The stories that shaped the Philadelphia region in 2022

PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Will the 76ers get its proposed arena despite Chinatown’s opposition? Will John Fetterman’s social media team take its spicy approach to D.C.? Will “Dancing On My Own” ever get old?

We don’t know how a lot of these stories will play out in 2023, but what we can say is they left a huge impact on us this year.

Here are just some of the biggest stories of the year to come out of Philadelphia — some you may have missed and others you probably wish you did.

The Supreme Court officially struck down Roe v. Wade in June.

In the lead-up to the midterm elections, analysts debated how much abortion would motivate people to the polls, with some GOP arguments touting that inflation and the economy would hold more sway.

The so-called “red-wave” never materialized, though, especially in Pennsylvania, which saw its two big races in the national spotlight.

This November saw perhaps the oddest U.S. Senate race in Pennsylvania history: A TV celebrity doctor versus a tattooed, hoodie-wearing lieutenant governor.

There’s nothing like an open seat to attract lots of candidates, and the primaries to replace departing Sen. Pat Toomey drew a large field. Voters chose two of the least conventional candidates: Republican Mehmet Oz, a retired surgeon known for his daytime talk show, and Democrat John Fetterman, the larger-than-life politician who eschewed suits and ties for sweat socks and slides.

Both men faced challenges right out of the box. For Oz, a bruising primary left him with the lowest approval rating recorded for a statewide candidate. For Fetterman, a stroke suffered just before the primary left him unable to campaign for months.

Fetterman held on to his voters but the race tightened. Republicans accepted Oz as their candidate and forgot his missteps — like the notorious grocery shopping video. The clip spawned a Twitter battle for the ages: “Crudité Gate.”

Many online mocked Oz’s word choices, including Fetterman, who used it as a fundraising opportunity. Oz fired back by saying if Fetterman “had ever eaten a vegetable in his life, then maybe he wouldn’t have had a major stroke.”

Oz gained some more ground after the single debate between the candidates showed Fetterman struggling to speak coherently. But in the early morning hours after Election Day, Fetterman was declared the winner.

Attorney General Josh Shapiro also easily bested state Sen. Doug Mastriano to give Democrats a historic run in the governor’s office. The party also eroded GOP advantage in the state House while holding on to all nine of its congressional seats.

Typically, the party that holds the White House does poorly in midterm elections, but the boost in Democratic voter engagement was palpable after the Supreme Court decided access to legal abortion is an issue for states to decide.

District Attorney Larry Krasner has been a lightning rod since he was first elected in 2017 on a progressive platform critical of mass incarceration. As the city’s murder rate has climbed dramatically in recent years, Krasner’s detractors have ramped up scrutiny of his policy choices, specifically his decision to prosecute fewer illegal gun possesion cases. Criticism came to a head this summer when Republicans lawmakers in the state House announced their intent to impeach him because he “willfully ignored his constitutional duties.”

Announced in the wake of the deadly South Street shooting, the impeachment process hinges on the idea that the DA has refused to “enforce existing laws,” therefore creating heightened instances of violent crime. Krasner and other Democrats call the process a distraction that undercuts the Democratic process, noting he handily won a second term in 2021.

Republicans officially introduced articles of impeachment in October, and representatives voted mostly along party lines in favor of impeachment on Nov. 16, 107-85. The Pennsylvania Senate is set to hold a trial next month.

Crime in Philadelphia in 2022 remained rampant, the third year in city history with homicides totaling more than 500. Carjackings across the city rose exponentially, and gun-related crimes stayed near the pace of 2021’s deadly record high.

Hundreds of children and teens were shot. Dozens were killed. One of them was 14-year-old Nicolas Elizalde, who was killed while leaving a football scrimmage at Roxborough High School on Sept. 27. Four other boys were wounded in an ambush carried out by five suspects. Four, some of them teenagers, have since been charged.

On June 4, the mass shooting on South Street rocked the city. It’s the largest mass shooting in Philadelphia history, during which 14 people were shot, three of them fatally. Two 18-year-olds were charged with murder, among other offenses.

A month later, during Fourth of July fireworks festivities, two officers were grazed by gunfire on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. Around 9:45 p.m., as fireworks blasted above, the incident sparked confusion, chaos and controversy.

Attendees weren’t sure what was happening, and there was a mad dash to flee the scene. Investigators later determined the shots were likely stray bullets from celebratory gunfire more than a mile away. The exact cause hasn’t been determined.

In the aftermath, Mayor Jim Kenney vented frustration to a gaggle of reporters, complaining: “Everything we have in the city over the last seven years I worry about. I don’t enjoy Fourth of July. I don’t enjoy the Democratic National Convention. I didn’t enjoy the NFL Draft. I’m waiting for something bad to happen all the time. So, I’ll be happy when I’m not here, when I’m not mayor and I can enjoy some stuff.” He later walked back his comments.

Gun crimes weren’t the only to shock and anger Philadelphians in 2022. On March 21, two Pennsylvania State troopers and a civilian were struck and killed on I-95 in South Philadelphia.

Shortly before 1 a.m., the troopers were trying to assist a man who was walking on the highway when they were hit by a speeding vehicle, driven by then-22-year-old Jayana Webb.

