MAGAZINE SPORTS PLUS EIGHT LESS ONE READYFOR THE NBA Reality TV show’s parents split. E1 Tyreke Evans plans to go early. D1

TUESDAY75¢ JUNE 23,2009 $1 in some locations outside the The Inquirer metropolitan area

City &Suburbs Edition C 181stYear, No.23

Troubled Pa.aid to themoviesintighter focus Metro hospital crashin replaces D.C. kills itsCEO at least6 Friends Hospitalin N.E. Phila.has been One train struckand landed citedbyregulatorsfor atop another during rush neglecting patients. hour,the deadliest accident By To mAvril in thetransitline’s history. INQUIRER STAFF WRITER Friends Hospital, the histor- By BrettZongker ic psychiatric treatment cen- and MichaelJ.Sniffen ter in NortheastPhiladelphia, has replaced its chiefexecu- WASHINGTON —One Metro tran- tive officer after state and sit train smashed into the rear of city regulators accused the fa- another at the heightofthe capital cility of inadequate oversight city’sMonday evening rush hour,kill- of patients, including one ing at least six people and injuring who committed suicide. scores as the front end of the trailing The officials’ concerns fo- train jackknifed violently into the air cused on the hospital’s“crisis and fell atop the first. response center” —the equiv- Cars of both trains were ripped alent of an emergency room HUGHE DILLON /For The Inquirer open and smashed together in the —where the patient commit- Neil Patrick Harris (left) waits during abreak in the filming of “The Best and the Brightest” in the 2000 worst accident in the Metrorail sys- ted suicide in April. Separate- block of Delancey Place. On the steps Saturday were Bonnie Somerville (left) and Amy Sedaris. tem’s33-year history. ly,Delaware County stopped District of Columbia fire spokes- referringpatients to the inpa- man Alan Etter said crews had to tientunit at Friends because cut some people out of what he de- of the suicide, generalsecuri- scribed as a“mass casualty event.” ty concerns, and “allegations Budget woes Rescue workerspropped steel lad- of inappropriate sexual behav- ders up to the upper train cars to ior,” acounty official said. help survivors scramble to safety. County behavioral health Seats from the smashedcars spilled administrator Jonna DiStefa- onto the track. no declinedtoelaborate, cit- threaten film D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty said six ing patient privacy rules. But were confirmed dead. Fire Chief an Inquirer review of police Dennis Rubin said rescue workers records shows that at least treated 76 people at the scene and three rapes of patients were taxbreak JOHN COSTELLO /Staff Photographer sent some to hospitals, sixwith criti- reported last year.One, in Janet Falcon, asenior colorist for Shooters Inc., calinjuries. Asearch for other vic- which the alleged victim was fine-tunes an image being projected to her left. tims continued into the night. a13-year-old girl, has led to AMetro official said the dead in- the arrest of ateenage boy By Carrie Rickey As next Tuesday’sbudget deadline looms, the cluded the operator of the trailing who was also apatient, police INQUIRER MOVIE CRITIC drama that unites Harrisburg and Hollywood is: train. Her name was not immediate- said. The other two cases re- M. Night Shyamalan was pressed. His actors Will film tax credits make the cut — ly released. main active, said police Capt. were poised for apivotal scene in the sci-fi fantasy or be cut? The crash about 5p.m. took place John Darby. The Last Airbender.The director positioned him- Opponents of the incentive, like Sen. Pat Vance on the system’sred line, Metro’s In addition to hospital CEO self on abridge high above the floor of the Budd (R., Cumberland), call the credits “a Hollywood busiest, which runs below ground Arris Veronie, vice president factory in Hunting Park, and called, “Action!” giveaway.” Supporters, like union executive Micha- See TRAIN on A4 Diane Carugati and chief med- Below milled many of the 6,000 extras and 650 el Barnes, call it an engine for job growth in astate ical officer Marc Rothman crew members —plus adelegation from Harris- no longer manufacturing steel and food like it are no longer working at burg. The challenges of a$135 million movie were used to. Friends. None of the three daunting, but they were dwarfed by what confront- Since 2004, when the state first offered credits, could be reached for com- ed state representatives. the number of movies made annually in Pennsylva- ment. Ahospital spokesman So, on May 1, Shyamalan took 15 minutes to nia has jumped —from five in 2003 to 23 in 2007. declined to comment on staff lobby lawmakers facinga$3.2 billion budget defi- So, too, have jobs in allied industries, from hotel departures but said the facili- cit to preserve Pennsylvania’sendangered $75 mil- housekeepers who make the beds of visiting talent ty was being run by interim lion film tax credit. See TAX on A6 See HOSPITAL on A7

