Ready for battle
Growing up on the 1500 block of Opal Street, near 20th and Tasker, David Townes lost two friends to street violence. That's more loss than the 21-year-old Army private first class has...
Blue note for local singer
As Erica Gagliardi exited the stage at Trump Marina Hotel and Casino on Sunday night, the disappointment showed on her face. Like the other five finalists in McDonald's Presents Gimme the Mike...
Saving Grays
The crime wave that has swept through Grays Ferry and surrounding neighborhoods this summer has left many residents feeling like prisoners in their own homes. Some talk of being afraid to venture...
Local Flavor
It is 8 a.m. on a cool summer Monday. Executive chef Stacey DiPlacido-Guokas is in the quiet kitchen of Caribou Caf�. She makes herself a cup of tea, carefully checks the contents of...
Beauty Plus Brains
Whenever Felicia Williams thinks back to her darkest moment, it feels as if it happened in a different lifetime. She was a college student and a single mother, still living in her...
Bridge still a train wreck
Like an ancient ruin from the Roman Empire, the CSX railroad bridge above South 25th Street appears to deteriorate by the minute. Those who live and work in the area around the...
Oregon Diner
Like baseball and jazz, the diner is an American institution. Diners dot the roadsides and major routes across and up and down the country. Diners serve comfort foods; dishes that take us back...
Putting kids in their place
Whether she's standing before a classroom, driving around the city in a police cruiser or walking through her neighborhood, Darlene Chapman Cummings is surrounded by kids. Having already raised four of her...
Leaping cat
As soon as I take delivery of an emerald green Jaguar XKR convertible, I start seeing them everywhere. On two occasions, I've been alongside identical models on I-95. I flipped the owners a...