Just minutes before the crash, she tweeted that she had been pulled over for going 110 in a 50 mph zone. According to investigators, the two troopers were the ones who pulled her over but left to handle the report of the pedestrian on the highway.

Webb faces three counts of third-degree murder as well as homicide by vehicle while driving under the influence. A trial is scheduled for late next year.

April showers brought weed flowers to the Garden State. Huge lines wrapped around dispensaries across the state on the first day of recreational marijuana sales. The green has been rolling into, and out of, dispensaries ever since.

Sales began on April 21 — the day after 4/20, notably. That first day saw $1.9 million in sales. Lines have gotten smaller since then, and there have been some complaints from people who say it’s too hard to break into the industry, especially for social equity applicants.

The only dispensaries open now are owned by large corporations, not small or minority-owned businesses, which is the goal. Cannabis regulators say they are aware and will continue to look for ways to boost participation rates from minorities, women and veterans as more applications are approved.

This year shaped up to be one of the best in Philadelphia sports history. The Philadelphia Phillies ended an 11-year playoff drought and took fans on an unforgettable ride two games away from a world championship.

The magic ultimately ran out, but not before Twitter users were convinced that roars from fans at Citizens Bank Park created seismic activity. (Spoiler: It did not.) The city also reintroduced an old tradition and started a new one: climbing greased poles and blasting “Dancing on My Own” at any given opportunity.

With the recent signing of free agent shortstop Trea Turner, a trip to the World Series next year could be in the cards. Add in the Eagles’ dominant 2022 regular season, the Union’s MLS Cup appearance and the James Harden-for-Ben Simmons trade, and fans sure have plenty of reasons to celebrate.

The 76ers organization revealed in July big plans to build its own arena in Center City neighboring Chinatown. The 18,000-seat arena, dubbed 76 Place, would be built on a portion of the Fashion District along Market Street.

The $1.3 billion project would be complete by the 2031-32 season, when the Sixers’ lease ends at the Wells Fargo Center.

While the Sixers organization and developers touted the economic boost the stadium would provide, residents and business owners have voiced their opposition to the proposal, fearing an even greater volume of traffic — by transit and pedestrians — and potentially more crime.

Meetings between the Chinatown community and developers are ongoing.

Local workers, in tandem with national campaigns, fought for better wages and working conditions this year. Some were successful — others, not so much.

Employees of the Philadelphia Museum of Art spent weeks on the picket line this year, pushing for their first contract. After a weeks-long strike, they secured a three-year deal in October that included salary increases, paid parental leave and lower health premiums.

In Northeast Philadelphia, workers pushed to make their Home Depot location the first to fully unionize in the U.S. However, that attempt at the Roosevelt Boulevard store failed by a wide margin in a November vote.

One of the most high-profile unionization attempts came from Starbucks workers. In May, employees at four Center City Starbucks locations voted to unionize. Last month, they joined fellow workers in a one-day protest by closing 100 stores nationwide on the company’s Red Cup Day, one of its busiest days of the year. They ramped up their strike with a three-day walkout in December.

Unionization has grown in popularity in recent years, reaching the highest approval ratings since 1965, according to a Gallup poll. Still, federal data shows total membership is about half of what it was in the early 1980s.

After a decade as superintendent, William Hite left the School District of Philadelphia in June. The district’s finances improved during Hite’s tenure, and while the high school graduation rate went up, overall academic performance only saw incremental improvement.

Enter Tony Watlington, the superintendent of a small district in North Carolina. His first 100 days in Philadelphia were marked by a listening tour, but he raised eyebrows for a $450,000 consulting contract to Tennessee-based Joseph and Associates to help him form a transition team and prepare his five-year plan.

Watlington said he did think about the optics of the deal, but he wanted local and national input. During his listening tour, he said he heard how the district needs to communicate better with the public.

Watlington is expected to present his five-year plan to the school board next spring. His office has put out a call for proposals for another consulting contract to help make the district the “fastest-improving school district in the country.”

Nearly a year ago, an early-morning fire in a Fairmount duplex killed a family of 12, leaving the city stunned.

Eight children and four adults died in the row home on 23rd Street on Jan. 5. Only two survived. Investigators said smoke detectors inside the home had been removed.

The blaze started from a lighter that was ignited next to a very dry Christmas tree. One of the survivors, a 5-year-old boy, was believed to have been playing with the lighter.

Added to cart: The cart. After New Jersey’s plastic bag ban took effect in May, many supermarket and store operators reported customers were walking off with hand baskets.

Because stores are no longer allowed to give out plastic or paper bags, employees said many customers who didn’t come prepared with their own bags were taking their purchases home in hand baskets instead — which go for about $8 apiece.

The City of Philadelphia’s bag ban came into full effect in April, after a six-month awareness, education and warning period. Businesses can now be fined $150 minimum for continued use. To date, the city has issued 16 violations.

Maybe leaving extra totes in the trunk can be our communal New Year’s resolution.

Joseph Augustus Zarelli — that’s the name of the boy found dead in a cardboard box in February 1957. His name and history have been a mystery for 65 years, only known as the “Boy in the Box” until earlier this month, when investigators revealed a major breakthrough in the case.

The Boy in the Box case has gained worldwide notoriety through the years, captivating hundreds of investigators and fostering a dozen theories. While a huge win for detectives, the case is just one of the hundreds of other unsolved homicides in Philadelphia.