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Businesses Struggle During Pope Visit

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With as many as 1.5 million people estimated to have passed through Philadelphia during this week's World Meeting of Families conference and papal visit, one would expect for business to be booming.

But all types of businesses, from restaurants and bars to clothing shops and even dollar stores in the city say they found it hard to make a buck during the Pope's visit.

"We have been suffering big time," Dollar-o-Mart Plus Dollar Store owner Asghar Ansari said. "We stocked an additional $4,000 to $5,000 in product, like chargers, batteries and food items; things we thought people would need. But the only thing selling is the Pope stuff."

Several other business owners along Chestnut, Walnut and Samson Streets say they also stocked additional product in anticipation of large crowds of customers only to see it go to waste.

Mark DeNinno, owner of Chris' Jazz Cafe at 1421 Samson Street, said he was left with mounds of extra produce that he had to ask his business neighbor The Union League of Philadelphia to store in their refrigerators and freezers when he ran out of space.

"We did maybe 10 percent of the amount of business we would normally do on a weekend," DeNinno said. "There was a jumbotron right outside of our doors and thousands of people passed by but none of them came in. I think people just had an agenda to get from point A to point B without making stops."

Philly Cupcake sales associate Silvia Pulido said they baked a lot of extra cupcakes that weren't purchased. On Sunday, after few customers stopped in, the store closed early.

Some stores like the CLC bookstore on Chestnut Street decided to close for the entire weekend. Others tried all sorts of measures, from making special orders to offering special menus and extended hours of operation, all to no avail.

Nana Goldberg, owner of the I. Goldberg Army & Navy store said her store placed special orders for additional Argentinian flags and ponchos, hoping visitors would need them, but it never rained and very few people stopped in to purchase flags or anything else.

"We did so many things to prepare and all of it seemed to go to waste," Goldberg said. "Our biggest disappointment was that the weather is perfect for people to buy the items we sell, like flannels and jackets, we even have all of the country flags, but once Friday came it was a ghost town and no one was shopping."

The Lucky Ducks?

Being close to the action is usually a guarantee for additional business during an event as large as the papal visit. But even businesses as close as Reading Terminal Market say there was nothing lucky about this weekend's events.

"It's been terrible," Drew Shattuck Manager at Tommy Dinic's said. "We saw very few regulars or tourists. It was definitely not what we were expecting after the mayor told us to prepare for an additional million people."

Michael Murray, co-owner of The Tubby Olive shop in Reading Terminal Market called it a separation of business and church.

"I just don't think the people were here for shops like ours. They were here for the Pope, and that's okay," he said.

There were a few businesses, like Fergie's Pub on Samson St. that said the papal visit didn't have a negative impact at all.

"We had a solid weekend of business," Fergie's bartender Jim McNamara said. "I can't complain."

Milkboy also fared well this weekend. Server Renee Blitman says the location of the cafe had a lot to do with it.

"Fortunately, we're in a good location because we're right across the street from Jefferson Hospital. They had a lot of staff stuck in there over the weekend so we opened up early to accommodate them and we were packed," Blitman said.

Who's At Fault?

The consensus among some business owners is that the City put too many restrictions in place and scared away most of the city's residents and businesses' regular customers. JP Boles, owner The Ugly Moose in Manayunk, called the papal visit an absolute disaster for business owners.

"I'm calling it the aPOPEalypse. It's not about making a profit off the Pope, its really about maintaining your business and paying your bills. It certainly should not have been about scaring everybody away, but that's what the City did," Boles said.

Boles said there was nothing business owners could have done differently, but he did have a few recommendations for the City.

"I could have had Donald Trump bartending for me Friday and Saturday, it wouldn't have made a difference; the people just weren't there. If I were the City, I wouldn't have started this whole thing by telling people to stay home, not to drive their cars. I wouldn't have been as alarmist as they were, but it's too late now."

Stefan Sklaroff, owner of Cella Luxuria furniture store mirrored Boles' opinion, and said he was sad that the papal visit didn't go as he expected.

"It's not to say that we're all about commerce, but you shouldn't scare off the population in the 5th largest city in the country. And it's sad because the Pope and all of those people came here to see Philadelphia and I don't think they really got to see Philadelphia," he said.

"The Pope's message was inspiring; it was all about family. But in Philadelphia, it was like the family got kicked out of the house this weekend."

Extra Extras

So, what will businesses do with all of that extra product?