COMING THURSDAY Hearing set on VA cancer cases

Specter plans ameeting hereMonday. Also, Yesterday,the unfolding scandal prompted Sen. Arlen Specter (D., Rep. called foracongressional probe. Pa.) to say he would hold ahearing on the matter in Philadelphia on Mon- By Marie McCullough Flippin, 68 —aminister,teacher, day. INQUIRER STAFF WRITER and Air Force veteran —ishardly “The news accounts have creat- Four years ago, after talking to unique. ed agreat deal of concern in the doctors at the Philadelphia VA The Philadelphia VA has notified veterans’ community,” Specter Medical Center,the Rev.Ricardo 92 prostate cancer patients treated said. “They report very serious Flippin opted for aradiation thera- between 2002 and 2008 that their problems and …itisamatter for The Top 100 py that would precisely targethis “brachytherapy” radiation doses congressional oversight. We need prostate cancer and leave nearby were too high or too low.The U.S. to find out what happened.” Associated Press Businesses organs unharmed. Department of Veterans Affairs Rep. John Adler (D., N.J.), the Rescue crews had to cut people out Instead, his prostate cancer got has shut down the brachytherapy region’sonly member of the House of the trains. The Metro chief said In the Region too little radiation while his rectum program in Philadelphia and three Veterans Affairs Committee, also the first train was stopped on the received so much that he suffered other VA hospitals with less seri- called for acongressional probe. tracks, waiting for another to clear A special section excruciating, permanent damage. ous problems. See ORDEAL on A9 the station ahead, when it was hit. on the region’s top firms and how they’ve weathered one of the toughest business years in generations. Plus, Grace and Grit AYoung Athlete’s Fight for Life we chart the biggest employers, best-paid CEOs, and most valuable companies. Rebounding,toraceagain

Last of three parts. fered brain injuryonNov.2,when his throat and his jaw was wired WEATHER he lost control of his bike and shut. He desperately wanted to ar- By MichaelVitez smashed, face-first, into acar go- gue his case but couldn’tspeak. High 82, INQUIRER STAFF WRITER ing 40 milesanhour. His father,Mike Miller,was vehe- Low66 att Miller was determined Three days before the physics mently against his taking the test. Partly sunny.Chance of to resume his life where test, Matt had afollow-up appoint- Matt was premed, with all A’sinsci- M he’d left off —even com- ment with J. Forrest Calland, the ences. Why rush? Why risk abad showers. Full report and exclusive NBC10 EarthWatch pleting his fall semester as ajun- trauma surgeon in charge of his grade? forecast, B15. ior at the University of Virginia. care at the University of Virginia Matt took his Physics 201 mid- Matt left the hospital Nov.26, Medical Center. term —20problems on harmonic INDEX sooner than anyone had expected, “By definition, there’snoway motion, waves and sound, fluids, Classifieds C6 INQlings …E2 JOHN COSTELLO /Staff Photographer and afew days later scheduled a Matt can have 100 percent of his and thermodynamics. Comics ……E6 Movies …E3 Matt Miller hugs Emily Privette after his physics midterm for Dec. 8. mental capacity back,” Calland The decision did not surprise his Editorials A12 Obituaries B13 recovery from acycling crash. “It is not The 20-year-old from St. Davids, told Matt and his father.“My gut’s longtime girlfriend from Radnor Express……D8 SideShow E2 possible to exaggerate the importance training for atriathlon, had bro- telling me this is not agood idea.” High, Emily Privette. Lotteries D8 Television E5 of family and friends,” he said. ken every bone in his face and suf- Matt still had atracheostomy in See GRACE AND GRIT on A8

