Slayings slowed in 2004

Police logged homicides at a steady pace across the city last year, beginning with 15 in the first two weeks of January.

However, South Philadelphia was spared much of the bloodshed of 2004.

First blood in possible biker war

Eleven hours after a high-ranking member of the local chapter of the Hells Angels was shot to death, police commanders were bracing for a possible gang war.

“The message we want to send is we are not going to deal with any sort of retaliation…

Beating back violence

Growing up on the 1900 block of Mifflin Street, Taj Whitaker has seen people get shot. At the tender age of 15, the South Philadelphia High sophomore already has lost three friends to gun violence.

Turning over a new life

When Sami Wylie returned to South Philly High last Thursday, his old basketball coach had a memento to share with him.

From an envelope, George Anderson pulled out the Feb. 16, 1995 edition of the South Philly Review.

The other Reggie White

Reggie White was a great football player; there is no denying it. There is also no denying that he attempted good works off the field.

But in the rush to praise White’s conduct off the field, the local media made him more saint than human. And, like most of us…

The veal deal

Two weeks ago, I dined at Valentino on the Square, where chef John Burke prepared a veal dish that was downright delicious. He pounded thin three pieces of top-quality veal, laid them flat, placed a slice of prosciutto di Parma on top and added a thin slice of fresh mozzarella. The chef then rolled up…

Man shot in local bar

Hours before the Eagles trounced the Vikings, a neighborhood sports bar saw a far more violent display: the shooting of a 27-year-old patron.

The victim was taken to the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania in stable condition after the Sunday shooting, said…

Boyfriend nabbed for gun threat

A 26-year-old man faces assault charges for allegedly threatening to kill his girlfriend at gunpoint.

The victim, also 26, had been sitting outside her home on the 1900 block of McClellan Street early Friday when her beau showed up around 12:35…

Top cat

Marquise Salley enrolled in Bok Tech expecting to learn the plumbing and electrical trades.

But when the school dropped that program, Salley opted to focus on the culinary arts.

The 17-year-old receives his training in the school’s Bok Diner, where he cleans…

Sazon

On Nov. 5, Judith Suzarra-Campbell and her husband Bob Campbell opened Sazon, Philadelphia’s newest South American restaurant, at the corner of Ninth and Spring Garden streets.

Suzarra-Campbell, 37, grew up in Caracas and is a self-taught chef. Campbell, 34, grew up here and met his wife in…