Struggling artist regularly mistakes old lithium battery on desk for quarter

"I'll look on my coffee table or desk from afar and get all psyched that I have enough change for that small bag of chips or a pack of peanut butter crackers from the corner store, and then I realize one of the 'coins' is an old disc battery from my bicycle light. It's totally deflating. In an instant I went from four quarters to three and the chips are a dollar. I really need to get rid of those batteries because this happens, like, once a week," said painter Eliot Smith.

Should dog-friendly, enclosed area with lots of dogs be designated a dog park?

"The fenced-in space has poop bag dispensers, dog water bowls, benches for owners, an area for big dogs, an area for small dogs, artificial turf, a hose, and a bulletin board to post dog-related activities. I mean, let's just call this thing what it is...a dog park. Let's stop pretending." said one local resident.

Cubs give Sosa incorret address on invitation for Wrigley Field's 100th Anniversary celebration

"The invitation said the Wrigley Field 100th Anniversary celebration and festivities would be held at the White Sox' stadium on the south side of Chicago, which I thought was kind of weird--actually, very weird," said slugger Sammy Sosa, a Cub from 1992 to 2004. "But I went anyway, and the Sox were very confused but were glad to have me. They let me sing "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" and "Happy Birthday." I had a pretty good time."

Happy 100th, Wrigley Field: Cubs announce plans for new Wrigley Dome--The Friendly Indoor/Outdoor Confines

Chicago--Wrigley Dome, a baseball-only, retractable-roof stadium, to be constructed on the present site of Wrigley Field on West Addison Street, will seat 35,000 fans. The controversial project, set to break ground in September, will require the demolition of the historic field and hundreds of neighboring homes. The organization feels diehard Cubs fans will come to love the sleek, artificial turf facility. "This is SkyDome mixed with a pinch of Veterans Stadium, a hint of Three Rivers Stadium, a dash of Riverfront Stadium, a splash of RFK Stadium, and a smattering of Metrodome. It's a super-baseball park created with elements from some of the sport's greatest venues of the past. Sure, we'll keep the ivy on the outfield wall, but it'll be artificial ivy. You know what I mean?" said one Cubs official. The rooftop bleachers will also survive: in the new Cubs Museum under section 214 as a permanent, virtual exhibit. The dome will take two years to complete, during which time the team will play all eighty-one home games at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign's Memorial Stadium--a football stadium to be (sort of) retrofitted for professional baseball. 

PATCO to use train ferry service over summer while both Ben Franklin Bridge tracks udergo reconstruction

Above: A multi-car passenger train boards a ferry in Puttgarden, Denmark. The Port Authority Transit Corporation (PATCO) will use a similar ferry service over the upcoming summer months while the two busy tracks across the Delaware River on the Benjamin Franklin Bridge are shut down for much-needed repairs. PATCO officials say all the details have not been worked out yet, but multiple modes of transportation could be utilized to complete the river crossing. "Going into Philly, we could possibly bus riders from City Hall Station to a waiting train on the New Jersey side of the [Delaware] river, then load the train onto the ferry. Once on the Philadelphia side, unload the train onto refurbished tracks on Columbus Blvd. From here, put the riders onto a second bus that would take them to the 8th and Market [Street] Station," said one official. The transit agency says it "just wouldn't make sense" to simply bus passengers between City Hall (NJ) and 8th & Market Street (Phila) Stations.  

Suit Corner owner to now 'focus all energy' on Jorts Corner

MH370: Michael Richards apologizes for 'No Ping heard since 1990s' remark made at LA comedy club

MLB: Original rooftop bleachers at Shibe Park 'thoroughly' complied with all modern safety standards

Above: Railings and fire exits were "Photoshopped out of the historic 1914 Shibe Park image for aesthetic purposes." A Major League Baseball representative: "Trust me, it wasn't like fans were just climbing onto rooftops chaotically and unsupervised. There was a process: ascend shaky wooden ladders and traverse narrow, unstable wooden planks in the rear of the row home to reach the first level. Then--usually with the help of alcohol--scramble up a fraying rope to hoist oneself up to the top roof level and the awaiting bleachers, which were constructed over the course of a weekend by the homeowner and a neighbor down the street who was recently fired from the local saw mill for stealing wood to make rooftop bleachers."

