Michael Tanenbaum

Michael Tanenbaum Headshot

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

April 14, 2022

Marijuana

New Jersey recreational marijuana sales set to begin on April 21

New Jersey recreational marijuana sales will begin on April 21 with 7 companies operating 13 dispensaries throughout the state. The rollout comes a year and a half after voters approved a ballot question green lighting sales to people ages 21 and older.

April 13, 2022

Transportation

Wawa's mobile app will save you 15 cents per gallon of gas over the next few weeks

Wawa is offering a discount of 15 cents per gallon of gas to those who download the company's app and follow simple steps when filling up their tanks. The promotion will last through May 8, 2022. As gas prices continue to remain high due to global economic pressures, U.S. consumers would be wise to look into a range of gas loyalty and reward programs that can reduce price of gas.

April 13, 2022

Investigations

Brooklyn shooting suspect Frank James taken into police custody, authorities say

Frank James, the 62-year-old suspect in Tuesday morning's Brooklyn subway shooting, was taken into custody after a manhunt and will be charged with violating a law that prohibits terrorist and other violent attacks against mass transportation systems, officials said. James, who allegedly rented a U-Haul in Philadelphia before traveling to Brooklyn, seriously injured 10 people and wounded 19 others.

April 13, 2022

Real Estate

A look inside the Philadelphia real estate market and steps that can be taken for the future of affordable housing

The Philadelphia real estate market poses stark challenges for first-time home buyers, from low home supply to high competition, price inflation and rising mortgage rates. The popular Philly First Home program will resume giving out grants of up to $10,000 to help first-time buyers with down payment assistance costs, creating new pathways to home ownership. City planners and developers face difficult questions about affordable housing, new home construction, neighborhood preservation, gentrification, and the rising cost of apartment rentals for low- and middle-income residents. This in-depth Philadelphia real estate guide examines the city's housing landscape, policy challenges, community concerns and how strategies such as public land disposition could shape the city's future.

April 13, 2022

Real Estate

Taylor Swift's childhood home in Pennsylvania sold for $999,100

The Wymossing, Pennsylvania home where pop star Taylor Swift spent a portion of her childhood has sold for $999,100. Swift, 32, lived at the home in the late 1990's and early 2000's before she and her family moved to Nashville to launch her music career. The five-bedroom, 3.5-bathroom home is a Georgian Colonial built in 1929.

April 12, 2022

Politics

Donald Trump attacks 'coward' Bill McSwain in Pennsylvania governor's race

Former President Donald Trump called Republican Pennsylvania gubernatorial candidate Bill McSwain a "coward" in a statement on Tuesday. McSwain, a former Trump appointee, was the top prosecutor in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania during the Trump administration.

April 11, 2022

Investigations

Pennsylvania toddler dies in accident at North Carolina waterfall

Nevaeh Jade Newswanger, 3, of Denver, Pennsylvania, died after she was swept over the edge of Whitewater Falls in North Carolina on Sunday evening, according to authorities. The girl was in the area with her family at the time of the tragic accident. Whitewater Falls is the highest waterfall east of the Rocky Mountains, with a drop of more than 400 feet. The waterfalls and cascades cross from North Carolina into South Carolina.

April 11, 2022

Investigations

Man who pointed laser at police helicopter in Northeast Philly sentenced to a year in prison

Raji Yusuf, 36, of Philadelphia, has been sentenced to one year in prison for shining a high intensity green laser at a Philadelphia police helicopter in June 2021. Yusuf, who pleaded guilty in December, shined the laser at the helicopter from the parking lot of the Roosevelt Mall in Northeast Philadelphia. At the time of the incident, he was under federal supervision for a firearms trafficking conviction in 2016.

April 11, 2022

Government

Philly to reinstate COVID-19 indoor mask requirement

Philadelphia is will again require people wear face masks indoors in indoor public spaces to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The change corresponds to the city's Mask Precaution response level. COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations have been increasing in recent weeks, as a result of the BA.2 omicron variant. The COVID-19 response levels follow key pandemic metrics such the rate of increase in cases and hospitalizations.

April 11, 2022

Business

Comcast, SAP America named among Fortune's top 100 places to work in 2022

Comcast NBCUniversal and SAP America are the only companies from the region to make it onto Fortune's annual ranking of the top 100 places to work in the United States in 2022. Comcast came in at No. 16, jumping five spots over last year, while SAP America in Delaware County came in at No. 54, a fall from No. 29 last year. Sheetz, the convenience store chain based in Altoona, Pennsylvania, leaped 50 spots to No. 33 this year.

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