News

Dave McCormick Needs to Hire Himself Some Fact-Checkers

Plus, is this $1 million Powerball ticket yours?


U.S. Senate candidate Dave McCormick

U.S. Senate candidate Dave McCormick (Getty Images)

Check phillymag.com each morning Monday through Thursday for the latest edition of Philly Today. And if you have a news tip for our hardworking Philly Mag reporters, please direct it here. You can also use that form to send us reader mail. We love reader mail!

Dave McCormick Needs to Hire Himself Some Fact-Checkers

Dave McCormick has long been dogged by accusations that he doesn’t actually live in Pennsylvania. That’s particularly problematic because it’s the state he’s running to represent in the U.S. Senate. He’s squaring off with incumbent Bob Casey, a man whose family name is practically synonymous with Pennsylvania, in November’s election. The latest gaffe by McCormick doesn’t help his cause.

McCormick made some embarrassing headlines yesterday after news came that a man described as an “illegal immigrant” and “MS-13 member from El Salvador” shot multiple people in Philadelphia. Always quick to jump on the “Bad Things Happen In Philadelphia” bandwagon and all the anti-immigrant fervor out there, McCormick took to social media declaring: “MS-13 gang members are terrorizing Philadelphians because of Harris and Casey’s radical open border policies.” He linked to an article about the Philadelphia shooting.

The only problem? There’s more than one Philadelphia in the United States, Dave. And this tragic incident occurred in Philadelphia, Mississippi. Not Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The story he linked to was from what was clearly a Mississippi TV station and depicted a police car that was clearly not a Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, police car. Well, it’s clear to anyone who actually knows anything about Philadelphia.

Another Dave McCormick fact error regarding a Pennsylvania institution: In a statement about Democratic economics yesterday, his campaign complained that tickets to Hershey Park cost $60. They do not. They cost $49.95. McCormick also has issues pronouncing Yuengling. And he thinks that Wawa sells Big Gulps.

The confusion over Missisippi vs. Pennsylvania is one thing. The Yuengling thing might be forgivable. And what’s $10.05 among friends? But a Big Gulp at Wawa?! C’mon, Dave.

Welcome Back, Kids

Some 50,000 bees are said to be inside the walls of this school in Montgomery County. Yikes!

About that Proposed Sixers Arena

The Inquirer has a pretty nifty visualization of what the SEPTA use, parking, and foot traffic would likely look like if the controversial arena were to come to fruition.

Wanna Buy a House?

Read this listing very carefully before you proceed with any transactions. The house comes with its own squatter!

By the Numbers

20: Philadelphia libraries that had to close over the summer due to a lack of adequate air conditioning or problems with their air conditioning systems. And the libraries are supposed to be community “cooling centers,” So much for that. If City Council is going to approve the controversial Sixers arena plan (and I don’t think they should, based on what the arena will do to Chinatown), our fearless legislators should force the developers to put high-quality air conditioning systems into every Philadelphia public school and library. Just a thought.

12: People rescued from the Schuylkill River overnight after a small party boat filled with folks in their 20s and 30s began taking on water. No one was injured.

$1 million: Value of a Powerball ticket sold at a local store. That’s all well and good. The problem is that the person who purchased the ticket in 2023 hasn’t come forward to claim their prize yet. And they only have another month to do so.

Local Talent

In a bit of sad animal kingdom news: If you’ve ever been to Adventure Aquarium in Camden, you’ve no doubt seen Anchor, the huge hammerhead shark. Anchor was the biggest shark at the aquarium. Alas, Anchor left this world over the weekend. “Anchor was a tremendous ambassador for his species for 20 years, teaching all who met him about shark conservation and the hammerhead’s vital role in the health of coastal marine ecosystems,” wrote the aquarium in a statement.