Nancy Phillips
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Editor at The Philadelphia Inquirer. Investigative reporter at heart. Lover of art, music, books, food and flowers. Passionate cook.
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Articles by Nancy Phillips
Editor’s note: Why we wrote about every child killed by gunfire in Philadelphia last year
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Where My Social Security Raise Went
As an older person receiving Social Security, I was so pleased when I finally received my 8.7% COLA. But where did it go, in 2022 I paid $956.31 more for groceries so it was almost gone before I even received it as the monthly cost of my groceries only goes up not down. My Cable bill increased $9.84 a month for the 2023 new year. TEP wants an 11.7% increase in September 2023. Southwest Gas wants a 6.7% increase in my monthly bill in Jun 2023.
Rockland’s Second Annual Fashion Week A Rousing Success
by Nancy Phillips The second annual Rockland Fashion Week put Nyack and surrounding communities in the tri-state back on the map of the international fashion world after a gap year due to the pandemic. The first Fashion week was held in December of 2019. Photo credit: Leonard McKenzie Produced by Hope Wade Designs of Nyack, the kick-off event on Saturday, November 6 at the Palisades Mall in West Nyack drew an enthusiastic crowd of over 300 guests.
Tale of murder took years to unfold
This article was originally published in The Philadelphia Inquirer on May 7, 2000. Len Jenoff had a secret. When I first met him in February 1995, he said he was a private investigator working for Rabbi Fred J. Neulander. He said he was trying to solve the murder of the rabbi’s wife, Carol, who was killed in the couple’s Cherry Hill home on Nov. 1, 1994. Jenoff said he believed Carol Neulander was beaten to death during a robbery by someone who knew her habit of carrying large sums of money.
Weekender Recommendations: Spring Fling Promenade
by Nancy Phillips For spouses and kids of all ages, Mothers’ Day questions come up every year: What to give? What to do? Questions not always easy to answer. The traditional box of chocolates may not cut it. Then, the special day comes with a scramble. Do we have the right gift? Do we have a plan for the day? What about getting Mom out of the kitchen for a special restaurant meal? What about Grandma? Nyack has answers.
Local Event: Breakfast with Santa
This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own. December 20 -- Breakfast With Santa -- Families can join Santa and his helpers for a pancake and waffles breakfast at the Hudson Market on Main at 5 North Broadway on Sunday, December 20. Kids pay $10, Adults $15, kids under 2 are free. Enjoy photos with Santa, holiday music and fun-filled activities including letter-writing to Santa. Seating times are 9:30 am and 11:00 am.
Local Event: Nyack's Winter Wanderland -- South Broadway
This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own. December 22 -- Nyack's "Winter Wanderland" continues to unfold on Tuesday, December 22 from 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm as South Broadway opens its shops and restaurants to the street. South Broadway will be closed to vehicular traffic starting at 4:00 pm, so pedestrians can safely enjoy live music, festive decorations, fire pits, warm refreshments and holiday cheer offered by local merchants.
Local Event: Nyack's Young Entrepreneurs Pop-Up Shop Dec. 13
Skip to main content This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own. Move Over Grown-Ups: Nyack Pop-Up Shop Showcases Young Entrepreneurs on December 13 Move over grown-ups! There are new, highly motivated makers in town...and they're kids! Kids who are changing the retail world with their enthusiasm, fresh ideas and new products.
Professional Grade Sound Booth
This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own. Large, room-sized sound booth, dissassembled and ready to transport -- great for a recording studio or school. Professional grade materials, including sound proof window and door. Best offer.
Delaware provider begins 'drive-through’ testing; officials working to postpone Bensalem special election
Latest State officials working to postpone Bensalem special election Gov. Tom Wolf on Friday said officials are working on a plan to postpone a special election for a state House seat in Bucks County that is scheduled for Tuesday. “It would not be a good idea to have that election next Tuesday in Bucks County,” Wolf said at a news conference. “Everybody agrees.
Alleged killer was in prosecutors' scopes, but still walked
As the search continues for Derrick Rollins in a seemingly random killing in Haverford Township last month, a review of his criminal history shows a young man with multiple arrests for crimes ranging from drug dealing to armed robbery – starting when he was 17. In addition, Rollins' arrest with a gun made him the focus of a program called GunStat, designed to take the most dangerous offenders off the streets. It aims to convict them and punish them harshly with a goal of preventing future crimes.