Pulido said Philly Cupcake owners still haven't decided what to do with all of the leftover cupcakes that didn't sell.

McNamar said he's confident that the extra beer and bar food that Fergie's ordered will sell, eventually.

DeNinno decided to turn the business fail into a charity opportunity by giving sandwiches away to the homeless. He says, the most important part of this weekend was not business, but spreading Pope Francis' message of love and giving.

"We set up tables outside with grab-and-go items like sandwiches and snacks. When they didn't sell, we started giving them to any homeless that would pass by," he said.

"That's what it's all about. If just one percent of the people in the city pick up on the message of the Pope, I'd say it'll all have been worth it."

NBC10 reached out to Mayor's office spokesman Mark McDonald but he declined to comment.



Photo Credit: Queen Muse

Parishioners Celebrate Mass in Comcast Center Lobby

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People from all across the country came to the Comcast Center to watch Pope Francis lead Mass.

Photo Credit: Dave Cole

SEPTA Ridership Numbers for Papal Visit

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SEPTA officials released their ridership numbers at 18 rail stations that were in service for the Papal visit Saturday and Sunday. According to their report, 28,575 riders boarded trains at their 18 rail stations Saturday while 34,371 boarded trains Sunday.

Take a look at the numbers below:



Photo Credit: NBC10.com
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Pope Kisses Baby Pope During Papal Parade

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Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, as one baby girl learned during the Papal visit this weekend in Philadelphia.

During the Papal parade Saturday on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Pope Francis noticed Dana and Daniel Madden’s baby daughter Quinn who was dressed in a Pope outfit. The Pontiff laughed as security guards brought the baby over to the Popemobile. The Pope then gave her a kiss on the cheek.

Take a look at the memorable moment above.
 



Photo Credit: Dana Madden

Communion During Parkway Papal Mass

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Pope Francis and hundreds of others distributed communion to the hundreds of thousands gathered on the Ben Franklin Parkway Sunday.

Pope Leaves U.S. With One Last Message of Acceptance

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Francis, the 266th pope of the Roman Catholic Church, left the United States with a parting message in the same spirit of acceptance that the country showed him.

The church appreciates anyone trying to raise a good family, "whatever the family, people, region, or religion to which they belong," Francis told a massive audience in Philadelphia after a trip full of adoring crowds and official ceremonies.

It capped a week where Francis called for nations to embrace immigrants, declared that man has no right to abuse the environment and sought the abolition of the death penalty.

"I think there were a lot of expectations for the pope to come and kind of let people have it," Dan Misleh, executive director of the Catholic Climate Covenant.

But Francis was instead compassionate, Misleh said, "urging us to get involved, to become better angels, to become the people who God intends us to be."

Francis' six-day visit packed in enough events to make it seem like he was making up for lost time – it had been seven years since a pope visited the U.S. – ranging from intimate blessings to a speech at the United Nations directed at the whole world. Then there were the huge religious ceremonies that showed the church's continued connection with this country, including the first canonization of a saint in North America.

The children Francis embraced captured national attention, perhaps none more so than wheelchair-bound Michael Keating, 10, who has cerebral palsy. The image of Francis bending over to cradle and bless Michael's head on Saturday seemed to capture the tender humanity that brought nearly a million people to Philadelphia for his Sunday Mass, closing the first World Meeting of Families conference in the U.S.

From his arrival in Washington, D.C., to his departure from Philadelphia, the visit's constants were Francis' daily nap and cheery disposition, an outlook that reflects his religious philosophy.

"Love is a concept that he comes back to over and over again," said Tiziana Dearing, an associate professor at Boston College's School of Social Work.

He thinks love manifests it in family, service and preference for the excluded, she said.

"He's very hesitant to talk about getting people into church as if that's some institutional place. He wants us to think about what the truth of the church points us to," Catholic University of America professor Chad Pecknold said.

The papal visit comes before an important period for the church, which is about to revisit how the church understands the family, possibly updating its position on divorce and gay marriage. Francis has declared a "Year of Mercy" beginning December 8, 2015, which Pecknold thinks may be a way to influence the bishops' deliberations. Francis has given all priests the power to absolve the "sin of abortion" during the Year of Mercy.

The World Meeting of Families was an important prelude to those discussions, and Francis' comments about the family in his Sunday evening homily may set the discussion for the church's upcoming decisions about the family.

Pecknold noted that this visit was much grander than Benedict XVI's U.S. visit in 2008. He also gave Benedict credit for "getting the ball rolling" on addressing sexual abuse at the hands of clergy.

