Gizoogle, the Snoop Dogg speak-inspired search engine that left the Internet much to the dismay of…everyone who’s ever searched for something, is now back and better than ever.

It’s a search engine that translates anything you search for, and any current web page, into gangster slang. It can get pretty R-rated but uses slang like “flava,” “dis,” “wit,” and, of course, everything “izzle.”

According to the site, it was originally started in 2005 by John Beatty who watched MTV’s “Doggy Fizzle Televizzle” and was inspired. It’s worked on and off since.

So, a new anonymous group spent time adding translations and reworking the site’s algorithms. According to the new site creators, they are “all huge fans of Snoop Dogg and the original website.”

“Gizoogle was created in his honor and we want to honour both the man and the machine,” according to the site.

Here’s how it works:
1. Go to www.gizoogle.net
2. Search for something
3. Click on one of the hits
4. Proceed to laugh hysterically, preferably with friends.

An example:
After Gizoogling “Metro Philadelphia,” here’s a screen shot of what comes up:

Fun, right?

Let’s Gizoogle our city:

Here’s what comes up when you Gizoogle “Mayor Michael Nutter.”

We’re pretty positive Nutter was never a previous gangmember. That’s gangster slang for the word “member.”

Go ahead. Gizoogle. You’re welcome.

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Paine’s Park, a public skate park adjacent to the art museum, officially opened to the public on Wednesday. Wedged between the Schuylkill River and the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, the park stretches across about three acres set on the Schuylkill Trail. The park is intended for pedestrians and not just skaters with the inclusion of green space, benches and cobblestone paths.

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A Philadelphia Police officer was arrested Tuesday in a sting operation by federal authorities for his attempt to rip off drug dealers, reports say.

Jeffrey Walker, who was suspended yesterday and may be dismissed from the force, was caught after he shared his plans to rob drug dealers with an FBI informant.

Authorities tailed the 24-year veteran Tuesday as he allegedly planted cocaine in a dealer’s car and then pulled the car over.

During the search and seizure, he stole the dealer’s house key, went to the dealer’s house after the arrest with the informant, and stole $15,000. FBI officials nabbed him on the way out.

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Memorial Day is a day to remember those military men and women who have died while serving the United States and its interests.

As the solemn occasion rapidly approaches, Sears Home for Heroes and Rebuilding Together reminds us it’s also important to take care of our living veterans.

On Thursday, from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., a group of 15 volunteers will be doing rehabilitation work on the North Philadelphia home shared by Curtis and Robert Reed — a father-son veteran duo.

The Sears Home for Heroes program has raised $17 million in just six years to rehab more than 1,300 veterans’ homes through partners such as Rebuilding Together.

Curtis is an Air Force veteran who served in Japan after World War II and worked at the Navy’s Willow Grove air base upon returning to the U.S. He has lived in his home in the Logan section for more than 40 years.

Robert is an Army vet.

The Sears/Rebuilding Together volunteer team will be installing flooring, painting, landscaping and more at the Reeds’ North Marvine Street home tomorrow.

On the strength of 1,200 to 1,500 volunteers each year, Rebuilding Together’s Philadelphia chapter works on roughly 70 homes annually. The organization often concentrates its efforts on the same street — as is the case with North Marvine Street, where nine homes have received facelifts — or in the same neighborhood.

For volunteer opportunities with Rebuilding Together Philadelphia, visit www.rebuildingphilly.org or call 215-965-0777.

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Herbert and Catherine Schaible, the Northeast Philadelphia couple who prayed over their 7-month-old old baby Brandon last month instead of taking him to the doctor for bacterial pneumonia, have been charged with murder. Brandon died a few days after symptoms appeared.

This charge comes four years after Kent, their 2-year-old son, also died when the parents refused to get him medical attention for the same issue that killed Brandon. The couple belongs to a church that does not believe in medical care.

District Attorney Seth Williams today called the case a “tragedy.”

“Instead of caring and nurturing him,” Williams said at a press conference today, “they ultimately caused his death by praying over his body instead of taking him to the doctor.

The Schaibles were still on probation for Kent’s death from 2009. They have been charged with third-degree murder, involuntary manslaughter, conspiracy and endangering the welfare of a child for Brandon’s April 18 death.

Williams said Brandon could easily have been treated with antibiotics. The couple admitted to police they chose to pray instead of seeking medical help after symptoms arose.

