Cigarette break
Some restaurant and bar owners across the area breathed a little easier last Thursday, but it wasn't from a lack of smoky surroundings. It was because the smoking-ban bill that the proprietors...
Taking the high-school road
Thomas Middle School soon will receive an $8-million renovation. The facility at Ninth and Johnston streets will move in 400 computers and a central hallway befitting a modern workplace. Thomas also will...
Jewish delicacies
In 1923, Sam Auspitz closed his deli on Marshall Street in North Philly and set up shop across town. From the 1880s through the end of World War II, Marshall Street was a...
Eternal light
Windows are considered a building's "eyes" and it is often said that the eyes are the windows to the soul. If both are true, then St. Basil the Great Catholic Church in Kimberton...
God is in the house
Besides a fresh coat of paint, the only distinguishing feature of South Philadelphia's newest breed of church is usually a modest sign hanging from the structure's exterior, or perhaps a small cross. Yet,...
Tune-up time
I'm old enough to remember when the budding of the trees was more than a good opportunity to clean out the attic. You had to tune up the car, too, but that was...
Electric ‘Fences’
It's artistry, not luck, that has turned August Wilson's cycle of dramas on the black experience in America into some of the richest and most expressive theater of his time. His contributions include...
Pristine chapel
The richest church repository of art in the city is on Catharine Street, joined at the hip to the main buildings of the Samuel Fleisher Art Memorial. Known at one time as the...
Triple tragedy
When homicide detectives knocked on Sharmaine Wright's door shortly after 2 a.m. Sunday, it was her first indication that something was dreadfully wrong. The 38-year-old and her children - Kelly, 22; Edward,...
Resurrecting a classic
This might be an unusual admission from a nice Jewish boy, but it just happens that the defining moment of my favorite film of all time takes place in a church.
The film is...
