Student robbed near Geasey Field

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Temple Police are investigating a Saturday night robbery of a 20-year-old female student near Geasey Field on Main Campus. The student was uninjured.

Executive Director of Campus Safety Services Charlie Leone said the student was at 1514 Diamond Street when a man approached her at around 8:30 p.m. and pressed an unknown object against her. The student gave the suspect $10 before he fled west on Diamond Street toward 16th Street.

Leone said the student described the suspect as a 40-year-old male wearing a brown jacket, brown boots, black wool hat with a salt-and-pepper beard. He added the student also believed the unknown object she was threatened with was a gun.

Leone said Temple Police are checking security cameras in the area to identify the suspect.

Julie Christie can be reached at julie.christie@temple.edu or on Twitter @ChristieJules.

Pearson-McGonigle power outages caused by melted cable

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Two power outages have closed Pearson-McGonigle Hall during the last four days.

A university spokesman said power was lost around 6:15 a.m. Friday when a cable melted at a weak part in a transformer located in Pearson Hall’s basement. This caused the main breaker for the building to trip, preventing further damage to the transformer but resulting in the outage.

He added that power was restored around 11:15 a.m. Friday, and all activities were cancelled for the day except for a afternoon basketball practice.

A TU Alert was sent out about the power failure at around 8:40 a.m. Friday.

Another TU Alert was sent out today about another power outage in Pearson-McGonigle at around 2:30 p.m. The spokesman said the outage occurred because Friday’s repair to the cable didn’t hold, and that workers are still fixing the cable.

Steve Bohnel can be reached at steve.bohnel@temple.edu or on Twitter @Steve_Bohnel.

Three men rob student northwest of campus

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Temple Police are investigating an armed robbery of a student that occurred Sunday night northwest of Main Campus.

Executive Director of Campus Safety Services Charlie Leone said the student was walking along Edgley Street near Diamond, when three men approached him, one of whom had a gun and showed it to the student.

The suspects then took the student’s iPhone 5 and wallet, along with a ring, earphones and hat, Leone added.
No injuries were reported. A TU Alert was sent out about the incident at 8:50 p.m.

Leone said the student described the three men as 20-25 years old. He reported one wore a blue zip-up sweatshirt and tan pants with a gun tucked into the waistband, the second wore a dark hoodie and dark jeans, and the third wore a dark polo shirt and dark jeans.

Leone added Temple Police stopped men last night who fit the description, but the victim said none of them were the ones that robbed him. He added they will review security footage from private cameras on the houses surrounding the area of the incident.

Tipsters can contact Temple Police at 215-204-1234.

Julie Christie can be reached at julie.christie@temple.edu or on Twitter @ChristieJules.

Police: 15-year-old boy found dead in car north of Main Campus

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UPDATE: Information has been updated to include an interview with Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector Scott Small.

Philadelphia Police discovered the body of a 15-year-old boy in the backseat of a Lincoln Town Car on North Park Avenue near Cumberland Street Friday evening.

The unnamed victim was shot once in the head, said Officer Christine O’Brien, a police spokeswoman, in an email. She added “there was no ballistic evidence or weapons recovered at the scene.”

The boy was pronounced dead on the scene by medics at about 7:30 p.m, police said.

Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector Scott Small told The Temple News the 15-year-old boy’s last known address was in Upper Darby, and he had been identified by his family. The car appeared to be abandoned, Small added.

His name has not yet been released to the public, Small said. He added there are no new leads in the investigation.

No arrests have yet been made, and the vehicle the boy was found in is still being processed for evidence, police said.

Julie Christie can be reached at julie.christie@temple.edu or on Twitter @ChristieJules.

News in brief: 12.1 Issue

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UPDATE ON SEVERAL COURT CASES 

Multiple cases The Temple News has previously reported on are currently in the pre-trial stages of the judicial system.

The preliminary hearing for 19-year-old Dimitrius Brown is set for Dec. 16 after it was previously scheduled for Nov. 25. Brown was arrested Oct. 16 for the murder of 14-year-old Duval DeShields. Brown also faces drug charges from August, and a pre-trial conference is set for Dec. 5.

Shakree Bennett’s preliminary hearing was scheduled for Jan. 7, after it was initially set for Oct. 29 and Nov. 19. Bennett, charged with the September rape and robbery of a 20-year-old female Temple student, also faces charges for an assault and robbery that occurred two days before the alleged sexual assault.

