MEADE, SANDERS AND BROWN CASES ALL YET TO REACH TRIAL 

One of three homicide cases involving the Temple community is scheduled to head to trial. Brandon Meade will receive a trial date Feb. 11 at 9 a.m.

Meade is accused of murdering his girlfriend and Temple student Agatha Hall, staging it to look like a suicide.

Attorney Evan Hughes could not be reached for comment.

Both Randolph Sanders and Dimitrius Brown are still in the pre-trial phase of their cases. Sanders is accused of killing community leader Kim Jones and is scheduled to  return to court Feb. 12. Brown is accused of killing 14-year-old Duval DeShields and is scheduled to appear in court Jan. 27.

-Julie Christie

POLICE STILL INVESTIGATING FATAL SHOOTING 

Philadelphia and Temple Police are still investigating the murder of Antonio Miller. The 25-year-old was found in an empty lot shot in the head three times on Edgely Street at around 4:40 p.m. Jan. 16.

Executive Director of Campus Safety Services Charlie Leone said investigators are focusing on why Miller was murdered with the hope that it will lead to who killed him.

“It didn’t look like a robbery, and the age difference was odd. The victim was older but the offenders were younger,” Leone said.

Police said they do not have much information on the three suspects. They were all young men between 15 and 20 years old and were wearing all black clothing at the time.

-Julie Christie

PHILADELPHIA DECLARES CODE BLUE BEFORE STORM

A Code Blue was declared on Jan. 17 and will remain in effect until further notice in Philadelphia.

During a Code Blue, transportation and emergency shelter are provided to all homeless people. Homeless are transported and housed by Project HOME.

The Code Blue extends from homeless people to abandoned animals that are left in the cold. Code Blues are announced by city government when temperature, wind chill and precipitation result in a temperature that feels like or is equal to 20°F.

To call for assistance for a homeless person, the Project HOME outreach hotline is 215-232-1984. To report a sick or injured stray dog or cat, ACCTPhilly can be reached at 267-385-3800.

-Gillian McGoldrick

STORM IS PHILADELPHIA’S FOURTH-LARGEST EVER 

The totals for Winter Storm Jonas that brought large amounts of snow to Washington, D.C., Philadelphia and New York broke records for some of the largest snowstorms in the cities’ histories.

Philadelphia’s total snow was 22.4 inches, approximately 1 inch away from being the third-largest snowstorm in its history. The storm broke records in Baltimore as the largest snowstorm in the city’s history and within Washington D.C.’s top five recorded.

Philadelphia’s largest snowstorm on record occurred during the Blizzard of 1996, when the area received 30.7 inches of snow.

– Gillian McGoldrick

CHARLES RAMSEY MOVING BACK TO CHICAGO 

Former police commissioner Charles Ramsey is returning to his native police department, Chicago Police Department after eight years as police commissioner in Philadelphia.

Ramsey began as a police officer in Chicago, then left in 1998 to become police chief of Washington D.C. police department.

After nine years in that position, Ramsey came to Philadelphia. According to department statistics, both homicide rates and violent crimes decreased since his arrival.

Ramsey is returning to Chicago to advise and make recommendations to aid the Chicago Police Department in regaining the public’s trust after protests broke out following the shooting of an African-American teenager by a white cop.

USA Today reported hundreds of people protested after a video was released, which appears to show Chicago police officer Jason Van Dyke shooting 17-year-old Laquan McDonald 16 times on Oct. 20, 2014.

The city had initially resisted releasing the video—taken from the dashcam of a police car—referencing the ongoing federal and state investigations into the incident, USA Today reported.

-Gillian McGoldrick

FOOD STAMP ENROLLMENT INCREASED LAST YEAR 

Poverty rates have increased in Philadelphia, and a resulting food insecurity has increased the amount of children enrolled in Pennsylvania’s food stamp program, The Notebook reported.

More than one in three children in Philadelphia lives in poverty. The number of children enrolled in the food stamp program in Philadelphia increased by 10,000 from January 2015 to November 2015. Federal school lunch and breakfast programs largely address these issues and are accessible to children in public schools who receive food stamps.

-Gillian McGoldrick

SOME CHARGES DROPPED AGAINST PSU PRESIDENT

Perjury, obstruction and related conspiracy charges against former president of Penn State Graham Spanier and former vice president Gary Schultz were thrown out by three judges in the Superior Court.

Spanier will still be charged with failing to report abuse and endangering the welfare of children, the AP reported.

Former Athletic Director Tim Curley had charges of obstruction and related conspiracy dropped as well.