Assistant District Attorney Joanne Pescatore called Brandon’s case “eerily similar” to Kent’s case. The day Brandon died, she got a call at home.

“I knew something like this could have easily happened,” Pescatore said today.

Pescatore’s referring to the fact that after Kent’s death, the Schaibles were convicted of involuntary manslaughter, and were sentenced to 10 years probation. As a condition of their probation, they were ordered to seek medical help if any of their children were sick. Pescatore said she wasn’t confident they would.

The Schaibles seven other children have been taken from their parents.

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A 56-year-old man was killed this morning after he was hit by a train, officials said.

The man was struck by a SEPTA Regional Rail car around 7:30 a.m. just north of the Philmont Station on the West Trenton Line, SEPTA spokeswoman said Kristen Geiger.

Authorities are investigating whether the death was accidental or intentional.

This is the ninth person to be killed by a SEPTA train in 2013. Twelve were killed in 2012.

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One of the original copies of the Bill of Rights is coming home.

The National Constitution Center, just steps away from Independence Hall where the original 10 amendments to the United States Constitution were conceived, will now display one of the 12 surviving copies on loan from the New York Public Library.

In an agreement between the library and the Commonwealth, the historic document will be displayed at various venues throughout both New York and the Commonwealth for the next 100 years. It will be on display at the Constitution Center from Fall 2014 until 2017.

“For the first time in decades, this historic document will be seen by ‘We the People,’ the people who were granted these inalienable rights and privileges that we are still guided by today,” said Gov. Tom Corbett, who spoke at the museum this morning.

The Federal Government and each of the 13 states received a copy of the Bill of Rights in 1789. Today, only 12 remain.

The library, which obtained the copy in 1896 ,hasn’t displayed the document for extended periods of time due to preservation concerns.

Scholars believe New York’s original copy was destroyed in a fire. Pennsylvania’s copy disappeared in the 19th Century.

The original 10 amendments to Constitution are referred to as the Bill or Rights. The 10 were added after the Constitution was signed at the request of revolutionaries.

Since the adoption of the list in 1791, 17 more amendments have been made.

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Philadelphia Police are looking for a man who they say used an AK-47 rifle to fire shots into a vehicle outside of Purple Orchard’s Gentleman’s Club on South 61st Street in Elmwood May 11.

They are also seeking a second man who drove the getaway car.

Shortly before 2 a.m., May 11, two men were involved in a dispute with the club’s management and bouncers, police said. Both suspects were removed from the club. A few minutes later, the first suspect, armed with a rifle, fired shots into a parked car in the lot. The suspect then fired several more shots inside the club, police said.

The suspect fled in a light-colored sedan driven by the second suspect.

One person was struck. The injuries are not life-threatening.

The first suspect has been identified as Henry Pettigrew, black, 21, 5’11,” 180 lbs., with a thin beard. His last known address is 5538 Belmar Terrace in Kingsessing.

The second suspect is a black male, 20-25 years of age, 5’9″ to 5’10,” medium build, goatee, with a dark hooded jacket over a plaid button shirt, with tan cargo shorts and tan boots.

The getaway car is possibly a Hyundai or Mitsubishi.

To submit a tip via telephone, dial 215.686.TIPS (8477) or text a tip to PPD TIP or 773847.

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There will be no treetop adventure coming to Wissahickon Valley Park, officials said.

The city terminated the project after community resistance became too big an obstacle to overcome.

Bob Allen, director of property and concessions management for the city’s parks and recreation department, said the city didn’t want to ruin any partnerships with community organizations.

“There was actually a small but vocal group that I think misrepresented the project to the community and got the community to sign petitions against it, and we’re not about getting into adversarial relationships with folks from the community and park users, so we withdrew the project,” Allen said.

In late March, city officials discussed the proposal to build an outdoor adventure course, which included a zip line, on five acres in the Roxborough park.

Neighbors and community groups voiced concerns at a public meeting, pointing to environmental, traffic and vandalism concerns.

He “doubts very much” the project could be resurrected.

Friends of the Wissahickon were not immediately available for comment.

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City Controller Alan Butkovitz easily took Tuesday’s primary with more than 61 percent of the vote — 38,002 votes — according to preliminary election results.

Brett Mandel claimed just over 30 percent of the vote, or 19,103. Mark Zecca garnered 4,917 votes (nearly 8 percent).