The pre-trial conference for Randolph Sanders has been set for Dec. 22. The first scheduled date for it was April 1, and most recent was Nov. 18. Sanders is charged for the murder of Kim Jones in January. Sanders is also accused of attempting to steal $40,000 from Turning Points for Children and is reported to have killed Jones because she intended to report him for trying to misallocate the money.

Brandon Meade was scheduled to appear in court for a formal arraignment Nov. 24 to enter a plea of guilty or not guilty. Meade is charged with the murder of Temple student Agatha Hall in August, which was originally thought to be a suicide. His case’s scheduling conference is set for Dec. 2.

No lawyers for the defendants or the Philadelphia District Attorney’s office could be reached for comment.

    -Julie Christie

“FLU CREW” HELPS WITH FLU VACCINES 

Senior nursing students Molly Kmetz, Yanna Savkova, Brianna Reed, Jamie Fitzgerald, Kelly Weniger and Shane McParland have called themselves “The Flu Crew” at Temple Hospital, according to a university press release.

The six students distribute surveys on vaccine opinion and administer vaccines to staff.

Out of more than 4,100 TUH employees, 3,649 have received vaccines as of Nov. 23. The goal is to reach 90 percent flu vaccine compliance.

The team travels around the hospital with a cart of vaccine equipment to make the process more convenient for staff.

Free flu vaccination services have been extended to March 31.

The Flu Crew plans to submit the information from the distributed surveys to medical publications.

  –Lian Parsons

SEPTA TO SPLIT BUSIEST BUS ROUTE 

SEPTA bus route 23 will be split into two starting Sunday.

The route runs for about 14 miles from Broad and Oregon streets through Center City, extending into North Philadelphia and Germantown, ending in Chestnut Hill. It is SEPTA’s most frequently used bus route and typically carries 21,600 passengers every weekday.

The new route 23 will run from Chestnut Hill to Walnut Street and an additional route 45 bus will transport passengers from Noble to Oregon streets.

This split aims to increase reliability and punctuality for the route, as the current 23 bus is late more than 60 percent of the time.

SEPTA spent about $42,000 on advertisements to inform passengers of the change.

The estimated cost of the split is about $460,00 per year.

–Lian Parsons

OVERCROWDING REPORTED AT HIGH SCHOOL IN NORTHEAST 

Overcrowding has become an issue at Woodrow Wilson Middle School in Northeast Philadelphia after 350 students moved in from another school, the Daily News reported.

Teachers at the school, located on Cottman Avenue near Loretto in Castor said the influx of fifth- and sixth-grade students from Solis-Cohen School has endangered the safety of those at Woodrow Wilson.

“There are so many kids in the hallway at the same time, it’s unbelievable,” a teacher told the Daily News on condition of anonymity.

Philadelphia School District spokesman Fernando Gallard, however, told the Daily News there is no safety hazard because everyone is still able to exit the middle school during evacuations. He added that teachers should contact district officials with any concerns.

“If we have staff that have concerns regarding the fire drill and whether they can exit the building, we need to hear that,” he told the Daily News. “We will absolutely work with them on that. That’s absolutely a priority for us.”

The Daily News reported Wilson has undergone several recent changes to accommodate the overcrowding, from using its library as a classroom to having students share lockers.

-Steve Bohnel

Adjuncts to join full-time faculty union

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A merger between part-time faculty and the Temple Association of University Professionals has been established after a secret ballot was cast earlier this month.

According to an email memo sent by Provost Hai-Lung Dai to university adjuncts earlier today, the Pennsylvania Labor Relations Board reported the merger between adjuncts and TAUP was successful, which adds about 1,400 professors to the university’s full-time faculty union. The final count was 609 votes for a merger, more than double the 266 votes “of remaining unrepresented,” according to the email.

“Now that the vote is completed, it is time to move forward,” Dai said in the email memo. “Soon, we will begin working with TAUP to produce a collective bargaining agreement that includes adjunct faculty.”

The Temple News previously reported that since of the start of discussion for possible adjunct unionization, some organizers and adjuncts have protested and held rallies on Main Campus. Organizers have also waited for adjuncts outside of classrooms and visiting their homes, upsetting adjuncts who said they were not interested in unionization.

