Philly News Briefs: 11/23/16

1.) The headlines seem too weird to believe, but sometimes truth is stranger than fiction. There was a bull loose on the streets of Philadelphia yesterday. Twitter lit up with pictures of the escaped bovine, who meandered into traffic on 95 and the 676. According to officials, the bull managed to sneak away when being loaded into a slaughterhouse on Hancock Street in Kensington. It briefly toured the highways, heading towards Center City, before – here comes the sad part – being shot by an officer with the Philadelphia Game Commission. Luckily, nobody was hurt except for the bull. News stories reported that nobody actually knew whether the “bull” was truly a bull, or a heifer or a cow or a steer or any of the other names used for members of that animal family.

The Rocky statue celebrates 40 years of a film franchise that has become synonymous with Philadelphia.

2.) Philadelphia police came together with the Police Athletic League to bring Thanksgiving dinner to 420 lucky families this holiday. Officers of every rank from every department worked together to pack the dinner baskets, which each contained a turkey, stuffing, potatoes, cranberry sauce, green beans, and more. The meals were loaded into police vans to be distributed to pre-approved families throughout the city. This is the 47th year that the Police Department has been providing the meals, which are paid for by officers and civilians at the Department. According to abc6, Police Commissioner Richard Ross says, “We’re not just about being law and order officers and so forth, or just peacekeepers. We’re about giving back as well.”

3.) This past Monday was a big day for Rocky, the fictional mascot of the city of Philadelphia. The famed boxing movie celebrated its 40th anniversary. “Rocky” premiered in New York City on November 21, 1976. Today, Rocky is a huge part of the culture in the City of Brotherly Love. People gathered at the “Rocky steps” outside the Art Museum, some to run to the top like Rocky himself, raising their arms in triumph at the top. “Rocky” was written by star Sylvester Stallone in only three days, and shot in just 28 days with a shoestring budget of $1 million. The film went on to make over $225 million in 1976 alone and won 3 Oscars, including Best Picture.