Philadelphia is a city with an inferiority complex. I know. I’ve lived here my entire life.

This usually expresses itself in benign ways. “Even when the Phillies were good (cf. 2007-2011), they never received the respect they deserved,” says a Philadelphia sports radio caller. “They should have kept the nation’s capital here and not moved it to New York and then Washington, D.C.,” says the more civic-minded.

And for the sake of your own health, leave the room immediately if someone from Boston mentions to a Philadelphian that Benjamin Franklin was actually born in that fair city in Massachusetts.

So, yeah, like I said. An inferiority complex.

That is why everyone’s most beloved fake Philadelphian is Rocky Balboa, a tough, hard-scrabble Italian kid from the streets who had to make up for a lack of natural ability by fighting for everything he had. There’s nothing wrong with that, by the way. In fact, there is something ennobling when one must make up for weakness with grit.

Yet for all this, I am somewhat disappointed in my home city.

Everywhere I go, people ask me about Pope Francis’ visit. Many are excited. They want to know if and how I am going to be involved in the World Meeting of Families and the Papal events. Yet apparently these people are putting on a brave face for me because, according to the news, everyone is miserable and jaded about the whole experience. Most people interviewed either seem to be (1) angry about losing money, (2) annoyed about driving restrictions, or (3) happy to inform anyone that will ask that they are getting out of town for the weekend.

Yes, I know: it’s going to be inconvenient. But think about this for a second: Pope Francis is celebrating Mass at Madison Square Garden (MSG) in New York the morning before he gets to Philadelphia. MSG, for those who aren’t up on their Big Apple geography, is located directly above Penn Station, the busiest train station in the United States.

Inconvenient? Perhaps just a bit.

But New York is used to this. They’ve been down this road many times. They know how to be the Capital of the World.

So far, Philadelphia has revealed itself to be the capital of whining.

Nevertheless, I am convinced that in the end, we will show our true colors. Everyone will be perfectly safe. All those who need to give birth will do so safely. Most of all, hundreds of thousands of people will brave the inconveniences to be able to tell their grandchildren that they saw Pope Francis in the shadow of the Rocky steps.

I can’t wait for my home city to breathe a sigh of relief and yell a collective “Yo, Adrian, we did it.”
Because, as we all know, we live in a city known for its hospitality. I just hope Pope Francis isn’t a Mets fan.

***
Eric Banecker is in his fourth year as a seminarian studying for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. A native of Philadelphia, Eric attended Roman Catholic High School and the University of Pennsylvania, where he received a B.A. in English and Classical Studies in May 2011.

Eric Banecker's commentary was first published on Philly.com and later on CatholicPhilly.com.

A popular Main Line Chinese restaurant closed after an infestation of roaches is hoping to regain the trust of its patrons by offering “a sincere apology” about a week after health officials shut the place down.

"We are very, very sorry for the problems which caused the Township to temporarily close our restaurant," read the statement posted to Facebook late Monday that made "no excuses" for what happened.

Radnor Township health officials closed Yangming indefinitely last Tuesday and posted a health citation in the front window that listed "Gross Facility & Equipment Sanitation" and "Insect/Rodent Infestation" as reasons for the closure.

The next day, police could be seen pulling roaches from the restaurant, which was originally closed down briefly on Aug. 14 after a teenage customer twice found a roach in her food.

When officers arrived, "there were roaches that were in plain sight" in the kitchen, said Radnor Police Lt. Andy Block.

"What we found today was deplorable, so imagine what it looked like five days ago when it's still deplorable -- we're pulling out roaches and expired food," said Radnor Police Chief William Colarulo last Tuesday.

"There's grease that's running off from this property into the common sewer area," said Colarulo. "Wherever you look it's just very disturbing, very angering."

Radnor Township manager Robert Zienkowski said the conditions inside the eatery were "totally unacceptable."

On Tuesday, the restaurant told NBC10 that they were still working to get the restaurant reopen and asked that we check back in the next day or two.