Esiason: 'Sea section, not C-section. I was referring to a section of the sea to search for MH370. This is about 3-7-0, people.'

Redskins cut Jackson after report links WR to Toastmasters International

The report also claimed the former Eagle wideout is an "active, like, I mean, very active" Freemason.

Learning new MLB instant replay rules the hard way: Managers, teams spent 'thousands of dollars' on custom-made challenge flags for opening day

Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin discuss adding humpback whales to Lake Michigan to spark 'some sort of whale-watching industry'

Though the fresh water lake cannot support the large mammals the four states feel it is "worth a shot."

CTA: Unclear why subway train attempted to go up the down escalator

2015 pope visit in jeopardy after Nutter, Corbett present His Holiness with 2-day-old cheesesteak, stale pretzels

The Philadelphia Mayor and PA Governor are in Vatican City to meet with Pope Francis to encourage the catholic leader to visit the city in September 2015 during the World Meeting of Families. The pontiff, wanting to be polite to the visiting delegation--who presented a "satchel of Philly gifts"--broke two teeth while biting into a rock-hard pretzel.

Citing high costs to repair floors, schools across country banning popular bobsled shoe fashion trend

Minneapolis--The XXII Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, ended nearly one month ago, but the games' ability to set global trends is running (er, skating) at full speed. One of the bigger fashion trends to emerge from the seaside resort town, in the shadow of the Caucus Mountains, was the bobsled shoe as casual footwear. Yes, the same shoes designed to provide built, sprinting athletes pushing bulky sleds with traction on ice are being worn by the "average Joe" to carryout everyday activities. One major problem has resulted, however, from school-aged children sporting the spiked gear.: floor damage. "We're not talking a few scrapes here," said Edward Johanson, principal at Bloomington Middle School in Bloomington, Minnesota. "I absolutely love that our children were inspired by the fantastic Winter Olympic Games. I love their passion. But the spikes are wreaking havoc on floors, and nearly all of the flooring in the school now needs replacing. Let's not even talk about the basketball court." This is not an isolated incident, as schools--malls, restaurants, and offices--across the country and around the world have started banning the metal-spiked bobsled shoes.

Not a Pop Up Gas Station: Opportunity for high-density, mixed-use development out as pumps go in at 19th & Walnut St

Fuel, coffee set to flow 

The enormous, long-vacant lot at 1911 Walnut St. in Center City, a stone's thr...er, toss from the northwest corner of Rittenhouse Square, is unoccupied no more. The new tenant--a galaxy way from its summer 2012 use: a Pennsylvania Horticultural Society Pop Up Garden--is a suburban-sized Wawa gas station. In addition to multi-family housing, the lot is zoned for a "five-story refueling station." Wawa, however, went low-density installing only a single level of pumps with an extended covering to protect customers from the elements. Recent reports had Toll Brothers building a mixed-use project at the location, but the construction of the station came out of no where, and, surprisingly, after many downtown Wawas have closed up shop. "This will be our first gas station in Center City," said one company representative. "A prominent location, the size we need to build a first-class fueling center. The smell of gas fumes in Rittenhouse Square will act as a great reminder to folks that they can refuel across the street ... it is exciting." Vehicles must enter the station via Walnut St. and exit onto Moravian St. The store, the second phase of the development, will come next year, forcing current customers using cash to prepay at the 17th and Arch Streets Wawa, a half-mile trek away. There will be a coffee stand on site.

Report: Malaysian officials question Ashton Kutcher, producers of Punk'd

As the search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 entered its 10th day, investigators followed up on "the best lead we have so far." The lead? A tweet sent late last night by @TheBeerKeg6401 read: "Yo, what if miss plane part of upcoming Punk'd season? #370 #notcool"

Sixers coping: Team treating losing streak like winning streak, but not the good kind of winning streak

"We're trying to look at this losing streak like a winning streak...so that it's a little bit easier to deal with," said one player about the club's sixteen losses in a row. "But, it's the kind of winning streak that you want to end. I know that sounds weird, but it helps...a little bit. It makes us sound like we've won sixteen straight. Does that make sense?"

City: 'There are no potholes, only thousands of archaeological digs'

Did the city officially declare all potholes to be historic excavation sites in order to skirt repair responsibilities? 

