Phillip Macri

It was the summer of 1987 and Phillip Macri was riding high. At 5'9" and 135 pounds, he was not a big guy. But at New Castle High School, he was Big Man On Campus. He was a popular, three sport athlete. He was starting second baseman on the baseball team and a member of the cross country team. Basketball, however, was where he excelled the most. He was a scrappy, tenacious point guard that helped lead New Castle to the playoffs the previous two years and had them poised to make a run at a district title in the 1987-88 season, which would be his senior season.

Born on December 13, 1969, all Phillip wanted to do growing up was play sports. His playing career came to an end on August 28, 1987. That is the day that his life was changed forever. He was in Virginia Beach, Virginia, where he and a bunch of friends were participating in a softball tournament. It was a week before his senior year in high school was about to begin and he was having the time of his life. It was their last day in town, so they decided to go to the beach one last time before heading north to make the journey back to New Castle, Pennsylvania. They were just getting ready to leave the beach when Macri decided to take one last dip in the water. He took a running start from the shore and ran full steam into the ocean. He dove into a wave just like he had done dozens of times previously. But this time things were different. The wave flipped him upside down and he came crashing down on the bottom of the ocean head first. The impact snapped a vertebrae in his neck, paralyzing him instantly. If it was not for the actions of a heroic bystander, Macri would have lost his life that day. He was dragged from the water that day by a woman, who disappeared from the scene shortly afterwards.

After spending a few months in the hospital in Virginia, he was flown back to Pittsburgh to begin his rehab close to home. A few weeks later, he was able to return home and actually graduated from high school with his senior class in June of 1988.

After taking a few years off of school after high school, Macri attended Westminster College and received a degree in business. He has always wanted to be involved in sports. And since his playing days were cut short, he opened up his own sporting goods store, Macri's Sports, in 2001. He is still owner/operator of Macri's in New Castle, Pa.

His story doesn't end there, however. In 1993, his story was featured on an episode of Unsolved Mysteries, as he wanted to find the woman who pulled him out of the water and saved his life. Remarkably, Linda Potts from Loraine, Ohio was watching the telecast and phoned the show saying that she was the one that pulled him to safety. The show set up a meeting between the two of them, and they remain good friends to this day.

I was 13 years old when he was injured and I remember the day that I found out about his injury. I was devastated. I was a huge high school sports fan, and this news was hard to take for me. After everything that he has been through, I greatly admire his strength and courage to make it through this situation and become successful in life.





 My camera was acting up and my photos and videos were lost. Not sure what happened. But here is my story and timeline.

Phillip Macri

I plan on doing my web biography on Phillip Macri. Phillip is a resident of my hometown, New Castle, PA. He was a multi-sport star (baseball, basketball, track) for New Castle High School in the mid 1980's. During the summer of 1987, while in Virginia Beach, VA, his life changed forever. It was the summer before his senior year and he was down there participating in a softball tournament. While at the beach, he dove into a wave, got flipped upside down, and hit his head on the bottom of the ocean. He broke his neck and was immediately paralyzed, and would have lost his life if not for a complete stranger who pulled him out of the water. Even though he was now confined to a wheelchair for the rest of his life, he didn't let this incident ruin his life. After his stay in the hospital, he returned to school and graduated, got a college degree, and now owns his own sporting goods store in New Castle. He has overcome a lot of tragedy in his life to become a successful businessman and successful member of the community.

SRU Flute Ensemble

Flute Ensemble Shines at Swope

On Saturday, November 21, 2015, I attended the Flute Ensemble at Swope Music Hall at Slippery Rock University. They played a variety of types of music, including a Christmas carol ("In the Bleak Midwinter") and a Japanese folk song ("Itsuki-no-Komori-uta"). They are under the direction of Dr. Cassandra Eisenreich, who has performed with various groups and artists all over the country. The Ensemble has also been invited to play all over the country. Last week's concert also featured three members of the SRU Dance Department, led by Ursula Payne. The Ensemble featured solos by the four seniors in the group. They did an excellent job and was well worth seeing.