Twenty-five candidates vied for three open seats on traffic court. Omar Sabir, Marnie Aument-Loughrey and Donna Derose were the only three candidates to break five digits. Respectively, they earned 22,886, 12,668 and 14,216 votes.

The day wasn’t without drama though. Butkovitz’s campaign obtained an injunction barring Mandel from electioneering. Mandel, who said he was giving a man with tattoos a sticker and jokingly calling it a tattoo, said he was being “neighborly” and that he knows the rules.

For full election results, visit phillyelectionresults.com.

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A 19-year-old man was gunned down in front of Rita’s Italian Ice stand at Stenton and 69th avenues in Philadelphia’s West Oak Lane section Tuesday night.

The shooting occurred just before 9:30 p.m. The teenager was shot in the chest, according to police.

Police on Wednesday identified the victim as Master Street resident Markquine Pickett. Pickett was taken to Albert Einstein Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead at 9:39 p.m.

Police reportedly were looking for a silver Chevrolet Impala in which the suspect, or suspects, reportedly fled. The car was last seen heading east on Haines Street.

Investigators were reviewing surveillance videos in the area in an attempt to identify the suspect, or suspects.

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Four people were injured in three separate Philadelphia shootings early Wednesday.

One of the shootings occurred on the 5500 block of Broomall Street in Soutwest Philadelphia about 1 a.m., 6ABC Action News reports. A bicyclist reportedly shot a 21-year-old man in the face as he walked down the street.

The second shooting early Tuesday morning also occurred in Southwest Philadelphia, just a few miles from the first shooting. Gunfire injured a 31-year-old man and a 49-year-old woman on the 6100 block of Woodland Avenue about 2 a.m. following a large fight at a nearby bar, according to Action News.

The third shooting occurred later Tuesday morning in Germantown, where a man was shot multiple times on the 500 block of East Wister Street, NBC10 reports.

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A 21-year-old Wilmington, Del., man was shot several times as he sat on the steps in front of his home Tuesday evening.

The shooting occurred about 6:30 p.m. on the 2600 block of North Madison Street, 6ABC Actions News reports.

A single gunman shot the victim several times in his torso.

The 21-year-old man was taken to Christiana Hospital for treatment. He was last reported to be in critical condition.

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A Chester County man is accused of killing his longtime girlfriend at their home Tuesday.

Gregory Twyman, 44, was arrested after he allegedly shot his girlfriend to death inside their East Fallowfield Township home around noon, NBC10 reports.

Twyman is charged with criminal homicide and first-, second- and third-degree murder and weapons crimes in the shooting death of Jamaica Jones.

Police did not immediately release a motive for the slaying.

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Theodore Simon, the Philadelphia attorney who was instrumental in securing Amanda Knox’s freedom, says his client is doing “remarkably well.”

“I spent several hours … with Amanda in D.C.,” he said. “Amanda is thoughtful and articulate. She is studying creative writing at the University of Washington and plans on pursuing a career in publishing.”

Knox was convicted in 2009 of murdering Meredith Kercher in Italy and served four years in prison. She was later acquitted in October 2011; however, that decision was also overturned in March, and the case has been sent back to an Italian court for reconsideration.

The favorable report produced by Simon’s DNA expert had contributed to the reopening of Knox’s conviction, Simon said.

“Fortunately, I secured the world’s greatest DNA expert, the scientist who formed the DNA lab for the FBI, as our expert,” said Simon, who worked in conjunction with Knox’s Italian lawyers. “He found that the knife, which was a key piece of trial evidence, did not contain blood. Therefore, it could not have been the murder weapon.”

One cannot preferentially remove blood and leave DNA, Simon explained.

While the Italian courts have reopened the case again, Simon stressed that under Italian law, Knox is not required to attend the next hearing, and that the issues being discussed do not implicate her.

Simon is not worried that his client will be found guilty in the upcoming proceedings.

“There is no evidence, was no evidence, nor will there ever be any evidence linking her to the murder,” said Simon.

Other famous clients

Amanda Knox is not Simon’s first famous, or infamous, client. He has previously represented French “Spider-Man” Alain Robert, murderer Ira Einhorn while he was fighting his extradition from France to Philadelphia, boxing promoter Don King, former Atlanta Braves third baseman Chipper Jones and Minnesota Timberwolves forward Dante Cunningham.