The restaurant said they already made tens of thousands of dollars of repairs to their out-of-date HVAC and exhaust systems, to the electrical and plumbing systems, to remove and clean equipment and also made improvements to meet fire regulations.

The eatery, popular among Main Liners and area college students, has a history of praise. In 2011, Yangming beat out about 45,000 other eateries to top Chinese Restaurant News’ “Best Chinese Restaurant” list.

Police didn't expect to file any criminal charges.

A man with an apparent dental hygiene issue is wanted for the robbery of a bank in Philadelphia.

Police say the suspect walked into the Wells Fargo Bank branch in the 2000 block of Market Street about 1:20 p.m. Monday.

He presented a teller a demand note. After obtaining an undisclosed amount of cash, he ran out of the store.

The one thing that stood out to witnesses about the suspect? His teeth.

Witnesses told police the suspect’s bottom front teeth, which had a V-shaped gap, had a "significant amount" of what appeared to be dental plaque.

Anyone with information is urged to contact the FBI at 215-418-4000 or the Philadelphia Police Department.

An 18-year-old woman is among five suspects charged in the shooting death of a Chester County teen.

Collesha Miller, along with Gerald Myers, Byron Stevens, Onray Winfield and Darrell Woodward are accused of luring 17-year-old Cristian Santiago to meet for a drug deal where he ended up shot to death.

Police said Santiago was killed over $30 and a quarter ounce of marijuana.

The body of Santiago was found along a West Chester road on August 20.

"This case is a prime example of a brutal and senseless killing. The victim is dead, leaving behind a grieving family," Chester County District Attorney Tom Hogan said.

Investigators say Miller, Myers, Stevens, Winfield and Woodward are accused of luring Santiago to meet for a drug deal where he ended up shot to death.

Police said Winfield, who was a friend of the victim, set up a meeting with Santiago and Myers to take place at a gas station in West Chester. They said Myers planned to rob Santiago with the help of Woodward and Stevens.

Police said Santiago got into a car with the three men who then drove away.

Santiago was shot at close range in the chest and found along the side of Hillsdale Road in a remote area.

"The defendants are facing murder charges. All over a little marijuana and a few dollars," Hogan said.

All five suspects face murder, robbery and related charges in the case.

"Jackass" star Steve-O will face five criminal charges after he climbed a crane in Hollywood to protest SeaWorld and drew dozens of emergency responders to a construction site earlier this month.

The city of Los Angeles will also seek financial restitution for the cost of the police and fire response, said Frank Mateljan, spokesman for the City Attorney's Office.

Steve-O, whose legal name is Stephen Glover, was charged Monday with one count each of creating a false emergency, use of unregistered fireworks, storing fireworks without a permit, possession of fireworks without a permit, and trespassing, Mateljan said.

The charges stem from the Aug. 9 incident and a subsequent search of Glover's house, he said.

Glover's representative didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

The 41-year-old scrambled up a crane at least 100 feet high on Sunset Boulevard, inflating a large killer whale balloon emblazoned with "SeaWorld Sucks" and lighting fireworks when he reached the top, police said.

Glover, known for his outlandish stunts in the "Jackass" TV show and movies, later climbed down and was taken into custody.

Because the first responders were not sure whether he needed to be rescued, five ambulances, a helicopter and more than 80 firefighters went to the scene, Fire Department spokeswoman Margaret Stewart said the next day.

She said resources were stretched thin because firefighters were called around the same time to rescue the operator of a harbor crane who was stricken with a medical emergency.

Prosecutors are working with police and fire department officials to determine how much restitution will be sought, Meteljan said Tuesday.

Glover's arraignment was set for Aug. 31.

The performer was cited last year for another protest against the theme park. Glover said his demonstrations are in response to controversy over the 2013 documentary "Blackfish," which criticized SeaWorld's treatment of killer whales.
 

A foul odor led to the discovery of three bodies inside a Philadelphia garage Tuesday, police said.

Residents in the Strawberry Mansion section of the city said they noticed a smell coming from an open garage along the 2600 block of W. Hagert Street around 10:45 a.m.

