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ARCHIVES . 1998
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January
January 2–8
Kelly McQuain
 January 9–15
Internal Affairs: A year ago, the city hired James Jordan to find out how well the Philadelphia PoliceDepartment was policing itself. Can he tell the whole truth without losing his job?
by Gwen Shaffer		 January 16–22
Art
by Robin Rice
January 23–29
The Transplant Procedure
by Here's a (simplified) stepby-step of how fetal tissue implant operations happen:, 1. Fetal tissue, ranging in gestation from 6 to 9 weeks (an 8week-old embryo is considered a fetus—at this time, major body parts are present), is collected at the time of abortion, tested for disease, genetic defect and contamination, and then stored on ice., 2. On the day of surgery, doctors bolt a band to the transplant patient's skull with four pins embedded in the outer layer of bone. A device that looks like a delicate bubble dome is attached to the band, preparing the patient for a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan., As a gurney inches the patient through a powerful doughnutshaped electromagnet, a scanner detects radio signals emitted by hydrogen atoms in the brain. These signals are reassembled into three-dimensional images by the MRI scanner's computer and projected onto a bank of monitors., 3. From these images, doctors map the angle and route by way of which a needle will insert the fetal tissue implants into target sites in the brain, while avoiding injury to arteries and vital brain structures. The domelike device provides a grid of reference points for plotting these routes., 4. The patient is prepped for surgery and wheeled into the operating room, where the "bubble dome" is replaced with a stereotaxic frame, an awkwardlooking device that resembles a large compass or sundial. The frame is a precision measuring tool—its outer rim contains an array of small holes that can be adjusted to within a fraction of a millimeter to guide the needles delivering the fetal tissue. and The operation is nearly bloodless and, since brain tissue does not register sensation, almost painless as well. The patient is sedated with a local anesthetic but remains fully awake.		 January 30–February 5
The Transplant Procedure: Here's a (simplified) step-by-step of how fetal tissue implant operations happen:
by 1. Fetal tissue, ranging in gestation from 6 to 9 weeks (an 8week-old embryo is considereda fetus—at this time, major body parts are present), is collected at the time of abortion, tested for disease, geneticdefect and contamination, and then stored on ice., 2. On the day of surgery, doctors bolt a band to the transplant patient's skull with fourpins embedded in the outer layer of bone. A device that looks like a delicate bubble dome is attached to the band,preparing the patient for a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan., As a gurney inches the patient through a powerful doughnutshaped electromagnet, a scannerdetects radio signals emitted by hydrogen atoms in the brain. These signals are reassembled into three-dimensionalimages by the MRI scanner's computer and projected onto a bank of monitors., 3. From these images, doctors map the angle and route by way of which a needle will insertthe fetal tissue implants into target sites in the brain, while avoiding injury to arteries and vital brain structures.The domelike device provides a grid of reference points for plotting these routes., 4. The patient is prepped for surgery and wheeled into the operating room, where the"bubble dome" is replaced with a stereotaxic frame, an awkwardlooking device that resembles a large compass orsundial. The frame is a precision measuring tool—its outer rim contains an array of small holes that can be adjustedto within a fraction of a millimeter to guide the needles delivering the fetal tissue., The operation is nearly bloodless and, since brain tissue does not register sensation,almost painless as well. The patient is sedated with a local anesthetic but remains fully awake. and General anesthesia is routinely used for open brain surgery, during which doctors can seewhat they're doing. But in this type of operation, called stereotaxic surgery, surgeons work blindly, directinginstruments into the brain based on the computer calculations alone, and there's a chance (albeit remote) that theneedles and catheters inserted into the brain could cause bleeding and precipitate a stroke.
February
February 6–12
Dr. Yes: After seven years, six sting operations and two raids, the state finally arrested Dr. Robert Trollinger last month for alleged drug dealing and fraud.
by Frank Lewis		 February 13–19
 February 20–26
Renaissance Women: In the 1890s Philadelphia became a haven for black women writers. A hundred years later, it's happening again.
by Jeannine DeLombard
February 27–March 5
Beleaguered: Women in the Philadelphia Junior League raise money, help kids and, yes, they do lunch. But can they successfully change the organization's image?
by Gwen Shaffer
March
March 6–12
Heroin Highway: From the Badlands to the hinterlands: How Philadelphia became the world's second largest dope depot.
by Howard Altman		 March 13–19
Red Alert: As the heroin trade spreads beyond Philadelphia, politicians, cops and community leaders struggle to contain an epidemic at the source.
by Howard Altman		 March 20–26
Avenue of the Artisans: Can an ambitious tribe of artists and tradespeople turn a depressed stretch of Frankford Avenue into a cultural mecca?
by Gwen Shaffer
March 27–April 2
The Crowd Pleaser: With his first album on the way, Nate Wiley reflects on 50 years in music and 15 years rocking the house at Bob and Barbara's.
by Brian Howard
April
April 3–9
High Court: Philadelphia's drug treatment court -1 year old this week—has been a positive influence on some drug offenders. But the jury is still out on whether it will reduce drug-related crime.
by Mark Naymik		 April 10–16
The Philly Factor: A rare victory for Philadelphia public schools: Street-smart city kids are trouncing their opponents in the state's hotly contested Mock Trial championships.
by Christopher McDougall		 April 17–23
April 24–30
Fest Bets: Must-sees for the first weekend of PFWC.
