Philadelphia’s Top Stories of 2023: A Year in Review

FOX 29 Presents Top Stories of 2023

FOX 29 takes a look back at the top 29 stories of the year.

PHILADELPHIA - Another year has come to a close with a busy 2023 in the rearview mirror, and a hopeful New Year ahead.

FOX 29’s Jason Martinez and Shiba Russell are taking a look back at the year that was, remembering the stories that touched our communities, and the headlines that we will remember for years to come.

From tragic deaths and devastating disasters, to prison escapes and city elections, we've gathered more than two dozen stories that have impacted the Philadelphia area and beyond this past year.

In no particular order, the Top News Stories of 2023 can be found in the video above, and links to our coverage can be found below:

And no Philadelphia "Year in Review" would be complete without the sports stories that engrossed the entire city, especially in 2023!

Jason Martinez takes us through the highs and lows of the Eagles, Phillies, Sixers and Flyers seasons with a Philadelphia rendition of Edgar Allan Poe's "The Raven":

"Once Upon an Ending Year, as I Sit Here, Full of Cheer...
With Boxes of Holiday Returns to Go Back to the Store...
I Have Time to Finally Think, So Come and Listen-- Grab a Drink.
Before We Get to 24 - We Look Back at Days of Yore.

Ah Distinctly I Remember in This Cold, Cold December
The Year Started With the Birds and Our Jeffrey Lure (Hey... Rhyming is Hard)

In Hurts and Kelce We Did Trust, a Winning Team We Mught Just
Win the Super Bowl Like We Did Once Before.
But Then the Chiefs Said - Nevermore.

And So the Eagles Went to Battle - a Possible Victory Wasn't Prattle
And We Had Jason - the Better Kelce for Sure.

But Mahomes and Company Had Our Number, and Thus We Were All Forced to Slumber
Without the Lombardi Trophy - We Lost the War.
Here's to Better Luck in 24.

Let's Shift Gears - Another Sport.
Surely the Sixers Wouldn't Come Up Short.
Our Basketball Team Was Destined for a Victory Tour.
But the Process Failed Us All.

Embiid, Harden and Maxey Dropped the Ball.
And We Lost to the Celtics - Three Games to Four.
This One Hurt Us to the Core.

Now We Go Onto the Ice.
A Winning Flyers Team Would Be Nice.
But This Crew Just Couldn't Shoot and Score.

The Hockey Team Finished Close to Last.
So Lets Look Forward - Not to the Past.
Better Days Have Got to Be in Store.
But Let's Face It - the 23 Season Was Poor.

That Leaves Us Down at the Bank.
After Last Year, the Phils Did Rank
As a Team to Beat - to First Place We'd Soar.

But the Season's Pitiful Start Did Not Look Like a Work of Art.
What Happened to This Team We So Adore?
Would Winning This Year Be a Chore?

But Then Schwarber Got Hot - Bryce Did Too.
And Struggling Turner - We Refused to Boo.
We Gave Him Something He Couldn't Ignore.

A Standing Ovation That Rocked the Park.
Sure - Some Thought It Was All Snark.
Until He Started Hitting Homers - and Rounding All Four.
A Turnaround Straight Out of Folklore.
Alas, a World Series Wasn't Meant to Be.

We Won Two in Phoenix but Then Came Game Three.
We Lost That One - and Also Game Four.
Game Five We Won - Just One Away.
But the D-backs, Well They Came to Play.
The First to Four - and They Showed Us the Door.
Arizona and Texas in the World Series - What a Bore.

And Thus Completes This Year End Tome.
So as You Sit All Warm at Home.
Let Me Serve, if I May, as Your Mentor.
Because Philly is Never Down and Out.
So Don't You Fret and Don't You Pout.
We Won't Come Up Short Forevermore.

A Losing 24?
No.

Quoth the Raven - Nevermore."