Quoted

Simon, who has successfully argued before the U.S. Supreme Court, describes his practice as “white collar, blue collar and no collar.”

“It is a gift to be a lawyer, providing care and assistance to people at the worst time in their lives when they are facing the loss of liberty or seeking compensation as a redress for a wrong,” he said.

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Though voter turnout at Tuesday’s primary elections was low – Committee of Seventy’s Ellen Kaplan called it “the sleepiest election” during her eight year tenure with the organization – drama still ran high, particularly in the race for Democratic City Controller nominee.

Incumbent Alan Butkovitz’s campaign obtained an injunction from an Election Court judge barring challenger Brett Mandel from electioneering inside polling places after Mandel allegedly handed a campaign sticker to a 2nd Ward committeeman.

According to Mandel, the “sticker” was actually a temporary tattoo.

“I was on my way out of a polling place a committeeperson brought me into to meet the Board of Elections,” he said.

“On my way out, I saw a guy with tattoos and said, ‘You have tattoos – here’s a tattoo,’ and I handed him one.”

Mandel claimed he wasn’t electioneering.

“Certainly we know the rules,” he said. “I thought I was just being neighborly.”

When Butkovitz – who said his campaign only found “two or three Mandel supporters around the city” – was asked about the incident, he deadpanned, “In some quarters that would be called assault.”

Butkovitz added that Mandel didn’t try to affix a tattoo to him.

“I think he’s had enough contact with me,” he said.

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After serving for 15 years, La Salle University President Michael J. McGinniss announced he still step down after his current term ends May 2014, officials with the school announced today.

“It has been an honor to serve as President of La Salle University and I am proud of the initiatives completed during my tenure which have benefited our students, faculty, alumni and surrounding community,” McGinniss said in a statement. “After 15 years and three terms as La Salle’s president, and after much discernment, it seems like this is the right time for me to transition this work to a new President.”

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Former history teacher Stan Ellsworth tours the country on a Harley Davidson for unconventional documentary television show “American Ride.”

“When you watch most history shows, you’ll notice that their spokesman – the talking head of history, if you will – is normally a scholarly gentleman that’s in a sweater vest and bow tie and is going to discuss with you in academic terms what happened,” Ellsworth said on Tuesday.

The 6-foot-2 onetime stunt man and TV show host obviously doesn’t fit that mold.

“We’re giving everybody – kids, young people – a chance to listen,” he said.

“This character breaks down the stereotype just long enough for them to pay attention, then they’re hooked.”

Ellsworth was in town to tour the Delaware River-docked USS Olympia for Season 5 of ByuTV’s weekly show, which will cover the Gilded Age through the Roaring 20s.

“The Olympia is one of the first American steel battleships,” he said.

“She’s actually the first ship to fire on a foreign enemy, in the American steel navy. This is the last vestige of a bygone era. All the other ships have been sold for scrap or sunk to make a reef.”

No stranger to the City of Brotherly Love, the pilot episode of “American Ride” was shot at Valley Forge and has in the past also visited Independence Hall.

“We’re pretty much unscripted so we don’t use any notes, we don’t have a board or a teleprompter – we don’t use that,” Ellsworth said.

“Really what I’m doing is teaching the history of America from the notes I had as a teacher,” he said.

“It’s just that finally I’m in a classroom that’s big enough for me.”

Still, Ellsworth said he’s careful not to emulate what he calls the “Ferris Bueller”-like classes he endured as a child.

“Education isn’t something you can give somebody,” he said.

“It’s something that people have to take for themselves. So if we get people interested, they say, ‘Now I want to know more,’ we did our jobs. We got their minds engaged in the subject matter.”

And there’s plenty of matter to engage minds of all ages, as in Ellsworth’s view, history is not a stale and static relic, but a breathing text with plenty of wisdom to confer on those who study it.

“I think that the number one lesson from all this is being actively involved in our political system – at the local level, at the state level, at the national level – is part of who we are,” he said.

“Too many times people say, ‘Well, my vote doesn’t count,’ and it does. Not just because of the counting of the votes and who goes into office, but it’s that we kept the covenant. We’ve kept our commitment to the people that sacrificed and gave so much that we could have our freedoms.

“We said, ‘We took advantage of the rights that you protected for us’ – and that reaches all the way back to 1776 and it will reach forward as long as there’s an American Republic – ‘We did our part. We took advantage of this freedom that we had and we tried to make a better world for those who came after.’ That’s the lesson we want people to learn.”

