Author: Jim

Personal Fusion/eSports Interview

Jim and Melanie Garrow of Roxborough have been playing Overwatch along with their three children for more than a year. One of their favorite things about it, Garrow says, is that it’s team-based: “No one can be the superstar.”

“We all have our own mains, so we can play together… even the 5-year-old,” his wife adds. “It’s a nice way for us to connect around the dinner table.”

They’ve been following Philly’s Fusion since the beginning.

“We get a lot of strange looks,” Jim Garrow concedes. “But we’d take the whole family to an Eagles game. Why not this?”

https://www.philly.com/life/xfinity-live-overwatch-league-professional-gaming-comcast-spectacor-philadelphia-fusion-20190305.html

By Hannah Chinn

 

The Rise of Fentanyl and Fighting Against It

Overdoses linked to fentanyl, a synthetic opioid up to 50 times stronger than heroin, killed nearly 30,000 people in the United States in 2017. Authorities say most fentanyl sold in the state of Pennsylvania can be traced back to China. We went to Kensington, an area considered a “ground zero” of America’s opioid crisis, in the Pennsylvanian city of Philadelphia, to find out how a drug funneled through from China is fueling a health crisis half a world away.

https://www.scmp.com/video/china/2188334/fighting-fentanyl-drug-china-destroying-american-lives

By Xinyan Yu

Air Pollution and African Americans

It’s also true that we may know more information soon. As of May 2018, the city has deployed 50 new air monitors — including a number in North Philadelphia — towards a new initiative called the Philadelphia Air Quality Survey. Garrow explains this new survey is designed to track some of the neighborhood-specific air quality data that’s proven elusive. Although the first set of data won’t be made public until late 2019 at the earliest.

https://ecowurd.com/2019/03/02/just-how-bad-is-the-air-hurting-phillys-black-families/

By Malcolm Burnley

Mumps Outbreak at Temple

Inquirer

“The vaccine is still our best prevention tool,” said Kristen Feemster, medical director of the Philadelphia health department’s acute communicable disease and immunization programs. “The most important thing students can do now is make sure they’re up to date on their MMR shots.”

https://www.philly.com/health/mumps-temple-university-outbreak-contagious-disease-20190301.html

By Aneri Pattani

Fox29

Students were surprised to know as many as seven cases have been confirmed so far, according to the Philadelphia Department of Public Health.

http://www.fox29.com/news/officials-7-temple-university-students-test-positive-for-mumps

Alleged South Philly Rapist

NBC10 1

The city’s health department also would not comment on Williams’ status, but said in a statement that “all the victims who have come forward are being offered the appropriate counseling and medical care.”

“We urge anyone who has been the victim of sexual assault to seek the proper medical care,” a spokesman for the Philadelphia Department of Public Health said in an emailed statement.

https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/HIV-South-Philadelphia-Sexual-Assault-Rape-Suspect-Safien-Williams-City-Worker-506515821.html

By Alicia Lozano

NBC10 2

The Philadelphia Department of Public Health did not comment on the Williams case, but said in a statement that “all the victims who have come forward are being offered the appropriate counseling and medical care.”

https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/Philadelphia-Mayor-Jim-Kenney-Confirms-South-Philadelphia-Serial-Rape-Suspect-Safien-Williams-Has-HIV-506550111.html

By Alicia Lozano

Soda Consumption by Philadelphia Youth

The Philadelphia Health Department says soda consumption among teens has been dropping dramatically.

In Tuesday’s report, the city says between 2015 and 2017 the proportion of teens drinking soda weekly in Philadelphia dropped by 10 percent, as compared to just two percent nationally.

There was an 18 percent drop in Philadelphia teens drinking soda daily and a 30 percent drop in teens who drank three or more a day.

https://6abc.com/food/soda-consumption-among-philly-teens-dropping-dramatically-report-says/5158956/