TEEN ARRESTED OUTSIDE PEARL THEATRE SATURDAY
Philadelphia Police removed several rowdy teenagers from the Pearl Theatre on West Oxford Street Saturday evening.
Executive Director of Campus Safety Services Charlie Leone said between six and eight juveniles had been causing a disturbance in the theater, and when the manager could not remove them, a Philadelphia Police officer stepped in.
Once the teens, all younger than 17 years old, were outside the building, they continued the disorderly behavior. Leone added several went to Wendy’s and one threw a milkshake.
Leone said only one teen was arrested because he was “the only one who was not compliant at all.”
He added the teen was later released to his parents.
-Julie Christie
TRIAL DATE SCHEDULED FOR BRANDON MEADE
Brandon Meade will go to trial for the alleged murder of his girlfriend, Agatha Hall. Hall was a Temple student found dead in her apartment Aug. 31, 2015.
Her death was initially ruled a suicide, but further investigation resulted in the arrest and charging of Meade for her murder.
The trial is scheduled for Sept. 19, with a trial readiness conference Feb. 29.
Meade is charged with murder, possession of an instrument of crime with intent to use it, tampering with evidence, false reporting and falsely incriminating another. If Meade is found guilty, he will face either the death penalty or life in prison without parole.
-Julie Christie
COSBY ATTORNEYS APPEAL TO END CONSTAND CASE
On Friday, Bill Cosby’s attorneys attempted to have his sexual assault case dismissed. Cosby’s attorneys argued that Bruce L. Castor Jr.’s 2005 deal with Cosby to never criminally prosecute him for the 2004 Andrea Constand case was binding.
Brian McMonagle, one of Cosby’s attorneys, filed the appeal notice to the state Superior Court, the Inquirer reported. He also appealed Judge Steven T. O’Neill’s decision not to disqualify District Attorney Kevin Steele.
Steele said his office opposes any further delay in the case, the Inquirer reported. He added he believes the defense should not appeal before the preliminary hearing.
A Massachusetts judge ruled on Thursday that Cosby’s wife, Camille Cosby, must sit for a deposition. The judge also declined her request for a formal protective order limiting the extent of questioning.
Cosby’s preliminary evidentiary hearing is scheduled for March 8.
-Lian Parsons
STUDENTS DISPLACED AFTER PIPE BURST IN 1940
Pipes burst on the fifth floor of 1940 Residence Hall, displacing students about 9 a.m. Sunday. The students were moved from the dorm to Tomlinson Theater and then to the atrium in Annenberg Hall.
Maintenance spent the day vacuuming water out of the dorm, said Charlie Leone, executive director of Campus Safety Services.
Students were allowed to return after an email was sent out just after 5:15 p.m.
Leah Hetzell, the resident director of 1940 Residence Hall said in an email to residents the burst pipe was caused by “a campus-wide heating issue.”
That same morning, students in 1300 Residence Hall were woken by fire alarms that went off seven times between 1 a.m. and 8 a.m. There was no damage to the building and residents were allowed in once the alarms were over, Leone said.
-Julie Christie
LOCAL CAFE RECEIVES SEVERAL HEALTH VIOLATIONS
Saige Cafe received 17 health code violations during a Feb. 4 inspection.
The cafe, located on 1802 N. Warnock St. near the Temple University SEPTA station, will remain open, said cafe co-owner Ram Hegde.
“If [the inspector] didn’t think we weren’t going to be compliant, we wouldn’t be open right now,” Hegde said. He added most of the violations, which included food that was less than six inches above the ground and uncovered trash cans, were “fixed in a moment.”
The most serious violation was the absence of a certified food safety handler during the inspection, Hegde said. Several employees have already registered to receive the certification, and go in for the test next week, he added.
“It doesn’t mean that the place is going to shut down,” said Oliver Oyakhire, inspector from the Philadelphia Department of Health/Office of Food Protections. “It just means that the standards are going to improve.”
Oyakhire said he will return in two weeks to reinspect the cafe. If Saige Cafe fails to comply with the violations, it will be submitted for a $315 fine. Failing compliance after the fine may result in court summons.
“It is essential that [the cafe] address these violations,” Oyakhire said, citing inaccessible handwashing stations for employees and lack of proper temperature measuring devices for food. The solutions for many of these violations are easily corrected, he added.
If all goes well in Oyakhire’s next checkup, Saige Cafe will not require further investigation until next year’s annual inspection.
-Lian Parsons & Julie Christie
URSINUS CANCELS CLASSES AFTER VIRUS SPREADS
Classes were cancelled Thursday and Friday for students at Ursinus College in Collegeville, Pa. after about 200 students got sick from a gastrointestinal illness.
6ABC reported that a norovirus—often know as food poisoning or stomach virus—caused the sickness. Students first began experiencing symptoms of diarrhea, vomiting and stomach pain on Tuesday night.
A Montgomery County Health Department report conducted on Wednesday found the campus dining hall to have 12 violations including dead bugs, improper hand washing practices and pesticides near food, the Inquirer reported. All of the violations had been fixed the following day. The illness that students and some faculty suffered lasted between 12 and eight hours.
Twenty-two students were treated at hospitals but none were admitted. Classes resumed Monday for the 1,681 students at Ursinus.
-Gillian McGoldrick
SUPREME COURT JUSTICE FOUND DEAD IN WEST TEXAS
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, 79, died of a heart attack on Saturday, according to multiple media reports.
Scalia was the leading conservative voice on the nation’s highest court and was on the bench for 29 years, the longest-serving justice on the Supreme Court.
Scalia was nominated by President Ronald Reagan in 1986 and was best known for the landmark decision District of Columbia v. Heller that firearms in one’s home are protected under the Second Amendment. Scalia was also known for dissenting on the Roe v. Wade decision and the same-sex marriage decisions.
President Obama has announced he intends to nominate someone for the vacant seat, which is now split 4-4 between conservative and liberal views.
-Gillian McGoldrick
