In a world of first-round draft picks and huge signing bonuses, one local Philly athlete is working hard to make it big with the Philadelphia Eagles.
Rasheed Bailey grew up in Philadelphia, in the Abbotsford Home Projects of Roxborough. He played football at Roxborough High, where he excelled at tight end.
“I feel like, you know, me growing up in these streets, every time I step onto that field, I feel that passion in my heart,” Bailey said. “I feel my city, I hear that ‘fly Eagles fly’ song in my head. It’s a part of me.”
Bailey ended up playing football at a small Division III college, Delaware Valley University. The Aggies have an enrollment of under 2,000 students, and student-athletes are given the option to participate in more than one sport, something that is almost entirely nonexistent in Division I.
At Delaware Valley, Bailey led all of Division III in receiving yards in 2015 after transitioning from a tight end to a wide receiver. His superb stats got his name on the back of an Eagles Jersey, signed as an undrafted free agent.
Bailey hopes that he can use this opportunity to not only play in the NFL, but maybe even get a shot with his beloved hometown team. He knows it’s a long shot to make the team, but he welcomes the challenge.
“That’s what, you know, Philly is all about,” Bailey added. “Rocky Balboa, all those guys, that chip on your shoulder, fighting to the last breath. I wanna be that guy.”
Eagles quarterback Mark Sanchez is known for hosting offseason workouts in San Diego, and he always invites many of the team’s running backs and wide receivers. Bailey was invited, and he’s hoping to make the most of his chance.
International convenience store giant 7-Eleven will celebrate its 88th birthday Saturday by giving away its signature frozen treat, the Slurpee, for free.
Anyone who shops at one of the convenience store's United States locations on July 11 between 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. will be able to get a small Slurpee for free.
The giveaway is the beginning of 7Rewards Week, a campaign launched in 2014 to follow-up the store's July 11 celebration. This year, customers who purchase a coffee, iced coffee, Slurpee or Big Gulp on any of the six days following "7/11" will be able to get a 7-Select food or drink under $2 for free, according to the company's Facebook page.
Customers must also scan the 7-Eleven app in order to receive these freebies from July 12-July 18.
Previously, the free Slurpee came in a smaller size (7.11 oz), but since 2013, the company has offered 12 oz. Slurpees on 7-Eleven Day.
More than seven out of every 10 minimum wage jobs in Pennsylvania belong to women, according to a story posted to Forbes on Wednesday.
Only two states, Louisiana and Arkansas, have a higher proportion of women in low-paying jobs than Pennsylvania, according to the National Women's Law Center.
Pennsylvania's minimum wage is $7.25, the lowest allowed by the federal government.
A Philadelphia School District bus was booted and immobilized in West Philadelphia Thursday morning.
An NBC10 viewer snapped a few pictures of the school bus on the corner of 52nd and Pine Streets.
A ticket on the bus' front windshield revealed the bus was booted at 11:11 on Wednesday morning.
The bus' front door was swung open, and there was a big yellow boot on the front left tire.
The Philadelphia School District did not respond to calls regarding the booted bus as of Thursday afternoon.
We did find out from the Philadelphia Parking Authority [PPA] that vehicles with three or more unpaid parking tickets or red light tickets are eligible to be booted after their owners receive a series of notices.
Once a vehicle is booted, it will be towed within 72 hours if the owner doesn't settle up with the PPA.
After introducing her wife to the community, fired teacher Margie Winters received a standing ovation.
In that moment, Winters realized that something good can always come from something bad.
More than 200 families from Waldron Mercy Academy gathered at Jack's Firehouse in Fairmount on Wednesday night to show their support and gratitude for Winters, who had been an educator at the local Catholic school for eight years.
Winters, who was forced to leave the school for her gay marriage, said the experience made her feel like there had been a death in the family. Winters was baffled when she was called to the principals’ office and forced to resign from her position, noting that the whole ordeal made her head spin.
When Waldron administration hired Winters, it was aware of her homosexuality and told her to keep the information just within the faculty.
“I was advised to be open with the teachers and the community there, but to be quiet with the parents,” Winters said.
According to Winters, her relationship with partner, Andrea Winters, did not seem to bother the administration until a marriage license came into the picture. She believes that a parent who was upset with a school curriculum decision went to the administration about Winters’ gay marriage and contacted the Archdioceses of Philadelphia.
