Stephen A. Smith Used to Wallpaper His Inquirer Cubicle With Racist Hate Mail

Stephen A. Smith Loves Hate Mail. ESPN talking head Stephen A. Smith rose to prominence in the mid ’90s while working as a sports columnist at the Philadelphia Inquirer. Apparently, while he was working at the Inky, he used to wallpaper his cubicle with hate mail. Most of the letters were mailed in (before email) and ones with racial slurs were considered especially important trophies. [Deadspin]

Storms Cause Power Problems. The storms that rolled through the region on Tuesday reportedly caused 45,000 PECO customers to lose power (mostly in Montgomery and Chester Counties). An overwhelming majority of those customers have had their power restored. Springford School district is closed on Wednesday, though, because some schools remain without power. [6 ABC]

Controller Blasts City Over Lot Dispute. City controller Alan Butkovitz has called-out the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority for threatening developer Ori Feibush in a dispute over a city-owned vacant lot. Feibush says he tried to by the lot adjacent to his coffee shop at 20th and Federal, but his attempts were ignored. So, he spent $20,000 of his own money to spruce up the lot. The city claims the first they heard of Feibush’s interest was in a letter received on Tuesday. [Daily News]

City Approves Waterfront Apartment Buildings. The city has approved three new apartment buildings that will be built on the waterfront within walking distance of the Race Street Pier. One 12-story building will go in just north of the Ben Franklin Bridge and another will be built by Pier 34 and Pier 35. A 16-story tower is planned for 2nd and Race in Old City. [Inquirer]

Honoring Officer Brad Fox. A public viewing and funeral procession are planned for Wednesday to honor Plymouth Township Police Officer Brad Fox. Officer Fox was shot and killed while pursuing a suspect on foot last week. His family and friends held a private viewing on Tuesday, followed by a viewing open to the public. [NBC Philadelphia]

Phils Lose Ground. The Phils were rained out in New York on Tuesday, but action around the league left them, once again, four games back of a wild card spot thanks to a 4-2 St. Louis win over Houston. Milwaukee also won. [MLB]

Cell Phone Videos Get Coatesville Man Arrested. A Coatesville man has been arrested for allegedly placing a cell phone in the female changing area of an oral surgery practice to record videos of  the employees undressing. [CBS 3]