of Chester.

Should be interesting. Tune in at 7 at delcotimes.com.

If you have a question you'd like answere concerning Chester Upland, email it to me at editor@delcotimes.com. You also can log in to DelcoTimes.com tonight during the show and take part in a live chat on Chester Upland.

Crunch time for archdiocese sex abuse scandal

2012-01-24T07:52:00.000-05:00

It’s crunch time for the sex abuse scandal involving the archdiocese of Philadelphia.

In a Center City courtroom yesterday, prosecutors dropped this little bombshell. They accused the archdiocese of being an “unindicted co-conspirator” in the sex abuse case involving priests and children.

And prosecutors also laid out more details of the crux of what they believe was going on, that the archdiocese was involved in a cover-up and simply moved problem priests from one parish to another without warning parishioners.

In effect, they allege that the archdiocese’s tactics supplied a steady supply of children to predator priests.

Yes, it is that ugly. And it no doubt will get uglier.

All of this comes as several priests and Monsignor William Lynn prepare to go on trial. Lynn is the highest-ranking church official in the nation to be criminally charged in connection with the abuse of children by priests.

Lynn is not charged with abuse, but instead of putting children at risk through his work as the secretary for the clergy for then Archbishop Anthony Bevilacqua.

Lynn has declared his innocence. His lawyers maintain he was merely following the policy created by Cardinal Bevilacqua. Specifically, yesterday they objected that much of what was being described by prosecutors occurred either before or after Lynn’s tenure.

Here is the full story.

How ugly is this going to get? One defense attorney, in referring to nuns who had complained about some priests to the archdiocese, ripped them as “rats and wimps.” He said the priest was merely disturbing their peace.

The hearing will continue today. Don’t look for it to get any easier to stomach.

A salute to the 'other' voice of summer

2012-01-24T07:25:00.001-05:00

He was the “other” voice of summer.

Andy Musser, who spent much of his long broadcasting career toiling in the shadow of Harry Kalas, died Monday. He was 74.

You can read our story here.

Every night, Musser’s distinctive baritone would deliver an arcane stat, something only Andy and his attention to detail could deliver.

Musser’s biggest fault likely was that he was not Harry Kalas, the beloved Phils’ broadcaster who teamed with Rich Ashburn to become the voice synonymous with Phillies baseball.

For 26 years, Musser was the other guy in the booth.

But this secondary voice of summer earned a special place in my heart on a raw, rainy October night.

And he did it with just three words.

“He buried it.”

The Phillies, who had done nothing in my lifetime aside from breaking my heart in 1964, appeared once again ready to stick in the dagger.

It was Oct. 4, 1980. I was sitting in a restaurant in Ridley Park with my girlfriend (not yet wife), and a friend of hers.

If my memory serves correct, the Phils had blown a lead and the game was now creeping into extra innings. A loss would put a serious chill on any Eastern Division title hopes.

That’s when Mike Schmidt stepped up to the plate, with Andy at the mike.

It was one of those “no doubt about it” swings. Schmidt nailed it. So did Musser.

“He buried it,” he intoned into the mic. Maybe it’s because the stoic Musser showed so much emotion that it has stayed with me all those years.

All I know is that a few weeks later, I was among the throng celebrating the Phillies world championship. None of that would have happened without that Schmidt home run, and that classic call by Musser.

Andy Musser broadcast Phillies games for 26 years. He also worked for the Eagles, Sixers and Villanova basketball.

But I will always remember that miserable wet night in October.

It was the night that a guy who played the backup role most of his career got his night on the stage.

Andy, you buried it!

If heaven has baseball team, and surely they do, I don’t doubt that Kalas, Ashburn and Musser will be behind the mike.

We bury bodies. But not the memories.

Thanks, Andy.

The Daily Numbers - Jan. 23

2012-01-23T08:57:00.000-05:00

The Daily Numbers (Joe Paterno Edition): 1926-2012, R.I.P, JoePa.

61 years, how long Paterno worked at Penn State.

1966, he takes over as head coach from Rip Engle.

409 wins, most in Division 1 college football history.

136 losses.

2 national championships.

27 bowl game appearances.

5 undefeated, untied teams.

23 Top 10 finishes.

250 players who went on to play in the NFL.