© 2009 Philadelphia Newspapers L.L.C. Call 215-665-1234 or 1-800-222-2765 for home delivery. Tuesday, June 23,2009 THE PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER www.philly.com C A9 In the Nation Ordeal Terror watchlistnobar to guns By Spencer S. Hsu check for each buyer but can- study.Citing a“terror gap,” Continued from A1 WASHINGTON POST not legally stop apurchase Lautenberg introduced legis- The problems represent WASHINGTON —People solely because someone is on lation to give the U.S. attor- “more than medical malprac- named on the government’s the watch list. ney general authority to stop tice,” said Adler,who repre- terrorism watch list have pur- The study found that peo- the sale of guns or explosives sents Burlington, Ocean, and chased firearms hundreds of ple on the list purchased fire- to terrorists. Camden Counties. “It is also times since 2004, the Govern- arms 865 times in 963 at- “The special interest gun supervisory malpractice and ment Accountability Office re- tempts over afive-year peri- lobby has so twisted our na- regulatory malpractice.” ported yesterday. od endinginFebruary. tion’slaws that the rights of Flippin, meanwhile, has re- U.S. lawmakers requested Those who were denied terrorists are placed above covered from surgery he had the audit to show how people gun purchases were disquali- the safety of everyday Ameri- in 2006 to repair the radiation on the watch list can be fied for other reasons, such cans,” Lautenbergsaid in a injury to his anal canal. Physi- KENNY KEMP stopped from boarding air- as afelony conviction or a statement. cians at Ohio State University The Rev. Ricardo Flippin was planes but not from buying drug violation. Chris W. Cox, the National diagnosed and repaired the treated for early-stage guns. Sen. FrankLautenberg (D., Rifle Association’schief lobby- injury after Flippin spent prostate cancer at the Under federal law,licensed N.J.) and Reps. John Conyers ist, said many people were ALEX T. PASCHAL /Dixon Telegraph more than ayear complain- Philadelphia VA hospital. firearms dealers must re- Jr.(D., Mich.) and Robert C. placed on the watch list erro- Catfish surface at aboat ramp ing to doctors at the VA hospi- quest an FBI background Scott (D., Va.) released the neously. in Rock Falls, Ill. Officials are tal in his hometown of VA’s July 2008 letter about pos- probing what caused afish Charleston, W. Va. sible substandard treatment, kill on Rock River in the state. Flippin hired Robb Graham, a ‘Are you ... listening?’ Cinnaminson attorneywho spe- “They’re telling me about cializesinsuing the VA. Judge: Free man hemorrhoids and constipa- Flippin, who retired as a tion. They’re prescribing me technical sergeant after a at Guantanamo Sitz baths. Isaid, ‘Are you 21-year career that included guys listening to me?’ One service in Vietnam, now works WASHINGTON —Afederal guy did a[colonoscopy] and for aWest Virginia church coa- judge yesterday ordered a he saw rawness. He said, ‘Oh, lition that offers social-service Guantanamo detainee re- that’sjust amild infection.’ ” programs to veterans. leased after chastising prose- Ongoing investigations by He also takes precautions cutors for contending that a the Philadelphia VA and the against “accidents.” Syrian man tortured, impris- Nuclear Regulatory Commis- “I do not have consistent oned, and abandoned by al- sion have found anumber of control of my bowels,” he Qaeda and the Taliban could factors that may have contrib- said. “I wear protective under- still be working with them. uted to the substandard care. garments.” U.S. District Judge Richard These included alack of train- Leon emphatically rejected the ing in recognizing and report- Contact staff writer Marie government’sclaims against ing medical errors, lack of ad- McCullough at 215-854-2720 or Abd Al Rahim Abdul Rassak. equate oversight, and failure [email protected]. The government had argued of the hospital’sradiation that even though he was tor- safety committee to address Staff writers Josh Goldstein, tured by al-Qaeda as asuspect- deficiencies. Heather Chin, and Karen Knee ed Western spy and imprisoned In Washington, VA spokes- contributed to this report. by the Taliban for 11/2 years, he woman Katie Roberts said that still had some kind of alle- anew leadership team at the giance to his tormentors. VA was conducting a“top-to- Justice Department spokes- bottom review” of the entire man Dean Boyd said the agen- agency and that it would take cy was reviewing the ruling. aggressive action “to make Since his captivity at Guantana- sure the right policies and pro- mo, Rassak has adopted adif- ceduresare in place to protect this ferent last name, Janko. —AP our veterans and provide them with the quality health care FBI name-check they have earned.” It is not clear whether the SandalSale lapseshave affected the can- backlog is cut cer prognoses of any of the 92 affected veterans —almost DALLAS —FBI name checks 