In a meeting with Waldron’s principal shortly after, Winters received an ultimatum: to resign from the position or be fired. If she refused, the archdiocese would have become involved, seeking to strip the school of its catholic identity.
However, many members of the faculty were saddened by Winters’ departure. In fact, Winters and the principal were both overwhelmed with emotion during the meeting and struggled with the decision.
Even after news of her marriage spread across the school community, Winters continued to receive an overwhelming amount of encouragement. The support she has been receiving is contagious, as she accumulated 5,000 likes on her Facebook page in one day.
Winters also mentioned that her faith has deepened. In the wake of Pope’s Francis’ visit in September, Winters is hoping to have a face-to-face meeting with the Pontiff, so he can get the chance to know Winters and her spouse and talk about this important issue.
“Jesus said ‘you will know my disciples by the fruit,” Andrea Winters said. “I would say ‘look at the fruit of our lives.”
Both Margie and Andrea are eagerly awaiting the Pope’s Visit, ready and willing to share their story.
The Philadelphia Police Department has opened an internal affairs investigation into an April arrest after video surfaced showing mostly white officers repeatedly punching and kicking the black suspect.
The department launched its inquiry into the forceful apprehension of 22-year-old Tyree Carroll on Thursday, a day after a political commentator who chronicles police conduct posted the video to YouTube. It has been viewed nearly 33,000 times.
The department said it is working to gather facts and identify all officers shown in the five-minute clip. So far, none has been reassigned or taken off the street, a police spokesman said.
Lawyer Berto Elmore, who agreed to represent Carroll after a friend sent him the video, said he was frightened and upset by the officers' conduct.
"Arrest somebody. You don't have to beat him like that. You don't have to keep punching and punching and punching,'' Elmore told The Associated Press. "I'm at a loss. These guys get handcuffed and still get beat.''
The president of Philadelphia's police union did not return a telephone message Thursday.
Mayor Michael Nutter said Thursday afternoon he had not yet viewed the video. He said any complaint about officer conduct "will be taken very, very seriously.''
The Philadelphia District Attorney's office said it normally does not enter a police conduct case until internal affairs completes its investigation. Occasionally, spokesman Cameron Kline said, internal affairs may ask prosecutors to empanel a grand jury or provide other assistance.
The video of Carroll's arrest has reignited criticism of the Philadelphia police Department, which has had more than 400 officer-involved shootings since 2007. They include one last December in which the department changed its original story that the man killed was reaching into his car for a gun.
The police department said Thursday that preliminary information about Carroll's arrest showed he had fought with plainclothes officers who stopped him just before midnight on April 3 for a suspected drug violation.
Police said he had crack cocaine _ less than a quarter-once _ in his possession at the time.
"These are all allegations that always come up,'' Elmore said. "Like that has something to do with being beaten. What relevance does that have to police behavior?''
Carroll bit one officer in the thigh, hand and arm and another on the forearm, police said. They were treated at a hospital for bleeding bite wounds and released, police said.
Several more waves of officers arrived _ about two-dozen in all, according to the video. Some are shown striking Carroll with their hands and feet and cursing at him. He is heard yelling for his grandmother. At one point, an officer is heard saying, "Here comes the Taser,'' but police said Thursday there was no indication one was used.
"Since when does it take that many police officers for one young man? He's not packing. He's unarmed. He's not running. He's lying on the ground saying, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry,''' Jasmyne Cannick, the Los Angeles-based political commentator who posted the video, said. "It was like some kind of team sport was taking place in that video, and Tyree Carroll was the ball.''
Cannick said Carroll's family sent her the video.
Police said Thursday that officers completed use-of-force reports at the time of Carroll's arrest "indicating the strikes and control holds'' they used. Despite that, Cannick said, the department appeared to take no action until the video appeared online.
"It's videos like this that give all cops a bad rap,'' she said.
After Carroll was subdued and placed in a police vehicle, police said he intentionally banged his head against the protective shield. He was treated at a hospital for unspecified injuries and released into police custody.
A judge last month ordered Carroll to stand trial on charges stemming from the arrest, including drug possession, aggravated assault and resisting arrest. He remains jailed, court records show.
Elmore said Carroll still is in pain.
"It's frightening for an African-American male because at any time we can be that individual getting beat,'' he said. "It doesn't matter if you're a doctor, a lawyer or Barney the bum.''