Francis' meeting with victims of abuse, including clerical sexual abuse, and his impassioned comments vowing to hold abusive priests accountable were some of the most shocking of his trip, as the press was given no notice that he would speak so directly about the matter, which has rocked the church in America since the early 2000s. 

“I have in my heart these stories of suffering of those youth that were sexually abused,” he said. “God weeps.”

But for all the moments of gravitas, there were light-hearted ones as well. Francis learned how to use a touchscreen from a student in New York, and met an old friend – a rabbi he used to work with in Argentina – to dedicate a statue about Judaism and Catholicism in Philadelphia.

“I’m having a hard time imagining a more well-choreographed visit. Every stop seemed to be filled with meaning and things to ponder,” Misleh said. 

The political moments of Francis' trip occasionally made the news as much for what happened around them than what he said.

His speech to Congress – a first for a pope – came the day before Speaker of the House John Boehner, a very religious Catholic, announced he will soon resign. Many in the Washington press speculated on whether the pope's appearance had anything to do with Boehner's announcement, essentially injecting him into a national political story he had nothing to do with.

"The pope comes with none of these intentions in mind but our political system plays out in the context of what he's saying, no matter what," said Dearing, the Boston College professor.

One national issue in which Francis did intervene was Cuba. The visit came several months after talks he'd brokered yielded a historic agreement between the U.S. and Cuba, and he toured both countries on this trip.

 

Days after meeting with President Obama, he delivered to U.S. bishops in Philadelphia a statuette of the Virgin Mary and baby Jesus sent from Cuban bishops, who wanted it to be delivered to a Cuban community in America.

"Now I'm not gonna get in this difficult situation, you will decide which Cuban community needs this the most," Francis joked.

Yet it's in politics where Misleh, the Catholic Climate Covenant director, hopes to see the lasting effects of Francis' trip to the U.S.

"I would hope that there would be some indication in our political discourse that people have been listening to the pope, that we can have conversations without the vitriol, that we can sit and have dialogue with one another to understand each other’s different points of view," he said. "Right now, at least before the pope’s visit, it certainly didn’t feel that way."

Noreen O'Donnell contributed to this report. 



Photo Credit: NBC
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Pope's Gone But Traffic Troubles Remain

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Pope Francis’ whirlwind Philadelphia tour is done but the changes to everyday life continue into Monday.

Many roads remain closed or detoured into Monday morning including The Schuylkill and Vine Street expressways until noon. But, unexpectedly, I-76 westbound reopened around 8 p.m. Sunday between I-95 and US 1-North. However, some exits and entrances remain blocked, including the Girard Avenue and University City exits.

The Ben Franklin Bridge will also reopen at 4 a.m. Monday.

CLOSED:

  • I-76 (Schuylkill Expressway) eastbound from I-476 (Blue Route) to I-95
  • I-676 (Vine Street Expressway) in both directions from I-76 to I-95

The area around SEPTA’s 69th Street Terminal in Upper Darby remains closed until 7 a.m. Monday and Admiral Wilson Boulevard (U.S. Route 30) from U.S. Route 130 (Airport Circle) to the Ben Franklin Bridge and I-676 from Morgan Street to the bridge remains closed in South Jersey until noon.

Authorized vehicle routes in Philadelphia including parts of 22nd Street, N 16th Street, Fairmount Avenue, 34th Street and Lancaster Avenue remain closed until sometime Monday morning. (click here for a full list)

And expect closures around the Ben Franklin Parkway to remain in effect as crews cleanup security checkpoints, barricades, trash and the papal stage. No word yet when everything will be cleaned up.

There will be curbside no trash and recycling collection in Philadelphia on Monday and Philadelphia public and parochial schools remain closed.

PATCO and NJ Transit return to normal schedules Monday while SEPTA trains return to normal while some bus lines remained detoured (click here for a full list of detours).



Photo Credit: NBC10

Freak Accident Kills Teen in NE Philly

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A teen was crushed to death after he and four of his friends sneaked into a paper company and began riding forklifts for fun, police said.

Police responded to Newman Paper Company in the 6100 block of Tacony Street about 9 p.m. Sunday for the reports of a person screaming.

When police arrived, they were met by four juveniles who told officers that their friend – a 14-year-old male – was pinned underneath a forklift.

According to investigators, the five juveniles entered the company grounds through a hole in a rear fence.