The garage, according to police, is owned by Powell Funeral Home, which is located at 2432 N. 27th Street.

"To see it was open was kind of [strange]," said Corey Cureton. "So I smelled it and noticed there were bodies in there."

Cureton called 911.

When officers arrived, they found three bodies inside the garage. Two of the bodies were in cardboard boxes while one was in a coffin, according to police. Someone from the funeral home told investigators that the victims were in their late 80's and picked up at two different nursing homes, according to a source.

Another funeral home came Tuesday afternoon to remove the body.

Residents told NBC10 the Powell Funeral Home has been closed for about a year. A sign at the funeral home says it's under reconstruction, but instructed people to call for services or information. Windows at the funeral home are missing and headstones are buried under weeds, according to police.

The owner of the home told police she was aware bodies were inside the garage, according to investigators. State records show the owner's license to be a funeral director is valid through next year.

However, the license the business needs to operate expired in 2012.

Residents also told NBC10 the owner of the funeral home is a pillar in the community.

"If you didn't have no money to pay that lady, that lady would do the best she could to set up something for you," said Anita Roberts.

No charges have been filed. Police continue to investigate.

A 50-year-old man who barricaded himself in his New Jersey home for hours, threatening to kill police, after his wife was found stabbed to death in their driveway Tuesday, was airlifted to a hospital in unknown condition after a camera-equipped robot entered his home and found him unconscious.

Police were initially called to the Evergreen Road home of Arthur Haskoor in Plumsted around 10 a.m. after getting a call about a domestic dispute. Arriving officers found Haskoor's 48-year-old wife, Susan, dead in the driveway and a note on the home's front door that indicated there were guns in the home and police would be killed if they tried to enter.

Authorities shut down roads and evacuated schools and libraries as they assessed the situation. The Asbury Park Press reports that about 30 students were pulled out of New Egypt High School, and the Plumsted branch of the Ocean County Public Library was evacuated.

The air space over the scene was also restricted.

The robot entered the home around 2:30 p.m., more than four hours into the stand-off, and found Haskoor unconscious in his garage. His condition wasn't immediately known.

Police say he and his wife had been married for 20 years and had two sons, ages 17 and 18. One of the suspect's sons told authorities his father had at least six weapons in the home.

Prosecutors near the Jersey Shore charged a shotgun-toting man, who they said took matters into his own hands to bring down a drone flying over his neighbor’s home.

The Cape May County Prosecutor's Office charged Russell Percenti with weapons and criminal mischief charges stemming from the September takedown of a drone flying over Seashore Drive in the Erma section of Lower Township.

Lower Township Police said they received a call on Sept. 26, 2014 from the drone’s owner, Leonard Helbig, who said he was flying the device over his friend’s home along the 1000 block of Seashore Drive to gather some aerial photographs of construction being done at the home when the drone suddenly went down.

As the man lost control of his drone, he heard what sounded like several gunshot blasts, said investigators.

When he recovered the drone, the owner found several holes in the device, police said.

When police arrived, the victim pointed them in the direction of where he heard the blasts. Police then went to Percenti’s home. There, officers found the shotgun used to shoot down the drone, police said. 

Officials didn’t say why Percenti allegedly pulled the trigger. He faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted.

Concerns over natural gas on a Philadelphia street has Philadelphia Gas Works replacing a two mile long gas distribution line. The line beneath Grays Ferry Avenue in Center City has been the subject of repeated reports by the NBC 10 Investigators.

Residents reported the latest leak in August.

"One of the joints on a natural gas main in that area had become a little bit loose and some gas had leaked out from that,” PGW spokeswoman Barry O’Sullivan said.

The August leak marked the third time since February the NBC 10 Investigators documented repairs after the smell of gas on Grays Ferry Avenue was reported.

“It took exactly as long as it needed to take,” O’Sullivan said when asked why it took more than six months for PGW to commit to a permanent repair.

