Poll: Taubenberger Now Leading Olivia Nutter
October 30, 2007 – With one week remaining until the Philadelphia mayoral election, a recent Turkey/Drexel University poll shows Republican candidate Al Taubenberger gaining a 2% edge on Democratic candidate Michael Nutter's 13-year-old daughter, Olivia. Overcoming Ms. Nutter's once-comfortable double-digit leads has "taken a great deal of energy and effort," said Taubenberger aide Maura Billingsley, "But these latest numbers show that we are proving the doubters wrong."
Nutter's assistant campaign director, Anthony Taylor, took the results in stride, saying that "there is still plenty of time for us to turn this thing around." Taylor implied that Olivia Nutter's slide in the polls was expected, and that "after her performance in the primaries, her popularity was at perhaps unrealistic levels. What we are seeing is an organic leveling out, but we're still very confident that she'll come out on top."
Shortly before the May primaries, Ms. Nutter appeared in a series of television commercials in which she extolled her father as a warm, fun-loving person--contrary to his public image as bookish and policy-centered. "The commercials, in addition to helping him win the primary, also made Olivia's popularity skyrocket," said University of Pennsylvania public policy expert Ryan Stoneberg. "But in the months since, she's really been coasting on that early success--not really following it up with anything substantial--and this latest poll reflects that."
Philadelphia's Republicans are hoping that, by election day, Taubenberger will further distance himself from Olivia Nutter. "He's got the will and the vision to turn this city around," said Kensington resident William Maslovsky. "On the 6th, I really think he's going to surprise her."
The poll had a margin of error of plus or minus three percentage points. |
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Liberty Bell Records 12th Boredom-Related Suicide of 2007
 October 30, 2007 –
Tragedy struck the city's historic district once again yesterday, as a Minnesota tourist committed suicide while waiting on line to see the Liberty Bell. The crowded building was evacuated shortly after 2 p.m., when 36-year-old Hannah Norman, of St. Paul, abruptly took her own life with a ballpoint pen. Norman was pronounced dead on the scene minutes later, after efforts to revive her were unsuccessful.
Frank Young, a construction manager from Lambertville, was standing next to her in line when it happened. "She kept complaining about how bored she was," he said, "and then, the next thing I knew, she had jammed a pen into her neck. It was horrible." Medical personnel verified Young's account. "She punctured her jugular--not an easy thing to do with a pen," said EMT Mel Atkins. "She must have been extremely determined."
Norman's suicide is the twelfth of 2007 to have taken place inside Liberty Bell Center. "Most of them have been while standing in line, but three or four came after the victims realized they could've just seen the bell from the street," said Park Ranger Russ McCandless, who arrived at the scene along with police and paramedics. "I don't think these tourists realize what they're getting themselves into when they come here."
Statistically, the Liberty Bell is the deadliest attraction in the historic district, with five more suicides than Independence Hall, seven more than Carpenters' Hall, and eight more than Congress Hall. The National Constitution Center, which opened in 2003, declined to provide its suicide statistics.
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