Once inside, police said they began riding forklifts.

Police say one of the forklifts operated by a 13-year-old female crashed into a forklift operated by the 14-year-old male.

The 14-year-old’s forklift tipped over, pinned him to the ground and caused head trauma, resulting in his death, police said.

According to police, a security guard said he physically checked the yard at 8:30 p.m. during which time everything appeared to be secure and in place.

Officials have not yet revealed his identity.

The incident remains under investigation.



Photo Credit: NBC10.com

Mass Exodus After Historic Papal Visit

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If you’ve ever wondered what it looks like when more than one million people try to leave a city at once, you’d need only to have perched yourself at Amtrak’s 30th Street Station Sunday evening, as visitors and locals began making their way home from the papal visit activities in Center City.

Several locals, like Frankford resident Melanie Joseph, said they were confused by the way SEPTA organized the lines for people to get to the various train routes.

“It’s been ridiculous. I walked all the way from 23rd and Chestnut to get to 30th, and they made us walk all the way back around again to get to the entrance,” she said.

SEPTA ambassadors instructed Joseph and many other riders who approached 30th and Market Street expecting to catch the Market/Frankford El trains to walk on Chestnut Street at Schuylkill toward 31st and enter at 31st and Market; a bit of a roundabout journey.

As the crowds of people began to swell, some travelers took a break, ate snacks and sat on benches near the station. Port Richmond residents Lucy and Edward Drazba were among them.

“We stayed out all day yesterday and did a lot of walking. Today, we waited in line for three hours to get into the event, even with our tickets. So we are very tired," Lucy Drazba said.

Southwest Philadelphia resident Kimberly Campbell said she was not looking forward to the additional walking she’d have to do to get home, due to some of the Market/Frankford El stations being closed.

“It’s been hectic. I did a lot of walking and I’m going to have to do more because the train doesn’t stop at my stop, so I’ll have to walk an extra six blocks when I get off,” Campbell said.

Inside 30th Street Station, and in and around Jefferson station at 11th Street, large crowds of people stood in various lines, hours after the final papal visit event had ended, waiting to catch regional rail trains.

Some took to social media to air their complaints or praise about how SEPTA handled the exodus:


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Crews Working to Clean-up Ben Franklin Parkway

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Cleanup on the Ben Franklin Parkway is in full swing.

10 at 7: What You Need to Know Today

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Here are the 10 things you need to know to start your day from your friends at NBC10.

TODAY'S TOP STORY

Roads Reopen After Pope Francis Visit: Pope Francis’ whirlwind Philadelphia tour has come to an end and everyday commuter life is slowly getting back to normal. The Ben Franklin Bridge, which wasn’t scheduled to reopen until 4 a.m. Monday, actually reopened earlier at about 3:00 a.m. I-76 (Schuylkill Expressway) westbound reopened around 8 p.m. Sunday between I-95 and US 1-North. I-76 (Schuylkill Expressway) eastbound reopened at 11:05 p.m. between I-476 in Montgomery County and I-95 in Philadelphia. Entrance ramps from I-476, Route 23 and Gladwyne reopened as well. I-676 (Vine Street Expressway) westbound between I-76 and I-95 in Philadelphia reopened at 1:30 a.m. Monday. And expect closures around the Ben Franklin Parkway to remain in effect as crews cleanup security checkpoints, barricades, trash and the papal stage. No word yet when everything will be cleaned up.

YOUR FIRST ALERT FORECAST 

Monday is expected to be warn but the week will soon cool back down with rain in the forecast. Tuesday is expected to be cloudy with scattered showers. Showers are also possible for Wednesday and temperatures could dip to the 60s on Thursday. High Temp: 80 degrees. Get your full NBC10 First Alert forecast here.

WHAT YOU MISSED YESTERDAY

Businesses Struggle Through Pope Visit: With as many as 1.5 million people estimated to have passed through Philadelphia during this week's World Meeting of Families conference and papal visit, one would expect for business to be booming. But all types of businesses, from restaurants and bars to clothing shops and even dollar stores in the city say they found it hard to make a buck during the Pope's visit. "We have been suffering big time," Dollar-o-Mart Plus Dollar Store owner Asghar Ansari said. "We stocked an additional $4,000 to $5,000 in product, like chargers, batteries and food items; things we thought people would need. But the only thing selling is the Pope stuff." Several other business owners along Chestnut, Walnut and Samson Streets say they also stocked additional product in anticipation of large crowds of customers only to see it go to waste.