PGW’s spokesman said the utility had been monitoring Grays Ferry Avenue every 48 hours since February when the NBC 10 Investigators first asked about the small of gas.

“They go away and they don’t come back until someone gets their attention, like you guys,” Grays Ferry Avenue resident David Biando said.

The Pennsylvania Public Utilities Commission has called Philadelphia’s network of gas lines some of the most fragile in the state. According to the PUC more than 1,500 miles of the system are made of antiquated cast iron. PGW has an 88 year plan to replace all 3,000 miles of its gas network and is preparing a plan to expedite replacement in half that time

“Hopefully these major issues are on PGW’s radar and it’s a high priority for them because as soon as it’s brought to the PUC’s attention it is a high priority,” PUC spokeswoman Robin Tilley said.

PGW says the city’s overall gas network has been and continues to be safely operated and maintained.

Some Cape May City residents are outraged after dozens of bikes on the boardwalk promenade were impounded by city workers.

“They had these huge pliers this big,” said Arina Foggen who was visiting Cape May from Washington DC on Monday. “They just started snipping the locks off.”

As Foggen and her family left the beach Monday on Decatur Avenue at the boardwalk promenade, city workers cut the locks to 30 bikes that were chained to the promenade fence.  They were then hauled off to the West Cape May police annex.

“They were putting them in the back of a pickup truck and taking them away and they were labeled Cape May City trucks,” said Sharon McBride, who was also visiting from Washington, DC. “I think it’s very unfortunate and not in the spirit of a beach town that should promote riding bikes and tourism.”

Branden Smith, a 13-year-old Cape May resident, told NBC10 his bike was among the impounded.

“We ran down here and our bikes were in there and we were like, ‘What are you doing with our bikes?’ The cop said, ‘You’re not allowed to leave them up there.’ They never gave us a warning or anything,” Smith said.

Smith told NBC10 he locked his bike on the promenade because the street level racks were full. He eventually got his bike back.

Cape May officials say there is a city ordinance which bans bikes from being locked and left on the promenade between May 1 and October 31 except between the hours of 4 to 10 a.m.

Riders who leave their bikes there must pay a $100 summons though they have an opportunity to fight it in court. Residents argue that there are no visible warnings however. While signs on the promenade make it clear that riding bikes is only permissible until 10 a.m. nowhere is it clearly posted that you can’t park or lock your bicycles there.

“It says nothing about not parking your bike on the ramp,” said Mary Lou Comber of Cape May. “It says no bike riding so we don’t ride our bikes.”

Cape May City Manager Bruce Macleod said some bikes posed a public safety hazard because they were chained to signs and park benches while some handle bars blocked entrance ramps to the promenade. Macleod admits however the ordinance isn’t always enforced.

“When I spotted the bikes attached to the park bench maybe that’s the thing that got my attention,” Macleod said.

Comber told NBC10 her daughter, who is handicapped, as well as her son-in-law had their bikes confiscated after they fastened them to a promenade rail.

“That’s just ridiculous,” Comber said. “He left kids stranded, he took the lifeguards’ bicycles, the beach workers’, the Steger boys’.  Anyone that was there, snap, snap, snap!”

Macleod meanwhile insists that the ordinance is a fair one.

“I don’t apologize for the city taking some action to remove bikes that are attached to a park bench or railing that supports access to the promenade,” he said.

Comber says her daughter and son-in-law plan to fight the $100 summons during a court appearance on September 16.

“The fine is $100 for each bike,’ Comber said. “That’s enough, isn’t it? For an un-posted law.”
 

A group of counterfeiters used faux $100 bills to buy expensive electronics – including highly-coveted Beats by Dr. Dre headphones – from box stores in at least two states then later returned the goods for full cash refunds, said police.

The scheme played out in at least 14 Walmart, Target and Home Depot stores from Lancaster County, Pennsylvania to Warren County, New Jersey, said Bethlehem (Pennsylvania) police. Surveillance video captured one "purchase" at a Hanover Township, Pennsylvania Target store on July 12, said police.

