Gone but never Forgotten

Philadelphia Police Officers and law enforcement representing the tri-state area visited the homes of the families of police officers who were killed in the line of duty on December 23.  Photos will appear in the Northeast Times on December 28.

 Michelle Liczbinski, widow of Sgt. Stephen Liczbinski, greets police officers as they deliver holiday meals to the families of slain police officers.

 Caitlyn McNesby, 12, holds a present for John Pawlowski Jr. as his mother Kim holds him. Pawlowski was 5 months pregnant when her husband John was shot and killed in 2009.

 Patsy McDonald hugs officer Mike Kelly of the Highway Patrol after officers delivered a holiday meal. McDonald's son Patrick was a Highway Patrol officer who was killed in 2008.

Attorney Jimmy Binns thanks police officers after the group of 75 police officers from the tri-state area delivered meals to the families of slain police officers on Friday December 23.

Thanksgiving Day Football

Every year I cover Thanksgiving day football in the Northeast. The weather was great, definitely better than last year's snow. Here are a few shots from the two games that I covered yesterday.

Northeast HS v Central

Father Judge HS v George Washington

Gregory Loper vigil

Gregory Loper was struck and killed by a motorist while he was riding his bike home at the corner of E. Lehigh Avenue and Jasper St. in Kensington. Friends and family organized a vigil on Tuesday November 22 at the site. The Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia placed a "ghost bike" at the corner to remind those who pass by that a person lost his life on the ride home.

Good News!

I'm happy to report that my slideshow on the Philadelphia Veterans Comfort House won first place in the National Press Photographers Association August Multimedia contest!

Thank you to PVCH for all of the work that they do for veterans, to Wallace Presley, Edward Bridges, George Roache, and Frank Tramontano Jr. for sharing their powerful stories, to my editor John Scanlon who was very patient as I worked through the editing process, and to Jesse Leyh, my co-editor and creative partner!

Now I gotta get back to work! :))

js.

PVCH - audio slideshow

In addition to the story, I thought that allowing the guys to tell their stories using their own words would be more powerful than anything I could ever write. So I collected audio from them during my visits to PVCH and put together a slideshow using some of the images I captured for the story. Here are their accounts :

Philadelphia Veterans Comfort House - the story

The Philadelphia Veterans Comfort House (PVCH) is a nonprofit home in West Philadelphia dedicated to aiding veterans who are seeking treatment for cancer at the nearby Philadelphia Veterans Administration Medical Center. In 2010, PVCH expanded its mission to also help homeless veterans who are struggling in their lives. This story was published in the Northeast Times on July 28.

The Sights and Sounds of the West Oak Lane Jazz Festival

Here's the audio slideshow of the West Oak Lane Jazz Festival I did for Newsworks. You can read more about it by clicking here.

West Oak Lane Jazz Festival

I covered the West Oak Lane Jazz Festival for Newsworks this past weekend. I had never been to the event and wasn't too sure what to expect but it was a really fun time and a lot to photograph. I put together an audio slideshow of the festival which I will post in a couple of days. Here's a sneak peek at what I saw:

The crowd feels the music as Howard Hewett performed on stage.

Philadelphia Jazz Heritage Ensemble

Cars lined the streets and neighbors held barbaques as thousands gathered along Ogontz Avenue for the West Oak Lane Jazz Festival. Karen Shinholster, of the 1900 block of 72nd St. keeps an eye on a batch of jerk chicken.
The Persuasions were one of many acts to perform at the West Oak Lane Jazz Festival on Saturday June 18.

Thousands of people came out to sit back, relax and enjoy the music on Saturday.

a few more...

a metro station

Patati Patata - very cute little café, good food, very friendly staff.

Vieux-Montréal

Plus d'images de Montréal

art in the park.

Young girls cooling off outside the Musée d'Art Contemporain de Montréal.

I was amazed by how many phone booths I came across in Montréal, I hardly ever see them in the states. But I only once spotted a person actually using one.

En Vacance á Montréal

Two weeks ago, we were heading to Montréal to spend four awesome days in the francophone city. I had been there over 10 years ago but hardly remembered the experience outside of walking around the old section. This trip back was fantastic and my favorite part was speaking the language again. There is much to see and do and just walking around provides a memorable experience. I highly recommend taking a trip up there, you will not be disappointed! Here are a few of my favorite memories from the trip.

In one of the metro stations, I'm sorry to say I can't remember which one. There were many interesting stations.

In the Latin Quarter, just down the street from our hotel.

My travel partner :)

Very hot day in the park, I was envious.

In one of several record stores we visited on the trip, I can't help myself when I see those security mirrors ;)

Frankford HS v Northeast HS

Frankford crushed Northeast 17-0 today in the Public League playoffs. Here are a few highlights:

Northeast High School's Tyler Layfield (#29)

Frankford's Israel Diaz (#7) scored a three-run homer in the second inning.

Frankford's Rafael Cruz (#23) pitched a shutout against Northeast, defeating the Vikings 17-0 by the third inning.
Frankford's Ricky Alvarez (#1) slides into second base as Northeast High School's John Alford (#2) catches the ball.
Northeast High School shortstop Luis Contreras (#9) reaches for the ball as Frankford's Ricky Alvarez (#1) slides into second base.