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Police here arrested a Northeast Philadelphia man for allegedly robbing a woman at knifepoint at an ATM in Harrowgate.

Stephen Monte, 26, of Willets Road, is charged with robbery and related offenses.

Police said that around 5:30 a.m. on May 5, a 47-year-old female was using the ATM at Wells Fargo Bank at 3400 Aramingo Ave. She was making a withdrawal of $80 when the suspect allegedly approached her and placed a knife to her stomach, demanding her money. With the money, the suspect fled south on Aramingo Avenue.

On May 14, surveillance video was distributed and an anonymous tip was given to police the next day, identifying Monte as the suspect.

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Venerable 6 ABC news Anchor Rob Jennings will retire at the end of July after 36 years behind the desk, the station announced Tuesday.

“He’s been an extraordinary example of consistency, a great communicator and a wonderful colleague all these years,” said co-anchor Jim Gardner in a statement. “We will miss him.”

In a statement Jennings, who joined the channel in July 1977, said he was grateful to have lived his dream and will now live another.

“My wife and I have been planning to retire for some time now,” he said, “and now is the time to start our new adventure together.”

Jennings was inducted into the Philadelphia Broadcast Pioneers Hall of Fame in 2003.

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Larry Holmes, the former heavyweight boxing champion, won a legal fight regarding a towing company and his Easton, Pa. restaurant.

Holmes, 63, who owns Champ’s Corner on a stretch of road through the eastern Pennsylvania town named in his honor, sued a neighboring business in January that he said would regularly and wrongfully tow vehicles from a parking lot the two businesses shared.

According to The Express-Times of Easton, a Northampton County judge ruled that Riverstar Properties must stop towing vehicles until the lawsuit concludes.

Holmes said he and the restaurant have an agreement, and the towing is hurting business.

Holmes, an Easton native and current resident, reigned as world heavyweight champion for seven years from 1978 to 1985.

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Philadelphia received $1.2 million in grants from ArtPlace America to create four public space “creative placemaking” projects, the city announced on Monday.

“We are committed to beautifying and increasing the quality of life in our neighborhoods,” Mayor Michael Nutter said in a statement.

“Thanks to the generosity of ArtPlace America, we will be able to do so by leveraging the strength of our arts and culture community.”

Philly garnered the most grant dollars of any city chosen by ArtPlace, a collaboration of foundations, banks and federal agencies that funds art with the goal of revitalizing communities.

ArtPlace gave $310,000 to the Delaware River Waterfront Corporation for them to transform Penn’s Landing’s Boat Basin into a “river stage” in the hopes of launching a cultural and economic redevelopment of the waterfront area. That project is scheduled for completion in July 2014.

The Philadelphia City Planning Commission received $335,150 for arts-focused marketing campaign Destination Frankford, which will publicize the neighborhood’s growing arts scene and burgeoning commercial corridor.

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Emergency workers pulled more than 100 survivors from the rubble of homes, schools and a hospital in an Oklahoma town hit by a powerful tornado, and officials on Tuesday sharply lowered the number of deaths caused by the storm.

The 2-mile (3-km) wide tornado tore through Moore outside Oklahoma City on Monday afternoon, trapping victims beneath the rubble.

Seven children died at Plaza Towers Elementary School, which took a direct hit, but many more survived unhurt.

“They literally were lifting walls up and kids were coming out,” Oklahoma State Police Sergeant Jeremy Lewis said. “They pulled kids out from under cinder blocks without a scratch on them.”

The Oklahoma state medical examiner’s office said 24 bodies had been recovered from the wreckage, down from the 51 they had reported earlier. The earlier number likely reflected some double-counted deaths, said Amy Elliott, chief administrative officer for the medical examiner.

“There was a lot of chaos,” she said.

Thunderstorms and lightning slowed the rescue effort on Tuesday, but 101 people had been pulled from the debris alive, Oklahoma Highway Patrol spokeswoman Betsy Randolph said.

Firefighters from more than a dozen fire departments and rescuers from other states worked all night under bright spotlights trying to find survivors.

President Barack Obama declared a major disaster area in Oklahoma, ordering federal aid to supplement state and local efforts in Moore after the deadliest U.S. tornado since 161 people were killed in Joplin, Missouri, two years ago.