7 foot bronze statue of him that sits outside Beaver Stadium.

34 million dollars he gave the university for new wing on library that now bears his name.

87 percent graduation rate among his players.

Call me a Phanatic: A look at the ups and downs of being a Philadelphia sports fan.No doubt there will be plenty of time to debate Joe Paterno’s legacy. For now let us mourn the loss of a great man.

I Don’t Get It: There are people who called the newspaper early yesterday incensed that some of the coverage of Paterno’s death included news of the scandal that ended his career. I don’t get it.

Today’s Upper: I still love those rolled-up khakis, white socks and black coach’s shoes.

Quote Box: “When we get past the issues of the last few months, I think the focus will return to what the man was all about and the 61 years of his life he dedicated to educating young men to be good citizens of the world.”

- The Rev. James Olson, president of Monsignor Bonner-Archbishop Prendergast High School, announcing they would appeal recommendation the schools be closed.

The legacy of Joe Paterno

2012-01-23T07:56:00.001-05:00

Joe Paterno lived for football, in particular Penn State football.

That's why I was not terribly surprised that without it, he only last a few months.

That gives Paterno something in common with another legendary coach, Alabama's Bear Bryant, who died of a heart attack less than a month after stepping down as boss of the Crimson Tide.

Paterno led the Nittany Lions program for more than half a century. Along the way, he became the winningest Division I college football coach in the land.

In many ways, Paterno was Penn State. He was larger than life, but he was not larger than the problems we all encounter along the way.

After 61 years at Penn State, Paterno was summarily sacked by the Board of Trustees in the fallout from the ugly child sexual-abuse scandal surrounding his former defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky.

Now we are left to ponder his legacy, as a great man, a great Pennsylvanian and a superior coach.

For a man who accomplished so much, I am still taken aback by his own words in the wake of the scandal that brought him down.

“I should have done more.”

That was Paterno’s own assessment of his actions after he reported to his superiors allegations against Sandusky that were brought to him by a graduate assistant.

“I should have done more.”

In listening to person after person who spoke of him yesterday in the hours after his passing, I am left with the same impression I’ve had of this sad ending since the story first broke.

Those who knew him, coached with or against him, played for him, or worshipped him as an alum, all talked about what he meant to them. He was a molder of men, not just football players. His concern for them, and his love of all things Penn State, made Paterno a legendary figure. He put the Happy in Happy Valley.

But his ending, and the way he parted ways with the school he loved, and to which he gave so much, was anything but happy.

I agree with those who believe he deserved better than a late-night phone call from a trustee to inform him that he was no longer the head coach of Penn State.

But it is all those same comments, all the praise, all the knowledge of what he meant to Penn State, that lead me back to the same thing I’ve wondered now for months.

How could he not know? And how could he not have done more? Paterno did what he was supposed to do. He reported the incident to his superiors.

But that's part of the problem. That's not what we expect of Joe Paterno. We expect so much more.

The truth is I have never been a big Penn State fan. But I’ve always admired Joe Paterno.

I still do.

The single image I will carry with me is that of Paterno in those rumpled khaki slacks, rolled up to his ankles, white socks and black coach’s shoes leading the Nittany Lions out onto the field.

Some today are saying Paterno died of a broken heart. His health deteriorated quickly after his dismissal. And he lost a final battle with lung cancer.

Happy Valley’s heart is certainly broken, as fans come to grips both with the loss of the legendary coach, and how exactly his legacy will be remembered how that it has been scarred by the ugly Sandusky affair.

It is an impossible question to answer, and maybe an unfair one.

This is not the ending we reserve for legends. In the end, Paterno proved to be just that. And something else.

Human.

And a damn good one at that.

Big day for Chester Upland, Bonner & Prendie

2012-01-23T07:03:00.001-05:00

There are two very important events concerning education in Delaware County happening today.

First, Gov. Tom Corbett and state Sen. Dominic Pileggi, R-9, of Chester, will hold a summit with Delco legislators looking for some kind of solution to the financial riddle that is the Chester Upland School District.

On Friday, Corbett and Pileggi announced they would deliver the funds necessary to make the sure the school stay open through the end of the year.

