Michael Tanenbaum

Michael Tanenbaum is a senior staff writer for PhillyVoice.com, with interests ranging from technology and behavioral health to local community initiatives and cultural life. Michael has written for the Argentina Independent and Bespoke Magazine and previously served as a news editor for Xfinity.com before joining PhillyVoice. He received his B.A. in The Writing Seminars at Johns Hopkins University.

tanenbaum@phillyvoice.com

January 26, 2023

Wildlife

Pennsylvania's popular bear cam returns with live feed from new den

by Michael Tanenbaum

The Pennsylvania Game Commission has brought back its beloved black bear livestream at a new den in Pike County, in northeastern Pennsylvania, after taking a year off in 2022. The 2023 camera follows a mother and three cubs who were recently born. The 24/7, remote-controlled camera includes both audio and night vision with the ability to pan, tilt and zoom.

January 26, 2023

Environment

Former Chester County golf course to be converted into public park

by Michael Tanenbaum

The former Loch Nairn Golf Club in New Garden Township is being developing into a 106-acre public park with walking and cycling trees. The park is set to open in 2024. The Chester County golf course, which opened in 1979, was sold to the township for $1.425 million last summer. The Farmstead restaurant on the property will remain open.

January 25, 2023

Wildlife

Two bald eagle eggs spotted on New Jersey farm's nest cam

by Michael Tanenbaum

The Duke Farms Eagle Cam, a livestream that watches over a nest at the nature preserve in Hillsborough Township, Somerset County, now shows two bald eagle eggs. Since the first camera went up at the farm in 2008, more than 12 million people have tuned in to the livestream. 29 eaglets have hatched from eggs at Duke Farms since 2005, part of a remarkable recovery in the bald eagle populations seen in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. The species nearly disappeared in the late 1970s and 1980s.

January 25, 2023

Investigations

Two brothers, each executives of Pa. real estate firms, killed in avalanche in Canada

by Michael Tanenbaum

Jonathan Kinsley, 59, and his brother Timothy, 57, both of Pennsylvania, were killed Monday in an avalanche while heli-skiing in southeastern British Columbia. A third man, a skiiing guide, was hospitalized after the incident and is expected to survive. The avalanche happened in the area of Mount McCrea near Revelstoke. The brothers, based in York, were leaders at two prominent, affiliated real estate and construction firms operating primarily in Pennsylvania and Maryland. British Columbia is in the midst of its most dangerous avalanche season in decades.

January 25, 2023

Investigations

Ex-Ocean City Beach Patrol lifeguard indicted on sexual assault charges

by Michael Tanenbaum

Jonathan Howell, a former Ocean City Beach Patrol lifeguard and math teacher at Pleasantville High School, has been indicted by a Cape May County grand jury on charges of sexual assault. Howell, 41, previously was charged last June as part of an ongoing investigation into allegations of sexual harassment and abuse made on Instagram against former members of the Ocean City Beach Patrol. A labor attorney was hired to lead an investigation that has continued for nearly two years since the allegations surfaced.

January 24, 2023

Business

Drug wholesaler AmerisourceBergen to change name amid expansion plans

by Michael Tanenbaum

Drug-shipping company AmerisourceBergen will change its name to Cencora as part of a rebranding effort. The company, based in the Philadelphia suburbs, plans to expand its global reach. It has played a major role in the global shipment of COVID-19 vaccines, but also faced scrutiny for its allege involvement in the opioid epidemic.

January 24, 2023

South Jersey teacher, Eagles superfan to star on Gordon Ramsay's 'Next Level Chef' after Super Bowl

by Michael Tanenbaum

Matt Groark, a teacher at Washington Township High School in South Jersey, will compete on the second season of Gordon Ramsey's "Next Level Chef," which will premiere on FOX on Feb. 12 after Super Bowl LVII. Groark, 44, has a popular social media presence with his Groark Boys BBQ channels on TikTok, Instagram and YouTube. Groark is also a diehard fan of the Philadelphia Eagles and got his interest in BBQ from tailgating outside Lincoln Financial Field.

January 24, 2023

Movies

M. Night Shyamalan hangs out with Sixers' James Harden in 'Knock at the Cabin' promo

by Michael Tanenbaum

Director M. Night Shyamalan, a long-time season ticket holder with courtside seats for the Philadelphia 76ers, enlisted star guard James Harden and head coach Doc Rivers for a promo video ahead of the debut of "Knock at the Cabin," which hits theaters on Feb. 3.

January 23, 2023

Courts

Man convicted of raping woman in Love Park in 2020

by Michael Tanenbaum

Quindell Williams, 26, pleaded guilty Monday to raping a woman in Love Park during the early morning hours of Jan. 25, 2020. Williams attacked the woman from behind at the Center City park while she was on her way to work that morning, investigators said. He was arrested in the weeks after the incident. Williams is scheduled to be sentenced on June 1, 2023.

January 23, 2023

Government

Ocean City's new approach to unruly teens could serve as blueprint for other Jersey Shore towns

by Michael Tanenbaum

Ocean City will follow a new strategy in 2023 to deal with teenage groups that cause problems on its beaches, boardwalk and streets. Revised ordinances allow police officers to detain teenagers instead of just giving them curbside warnings. The teens' parents will be called to come pick them up, but no charges will be filed. The ordinance covers curfew violations, excessive noise, littering, vandalism and setting off illegal fireworks. Jersey Shore communities have struggled in recent years with large gatherings of rowdy juveniles and pop-events organized on social media.