AROUND THE WORLD

Pope Francis Departs U.S. With Message About Family: Francis, the 266th pope of the Roman Catholic Church, left the United States with a parting message in the same spirit of acceptance that the country showed him. The church appreciates anyone trying to raise a good family, "whatever the family, people, region, or religion to which they belong," Francis told a massive audience in Philadelphia after a trip full of adoring crowds and official ceremonies. It capped a week where Francis called for nations to embrace immigrants, declared that man has no right to abuse the environment and sought the abolition of the death penalty.

TODAY'S TALKER

Papal Visit By the Numbers: 6 days spent in the U.S., 3 cities: Washington D.C., N.Y. and Philadelphia, 28 events, 9 religious events, 3 parades, 18 speeches. Learn more about Pope Francis' visit here.

 

SPORTS SPOT

Eagles Beat Jets 24 to 17: The Eagles took a different approach in their first win of the season but they haven't turned the corner yet. But the man on man approach was more effective than the first two games. Get your full sports news at CSNPhilly.

PHOTO OF THE DAY

See more Top News Photos here.

THROUGH IGER'S EYES

@aciprensa snapped this cool image of Pope Francis blessing a baby dressed as a mini Pope.

Have an awesome Instagram photo you'd like to share? Tag it with #NBC10Buzz.

TODAY'S VIRAL VIDEO

As Pope Francis drove through the papal parade in Philadelphia, one special spectator caught his eye -- a baby girl wearing a pope costume. Watch the video here.

A LITTLE SWEETENER

Pope Stops to Bless Kids During Visit: Pope Francis waved from his popemobile as he headed to celebrate Mass at the conclusion of the World Meeting of Families along the Benjamin Franklin on Sunday. He stopped several times to bless and kiss children along the route. View some of those photos here.

 


That's what you need to know. We've got more stories worthy of your time in the Breakfast Buzz section. Click here to check them out


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Billy Joel Fan Faces DWI After Show

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A New Jersey woman who apparently had just left a Billy Joel concert was charged early Sunday with driving while intoxicated after police say she was stopped for leaving the scene of an accident.

Alison Cantor, 42, of Short Hills, was driving a Mercedes Benz sedan on Varick Street in Manhattan at about 12:30 a.m. when it rear ended a Mercedes Benz station wagon, investigators said.

Port Authority police stationed at the Holland Tunnel said they saw the accident and watched as someone got out of the sedan, assessed the damage and returned to the car. The officers instructed Cantor to remain at the scene, but she drove off into the tunnel toward New Jersey, they said.

The officers caught up with Cantor in Jersey City. They detected the odor of alcohol and Cantor told them she had just left the Billy Joel concert and had had a few drinks during the show, investigators said. She failed a field sobriety test and a Breathalyzer test, they said.

In addition to DWI, Cantor was charged with reckless driving and leaving the scene of an accident. It was unclear whether she had obtained a lawyer who could comment on the charges.

The 54-year-old driver of the other Mercedes refused any medical treatment, police said. 

Nutter Puts a Wrap on Pope's Philly Visit

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World Meeting of Families organizers and city of Philadelphia officials will look back on the papal visit at a pair of news conferences Monday morning.

“This is not a situation where you evaluate success based on the score," said Mayor Michael Nutter. "The event itself was successful.”

Nutter joined city officials and WMOF organizers at City Hall to recap Pope Francis’ two-day visit to the Philadelphia region that caused massive road closures and draw hundreds of thousands to the Ben Franklin Parkway for a Festival of Families concert and papal Mass.

"It was a tremendous honor for all of use to serve as hosts to the Holy Father Pope Francis in our city for two days of large public events," said Nutter.

  • Nutter also admonished the media for negativity ahead of the vent that may have kept people from attending.

Nutter noted that ore than three-quarters of the "traffic box," aka "Francis Festival Grounds" were reopened overnight.

"Our city is returning to whatever normal is for this time of day."

He also said that the event was successful in many ways but he didn't confirm the 860,000 number of people at the Parkway Mass Sunday that sources said attended.

Earlier, leaders of the Pontifical Council for the Family and the Archdiocese of Philadelphia including Archbishop Charles Chaput at 10 a.m. at the Pennsylvania Convention Center. The Wold Meeting of Families congress at the convention center drew about 20,000 participants.