Art Hochner, president of TAUP, previously told The Temple News anyone who has had a problem with a union recruiter should contact him.

“We’ll find out if they did anything wrong,” he said. “We want to make sure we’re not antagonizing anybody, but we want to get the word out too.”

Steve Bohnel can be reached at steve.bohnel@temple.edu and on Twitter @Steve_Bohnel.

Police investigating fatal shooting near Main Campus

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Philadelphia Police are investigating a fatal shooting that occurred early Sunday morning north of Main Campus.

At about 4:39 a.m., police received a call from York St. near 13th, according to a press release from the Philadelphia Police’s Public Affairs Unit.

Police said when they reached the location, they found a 35-year-old man with multiple gunshot wounds lying in the street. His vehicle was also found with the keys in the ignition, and the driver’s door open, police said.

The man was transported to Temple University Hospital and pronounced dead at 4:55 a.m., according to the release. No suspects or motives have been identified, police said.

This is an ongoing story. Check back for updates.

Steve Bohnel can be reached at steve.bohnel@temple.edu or on Twitter @Steve_Bohnel.

News in brief: 11.17 Issue

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CITY SHOWS SUPPORT FOR PARIS FOLLOWING ATTACKS

Six Philadelphia landmarks lit up with with blue, white and red in honor of the Nov. 13 terrorist attacks in Paris, according to a Billy Penn report.

The Lit Brothers Building on Market Street near 8th, displayed columns of blue, white and red in the pattern of the French flag.

The Cira Centre featured an Eiffel Tower outlined in a peace sign, as well as the French colors.

Boathouse Row on the Schuylkill River was highlighted in an alternating sequence of blue, white and red.

A vigil was held at LOVE Park Saturday night, organized by the French Consulate, where mourners gathered to light candles, sing the French national anthem, display signs and grieve together.

New artwork reading “Paris” in large blue, white and red letters appeared at Graffiti Pier.

The Philadelphia skyline also reflected French colors.

-Lian Parsons

TWO SEXUAL ASSAULTS RECENTLY REPORTED

Temple Police are investigating two sexual assaults that were reported in the past two weeks.

The Nov. 2 incident at 1300 Residence Hall was reported Nov. 11, according to Temple Police’s crime log.

Executive Director of Campus Safety Services Charlie Leone said the incident was “initally reported by a third party,” and that police spoke with the 20-year-old female student, who declined to give a description of the suspect or any other information.

“We had gotten basic information from a friend who told a Resident Assistant,” Leone said. “But as far as talking with the complainant, she doesn’t want to tell us anything.”

A second incident was reported Nov. 7, the same day the alleged incident occurred, according to the crime log.

Leone said this incident occurred at an off-campus apartment along the 1600 block of Cecil B. Moore Avenue. A 20-year-old female student and her friend were leaving a party when they invited two men back to the student’s apartment, he added.

One of them “inappropriately touched” the student, Leone said. Both men left, and the student’s reported the incident to Temple police, he added.

-Steve Bohnel

FOUR ADDITIONAL LAWSUITS FILED AGAINST BILL COSBY

Four more women filed defamation lawsuits against Bill Cosby Nov. 13, ABC News reported. They each claimed Cosby sexually abused them and his representatives defamed them by declaring their stories lies.

Barbara Bowman, Angela Leslie, Louisa Moritz and Joan Tarshis are seeking compensation by claiming their defamation by Cosby’s representatives prevented them from leading their lives normally.

Bowman alleges Cosby sexually assaulted her multiple times in 1985 when she was 17 years old. Leslie claims Cosby assaulted her in 1992 when she met him in his suite in Las Vegas. Moritz alleges Cosby sexually assaulted her in 1969, in a dressing room of “The Tonight Show.”  Tarshis claims she was 19 years old when Cosby drugged and assaulted her in 1969.

All four women said they have changed their habits in public, have been accosted by strangers and have faced public ridicule since coming forward.

-Lian Parsons

Police investigating shooting west of Main Campus

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Temple Police are investigating a shooting on Cecil B. Moore Avenue near 16th Street that happened shortly before midnight Saturday.

Executive Director of Campus Safety Services Charlie Leone said two Temple Police officers were patrolling about half a block away when they heard what sounded like gunshots. Once they arrived at the location of the shooting, they found five shell casings and discovered two separate car windows struck by a bullet, he added.

