Phili News

A man accusing a priest of sexual assault dropped a separate allegation against the same priest, the judge in an internal Catholic church trial testified Monday.

Monsignor Kevin Quirk, a canon lawyer who presided over Brennan’s 2008 church trial, took the stand Monday in the Rev. James Brennan’s criminal priest-abuse trial in Philadelphia.

Two men testified Wednesday of abuse they suffered as youths at the hands of a now defrocked Philadelphia priest. The two victims of Edward Avery, a former priest who has pleaded guilty to sexual assault charges More >

The two men followed starkly different paths to the witness stand.

The 49-year-old was raised in the outer suburbs, graduated from medical school, got married, and had five children. The 23-year-old from Northeast Philadelphia was kicked out of two high schools, attempted suicide, and spent much of the last decade hooked on heroin and prescription drugs. More >

On Monday morning Philadelphia Flyers forward Matt Read headed to the rink to spend time on the stationary bike and relax in the sauna. And, for the first time in quite a while, Read didn’t have any other pressing matters that needed to be addressed. More >

Sunoco Inc said on Monday it was in exclusive talks with private equity firm Carlyle Group LP for a potential joint venture to run the biggest refinery on the U.S. East Coast. More >

The following is the text of the Philadelphia area manufacturing activity from the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia. More >

A Philadelphia jury heard Tuesday about Catholic schoolboys who said they had to strip before a priest and endure whippings as they played Christ in a Passion play.

Prosecutors pursuing a child-endangerment case against a church official said the Rev. Thomas J. Smith remained in ministry despite those 2002 accusations. Church officials and an in-house review board didn’t think Smith was seeking sexual gratification when he allegedly had boys undress or get naked with him in a hot tub.

The Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency (PHFA) voted on Thursday, April 12 to provide a reservation of Low Income Housing Tax Credits –an official “green light” that now will generate up to $11 million dollars for the LGBT-friendly affordable senior housing facility co-developed by the dmhFund and Pennrose Properties. More >

Jazz lovers and cultural officials in Philadelphia are promoting a fundraising effort to save the run-down John Coltrane House. Preserving the national historic landmark is part of a broader mission to reclaim the city’s jazz heritage and celebrate the current music scene. More >

A woman whose son gave emotional testimony about his alleged abuse at the hands of a Roman Catholic priest took the stand herself Wednesday at a landmark trial in the priest abuse scandal and said she regrets maintaining contact with the priest for years afterward. More >