A former marine was fatally shot steps from his Brooklyn apartment in an attempted robbery by a group of teens, his family and police said.
Alexander Manning, who served for his country for eight years, was shot in East Flatbush on Sunday when he resisted being mugged by four teens, his family told the Daily News Thursday.
The 52-year-old was suffering from multiple gunshot wounds to his torso when officers arrived at East 52nd Street near Winthrop Avenue, police said. He was transported to Kings County Hospital where he was pronounced dead.
“He was a Marine before he became a Marine,” his sister, Olivia Manning told the Daily News. “At 12 years old, he said ‘I’m the man of the house.’ Just from a young age, he stepped up.”
Manning was a Philadelphia native who made a living in New York City renting properties, the Daily News reported.
There have been no arrests in the case and an investigation is ongoing, police said.
After months of construction, preparation and working out the menu, the first ball has rolled at Philly’s newest entertainment venue.
South Bowl, with its various bowling lanes, billiard tables, brick oven pizza oven, roof deck and multiple bars opened quietly Tuesday on E. Oregon Avenue, in the shadow of Interstate 95 in South Philadelphia.
On Thursday, the new spot from the people behind North Bowl in Northern Liberties, made it official on Facebook: "Hey Philadelphia! Our doors are officially OPEN and we can’t wait to meet you!!”
The most noticeable feature of the 25,000-square foot, two-story structure is the vaulted ceiling that covers most of the main bowling area. Owners said everything from European architecture to Philly attitude went into the building's design.
During construction, co-owner Oron Daskal told NBC10 about the vibe he hoped to create in the old tomato-packing warehouse:
"We planned on making this a green oasis in the middle of the concrete,” said Daskal.
South Bowl came to fruition nine years after Daskal and his father opened North Bowl along 2nd Street in then still emerging NoLibs. Since then, North Bowl has become a very popular spot for 20-somethings and beyond, hosting leagues on most weeknights and plenty of private events — with its fair share of regulars.
“We want to be like North Bowl where this is like an everyday joint for people — people come to bowl, people come to the bar, people enjoy our employees. It’s a community to itself.”
But don’t expect South Bowl to simply be North Bowl south.
“North Bowl will always be our sweet little home … but this is the next step for us,” said Daskal. “This is defiantly a bit more of a sports environment than North Bowl. We’re close to the stadiums, we hope this is going to be a stop off on the way to games.”
And Daskal hopes the venue — with 26 lanes spread out in three different areas — can be a place for families from South Philadelphia and surrounding neighborhoods to go as well — even maybe for a birthday party or two.
Daskal said, that like North Bowl, where the place became about more than just tots, that South Bowl offers some different dining options as well, including brick-oven pizza.
“We like pizza,” he said with a smile.
Though the lanes are open to bowling and the bar is open to revelers, there is still one item being worked out: the sign outside.
Using some creativity and a little bit of elbow grease, “Thomas Colace Co.” will become “South Bowl” and be visible from I-95 in the coming days.
South Bowl is open this weekend each day until 2 a.m.
Maya Rigler, the 10-year-old from Montgomery County, Pennsylvania battling cancer for the second time, has got a big name rooting her on: Mayim Bialik.
The 39-year-old actress, known for her role as Blossom on the 90s sitcom of the same name and as Dr. Amy Farrah Fowler on "The Big Bang Theory," took to Twitter and Facebook sharing the girl's fight. She also asked fans to help the Bryn Mawr girl raise money for Alex's Lemonade Stand.
Maya has an orange-sized tumor on her pancreas formed by a rare type of cancer called atypical Ewing's sarcoma. Doctors must shrink the tumor before they can remove it. The girl already fought and won a fight against a Wilms tumor on her kidney when she was 2-years-old.
Despite her own the health scare, Maya is working to help other kids like her by raising $100,000 for pediatric cancer research.
NBC10 told Maya's story on Wednesday and less than 24 hours later, donations to her virtual fundraising stand jumped by more than $10,000.
Donations listed on the website ranged in amounts -- $3 from one man, $500 from a rabbi.
"If everyone tells one friend and they donate the same amount of money, then we could get $100,000," she said.
One local morning show got a breath of fresh air while visiting Philadelphia's tallest building.
The 'Preston and Steve Show,' featuring comical morning DJs Preston Elliot and Steve Morrison, were invited to take a tour of the Comcast Center by clients in conjunction with a lunch meeting about their new products, according to Marisa Magnatta, an associate producer for the show.
The team ended up getting a special tour of the rooftop and they posted the unique experience to their YouTube and Instagram accounts Thursday morning.
The video features a truly fascinating look at the City of Brotherly Love from a vantage point few have ever seen. The Comcast Center sits just west of city hall and looks out to the northwest down the historical Ben Franklin Parkway.
The skyscraper does not have an observational tower, so this was an exclusive get for two of the city's premiere voices. Naturally, they put their own little twist on things by jumping up and trying to set the nonexistent record for height above ground in Philadelphia.
Some other sights from their trip include the winding Schuylkill River along I-76, the Rocky Steps leading up to the Museum of art and other skyscrapers in Center City.
Comcast is the parent company of NBC10.
In a story of hope and despair, a city’s long-forgotten glory and subsequent downfall are depicted from the perspective of six teens who are proud of Camden’s illustrious past yet still face an uncertain future created by the geography of their hometown.
“It is not just about us students,” said Kimel Hadden, one of the Camden Center for Youth Development pupils who worked on the documentary, "Camden Love Hate." “It is about the people who come after us. The people who may not know anything about this film but who could be helped by it.”
Hadden, 22, and his five classmates worked with filmmakers Daniel Meirom and Ron Lipsky from 2009 to 2011. The students interviewed people who work in the city, drug addicts, the homeless, neighbors, friends, family members and others, asking what they knew about the city’s past.
“It is a two part journey,” said Meirom 39. “You learn about the students and their lives and struggle and the second is you learn about the history of the city.”
While learning how to operate cameras, and lighting and audio equipment, the students discovered Camden was once an industrial hub, home to record manufacturing firm RCA Victor and the New York Shipbuilding Corporation. They found out Camden was home to the country’s first drive-in movie theater and about noteworthy residents like Walt Whitman.
“People always say how Camden used to be. It used to be this and it used to be that,” said Hadden, who learned many of his hometown’s milestones through filming. “Knowing the history of Camden and how good it was back in the day, I know I can’t do it all by myself but it only takes one person to start change.”
Hadden’s outlook is what Meirom hopes others take away from the documentary.
“Hopefully we will get the attention to our students and Camden itself,” said Meirom, who called "Camden Love Hate" the most important project of his 17 years in television and film production.
“A lot of films show you success stories that come out of horrible situations,” explained Meirom, who is currently raising funds for final postproduction editing and festival submissions. “In our film, students are still struggling to get a better life.”
Of Meirom’s six students, one is now in prison. Another found out their friend, who was interviewed for the documentary, had been murdered before they finished shooting.
“You want to hope that everything you do will help your students, but after you are done filming they have to go back to their reality,” he explained. “They can be the most talented and smart kids, but reality could pull you in the wrong direction.”
“It gives the realization,” added Hadden, “that just because you do something positive doesn’t mean everything will be positive after.”
Hadden, who currently works at a center that assists people with disabilities, said he wants to go back to school for fashion. Aside from his goal to eventually launch his own clothing line, he has hopes for his city’s future too.
“I hope many other people can get into this documentary, not just for my city but for other cities just like mine,” he said. “People can see Camden has a lot of great things in it. You just have to come here and see it.”