Leone said one 16-year-old male wearing a denim jacket with a patch on the back “might have been involved,” but no other information was reported to police.

“No one would say what happened, so we don’t know if there was an argument out there or something,” Leone said. “But nobody was hit by the bullets.”

A TU Alert was sent out about the incident at around midnight Saturday. No injuries were reported.

One student, freshman business major Joe Babar, said he was out walking close the area where the shots were fired.

“I thought it was crazy because it was the first gun shots I’ve ever heard,” Babar said. “Everybody near the shooting was running in the complete opposite way, toward the 7-Eleven [on Cecil B. Moore Avenue near 15th Street]. I was kind of in shock, it didn’t hit me until later where I was like, ‘Wow, I just heard gun shots.'”

Another student, freshman geology major Dillion Riley, said despite the gunshots, nobody was nervous immediately afterward.

“I didn’t really feel anything, I just went out to go check it out,” Riley said. “They blocked it off and all of the drunk kids were trying to get around it. Nobody was scared, everybody was just drunk trying to get to their house.”

Steve Bohnel and Gillian McGoldrick can be reached at news@temple-news.com or on Twitter @TheTempleNews.

News in brief: 11.10 Issue

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TEMPLE POLICE CAR CATCHES FIRE AT LOCAL GAS STATION

A Temple Police vehicle caught fire at a BP gas station on Broad Street near Girard Avenue around 2:45 p.m., 6ABC Action News reported.

Witnesses told 6ABC two Temple Police cars were filling up at the pumps and one of the cars began to drive with the nozzle still attached. The pump was yanked over and ignited the tank, as well as the other police vehicle.

“So he left the nozzle inside the car, nozzle fell down and so did the pump,” Junaid Javed, co-owner of the gas station, told 6ABC. “Caused a spark, and then fire.”

Police reported the fire was extinguished within ten minutes, but the McDonald’s next to the gas station was evacuated. No injuries were reported.

The police vehicle was towed and the incident is currently under investigation.

Javad told 6ABC the estimated damage may cost more than $20,000 and he does not know how long it will take to repair the pumps.

Temple University told 6ABC the officer will remain on duty, but will not drive while the incident is being investigated.

-Lian Parsons

PRESIDENT THEOBALD PENS STADIUM OP-ED IN INQUIRER 

President Neil Theobald wrote an op-ed in the Inquirer Monday about why the university should build an on-campus stadium.

Theobald cited several reasons why a stadium would be a positive addition to Temple, from adding thousands of jobs to creating a game-day atmosphere on Main Campus.

Former Gov. Ed Rendell said on WPHT-AM radio last week, “The $100 million would not be available to Temple for anything other than a football stadium.” Part of the funding would be shifting “rental payments for Lincoln Financial Field to mortgage payments for our own stadium,” Theobald wrote.

The president acknowledged the stadium’s impact on the surrounding community. Theobald added Chairman of the Board Patrick O’Connor said university trustees “look forward” to working with City Council and neighbors to the university.

Theobald said discussions about the stadium are still in the preliminary stages.

“We are at the beginning of this process,” Theobald wrote. “Fund-raising to date suggests the idea is financially feasible, but Temple’s Board of Trustees has not even authorized the hiring of an architect. Central to our decision-making will be conversations with the North Philadelphia community. Those conversations are just beginning.”

-Steve Bohnel

SCHOOL OF MEDICINE DISCOVERS TREATMENT FOR CANCER CELLS

The Katz School of Medicine has discovered a molecule that selectively kills BRCA-deficient cancer cells, according to a Nov. 5 press release.

BRCA cells “serve a vital role in preserving the integrity of the genetic code.”

Dr. Richard Pomerantz is an assistant professor of medical genetics and molecular biochemistry in the Fels Institute for Cancer Research at the School of Medicine, as well as a senior investigator of the study.

Prior to this discovery, there were very few ways to selectively eliminate BRCA-deficient cancer cells, and doing so would affect a patient’s resistance to treatment drugs. The new findings were published online in the journal “Chemistry and Biology.”

The research could have “therapeutic implications” for cancers of the breast, ovaries, lungs, prostate and pancreas, as well as for leukemia.

Funding for the study was provided by grants from the National Institute of Health, the Katz School of Medicine startup funds and the Department of Defense’s Breast Cancer Breakthrough Award.

-Lian Parsons