Legal experts praise Bucks deal that led to murder confession
The deal that spared Cosmo DiNardo the death penalty in exchange for a murder confession in a case that's captivated the region and drawn national attention was lauded Friday by legal experts, who said the agreement was a swift and shrewd way to bring the gruesome case nearer to a close. Cosmo DiNardo, 20, confessed to participating in the killings of four men. DiNardo also agreed to tell investigators where to find the bodies and lead them to an accomplice.
Cosby jury deadlock a mystery as judge seals jurors' names
Insight into the conflicting views that divided jurors in the Cosby case was elusive Saturday as the judge declined to release their names. That decision prevented reporters from interviewing jurors about their extended deliberations and their inability to reach agreement on the charges that the entertainer drugged and assaulted Andrea Constand at his Cheltenham home in 2004. Jurors' names are routinely made public at the close of trials, but in this case, Montgomery County Judge Steven T.
Tale of murder took years to unfold
This article was originally published in The Philadelphia Inquirer on May 7, 2000. Len Jenoff had a secret. When I first met him in February 1995, he said he was a private investigator working for Rabbi Fred J. Neulander. He said he was trying to solve the murder of the rabbi’s wife, Carol, who was killed in the couple’s Cherry Hill home on Nov. 1, 1994. Jenoff said he believed Carol Neulander was beaten to death during a robbery by someone who knew her habit of carrying large sums of money.
Opinion: Why Los Altos will benefit from passing Measure C
Los Altos’ Measure C is clear and simple: It allows residents to decide whether our public land should be made available to private developers and special interests or be kept for public use. All claims otherwise are deliberate attempts to confuse voters into voting against it – an all-too-common election tactic. We trust residents to see through this. Measure C protects more than parks.
Sex assaults, lawsuits at Massage Envy in Chester County
Nine women were sexually assaulted or touched inappropriately during massages at a Massage Envy franchise in West Goshen township, Chester County in episodes that their lawyer says are part of a pattern of attacks at the national massage chain. The women who were assaulted at the West Goshen center are among scores who say massage appointments at the chain turned into frightening and invasive encounters.
Troubled Cheyney averts a crisis, keeps accreditation
Cheyney University, the nation’s oldest historically black college and a school nearly at the brink of collapse, got a key reprieve Friday when a regional education panel allowed the university to keep its accreditation for now while it struggles to right its course. The school had been on probation and at risk of losing accreditation because of its troubled finances, abysmal academic record and unstable leadership.
Can Cheyney University, the nationâs oldest HBCU, survive?
In 1969, the federal government charged Pennsylvania, as well as nine mostly Southern states, with operating a segregated system of higher education in violation of the Civil Rights Act. Pennsylvania’s state universities had to desegregate and distribute resources equitably. Three decades later, the state, again under federal pressure, agreed to give Cheyney $36.5 million for new building projects and provide support for its academic programs.
How one historically black college changed its fortune
Michael Sorrell has a message for Cheyney University as it struggles to find its way past myriad academic and financial failings after years of mismanagement. “When you’re down, it can be quite liberating,” he said. “You are unencumbered by a history of success.
Lawyers : Church - sex inquiry is sweeping
Five months after District Attorney Lynne M. Abraham launched a grand-jury inquiry into the sexual abuse of minors by priests in the Philadelphia Roman Catholic Archdiocese, the investigation has emerged as extensive and aggressive. Lawyers familiar with the investigation say it is wide-ranging and focuses in part on whether there was any conspiracy or obstruction of justice by the archdiocese or anyone else when the sexual-abuse allegations came to light.
An Immoral Cover-up
A grand jury yesterday excoriated the Philadelphia Archdiocese and its former top leaders, saying they allowed hundreds of sexual assaults against children to go unpunished and protected the priests who committed the crimes. In searing language, the panel accused former church officials - including Cardinals Anthony J. Bevilacqua and John Krol - of "burying" abuse reports, ignoring warnings about abusive priests, and shuttling offenders from parish to parish, where some found new victims.
Priest says archdiocese told him to stay silent on abuse
When the Rev. James Gigliotti told church officials in the early 1980s that a Northeast Philadelphia priest was molesting boys, he remembers receiving a stern warning. "This comes from the highest authority: You're to keep your mouth shut," Gigliotti said an assistant chancellor told him. The Philadelphia Archdiocese quickly removed the accused priest, the Rev. James J. Brzyski , from his parish in the Fox Chase section. But the archdiocese did not tell parishioners the reason.