The AP also reported the decision came after the court ruled former General Counsel for the university Cynthia Baldwin’s testimony should not have happened.

Judge Mary Jane Bowes said Baldwin did not clearly relay her representation of the university and not individuals.

-Julie Christie

Temple Student Government will host a student forum on the potential football stadium with Athletic Director Pat Kraft and President Theobald at 4 p.m. Feb. 1 in the Student Center.

TSG posted a link for students to register for the event and submit their questions. Students must pre-register to attend the event.

Theobald and Kraft will address selected pre-submitted questions in the first half of the forum, followed by a Q&A.

Student Body President Ryan Rinaldi said he’s expecting higher attendance than general assembly meetings which typically attract 150 students.

“I think it’s a very important step for TSG and for Temple to address a topic that’s so hot around campus,” Rinaldi said. “There were multiple student representatives who have wanted answers from the administration.”

TSG has hosted open forums in the past, like on sexual assault prevention with Dean of Students Stephanie Ives and Executive Director of Campus Safety Charlie Leone, as well as post-graduation opportunities with the career center.

“I think [students] will be surprised with the transparency the administration offers,” Rinaldi said,. “It’s about getting answers from [Theobald and Kraft].”

Rinaldi said Theobald and Kraft are interested in knowing students’ questions and concerns about the potential stadium.

“It’s one thing to talk to me and TSG and it’s another thing to talk to students directly,” he said. “This was the right time to have a conversation like this.”

 
Lian Parsons can be reached at lian.parsons@temple.edu and @Lian_Parsons on Twitter.

PIPES FREEZE, BURST DURING END OF WINTER BREAK 

The cold temperatures of December 2015 had adverse effects on pipes in Gladfelter Hall, the Louis J. Esposito Dining Center, 1940 Residence Hall and Morgan North Residence Hall.

In all four of these buildings, pipes froze and burst on Jan. 5, damaging the ceilings, a university spokesman said. The spokesman added Temple Police, Facilities Management, University Housing and Residential Life, the University Fire Marshal and Sodexo all responded and cleaned up the area before students returned. All the pipes have been repaired or isolated, he added.

Food stands affected by the pipe bursting have been temporarily moved to other areas of the Louis J. Esposito Dining Center. Students in the residence halls were affected to a greater degree—clothes left on the ground were soaked and smelled of mildew. Temple compensated for damaged property with 25 Diamond Dollars.

-Lila Gordon

COSBY CRIMINAL CASE COULD BE DELAYED FURTHER 

Bill Cosby’s Feb. 2 preliminary hearing has been deferred following a Sept. 23 email from Bruce L. Castor Jr., a member of the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners, to then-District Attorney Risa Vetri Ferman.

The Inquirer reviewed the email in which Castor said he struck a deal 10 years ago to never criminally prosecute Cosby for the 2004 Constand allegations.

“With the agreement of the defense lawyer and Andrea’s lawyers, I intentionally and specifically bound the Commonwealth that there would be no state prosecution of Cosby in order to remove from him the ability to claim his Fifth Amendment protection against self-incrimination thus forcing him to sit for a deposition under oath,” Castor wrote in the email obtained by the Inquirer.

A judge will hear arguments to dismiss the case on Feb. 2.

Camille Cosby may take her husband’s place and be deposed in Boston Feb. 22 instead, concerning the Massachusetts defamation lawsuit.

-Lian Parsons

NORTH BROAD STREET TO BE FURTHER RENOVATED

About 200,000 square feet of new retail space is available for development in North Philadelphia, the Philadelphia Business Journal reported.

Businesses and residencies from Center City to Temple are in the works, beginning with service-oriented establishments like banks, a grocery store and restaurants.

The development is in response to a greater amount of residents in North Philadelphia; the PBJ reported there are more than 5,000 residential units north of City Hall and a lack of profitable retail spaces.

Bart Blatstein, a 1976 Temple alumnus and president and chief executive officer of Tower Investments, Inc. is planning 60,000 square feet of new retail space at Broad and Spring Garden streets and 30,000 square feet behind Avenue North development, PBJ reported.

The goal is to optimize the area and improve retail opportunities in North Philadelphia, as well as expand the “Center City core,” the article said.

-Lian Parsons

REPORTER AND THREE OTHER AMERICANS RELEASED IN PRISONER SWAP 

Four Americans and seven Iranians were exchanged in a deal on Sunday related to the implementation of a nuclear deal between Iran and six other countries.

Among those released were Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian and American student Matthew Trevithick, 30, of Hingham, Massachusetts.