“The people of Moore should know that their country will remain on the ground, there for them, beside them, as long as it takes,” Obama said at the White House.

Glenn Lewis, the mayor of Moore, said the whole town looked like a debris field and there was a danger of electrocution and fire from downed power lines and broken natural gas lines.

“It looks like we have lost our hospital. I drove by there a while ago and it’s pretty much destroyed,” Lewis told NBC.

The National Weather Service assigned the twister a preliminary ranking of EF4 on the Enhanced Fujita Scale, meaning the second most powerful category of tornado with winds up to 200 mph.

The National Weather Service Storm Prediction Center warned the town 16 minutes before the tornado touched down at 3:01 p.m. (2001 GMT), which is more than the average eight to 10 minutes of warning, said Keli Pirtle, a spokeswoman for the center in Norman, Oklahoma.

SCHOOL TRAGEDY

U.S. Representative Tom Cole, who lives in Moore, said the Plaza Towers school was the most secure and structurally strong building in the area.

“And so people did the right thing, but if you’re in front of an F4 or an F5 there is no good thing to do if you’re above ground. It’s just tragic,” he said on MSNBC TV.

At least 60 of the 240 people injured were children, hospital officials said.

Witnesses said Monday’s tornado appeared more fierce than the giant twister that was among the dozens that tore up the area on May 3, 1999, killing more than 40 people and destroying thousands of homes. That tornado ranked as an EF5 tornado with wind speeds of more than 200 mph.

The 1999 tornado ranks as the third-costliest tornado in U.S. history, having caused more than $1 billion in damage at the time, or more than $1.3 billion in today’s dollars. Only the devastating Joplin and Tuscaloosa tornadoes in 2011 were more costly.

Monday’s tornado in Moore ranks among the most severe in the United States http://link.reuters.com/gec38t

Jeff Alger, 34, who works in the Kansas oil fields on a fracking crew, said his wife Sophia took their children out of school when she heard a tornado was coming and then fled Moore and watched it flatten the town from a few miles away.

“They didn’t even have time to grab their shoes,” said Alger, who has five children aged 4 to 11. The storm tore part of the roof off of his home. He was with his wife at Norman Regional Hospital to have glass and other debris removed from his wife’s bare feet.

Moore was devastated with debris everywhere, street signs gone, lights out, houses destroyed and vehicles tossed about as if they were toys.

The dangerous storm system threatened several southern Plains states with more twisters.

SAVED BY CELLPHONE

Speaking outside Norman Regional Hospital Ninia Lay, 48, said she huddled in a closet through two storm alerts and the tornado hit on the third.

“I was hiding in the closet and I heard something like a train coming,” she said under skies still flashing with lightning. The house was flattened and Lay was buried in the rubble for two hours until her husband Kevin, 50, and rescuers dug her out.

“I thank God for my cell phone, I called me husband for help.”

Her 7-year-old daughter Catherine, a first-grader at Plaza Towers Elementary School, took shelter with classmates and teachers in a bathroom when the tornado hit and destroyed the school. She escaped with scrapes and cuts.

Briarwood Elementary School, which also stood in the storm’s path, was all but destroyed. On the first floor, sections of walls had been peeled away, giving clear views into the building; while in other areas, cars hurled by the storm winds were lodged in the walls.

At Southmoore High School in Moore, about 15 students were in a field house when the tornado hit. Coaches sent them to an interior locker room and made them put on football helmets, and all survived, the Oklahoman newspaper said.

(Additional reporting by Alice Mannette, Lindsay Morris, Nick Carey, Brendan O’Brien and Greg McCune; Writing by Nick Carey and Jane Sutton; Editing by W Simon and Grant McCool)

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Gov. Tom Corbett will visit the National Constitution Center Wednesday for what the museum bills as a “historic announcement.”

Corbett, who will be joined by state and local officials, will announce details of a “landmark agreement” between the state and the New York Public Library.

The announcement  will “Make public one of America’s most important and elusive historic artifacts for the benefit of ‘We the People,’” according to a news release.

The announcement will occur at the center, at 525 Arch Street in Independence Mall, around 10 a.m.

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Philadelphia’s race for Democratic City Controller nominee is probably the most contentious ticket in today’s primary elections – challenger Brett Mandel and incumbent Alan Butkovitz, in particular, have engaged in verbal sparring on numerous occasions.