How silence let clergy abuse continue
For decades, as dozens of priests preyed on children throughout the Philadelphia Archdiocese, there was only silence. For the victims, the consequences of this long embrace of secrecy were devastating - and, despite a series of church reforms, linger even now. In at least four instances, an Inquirer review shows, church leaders quietly reassigned accused child abusers, who went on to victimize again - a pattern repeated in parishes all over the country.
Antifa, black-clad and often violent, is strong in Philly
By Nancy Phillips and Craig R. McCoy, Philly.com (TNS) In January, on the evening of President Trump’s inauguration, a band of bandanna-wearing vandals raced along South Street, shattering the windows of two banks and a dozen storefronts.“They came by and had masks on,” recalled Tanya Italia, manager of a high-end furniture store. “They just smashed the window with a hammer. It was just a day of vandalism.
Antifa, black-clad and often violent, is strong in Philly
In January, on the evening of President Trump’s inauguration, a band of bandanna-wearing vandals raced along South Street, shattering the windows of two banks and a dozen storefronts. “They came by and had masks on,” recalled Tanya Italia, manager of a high-end furniture store. “They just smashed the window with a hammer. It was just a day of vandalism. I don’t think of them as real protesters.” The next month, an evening protest march along Broad Street turned ugly at Temple University.
Alleged killer was in prosecutors' scopes, but still walked
As the search continues for Derrick Rollins in a seemingly random killing in Haverford Township last month, a review of his criminal history shows a young man with multiple arrests for crimes ranging from drug dealing to armed robbery – starting when he was 17. In addition, Rollins’ arrest with a gun made him the focus of a program called GunStat, designed to take the most dangerous offenders off the streets. It aims to convict them and punish them harshly with a goal of preventing future crimes.
Haverford murder suspect's criminal past emerges as hunt continues
Derrick Rollins, who police say killed a man in a random attack in Havertown last month, continued to elude police in two counties Monday, nine days after a shooting that stunned a quiet community and sent investigators scrambling to arrest him. The killing of John Le, 29, came on the same day Rollins brazenly fired shots on a street in Overbrook Park in broad daylight, Philadelphia police said. Ever since, law enforcement officials have been on the hunt.
Legal experts praise Bucks deal that led to murder confession
The deal that spared Cosmo DiNardo the death penalty in exchange for a murder confession in a case that’s captivated the region and drawn national attention was lauded Friday by legal experts, who said the agreement was a swift and shrewd way to bring the gruesome case nearer to a close. Cosmo DiNardo, 20, confessed to participating in the killings of four men. DiNardo also agreed to tell investigators where to find the bodies and lead them to an accomplice.
FBI digs deep in probe of Dougherty and union
Almost a year after FBI agents raided the offices of Philadelphia labor leader John Dougherty and his electricians’ union, the sweeping scope of its investigation is becoming evident. Search warrants and the recent disclosure of long-running wiretaps make clear that the federal inquiry extends to virtually every aspect of the union’s operations, as well as Dougherty’s personal finances.
Cosby jury deadlock a mystery as judge seals jurors' names
Insight into the conflicting views that divided jurors in the Cosby case was elusive Saturday as the judge declined to release their names. That decision prevented reporters from interviewing jurors about their extended deliberations and their inability to reach agreement on the charges that the entertainer drugged and assaulted Andrea Constand at his Cheltenham home in 2004. Jurors’ names are routinely made public at the close of trials, but in this case, Montgomery County Judge Steven T.
Raped as a teen at 'nightmare' Wordsworth, Philly man sues
A 19-year-old Strawberry Mansion man who was raped at Wordsworth, a residential treatment center for troubled young people, has sued the agency, saying it failed to keep him safe after he was entrusted to its care. The man was attacked in his room at the West Philadelphia facility in April 2015, when he was 16. He was awakened in the middle of the night by another resident who demanded oral sex, then pushed him into a closet and raped him, police records show.
State legislators call for hearings on troubled Wordsworth
Troubled by reports of a death, sexual assaults, and other abuses at the Wordsworth center for troubled young people, three Pennsylvania legislators on Wednesday called for hearings to examine a trail of injuries to children and seek to hold accountable those who failed to keep them safe. State Rep.
State legislators call for hearings on troubled Wordsworth
Troubled by reports of a death, sexual assaults and other abuses at Wordsworth, three Pennsylvania legislators on Wednesday called for hearings to examine a trail of injuries to children and seek to hold accountable those who failed to keep them safe. State Rep.
'Horrified' City Council members call for reforms to protect vulnerable children
Nine members of Philadelphia City Council on Tuesday called for sweeping reforms in oversight of the city's child welfare system, saying it had failed to protect scores of vulnerable children.