Trevithick went to Iran in September to an institute affiliated with Tehran University, the Chronicle of Higher Education reported. Officials learned why he was arrested.

Rezaian was arrested July 22, 2014 and had been held in Iran up until the release, the Washington Post reported. He was charged with espionage, and was sentenced to an undisclosed prison term before being released.

-Lian Parsons

MURDER CASES NEAR MAIN CAMPUS TO CONTINUE TODAY 

Two homicide cases involving incidents around Main Campus are scheduled to continue today.

Randolph Sanders, 37, was arrested February 1, 2015 for the January 2015 murder of Kim Jones. Jones was waiting at a bus stop when she was shot in the back of the head at 9:15 a.m. Sanders was identified less than a month later in surveillance tapes and confessed to the murder.

After a formal arraignment March 11 where Sanders was informed of the full charges against him—which include murder, carrying a firearm in public without a license and a possession of an instrument of crime with intent—Sanders moved to the pre-trial phase of the case.

The pre-trial conference, where evidence can be reviewed before the trial, has lasted more than ten months, and has been rescheduled nine times. Michael Coard, Sanders’ defense attorney, has filed a request for further investigation 6 times during the pretrial conference meetings.

Sanders’ pre-trial conference is scheduled for 9 a.m. today.

Coard could not be reached for comment on the case. Assistant District Attorneys also declined to comment on the case.

Brandon Meade, 29, is charged with the Aug. 31 murder of  Agatha Hall, a Temple student and Meade’s girlfriend. Investigators  say he staged the murder to look like a suicide. He was arrested Sept. 17.

Meade faces charges for murder, possession of an instrument of crime with intent, false reports that incriminated another and tampering and fabricating evidence.

After a Dec. 2 request for further investigation from defense attorney Evan Hughes, Meade’s case will move on to the pre-trial conference, scheduled for today.

Since then, Hughes has declined to comment.

Law professors at Temple were also asked to comment on both cases, but declined.

-Julie Christie

SEXUAL ASSAULT REPORTED IN UNIVERSITY VILLAGE 

A sexual assault that occurred in early December was reported last Wednesday, Jan. 6.

A female freshman was assaulted in University Village between 11:50 p.m. Dec. 4 and 2 a.m. Dec. 5, said Charlie Leone, executive director of Campus Safety Services.

Leone added the victim did not want any police involvement.

“We assume it was a student, but she was very vague and didn’t tell us what happened or who did it,” Leone said.

He added the student reported the assault after initially talking to the officials involved in the Title IX investigation of Temple.

Leone said the student was informed of counseling resources.

“I’m hoping with more time and support she’ll be willing to give us more information,” Leone said.

-Julie Christie

CONSTRUCTION TO AFFECT TRAFFIC AND FOOD TRUCKS 

Students are returning to limited walking space on Norris Street between Broad and 12th streets.

Philadelphia Gas Works construction crews are working to fix a broken power line, a university spokesman said. Pedestrians should walk east or west around the affected areas and exercise caution while construction continues, the spokesman added.

13th Street has also been closed between Montgomery Avenue and Norris Street and several food trucks like Burger Tank and Footlong Truck have been relocated.

The crews will be working on an intermittent basis until Feb. 1, the spokesman said. Work started Dec. 15.

A PGW spokesman could not be reached for comment.

-Lila Gordon

MEMO: HOVERBOARDS NOW BANNED ON MAIN CAMPUS 

Hoverboards are now prohibited on all university campuses, according to a memo from Jim Creedon, vice president of construction, facilities and operations.

Safety concerns like hoverboard-related fires and potential injuries to pedestrians and riders contributed to the decision, according to the memo.

Hoverboards are not permitted to be used, charged or stored on all campuses, in all residence halls and all academic buildings “unless or until the university determines that appropriate standards can be implemented to reduce associated safety and fire risks,” the email said.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission also released a statement addressing the potential safety hazards of hoverboards.

About 20 universities have also placed a ban on hoverboards including George Washington University, Emerson College and the University of South Carolina.

-Lian Parsons

MONTEIRO ORGANIZES ACTIVISM CONFERENCE 

On Saturday, a two-day conference for African-American activists highlighted support for the Black Lives Matter movement and called for pushback against police brutality.

The lineup of speakers included 1960s activist Angela Davis, who addressed the conference about police and prisons.

“The entire history of police and prisons is of reform and look where we are today,” Davis said during the conference. “We want an end to policing as we know it.”

Anthony Monteiro, former African American studies professor, organized the event.

About 1,500 people registered for the event, the Inquirer reported.

-Lian Parsons