80 percent of all brachythera- is simply on people seeking to work or py patients at the Philadelphia live in the United States or be- VA.However,the VA arranged come citizens are getting com- for eight of themtoreceive ad- pleted more quickly,slicing ditional seedimplants at the too good to miss! through abacklog that had left Seattle VA hospital. some petitions pending for In brachytherapy,physicians more than ayear,immigration permanently implant in the officials said yesterday. prostate about 80 to 120 tiny The FBI hired more workers, metal “seeds” that emit radia- The selection is absolutely beefed up its training pro- tion over a10-month period. grams, and upgraded its tech- Ultrasound is used to guide incredible.We’ve got every nology to handle the average of correct placement, and apost- hotstyle that’s outthere: six million to seven million ap- surgical CT scan confirms it. plications it gets each year,U.S. Brachytherapy is an option Gladiators.Huaraches. Citizenship and Immigration only for patients with small, Wedges.Thongs.Espadrilles. Services officials said. early-stage, nonaggressive The delays came during the prostate tumors —patients Andthe savings aretruly FBI’sroutine checks for possi- like Flippin. amazing…and getevenbetter ble criminal backgrounds and In 2004, he had just moved national security questions. from Charleston to Philadel- when youbuy more! But now,nearly all name- phia to care for his elderly check requests are being an- mother. swered within 30 days. The rest are finished within 90 Ledtodiagnosis BUYMORE, days, the officials said. —AP An elevated PSA test led to his cancer diagnosis at Phila- SAVE MORE delphia’ssprawling VA cen- Regular &Sale Price Sandals Not-guiltyplea ter,which is ateaching hospi- tal for the University of Penn- in Bostonattacks sylvania. Flippinand his wife opted BOSTON —Aformer Boston for brachytherapy because it 30%OFF medical student pleaded not is quicker —just an overnight guilty yesterday to charges he hospital stay —than external Onepair* lured amasseuse he met radiation and less invasive through Craigslist to aBoston than prostate removal. hotel, then bound her,beat her, “The entire procedure was and shot her to death with a completed without difficulty or 35%OFF gun thatau- complication,” according to the thorities medical reports, electronically 2or3pairs* say he later signed by radiation oncologist stashedina Gary Kao, and two surgeons. hollowed- The next day aCTscan re- out medical quested to check seed place- 40%OFF textbook. ment found “brachytherapy Philip seeds are also noted surround- 4ormorepairs* Markoff, 23, ing the prostate gland,” aradiol- firmly stat- ogy report says. ed “not Eric Horwitz, head of radia- Bottom line—this is areally guilty” tion oncology,said placing smarttimetoshop when asked Former medical seeds outside the prostate “is his plea to student Philip not common” because “most or forsandals. the seven Markoff at his all of the seeds should be in the charges in- arraignment. prostate.” cluding first- Later —years later —Flippin degree mur- would learn that VA doctors cal- der and kidnapping. culated that his radiation dose He is charged in the April 14 to the prostate was only 67 per- slaying of Julissa Brisman, 26, cent of the intended dose. of New York, and the April 10 Flippin returned to Charles- armed robbery of Trisha Lef- ton after his surgery because fler,29, aprostitute, at another his mother had died. Nine hotel. He was ordered held months later,hebegan hav- without bail pending trial. ing rectal pain and bleeding. —AP As thesymptoms steadily worsened —killing his appe- tite, causing weight loss, forc- Elsewhere: ing him to quit his church job, South Carolina Gov. Mark San- and finally leaving him bed- ford has been hiking the Ap- ridden —hemade the connec- palachian Trail, spokesman tion to the brachytherapy. Joel Sawyer said, explaining The Charleston VA hospital the governor’sabsence for doctors did not. Not exactly. several days. Sanford strong- In June 2006,amedical re- ly opposed $700 million in fed- port said Flippin’spainful eral stimulus money for “rectal ulcer” was “probably schools but lost acourt battle related to seed implants for to refuse the money.Sawyer cancer of the prostate.” Yet said Sanford took abreak and doctors continued to pre- went hiking after the loss. scribe antibiotics, enemas, SecretaryofState Hillary Rod- and addictive painkillers — ham Clinton canceled plans not the corrective surgery Shoponlineatlordandtaylor.com *Excludes:Coach,ColeHaan, JuicyCouture,KateSpade,StuartWeitzman, Ugg® Australiaand RedDot to attend international meet- that he finally obtained after sandals. Cannot be combinedwithany other offer. Sale endsMonday,July6th.Noadjustments to priorsalepurchases. Selectedcollections; ings in Italy and Greecethis he insisted on being referred notevery styleinevery store. 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