SATURDAY NIGHT SPECIAL 🍻
#1 | This Week in Review - May 10th, 2025, 7:00pm
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA:
May Day Madness Shuts Down Center City
May Day 2025 went off explosively (figuratively speaking!) in Philly’s concrete jungle, a snarling mob of protesters clogging the city’s arteries in support of labor and denouncing Trump’s recent immigration and economic edicts.1 Cops rerouted traffic like they were herding feral cats, all while the air crackled with protest chants and passion. At the same time, the city council flexed its sanctuary city muscle in defiance, daring the feds to try something. The moment even featured a speech from working-class hero Senator Bernie Sanders. Roads are reopened now, but the city’s message is clear.
Murder Lair Under the Green Lane Bridge
Deep in the iron and concrete guts of Manayunk’s old Green Lane Bridge, cops busted open a hidden freak-kingdom on April 29, 2025, where Roger Gosson, a 61-year-old ex-contractor turned street urchin, built a multi-level shantytown mansion complete with a furnished tent, electric hookup, and barbecue grill.2 Police were chasing whispers of a messy squatter, but instead found a gun tied to the February murder of Joshua Daywalt, another 35-year-old homeless man, shot in the head and dumped in the Schuylkill. Gosson, who lost his business and turned to the streets, now faces murder charges.
Prince Edward Receives Warm Welcome in America
Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh, swooped into Philly on April 30, a tweed-clad attraction peddling youth education and U.S.-U.K. bromance.3 He glad-handed schoolkids and local leaders, leaving a trail of polite applause and waving Union Jacks. The city lapped it up, a brief escape from the daily grind. Diplomatic ties are reliably tightened, but the real score was Philly’s ego boost on the world stage. God save the cheesesteak.
Temple Student’s Antisemitic Stunt Ignites Firestorm
A Temple kid flashed a sign reading “Fuck the Jews” at the Barstool on Sansom Street, caught in 4K video.4 Barstool’s owner and Jew himself, Dave Portnoy, launched a heavy-handed and angry internet campaign around the episode, resulting in wide-spread media coverage and a suspension for at least two students. Temple’s brass have formally denounced the incident, but campus still hums with uneasy whispers.
Delco Crime Spree Crashes into Philly Bust
A robbery rampage tore through Delaware County this past weekend like a criminal Tasmanian Devil, leaving a trail of stolen cars, burned rubber, and traumatized citizens in its wake.5 Upon stumbling in Philadelphia County on May 3rd, however, Philly cops spotted their hot car and nabbed the three punks. The streets are once again safe to walk - for now.
Philly Photo Day Snaps the City’s Soul
The TILT Institute’s Philly Photo Day 2025 kicked off May 8, but the week prior was abuzz with amateurs and artistes snapping the city’s grit and glow.6 From the hipster dives to the Old City stoops, every shot’s a love letter to the city in its own way. Community pride surges, but the real art’s in the chaos captured. If only there was a way to make the moment last longer…
Roxborough’s Spring Fest Roars with Chrome and Beer
Roxborough’s Spring Fest and Car Show on May 10 was a greasy, glorious mess. Hot rods gleaming, beer flowing, and neighbors strutting like peacocks. Local shops raked in cash as the Ridge roared with life.7 The community pulse was thumping loudly, drowning out the typical urban snarl. Estimated bigger crowds than last year seem to prove Roxborough’s still got swagger. Keep the engines revving.
Love Your Park Week Digs In
“Love Your Park Week” launched May 10th, with tree-huggers and civic-minded individuals alike scrubbing Fairmount Park’s trails like it’s holy ground.8 Volunteers yanked weeds and swapped stories, park events and cleanups made green spaces gleam. But the fun’s not officially over until May 18th. Dig in and dig out.
Mural Arts Wall Ball Paints the Town Green
Mural Arts’ Wall Ball on May 9 was a glitzy money-maker for Philly’s street art, pulling in deep-pocketed donors and paint-stained dreamers alike.9 The funds aim to fuel the murals that turn blank walls into stories, and the city’s a canvas. Philly’s mural crown stays polished, but the hustle never stops.
Domb’s Economic Warning Rattles City Hall
Allan Domb, ex-Councilmember turned prophet of doom (bit ironic, innit?), screamed on April 30 via editorial that federal cuts and tax hell could gut Philly’s jobs—healthcare, education, the works.10 He’s pushing tax reform like a man possessed, lest Philadelphia become the next Detroit, but how realistic it is for such changes to pass remains to be seen. In junction with proposed SEPTA cuts, such calls have locals spooked. Fight or fold seems to be the only two choices on the table.
Newark’s Airport Chaos Screws Over Regional Travelers
On May 5th, Philly’s TRACON radar went on the fritz, grounding flights out of Newark Liberty International Airport and stranding flyers in a travel nightmare.11 The incident repeated itself just days later on May 9th. Planes diverted, tempers flared, and the region’s air traffic system looking like a circus tightrope walker with too much to drink. Despite assurances from FAA officials, an anonymous air traffic controller told MSNBC that flyers should “avoid Newark at all costs” and “it is not a safe situation right now for the flying public” because of understaffing and outdated infrastructure.12 The outages themselves, like a lame ex-boyfriend, only lasted around 90 seconds, but the damage was done. Philly’s tied to the region’s fate, for better or worse. Next time, drive.
https://6abc.com/post/exclusive-man-found-living-inside-green-lane-bridge-philadelphias-manayunk-section-questioned-recent-murder/16279457/
https://6abc.com/post/weekend-crime-spree-delaware-county-ends-3-arrests-philadelphia/16341817/
https://tiltinstitute.org/event/ppd-exhibition-2025/
https://patch.com/pennsylvania/roxborough/roxborough-spring-fest-rockin-ridge-car-show-set-may-10
https://loveyourpark.org/
https://muralarts.org/events/wallball2025/
https://www.phillymag.com/news/2025/04/30/business-tax-reform-philadelphia/
https://6abc.com/post/newark-airport-outage-last-week-lasted-60-90-seconds-atc-screens-went-dark-issues-philadelphia-facility-sources/16337407/
https://www.yahoo.com/news/whats-going-on-at-newark-airport-air-traffic-controllers-report-another-radar-outage-amid-weeks-of-major-delays-employee-shortages-210618765.html