Investigators said the men would use faux $100s to buy the electronics and take real money as change. The men would then go to another box store where they would return the goods for a full, real, cash refund, said investigators.

"They're buying merchandise and then they're going out of town, usually, to another store and returning those items for a full refund," said Bethlehem Police Sgt. Rick Blake.

Police nabbed two New York men but Bethlehem police said two others caught on surveillance video remained at large Tuesday.

The total amount of money netted from the scheme could top $10,000.

Many of the stores getting hit didn't use the marker pen, said investigators.

Police asked anyone who thinks they might have fake money to take it to a bank or local police.

Authorities found five jewelry boxes containing hundreds of pieces of stolen jewelry in the home of a woman who has run a residential cleaning business in New Jersey for more than 10 years, police said.

Migdalia Morales, of New Brunswick, was arrested last week on burglary and theft charges. Authorities found the boxes of jewelry after they arrested her for allegedly stealing from a client's home in Old Bridge.

Morales and her daughter run the business, called Migdalia's Cleaning Service, together and have clients in Middlesex and Somerset counties.

The daughter was not arrested. It wasn't immediately clear if her mother had retained an attorney.

Anyone who has used Morales' cleaning service can contact detectives at (732) 247-0922 ext. 313.

Friends and family are mourning a Temple University law school graduate who was found shot to death in a car in the parking lot of a Delaware business Monday night.

Police were called to the parking lot of Genesis Healthcare on the 100 block of St. Claire Drive in Hockessin around 7 p.m. The caller told police a 2007 black Audi A8 was sitting in the parking lot for an unusually long time. Responding police officers found the body of a man, later identified as 27-year-old Shazim Uppal of Hockessin, in the driver’s seat.

Investigators determined Uppal died from gunshot wounds to the upper torso. Police also said he was last seen driving the Audi in the Pine Creek area Sunday between 10 p.m. and 11 p.m.

Uppal had just graduated from Temple University's Beasley School of Law in July, according to a school spokesperson.

Uppal also attended Masjid Isa Ibn-e-Maryam, a mosque located in Newark, Delaware. Members of the mosque expressed their condolences on the official Facebook page.

Salatul Janazah, an Islamic funeral prayer, will be held for Uppal Wednesday at 1:10 p.m. at Masjid Ibrahim on 28 Salem Church Road, Newark, Delaware. The prayer will be followed by a burial at Philadelphia Memorial Park on 124 Phoenixville Pike in Frazer, Pennsylvania.

After the burial, a Dua will take place at Masjid Isa Ibn-e-Maryam on 698 Old Baltimore Pike in Newark, Delaware between 6:30 and 8:30 p.m.

Police continue to investigate. If you have any information, please call the New Castle County Police Department, Criminal Investigations Unit at (302) 395-8110.

A man is fighting for his life after he was shot in the head while driving in Philadelphia Tuesday night.

The 29-year-old man was driving on the 800 block of East Woodlawn Avenue at 6:04 p.m. when a gunman opened fire. The man was struck once in the head and crashed his vehicle on the 900 block of East Woodlawn. He ran out of the vehicle and collapsed to the ground.

He was taken by police to Einstein Hospital where he is currently in critical condition.

Footage from SkyForce10 showed one car on top of another at the scene of the shooting. No arrests have been made.
 

Police are investigating a string of burglaries near Drexel University.

Three burglaries occurred Saturday between 6 a.m. and 8 a.m. at apartments on the 3200 block of Powelton Avenue and a home on the 3200 block of Summer Street. Police say the burglar or burglars entered through an unlocked window and unlocked door and stole electronics, backpacks and jewelry.

Two more burglaries occurred on Monday between 8:55 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. at an apartment house on the 300 block of N. 33rd Street. Police say the apartments were entered by force and a second floor hallway door was propped open.

Drexel Police and Drexel Security have increased their patrols in the area. All residents are advised to lock their doors and windows and refrain from leaving doors to common areas propped open.

If you have any information on the thefts, please call the Drexel Police Department at 215.895.2222 or call 911.