Photo Credit: Getty Images

Suicidal Gunman Shoots Self at NJ Wawa

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Police in New Jersey responded to a suicide attempt at a Wawa store.

Toms River Police officers responded to the despondent man with a gun at the convenience store at 1600 Route 37 W just before 11 p.m. Sunday.

While officers were on the scene, the man shot himself, said police.

Crew rushed the unidentified man to Community Medical Center then to Jersey Shore Medical Center. Police didn’t reveal then gunman’s condition.


SUICIDE PREVENTION HELP: The National Suicide Prevention Hotline (1-800-273-8255) is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.



Photo Credit: Google Street View

Leftover ‘Pope Water’ A Hot Commodity

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After Pope Francis left town, thousands of bottles of donated water, meant for attendees of the Papal visit, remained.

Wawa donated two and a half million bottles of water for the Papal visit.

On Monday morning, people began loading up their cars bright and early with the leftover water that was stacked and untouched.

“My husband said let’s take the truck because we have senior citizens that are sick and can’t get out,” Karen Brown of Philadelphia told NBC10.

Eloina Perez told NBC10 she is donating the water bottles to her church.

"We all should be united, love each other and do things right,” Perez said.

Philadelphia police had to keep order, with drivers pulling over and stopping in the streets.

“Just give back because you never know when you may be in a situation when someone may need to help you. So Philadelphia, lend a helping hand if you can,” Gabrielle Crosby said.

Police say they didn’t want people taking the bottles until after 6 p.m., though some clearly couldn’t wait for a taste of some of the “holy water.”

“It's holy. It's anointed and I'm going to drink it down in Jesus' name and say thank you. God bless you Pope!” one woman told NBC10.



Photo Credit: Matt DeLucia

The Pope Francis Hangover

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Philadelphia seemed hungover Monday morning in the wake of Pope Francis' weekend visit to the city, which officials estimated brought some 860,000 people downtown.

On the streets by City Hall at the time of the usual morning rush-hour traffic jam, cars trickled by here and there. The lack of morning traffic made it a breeze getting around a city that just 24 hours ago was nearly completely shut down to vehicle traffic for security purposes.

In contrast to the droves of foot traffic the area saw the night before as crowds packed in to see Pope Francis celebrate Mass, on Monday morning only a few commuters emerged from Suburban Station.

Other than the lack of traffic, "Things seem pretty normal to me," said Jeff Harris, 28, as he walked to work. Harris, who works in workforce development for a company based in Center City, said he took PATCO from South Jersey and that his office only closed on Friday for the papal events.

Other offices, though, remained closed on Monday -- along with city schools -- as the massive cleanup began.

Sanitation workers removed piles of trash along LOVE Park, where a jumbotron showing the papal events was set up.

Inside Suburban Station's concourse, it looked like a ghost town: A few travelers say solo on benches or made their way through the station, suitcases in tow.

Alicia MacGregor, of Northeast Philadelphia, seemed caught off guard when she and her family arrived at the station to catch a train home and realized some of the businesses on the concourse, including Dunkin Donuts, were closed.

"I was a little bit surprised. We checked [SEPTA's schedule] and it said expect delays due to high volume," said MacGregor, who came into Center City Friday with her sister, her son and a few other relatives for the papal events. "There's no volume. It's a pleasant surprise."

She said tight security measures at the Pope's events made her feel safe -- but she and her family, who has tickets to the Mass, had to wait four hours at a security checkpoint. They made it in for the Mass, though -- unlike many others.

"There were still people in line as we left," Jackie Osborne, MacGregor's sister, said.

At Reading Terminal Market, there were no lines at food stalls shortly before noon. The only evidence left of the thousands who poured into Philadelphia for Pope weekend was at a gift shop along the edge of the market, where Pope T-shirts and a few other tchotchkes graced a small table.

The sign on the table read, "Half off papal visit merchandise."



Photo Credit: Morgan Zalot
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Nutter: Media 'Scared the S*#t Out of People' for Pope Visit

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Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter didn't hold back while blaming media coverage for negative feelings of some residents leading up to Pope Francis' visit to Philadelphia this weekend.

The media "scared the s*#t out of people with some of the stories,” Nutter said. He used the expletive Monday when telling reporters they scared people from attending.

A reporter immediately retorted reminding the mayor of his dire warning for visitors to "be prepared to walk for miles" when discussing security closures.

The mayor later apologized for what he called his "intemperate remark" and said he expected "a timely and terse" admonishment from his mother.