According to an email from Local 98 spokesman Frank Keel, the tension between the two candidates has already reached a boiling point this Election Day – and it’s not even lunchtime.

“In the 2nd Ward earlier this AM, Brett Mandel entered the polling place and handed a ‘Mandel for City Controller’ sticker to a poll watcher, not knowing the watcher was a Committeeman in the 2nd Ward AND a Local 98 member,” Keel wrote.

“The poll watcher notified the Butkovitz camp. Election law attorney Kevin Greenberg is going into court on the matter soon.”

Pennsylvania polls are open today from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Anyone who experiences problems at the polls is encouraged to call nonpartisan voter hotline 1-866-OUR-VOTE (1-866-687-8683).

To look up your polling place, click here, and to check your voter registration status, check out this link.

UPDATE (2 p.m.): In a telephone interview, Mandel said the “campaign sticker” was actually a temporary tattoo.

“I was on my way out of a polling place a committeeperson brought me into to meet the Board of Elections,” he said.

“On my way out, I saw a guy with tattoos and said, ‘You have tattoos – here’s a tattoo,’ and I handed him one.”

Mandel said he doesn’t expect the Election Court complaint to amount to anything.

“Certainly we know the rules,” he said.

“I thought I was just being neighborly. We’re certainly not electioneering in any polling places.”

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A Delaware gym teacher and coach is suspended from his job following his arrest on the charge of indecent exposure over the weekend.

The principal at Appoquinimink High School sent an email to students’ parents Monday informing them Charles Word, 31, won’t be able to come on school grounds or attend activities involving students following his arrest in Newark on Sunday, NBC10 reports.

Word, of Ogletown, Del., allegedly exposed his genitals to a woman he had called over to ask for directions Sunday morning. He reportedly followed the woman in his car, but ran from the area when the woman threatened to call police.

Word was arrested later at his home on the charges of indecent exposure and harassment.

Word coaches the New Castle County school’s baseball team, according to NBC10.

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The FBI and Philadelphia police are seeking a man in connection with the robbery of a Citizens Bank branch office in Philadelphia’s Bridesburg section Saturday.

The bank robbery occurred about 10:25 a.m. at the Citizens Bank at 2702 Kirkbridge St. The suspect slipped a threatening note to a teller, who handed over an undisclosed amount of cash to the robber.

The FBI/Philadelphia Police Violent Crimes Task Force released a surveillance image of the suspect on Monday.

The suspect is described as a white male, about 20 years old, 6 feet tall and thin. He was wearing a dark Nike hoodie, a blue T-shirt and a green skull cap with “Irish” written across the front.

The robber also has a tattoo on the left side of his neck.

Police ask anyone with any information about this crime to call 215-686-TIPS (8477) or text a tip to PPD TIP (773847). You can also submit information by electronic form by clicking here.

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A teen is in critical condition after he was shot several times near an alley in Philadelphia’s Feltonville section overnight.

The shooting occurred just after 1 a.m. Tuesday on the 4700 block of Rorer Street, according to police.

Police took the 18-year-old victim to Temple University Hospital, where he remained in critical condition around 8:45 a.m. Tuesday. He was being treated for a gunshot wound to his neck and two gunshot wounds to both his right thigh and his left foot.

No arrests have been made.

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Police have identified a man shot and killed while sitting in a car in North Philadelphia on Monday night as Mark Thomas, 25.

Thomas was shot several times on the 1800 block of North 20th Street. Police rushed him to Temple University Hospital with multiple gunshot wounds after finding him injured about 10:43 p.m.

Thomas, who lived on the street where he was attacked, was pronounced dead at 11:30 p.m.

Police did not release any suspect information.

Metro’s original article is below.

A man was shot and killed while sitting in a car in North Philadelphia Monday night.

The fatal shooting occurred about 10:40 p.m. near the 1800 block of Uber street, 6ABC Action News reports.

The 25-year-old victim was shot several times. He was pronounced dead at an area hospital.

The post [UPDATE] Man shot to death in car identified appeared first on Metro.us.

At least 91 people, including 20 children, were feared killed when a 2 mile wide tornado tore through an Oklahoma City suburb, trapping victims beneath the rubble as one elementary school took a direct hit and another was destroyed.

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  PHOTOS: Devastation caused by Oklahoma tornado

President Barack Obama declared a major disaster area in Oklahoma, ordering federal aid to supplement state and local efforts in Moore after the deadliest U.S. tornado since one killed 161 people in Joplin, Missouri, two years ago.

