Comcast Cofounder Who Helped Build Cable Giant In Philly Dies After $20M Gift
A Philadelphia cable television pioneer who helped build Comcast and recently joined his wife in giving $20 million to the city’s art museum has died, the company announced Friday, Nov. 6.
Julian A. Brodsky died Thursday, Nov. 5, at 93, according to Comcast’s announcement.
“Julian was an extraordinary leader, a brilliant financial mind, and one of the architects of cable television,” Comcast Chairman Brian L. Roberts said.
Brodsky and Daniel Aaron helped Ralph Roberts build the company following the 1963 purchase of American Cable Systems, a cable operation serving 1,200 subscribers in Tup…
Missing Philly Girl, 10, Found Dead In NJ Car Trunk Had Signs Of Long-Term Abuse: DA
A 10-year-old Pennsylvania girl who vanished from her foster home more than a week ago was found dead inside the trunk of a car in South Jersey, with bruising and scars suggesting a history of abuse, authorities announced Thursday, Nov. 5.
Malayshia Alford's foster mother, Caprice Williams, 36, has been charged with murder, abuse of a corpse, and several other related offenses, Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner announced during a Thursday evening news conference.
The child's remains were discovered by Philadelphia police in Linwood, located in Atlantic County, following an invest…
Josh Shapiro Projected To Win Second Term As Pennsylvania Governor
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro is projected to win a second term, defeating Republican challenger Stacy Garrity in the closely watched battleground state, according to NBC News.
The Democratic incumbent was marked as the projected winner Tuesday night, Nov. 3, with approximately 6.8% of the expected vote counted.
At that point, Shapiro had 294,225 votes, or 81.4%, compared with Garrity’s 64,590 votes, or 17.9%. Ken Krawchuk had 2,826 votes, or 0.8%.
Those early returns do not represent the final margin of victory, with millions of ballots still expected to be counted.
First elected govern…
Liberty Bell Vandalized: Coated With Oily Substance By Ephrata Woman; Ring Attempted, Feds Say
A Pennsylvania woman splashed an oily substance onto the Liberty Bell and a North Carolina man pushed the historic landmark until it swayed during a visit to Philadelphia, federal prosecutors said.
Dawn Hawa, also known as Dawn Benitez, 50, of Ephrata, and Sean Gerlach, 50, of Fairview, North Carolina, were each charged by information in connection with the incident, U.S. Attorney David Metcalf announced on Monday, Nov. 2.
The pair visited the Liberty Bell Center with others on or about May 16, 2026, according to court filings described by the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Gerlach jumped over th…
Sleeping Truckers Targeted In Back-To-Back PA Meat Heists; 3,000 Pounds Of Crab Stolen
Two truck drivers were asleep in their cabs when thieves struck just two days apart in Philadelphia, making off with 3,000 pounds of frozen snow crab and approximately $10,000 worth of beef, according to police.
The latest theft happened around 4:12 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 29, when a driver sleeping inside his tractor-trailer awoke to find people stealing cargo in the 5200 block of Devereaux Avenue in Northeast Philadelphia, police said.
The thieves had cut the padlock on the rear of the trailer and removed five pallets of beef valued at approximately $10,000, according to the Philadelphia Poli…
From South Korea To Baltimore: 15 Charged In Massive Meth, Party Drug Pipeline, Feds Say
More than a dozen men are facing charges for their alleged roles in an international drug pipeline that funneled narcotics from California and South Korea into Maryland and DC, federal authorities say.
Three Baltimore men are among 15 facing charges after investigators seized hundreds of pounds of methamphetamine and massive quantities of a dangerous party drug that were destined for customers on the East Coast, according to the US Attorney's Office.
Rene Alexander Acosta, 33, Javier Gomez-Franco, 48, and Robert David Fitch, 40, were charged earlier this year. Gomez-Franco also faces a…
Nearly $3M Home Depot, Lowe’s Theft Ring Hit Pennsylvania, 18 Other States: Montco DA
A theft ring targeting Home Depot, Lowe’s, and other retailers caused nearly $3 million in losses across 19 states — including New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York, Maryland, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Virginia — authorities announced on Tuesday, Oct. 27.
Eight men have been arrested and a ninth is wanted after investigators uncovered a network of more than 30 people handling thefts, transportation, storage, and resale of stolen merchandise, Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele and Philadelphia Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel said.
The group committed hundreds of thefts begi…
PA Police Officer Shot 12 Times Released From Hospital Weeks After Partner Killed In Ambush
A Philadelphia police officer who was shot 12 times in an attack that killed his partner was released from the hospital Saturday, Oct. 24, receiving a standing ovation from more than 100 fellow officers, medical personnel, and loved ones.
Officer Hector Rodriguez III, 33, was wheeled out of Penn Presbyterian Medical Center two weeks after he and Officer Shane Seiber, 40, were shot while responding to a call in West Philadelphia on Saturday, Oct. 10, as Daily Voice previously reported.