Nutter said news reports about security measures that would be in place for Francis' visit — which included the fencing off of the city's core, blocked streets, airport-level security and the National Guard stationed on corners — may have deterred people from attending events over the weekend.

The pope came to Philadelphia for the Vatican-sponsored World Meeting of Families conference. Officials with the conference had estimated that 1.5 million would show up for the pope's visit.

Nutter didn't provide any final crowd numbers Monday but on Sunday, a media pool source estimated a crowd of 860,000 attended Mass Sunday on the Ben Franklin Parkway. Another 20,000 people had attended the weeklong conference, said WMOF organizers. Thousands more attended various other events including the Festival of Families concert and Independence Hall address.

Nutter also blamed a lack of communication between Philadelphia and its neighbors and information that leaked out over the summer before plans were finalized. He said that about 90 percent of the city's hotel rooms were occupied.

"A whole lot of folks decided that they wanted to be here,” Nutter said.

“This is not a situation where you evaluate success based on the score ... the event itself was successful,” said Nutter, who pointed to a generally secure event with only a handful of arrests.

The city and WMOF organizers also noted the relative timeliness of events, the spiritual feeling and the many opportunities for people to see the pope.

However, some city restaurants reported very slow business over the weekend and other business had trouble staffing due to the traffic box and no vehicle zones.

“This was never billed as a huge economic event, or a huge moneymaker,” Nutter said.

He said he had no clue the eating habits of papal pilgrims.

"They had to eat somewhere. I don’t know if folks packed enough energy bars to last two days."



Photo Credit: NBC10

Dad Shot in Neck, Jumps from Window in Home Invasion

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A father was killed after being shot in the neck in front of his wife and plummeting from his bedroom window in a home invasion in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania Sunday night, authorities and sources tell NBC10.

Lower Moreland Police responded to the home along the 2300 block of Philmont Avenue in Huntington Valley around 11 p.m.

When officers arrived, they found the 53-year-old Kevin Brown on the front lawn, with a bullet wound to the neck, sources said. Police dragged the man to their cruiser and brought him to a nearby ambulance. He died at Abington Memorial Hospital, police said.

Sources said four men forced their way through the back door of the home with the apparent gunman wearing a mask. The men made their way to a second-floor bedroom where the shooting happened.

The Montgomery County District Attorney's Office said the Brown jumped from his bedroom window trying to escape the shooters. His wife was in the room when he was shot and two children were in the home, prosecutors said.

Authorities said the home and family were targeted, but would not say why.

This is the second murder this year in Lower Moreland Township.



Photo Credit: Chuck McDade

Nationals Suspend Papelbon After Scuffle With Harper

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The Washington Nationals suspended relief pitcher Jonathan Papelbon for four games without pay for his dugout fight with outfielder Bryce Harper during Sunday’s game against the Philadelphia Phillies.

Papelbon also accepted a three-game suspension from Major League Baseball for appearing to intentionally throw at the Baltimore Orioles' Manny Machado Wednesday.

"The behavior exhibited by Papelbon yesterday is not acceptable," Nationals General Manager Mike Rizzo said in a statement. "That is not at all in line with the way our players are expected to conduct themselves, and the Nationals organization will not tolerate it in any way."

Harper will not be in the lineup for Monday's game against the Cincinnati Reds, manager Matt Williams said.

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Harper was returning to the dugout after flying out to right field in the eighth inning when Papelbon began yelling at the right fielder. The two exchanged words before Papelbon pushed Harper against the dugout wall and had to be separated by teammates.

In the bottom of the ninth inning, Papelbon gave up a two-run home run to give the Phillies the lead.

Williams said he did not see the extent of the fight until after the game. Had he known what had happened, Williams said he would not have sent Papelbon back out to pitch the ninth.

Papelbon was ejected from Wednesday's game after hitting Machado's arm. He initially appealed that suspension.

The suspensions from the league and the team mean Papelbon will not be available to pitch in the seven remaining games of the season. He will not join the team on the road trip starting Tuesday, Williams said.

The Nationals were eliminated from playoff contention in Saturday’s game.

Papelbon joined the Nationals via a trade from the Phillies in the middle of the season.

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Photo Credit: Getty Images
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Archbishop Recaps The Pope's Visit

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Three words Archbishop Charles Chaput uses to describe the weekend with Pope Francis; Peaceful, Joyful, Historic.

Photo Credit: NBC10
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