Flute ensemble

For my next project in New Media Journalism, I plan on covering the Slippery Rock University flute ensemble concert. The flute ensemble is a collection of about thirteen flute players from Slippery Rock University. They are directed by Dr. Cassandra Eisenreich, who has performed regularly with the Florida Grand Opera and Florida Sunshine Pops, as well as numerous top artists such as George Benson and Pharrell Williams. They are performing on Saturday, November 21, 2015 in Swope Music Hall at 7:30 pm. The Department of Dance is also joining in on this performance. The ensemble has made a pretty good name for itself in recent years. They have frequently travelled to attend the National Flute Association Convention, and have been invited to perform in this associations conventions in Kansas City, Columbus, and Pittsburgh, as well as numerous state conferences. This is newsworthy for SRU students because it is a group made up of Slippery Rock University students. I plan on getting an interview with Dr. Eisenreich to talk about the ensemble.

Inmetco fire

ELLWOOD CITY, PA, MONDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 11:45 AM---On Sunday, November 8, 2015, shortly before 9:00 in the morning, the city of Ellwood City, PA became engulfed in smoke. The International Metals Reclamation Company, Inc. (INMETCO) plant went up in flames, as firefighters from several different areas battled to contain the fire. According to INMETCO's website, the company is "a leading recycler of metal-bearing wastes in North America" that recycles "thousands of tons of nickel, chromium, iron, molybdenum and cadmium bearing wastes annually."

According to WPXI.com, the fire began in an area of the plant where there was lithium, liquid cadmium, and lead acid. It was contained around 10:40 am, but rekindled around 8:30 pm, when crews were called back out to extinguish the fire again. The building was destroyed.

WPXI.com reported that four fire fighters suffered chemical burns to their hands, according to the fire chief. Two of them were treated and returned to the fire scene, while the other two remained hospitalized, but are not seriously injured.

Smoke could be seen in the sky for miles around on Sunday morning. Medical officials said that there is no public health hazard and no evacuations are needed at this time. However, nearby residents are asked to stay indoors and keep doors and windows closed until the smoke clears.

Even though I missed the actual fire, I believe that this still qualifies as a breaking news story. I was there about 27 hours after the fire began and smoke was still billowing above the plant. The smell of smoke was in the air for miles even before I got to the site. I was not able to get very close to the actual plant, so all of my videos and photos are a little distance away. I stood at the entrance of the parking lot leading to the plant. The reason that I couldn't get much closer was that the whole complex had a chain link fence surrounding it that had barbed wire at the top to prevent people from climbing the fence. It was sort of like a prison, except instead of keeping people in, they want to keep people out.

When I was there, a news crew from WBKN in Youngstown was also there filming. This continues to be a breaking news story, because the threat may not be over. Just like the fire rekindled hours after it was contained, as long as it is still smoking, the possibility remains that the same thing could happen again. And with the potentially dangerous chemicals located in the plant, public safety continues to be a concern.

INMETCO recycling plant in Ellwood City, PA

Smoke still billows above the recycling plant more than 24 hours after the fire

    

The fence that surround INMETCO
 

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North Street Bridge opening

I went to the ribbon cutting ceremony for the opening of the North Street Bridge and a portion of Croton Ave (route 108). Many city and county officials were on hand to commemorate the occasion. The New Castle Junior High cross country team and the elementary New Castle Running Club took part in the ceremony, as they ran across the bridge after the ribbon was cut to be the first ones on the new bridge. The hotspots on my picture are in the shape of NC (for New Castle)

I chose to do my timeline on SRU alum Matt Adams, who has become one of the best first basemen in major league baseball. From a small town in central Pennsylvania, with a stop in Slippery Rock along the way, he has defied the odds and made a big mark on the game of baseball.