May
May 1–7
Boyz In the Woods: Booze, Bibles and bottoming out in the Pine Barrens.
by Jason Wilson		 May 8–14
Homicide #126: It was a low-profile murder—another young black male shot over drugs. But the victim's mother wasn't about to let anyone, including the mayor, forget that Emir Peter Greene was still somebody's son.
by Mark Naymik		 May 15–21
Violent Femmes: Women's boxing hits home: Joltin' Jen Darr takes on South Philly's Joie Gambino in athree-round featherweight bout.
by Jen Darr
May 22–28
Rebel Radio: The FCC be damned: West Philadelphia's illegal Radio Mutiny goes full speed ahead with its eclectic mix of music, poetry and politics.
by Gwen Shaffer		 May 29–June 4
Crash Landing: Could a massive Disney entertainment complex in Center City slip a Mickey to the mayor'sdreams for a new Penn's Landing?
by Mark Naymik and Frank Lewis
June
June 5–11
 June 12–18
Holy War: Sects, lies and video-conferencing. How tension between the Archdiocese of Philadelphia and theInquirer led one reporter to take his critical profile of Cardinal Bevilacqua to another paper.
by Frank Lewis		 June 19–25
The Pew, the Proud: Seven years, five million dollars, 100 artists—a state of the arts report on the PewFellowships, the larges grant an artist can apply for.
by Neil Gladstone and David Warner
June 26–July 2
Playing Doctor: The patients a fake. The doctor's not reallyl doctoring. They're both involved in acontroversial new test that only foreign med school grads are required to take. And they can only take it inPhiladelphia.
by Jen Darr
July
July 3–9
Confessions of a Phone Sex Worker: How does it feel to stoke men's fantasies over the phone?
 July 10–16
Like Mike: His Philly-based talk show was a national hit in the 60's and 70's. Now Mike Douglas,the original Mr. Nice Guy, is coming back into style.
by Neil Gladstone		 July 17–23
Sunset Boulevards: Even though drive-in movie theaters are attracting more interest than they have inyears, the Philadelphia area's last drive-in may be facing its final summer.
by Jen Darr
July 24–30
Blood, Net and Tears: Two lonely people met over the Internet. Now one of them is dead, shot in the face. ThePhiladelphia Medical Examiner has ruled the death a homicide. No one has been charged. Family and friends demand someanswers.
by Gwen Shaffer		 July 31–August 6
Explosive Charges: Two and a half years after a fatal gas explosion in Norristown, some continue to insist that PECO put cost-cutting ahead of public saftey—especially in minority neighborhoods.
by Frank Lewis
August
August 7–13
Towering Fiasco: Ray King's Philadelphia Beacons were supposed to be the Avenue of the Arts' crowning glory. Four years after they were commissioned, they're still just ugly stumps.
by Brian Howard		 August 14–20
Partners: The battle over domestic partnership benefits lasted for years. Now that legislation recognizing the rights of Philadelphia's same-sex couples is about to go into effect, supporters and critics alike are asking questions about what it really means.
by Mark Naymik		 August 21–27
The Paper Chase: Marriages, murders, Council minutes, mayoral files—more than 200 years of city historylive inside the Philadelphia City Archives. What do we keep? What do we throw away? And what happens when the verydefinition of records begins to change?
by Gwen Shaffer
August 28–September 3
The Collector: Jack Prince scouts flea markets with a Hawaiian eye.
by Jen Darr
September
September 4–10
Fringe Binge: Can the Fringe Festival keep growing and growing and still stay on the edge? What to look for in this year's bigger, wilder Fringe.
by David Warner		 September 11–17
Car 32 Where Are You?: Juvenile parole officers are teaming up with city cops to track down some ofPhiladelphia's most hardcore teenage offenders. Finally, probation has some teeth. Or does it?
by Gwen Shaffer		 September 18–24
September 25–October 1
Big Marty Really Does Want To Be Mayor: But why? That's the question that dogs Martin Weinberg, Frank Rizzo's political strategist, as he charts a mayoral course for himself.
by Frank Lewis
October
October 2–8
Living Wager: Should Philly guarantee a living wage for workers whose companies do business with thecity? Labor says yes. Business says no. How City Council works in the the last days of Rendell/Street's City Hall.
by Mark Naymik		 October 9–15
Toon Town: They're funny, they're sharp, and they're among our most valuable cultural resources: Agallery show spotlights Philadelphia cartoonists.
by Robin Rice		 October 16–22
October 23–29
Clean Getaway: A mother's frantic cross-country journey to keep a daughter off drugs.
by Jen Darr		 October 30–November 5
November
November 6–12
 November 13–19
It's not Easy Being Greene: Brought in by Mayor Rendell to shake up the Philadelphia Housing Authority, PHAexecutivedirector Carl Greene has wasted little time making changes—and enemies.
by Mark Naymik		 November 20–26
The Twilight Zone: Has the $79 million federal empowerment zone grant—awarded to the city four years ago- been a boon or a boondoggle? The answer is not one-dimensional.
by Gwen Shaffer
November 27–December 3
Glory Days: Radio pioneers like Ed Sciaky helped make music history. Can anyone revive the lost artof the rock dj?
by Margit Detweiler
December
December 4–10
The Sensuous Santa: A Holiday Gift Guide For All Five (Make That Six) Senses
 December 11–17
Tough Sell: The city's welfare-to-work advertising campaign is drawing national attention—andgetting results.
by Mark Naymik		 December 18–24
Welcome to the Machine: The controversial Journal Register Company, owner of 13 Philadelphia-area papers, iseffectively staking a news-and-information ring around Center City. What does this mean for the regional newspaperbiz?And what's in store for readers?
by Christopher McDougall
December 25–31
They Know If You've Been Bad or Good: Video survellance cameras record Philadelphians withdrawing money from the bank, waitingfor the train, even buying a soda at Wawa. Ironically, the government can now watch us from Independence Hall. Is allthis security worth the encroachment on our privacy?
by Gwen Shaffer
January
January 1–7
Judge's Comments:: Fiction
by Karen E. Outen
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