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.
October 31, 2024
2024 Election
Elon Musk wants Larry Krasner's lawsuit against his America PAC lotteries moved to federal court
Elon Musk was not in court Thursday morning for a scheduled hearing on Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner's lawsuit challenging Musk's $1 million lotteries intended to entice voter turnout ahead of next week's presidential election, but he is not giving up fighting the case. Musk wants the case moved to federal court.October 30, 2024
Politics
Statue of Donald Trump leering at naked sculpture removed from park on Ben Franklin Parkway
A statue of former President Donald Trump popped up at Maja Park on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, but was removed Wednesday morning. The statue was positioned so that Trump was leering at a statue of a naked woman and included a plaque that accused him of a 'lifetime of sexual assault.' An identical statue appeared in Portland, Oregon.October 30, 2024
Food & Drink
Essen Bakery set to open second, larger shop in Norris Square on Friday
Essen Bakery's new shop in Norris Square, near Fishtown, opens Friday after nearly two years of planning for the larger location. The original shop on East Passyunk Avenue in South Philly opened in 2016. The business is led by pastry chef Tova du Plessis, whose menu is inspired by childhood recipes from her upbringing in a Jewish family in Johannesburg, South Africa. With the new shop, the business will expand its wholesale and catering division.October 30, 2024
Transportation
NJ Transit offers first look at the new multilevel trains that will replace aging, unreliable fleet
NJ Transit will begin phasing in its new multilevel trains next year. The transportation agency said the first four rail cars out of an order of 174 will soon be tested in Colorado before entering service in New Jersey. The full fleet of electric-powered trains is expected to be in service by 2029. NJ Transit has struggled with reliability issues in recent years, often because of mechanical problems with trains that are more than 40 years old.October 29, 2024
Development
Philadelphia Union to add more club seating, two new bars at Subaru Park
The Philadelphia Union will add more premium seating at Subaru Park and open two bars at the soccer stadium in Chester for the start of the MLS season in 2025. One of the new options will be nine on-field loge boxes with access to a speakeasy-style bar called 2010 North. Another option will be two upgraded rows of seats that connect to a British-style pub called the Commodore.October 29, 2024
Investigation
Five Philly men charged with fentanyl trafficking in the city and Chester County
The Chester County District Attorney's Office announced charges Tuesday against five Philadelphia men who allegedly ran a drug trafficking ring selling fentanyl and cocaine. The investigation started last year when a baggie fentanyl and heroin with a "Bad Bunny" stamp was found at the scene of a fatal drug overdose in Phoenixville. Police recovered about 3 1/3 pounds of fentanyl, nearly 4 1/2 pounds of cocaine and another 1,500 baggies of packaged fentanyl.October 24, 2024
Transportation
SEPTA general manager Leslie Richards to resign amid budget crisis
SEPTA general manager and CEO Leslie Richards plans to leave her job with the public transportation system at the end of November. The authority has a projected $240 million budget deficit in the coming fiscal year as pressure builds in Harrisburg for state lawmakers to approve new funding for public transportation. Richards joined SEPTA only months before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, which upended public transit systems nationwide.October 24, 2024
2024 Election
Here's where Kamala Harris and Donald Trump stand on the economy, immigration and abortion
In the Nov. 5 presidential election, voters will choose between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump. The race features stark differences between the two candidates on issues including the economy, immigration and abortion. The election is widely expected to be decided by results in key swing states Pennsylvania, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Wisconsin, Arizona and Georgia.October 24, 2024
Investigations
Video purporting to show mail-in ballots being torn up in Bucks County is fake, DA says
A video circulating on social media, purporting to show a person tearing up mail-in ballots cast for former President Donald Trump and other Republicans in Bucks County, is fake and an attempt to undermine the upcoming election, that county's district attorney's office said Thursday.October 24, 2024
Investigations
Three people charged with ethnic intimidation of Jewish men outside Northeast Philly pool hall
Three men have been charged with ethnic intimidation for allegedly shouting antisemitic insults at three Jewish men outside Blue Grass Billiards in Northeast Philadelphia on June 30. One of the defendants is accused of pulling a gun on the men and using it to crack the windshield of their car.Just In
- Reports: Sixers center Joel Embiid starts strength and conditioning program after appendectomy
- Evil Genius Beer Co. acquires national brand 21st Amendment Brewery
- Soccer fans can ride SEPTA home for free after Philly's World Cup matches
- Purported photos of Billy the Kid, possibly taken in Philly in the 1860s, are up for auction
- Eagles 2026 draft prospect visit tracker
- Battle Royale, a new microbrewery and arcade, to open in Delco this summer
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