Corbett no doubt did so through gritted teeth. He is on record as being against any other financial bailout of Chester schools. He and his Education Department instead have pointed a finger at CU administrators and mismanagement in the school district.

Right now the two sides appear headed for another court appearance in the suit that was filed by the district against Corbett and the state.

Meanwhile, representatives from Monsigner Bonner and Archbishop Prendergast high schools will head downtown for their meeting with archdiocese officials as they try to save some version of their beloved institutions.

Friends and alumni have raised almost a million dollars toward the goal. You can read about their latest fundraising efforts here.

The Rev. James Olson, school president, will lead the contingent. We wish them well.

You have to love the tag alums came up with for today. They’re referring to it as “Million Dollar Monday.”

Another kick in the gut for Akers

2012-01-23T06:46:00.001-05:00

While everyone was rooting for a Harbaugh vs. Harbaugh Super Bowl, I had someone else I was hoping would find a spot in the big game.

As it turns out, neither of the Harbaughs will be coaching in the Super Bowl. Jim’s 49ers lost to the Giants; John’s Ravens fell to the Patriots.

John had ties to the Eagles, he was a longtime special teams boss for Andy Reid; Jim did not. But it was his Niners I was backing, and that also has a special teams connection.

I wanted to see David Akers win a Super Bowl.

Yes, the same guy that kicked for so many years for the Eagles, only to be kicked by the curb by the team after Andy Reid decided to throw him under the bus for a playoff loss the Eagles lost by five points after Akers missed two field goals.

Football is a pretty cold business, but Akers deserved better. After he signed on with the 49ers, Akers took out full-page ads here to thank the Philly fans.

As it turns out, both games left us with some memorable goats. The Ravens’ kicker Billy Cundiff put a nasty hook on a 32-yard field goal that would have tied the game and sent it to OT.

And Kyle Williams fumbled a punt to set up the Giants for the winning field goal in OT.

I don’t know how many more chances Akers will get. That’s why I wanted him to be able to come back here and shine that big ring in the faces of Reid, Joe Banner and Jeff Lurie.

Instead, a special teams mistake left the Niners out of the Super Bowl. Another one did the same to the Ravens.

Talk about a kick in the gut.

The Daily Numbers - Jan. 20

2012-01-20T09:05:00.003-05:00

The Daily Numbers: 3 p.m. Monday, when Bonner-Prendie officials will make their appeal of recommendation they be shut down.

500,000 dollars, how much alums and friends have raised so far to boost the schools’ chances.

1 million dollars, how much they are hoping to have by Monday.

5 million, how much officials believe they would need to make the school viable into the future.

100 residents who packed into Chester High School for a meeting of the school board in the financially ailing district.

23 of February, when both sides in their lawsuit against the state over funding heads back to court.

2 payroll periods, how long the $3.2 million they received from the state this week is likely to last.

58, age of woman killed in crash in Haverford yesterday.

96 percent in favor, union vote on severance package offered by ConocoPhillips.

2,700 layoffs needed in ailing Philadelphia School District.

2 people hurt in a fire that roared through a South Philadelphia home.

7.6 unemployment rate in Pa. in December, down from 7.9 percent the month before.

20,000 dollars now being offered for information in fatal beating of man in Old City section of Philly.

64, age of retired veteran who was brutally beaten on a Philly street.

14, age of boy a Ukrainian hockey coach is accused of having sex with in New Jersey. He faces a court hearing today.

13 game losing skid in Philly snapped last night by the Islanders.

4-1 win for the Isles at the Wells Fargo Center.

*: A look at the ups and downs of being a Philadelphia sports fan.No Steve Spagnuolo to run the Eagles defense. He’s going to New Orleans. Something is wrong inside the Eagles.

Call me a Phanatic

I Don’t Get It: The TV folks are once again beside themselves because we are supposed to get some snow tomorrow morning.

Today’s Upper: This one is strictly personal. We have had zero snow this winter, not counting that freak Halloween storm. Doesn’t bother me at all.

Quote Box: “I have a real sense of inner peace and I’m convinced that’s the way we should go.”

- The Rev. James Olson, president of Monsignor Bonner-Archbishop Prendergast High School, announcing they would appeal recommendation the schools be closed.

The Daily Numbers - Jan. 20

2012-01-20T09:05:00.001-05:00