Death, rapes, and broken bones at Philly's only residential treatment center for troubled youth
Community Behavioral Health, a nonprofit that oversees publicly funded mental-health services for the city, funneled about $6 million a year in state and federal money to Wordsworth to care for a steady stream of young people at an average cost of $326 per day. The agency continued to write those checks even after it learned of serious problems at the facility, including sexual assaults.
Death of teen at Wordsworth was homicide, Medical Examiner says
David Hess died at the hands of staffers at Wordsworth, a residential treatment center for troubled young people, the Philadelphia Medical Examiner’s Office said Friday as it pronounced the boy’s death a homicide. Hess, 17, of Lebanon, Pa. died of asphyxia, or suffocation, an autopsy found. His death at the West Philadelphia facility followed a fight with staffers who accused him of stealing an iPod and went to his room in search of it.
Months after teen dies in Wordsworth treatment home, CEO quietly leaves her job
The president and chief executive officer of Wordsworth, a residential treatment center for troubled young people, has quietly left her post, months after a child died in the care of the West Philadelphia facility and the state ordered it closed. Debra Lacks, who led the agency for eight years, was replaced by Diana Ramsay, who was named interim CEO, Wordsworth officials said Friday.
More woes for troubled Wordsworth as former staffer is charged with sexually assaulting three girls
A former staffer at a Wordsworth, a residential treatment center for troubled young people, has been charged with sexually assaulting three girls in the program, luring them to the basement of the now-shuttered facility for sex and forcing them to take naked photographs of themselves with his iPhone. Isaac Outten, 37, repeatedly had sex with three girls, ages 15 to 17, while they were living at the West Philadelphia center last year, police said.
PollWatch: In Wissinoming, GOP poll watcher says 2 votes logged before polls opened
A Republican poll watcher at a Wissinoming voting place told an election court judge Tuesday that when he arrived before the polls opened, one of the machines already had two votes recorded on it. An election court judge later ruled that the voting machine be impounded and inspected at the end of the day.
Off-key: He Led Two Lives, But One Of Them Wasn't Really His
"Bobby Vee is my stage name, and all my contracts are signed that way," said Vadino, 49, "but I'm not the original Bobby Vee. If somebody asks me if I'm Bobby Vee, I say yes, because that's the name I go by." Vadino's off-stage and unacknowledged impersonation of Bobby Vee came to light this week, after he filed a $1.1 million lawsuit Tuesday against Chapel Manor Apartments in Cherry Hill and began responding publicly to questions about his background.
Battered cargo: The costs of the police 'nickel ride' In city patrol wagons, suspects slam into walls and slide across the floor. Paying the price are the injured and the taxpayers - not the police. - philly-archives
Then the wagon came to a screeching stop, Thompson and one of the officers recalled. Thompson was launched headfirst into a partition and suffered a devastating spinal-cord injury. "They took me right out of the store and into the wagon, and that's the last I walked," said Thompson, father of 11 children.
Four say Philly Daily News writer Bill Conlin sexually abused them as children
Three women and a man say they were molested as children by Bill Conlin, a Hall of Fame baseball writer and Philadelphia Daily News columnist. In vivid accounts, the four say Conlin groped and fondled them and touched their genitals in assaults in the 1970s, when they were ages 7 to 12. "This is a tragedy," said Kelley Blanchet, a niece of Conlin's who said he molested her when she was a child. "People have kept his secret. It's not just the victims, it's the victims' families.
Four say Philly Daily News writer Bill Conlin sexually abused them as children
Three women and a man say they were molested as children by Bill Conlin, a Hall of Fame baseball writer and Philadelphia Daily News columnist. In vivid accounts, the four say Conlin groped and fondled them and touched their genitals in assaults in the 1970s, when they were ages 7 to 12. "This is a tragedy," said Kelley Blanchet, a niece of Conlin's who said he molested her when she was a child. "People have kept his secret. It's not just the victims, it's the victims' families.
Four say Philly Daily News writer Bill Conlin sexually abused them as children
Three women and a man say they were molested as children by Bill Conlin, a Hall of Fame baseball writer and Philadelphia Daily News columnist. In vivid accounts, the four say Conlin groped and fondled them and touched their genitals in assaults in the 1970s, when they were ages 7 to 12. "This is a tragedy," said Kelley Blanchet, a niece of Conlin's who said he molested her when she was a child. "People have kept his secret. It's not just the victims, it's the victims' families.
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