Emergency crews were desperately searching the wreckage of Plaza Towers Elementary School that took a direct hit from the tornado on Monday afternoon, Oklahoma Lieutenant Governor Todd Lamb told CNN.

There was an outpouring of grief on the school’s Facebook page, with messages from around the country including one pleading simply: “Please find those little children.”

Another elementary school, homes and a hospital were among the buildings leveled, leaving residents of the town of about 50,000 people stunned at the devastation and loss of life.

The Oklahoma medical examiner said 20 of the 91 expected to have been killed were children. The office had already confirmed 51 dead and had been told by emergency services to expect 40 more bodies found in the debris, but had not yet received them.

At least 60 of the 240 people injured were children, area hospitals said.

“We thought we died because we were inside the cellar door … It ripped open the door and just glass and debris started slamming on us and we thought we were dead to be honest,” Ricky Stover said while surveying the devastated remains of his home.

Moore was devastated with debris everywhere, street signs gone, lights out, houses destroyed and vehicles tossed about as if they were toys.

Rescuers were searching for survivors throughout the swath of devastation into the early hours of Tuesday, while the dangerous storm system threatened several southern Plains states with more twisters. Severe weather was expected through the night from the Great Lakes south to Texas.

STORM ALERTS

Speaking outside Norman Regional Hospital Ninia Lay, 48, said she huddled in a closet through two storm alerts and the tornado hit on the third.

“I was hiding in the closet and I heard something like a train coming,” she said under skies still flashing with lightning. The house was flattened and Lay was buried in the rubble for two hours until her husband Kevin, 50, and rescuers dug her out.

“I thank God for my cell phone, I called me husband for help.”

Her daughter Catherine, seven, a first-grader at Plaza Towers Elementary School, took shelter with classmates and teachers in a bathroom when the tornado hit and destroyed the school. She escaped with scrapes and cuts.

The National Weather Service assigned the twister a preliminary ranking of EF4 on the Enhanced Fujita Scale, meaning the second most powerful category of tornado with winds up to 200 mph.

Witnesses said Monday’s tornado appeared more fierce than the giant twister that was among the dozens that tore up the area on May 3, 1999, killing more than 40 people and destroying thousands of homes. That tornado ranked as an EF5, meaning it had winds over 200 mph.

The 1999 event in Oklahoma ranks as the third-costliest tornado in U.S. history, having caused more than $1 billion in damage at the time, or more than $1.3 billion in today’s dollars. Only the devastating Joplin and Tuscaloosa tornadoes in 2011 were more costly.

SCHOOL DESTROYED

The National Weather Service Storm Prediction Center provided the town with a warning 16 minutes before the tornado touched down at 3:01 p.m. (4.01 p.m. EDT), which is greater than the average eight to 10 minutes of warning, said Keli Pirtle, a spokeswoman for the center in Norman, Oklahoma.

The notice was upgraded to emergency warning with “heightened language” at 2:56 p.m., or five minutes before the tornado touched down, Pirtle said.

Television media measured the tornado at more than 2 miles wide, with images showing entire neighborhoods flattened.

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) imposed a temporary flight restriction that allowed only relief aircraft in the area, saying it was at the request of police who needed quiet to search for buried survivors.

Oklahoma activated the National Guard, and the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency activated teams to support recovery operations and coordinate responses for multiple agencies.

Briarwood Elementary School, which also stood in the storm’s path, was all but destroyed. On the first floor, sections of walls had been peeled away, giving clear views into the building; while in other areas, cars hurled by the storm winds were lodged in the walls.

Across the street, people picked through the remains of their homes.

The number of injured as reported by several hospitals rose rapidly throughout the afternoon.

Oklahoma University Medical Center alone was treating 65 patients, 45 of them children, though it was no longer expecting a further mass influx of casualties, spokesman Scott Coppenbarger said.

Moore Medical Center itself sustained significant damage.

“The whole city looks like a debris field,” Glenn Lewis, the mayor of Moore, told NBC.

“It looks like we have lost our hospital. I drove by there a while ago and it’s pretty much destroyed,” Lewis said.

The massive twister struck at the height of tornado season, and more were forecast. On Sunday, tornadoes killed two people and injured 39 in Oklahoma.

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