Rodriguez placed his hand over his heart as officers, hospital staff, and loved ones applauded his release.…
Phone-Distracted Trucker Killed New York Dad, 2 Kids On PA Turnpike: Lancaster County DA
A truck driver distracted by his phone when he killed a New York father and his two children on the Pennsylvania Turnpike has been sentenced to state prison, prosecutors announced on Friday, Oct. 23.
Santos M. Valentin, 31, of Philadelphia, was sentenced Tuesday, Oct. 13, to three years minus three days to 12 years in prison by Judge Todd Brown, the Lancaster County District Attorney said.
The crash killed Donnell Hickson, 43, of Baldwin, Long Island his 18-year-old son, Decir Hickson, and his 11-year-old daughter on Sunday, July 21, 2024, as Daily Voice previously reported.
A Lancaster Co…
Uber Driver Left PA Dad In Road Before Tractor-Trailer Ran Him Over: Montgomery County DA
An Uber driver struck a 29-year-old Pennsylvania father and left him lying in the road, where a tractor-trailer then ran him over, authorities announced on Tuesday, Oct. 20.
Ricardo Jerry “Ricky” Baptiste, of Drexel Hill, died following the crash on West Germantown Pike near Whitehall Road in East Norriton Township on Sunday, Sept. 6, according to the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office.
Andy Nunez Vasquez, 43, of Philadelphia, has been arrested in connection with the fatal hit-and-run, District Attorney Kevin Steele and East Norriton Police Chief Matthew Brannen announced.
Office…
3 Pennsylvania Schools Locked Down, Evacuated After Threats From Same Caller: Police
Three Philadelphia schools were placed on lockdown or evacuated after threats believed to have come from the same caller on Friday morning, Oct. 16, police said.
The threats targeted Masterman School, the School of the Future, and Benjamin Franklin High School, prompting precautionary security measures and police responses at all three locations, according to Philadelphia Police Officer Tanya Little.
At Masterman School, located at 1699 Spring Garden Street, a lockdown began around 8:30 a.m. The school was cleared by police at 9:31 a.m.
Benjamin Franklin High School, at 550 North Broad Str…
PA Stabbing Victim, Accused Killer ID'd After SWAT Barricade Standoff (Update)
The victim and accused killer in a fatal West Philadelphia stabbing that sparked a SWAT barricade standoff have been identified, police announced Friday, Oct. 16.
Mark Burton, 53, was stabbed multiple times in the unit block of North Edgewood Street on Thursday morning, Oct. 15, according to Philadelphia Police Department spokesperson Officer Tanya Little.
Marvis Davis, 52, who lives on the same block, has been charged with murder and related offenses in Burton's killing, Little said.
Officers from the 19th District responded to a report of a person with a weapon around 9:03 a.m. and found…
Abington Army Veteran, SEPTA Bus Driver Gunned Down On Route, Killer Sentenced
A 24-year-old Philadelphia woman who shot and killed a U.S. Army veteran while he was driving a SEPTA bus has been sentenced nearly three years after the murder that left a family grieving and prompted calls for stronger protections for public transit workers.
Zhontay Capers was sentenced to 32½ to 67 years in state prison on Friday, Oct. 9, for the Oct. 26, 2023, murder of Bernard Nicholas Gribbin, 48, of Abington, Pennsylvania, according to Philadelphia County court documents obtained by Daily Voice on Saturday, Oct. 10.
Gribbin, a 12-year SEPTA employee and Army combat veteran originally…
Philadelphia Officer, Dad Shane Seiber, Killed In Ambush; Eric Lewis Charged With Murder
A Philadelphia police officer and father of two young children was killed and another officer was wounded during a struggle with a gunman on a West Philadelphia porch early Saturday, Oct. 10, police said.
Officer Shane Seiber, 40, a 10-year veteran of the Philadelphia Police Department and U.S. Air Force veteran, was pronounced dead at 9:04 a.m. at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center, according to police.
Eric Lewis, 35, was taken into custody following a SWAT response and faces charges of murder, attempted murder, and numerous related offenses, police said.
The Philadelphia police released n…
Machete-Wielding Robber Stabs Man In Head, Shoulder, Hand In Pennsylvania: Police
A 40-year-old man was stabbed in the head, shoulder, and hand by a machete-wielding stranger who attempted to rob him on a Philadelphia street Wednesday afternoon, Oct. 7, police said.
The attack happened along the 2900 block of Mutter Street in the city's Fairhill neighborhood around 3:05 p.m., according to the Philadelphia Police Department.
Officers from the 25th District responded to reports of a stabbing and found the man suffering from three wounds — one to the top of his head, another to his left shoulder, and a third to his left hand, police said.
Officers rushed the victim to Temp…