Temple reinstates crew; baseball to play upcoming (and final) season at (baseball-unfriendly) Lincoln Financial Field

Having the baseball team play at the football-only Linc will save the school thousands of dollars in transportation costs to Ambler, PA, but will make for some very high scoring games. "It's gonna be a wild home campaign," said one player, referring to the "pathetically short" distance down the left field line.

Real potholes force city to abandon $10M fake pothole speed reduction program

Philadelphia-- The synthetic potholes quickly unroll onto the street and appear as authentic potholes, which was supposed to be a cost-effective approach to slow down motorists on targeted city streets. "The problem now is that there are just so many real potholes because of this winter's need for constant snow plowing and the freezing and thawing. So...when one of our fake holes sits right next to a real pothole, there just is no comparison. They just look silly...really silly. The real potholes have ruined our fake pothole program. [The City] is in the process of removing all the fake holes and will be auctioning them off on eBay. As soon as all the fake holes are removed and sold, we will begin repairing the real holes," said Gary Bensonton, an official with the Roads and Streets Division of the Philadelphia Association of Streets and Roads.

Latvian bobsled team blaming 5th-place finish on Latvian film crew's 'enormously impractical' front-mounted camera

"The documentary crew had an all-access pass to [the team] while in Sochi, we just had no idea the camera would be that large. It absolutely slowed our run times, but, to be honest, some of the footage is breathtaking," said one team member. "It was all worth it."

                            

City, state reminding residents that fishing license still required for pothole fishing

Philadelphia--City and State officials "sternly" reminded residents that fishing in potholes is no different than casting a line from a lake or river's edge: you need a fishing license. For nearly fifteen years Pennsylvania has stocked sizable potholes throughout the state with a healthy variety of fish to "make the best of often horrible winter road conditions." The plan aimed to extend the fishing season, attract more anglers, and, in turn, increase license numbers, which would help pay for pothole repair during the spring season. "Fishing enthusiasts are forgetting or ignoring fees when it comes to potholes," said Doyle Grey, a representative at the PA Fish and Boat Association & Commission. "Sadly, people are like, 'Oh, it's a pothole, I don't have to worry about a license. Look at me, look how I ignore the rules.' It's frustrating. This money will help smooth out the potholes in the warmer months." A PA license runs $22.70 for adults between the ages of 16 to 64.

Winter Olympics: Freestyle skiing grounds crew member stockpiling keys, wallets, change, chapstick in cramped locker

Minneapolis tells Vikings to 'get one more year out of Metrodome'

The team was scheduled to play at the University of Minnesota's stadium for two years while the new stadium was being constructed.

Winter Olympics: Controversy dampens Two-man Aerial Bobsled finals in Sochi

Canada takes home gold, but Norway and Russia each claim a third person was aboard the Maple Leaf sled.

Winter Olympics: Warm Sochi: Skiing events to be completed using all-terrain inline skates

47th floor, open-air 'skywalk' to connect new Comcast tower to existing Comcast Center

Philadelphia--Nearly one month after Comcast announced plans for the 59-story Innovation and Technology Center, the mass media and communications giant, along with architects at Foster + Partners, revealed one final detail to the impressive project: a dramatic, 425-foot "skywalk." The cable-supported "bridge in the sky" will connect the new tower to the original, 58-floor Comcast Center at the 47th floor. The open-air walkway will be accessible year-round, providing employees and tourists with breathtaking, inimitable views of the city and beyond. Some predict it could become one of the city's most popular tourist attractions. The steel skyscraper connection will allow executives, primarily located in the Comcast Center to the east, to "pop-in" on the "techies and app guys," and provide easy access to the new hotel. "Though the top floors of the new building will be a hotel, the bridge will reduce the effort to go from, say, the 50th floor in the Comcast Center to the 37th floor in the Innovation Center," said Jane Filmore, an engineer with Thom+Jimz Engineering. "You know, going all the way down to the lobby, walking to the other lobby, and going up again could get to be a total drag." Comcast chose to exclude the "skyway" element from the January tower announcement due to unfinished negotiations with the Arch Street Presbyterian Church for air rights.

Winter Olympics: Luge Doubles: For past three years, teammates each thought the other was steering

Peyton Manning definitely noticing longer Papa John's delivery times since Super Bowl XLVIII