After sharing his first-hand experiences on Philadelphia’s drug-stricken streets, one local business owner and recovering addict has criticized city officials for causing the crisis.

“I blame the city officials 100%. It’s allowed to go down there. This is done right in front of the law enforcement,” Frank Rodriguez said on “Varney & Co.” Monday. “It’s allowed to go down, it’s tolerated, if not encouraged, in that area. You can come to Kensington and break all the rules that you want.”

Taking Fox News Digital on a recent tour of the Philadelphia suburb, Rodriguez showed the “in-your-face horrors” plaguing the neighborhood: people sleeping on business doorsteps, using the bathroom there as well as illicit substances.

“What I see is chaos,” Rodriguez told host Stuart Varney. “I see businesses having to set up sprinkler systems that are set up on a remote where they can hit a button, and it’ll spray water if there’s people laying down on the sidewalks.”

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“There’s numerous times where you’ll see human feces, people using the bathroom right in front of their doorsteps,” he continued. “And a lot of them are going through withdrawals, they’re literally laying in their own vomit, in their own feces.”

As storefronts put in place so-called “booby traps,” Kensington has also gained international attention for its excessive public drug use and has become a focal point for high crime and poverty in the City of Brotherly Love. The neighborhood had among the worst violent and drug crime rates citywide over a 30-day period ending Aug. 14, according to data compiled by The Philadelphia Inquirer.

In addition, Kensington’s violent crime rate was around 30% higher than the rest of the city from 2012 to 2016, while the area’s average income per capita was half the average citywide salary, according to a Drexel University study published in October 2019. The area also had more complaints about graffiti removal, illegal dumping, vacant houses and dangerous buildings than the city at large.

Rodriguez called out local officials’ hypocrisy, arguing if you walk four or five blocks in any direction away from the Kensington neighborhood, police seem to care a lot more about illegal activity.

“I’m a business owner myself, and I couldn’t imagine my customers that want to support my business having to bring their children or themselves through this type of chaos just to support my business,” he said.

The Philadelphia mayor’s office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment in response to Rodriguez’ criticism.

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Identifying as a recovering addict, Rodriguez expressed his hopes that others dealing with the personal struggle can one day share a comeback story such as his.

“My wife found me in the bathroom basically dead, and I just realized, man, I almost absolutely caused the biggest pain and heartbreak to my family and loved ones. And it would have been all my fault, nobody else to blame,” he reflected. “And I realized I wanted more for myself. I wanted more for my children.”

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Fox News’ Megan Myers and Jon Michael Raasch contributed to this report.

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Atlanta Falcons and Atlanta United FC owner Arthur Blank has added another sports franchise under his umbrella with Atlanta’s entry into the TGL, the new golf league backed by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy.

Blank’s team becomes the third member of the high-tech, primetime league launching this January. Six teams, each comprised of three PGA Tour players, will compete on a simulator based in Palm Beach, Fla.

Atlanta joins TGL Boston, owned by the Fenway Sports Group, and the Los Angeles Golf Club, owned by entrepreneur Alexis Ohanian, his wife Serena Williams and her sister Venus Williams.

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“I see this as an investment to grow the game, deliver an innovative product to avid fans while exposing golf to new, younger audiences, and another way for us to compete for championships for Atlanta,” Blank said in a news release Monday. “We will put our best foot forward in effort to achieve all three goals and to help TGL achieve success in any way we can.”

A dozen players have committed to playing in TGL, including Woods and McIlroy. Jon Rahm, Justin Thomas, Collin Morikawa, Matt Fitzpatrick, Justin Rose, Adam Scott, Xander Schauffele, Max Homa, Rickie Fowler and Billy Horschel are also on board.

Teams will compete in 15 televised, two-hour matches during the regular season, followed by the semifinals and finals.

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Cheesy bread lovers are getting a little bit of spice.

Domino’s has announced its newest menu item – pepperoni-stuffed cheesy bread – which launched across all U.S. stores on Monday.

The newest version of stuffed cheesy bread combines the best part of a pepperoni pizza into a “savory snack,” the world’s largest pizza company wrote in a press release.

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Each pepperoni-stuffed cheesy bread order comes with eight breadsticks stuffed with cheese and pepperoni, which are seasoned in garlic and Parmesan and topped with more cheese.

Kate Trumbull, Domino’s senior vice president and chief brand officer, also wrote in a statement that “pepperoni makes everything better.”

“Adding our No. 1 pizza topping to our Stuffed Cheesy Bread was a no-brainer,” she said. 

“We honestly can’t believe we didn’t launch it sooner!” 

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“Whether you enjoy it as a standalone meal or pair it with your favorite pizza, Pepperoni-Stuffed Cheesy Bread makes for a crave-worthy, delicious treat,” she added.

The new menu option is included in Domino’s mix-and-match deal, which allows customers to choose two or more dishes for $6.99 each.

Pepperoni-stuffed cheesy bread is the newest addition to Domino’s stuffed cheesy bread catalog, which launched in 2011 with the original, spinach and feta, and bacon and jalapeño varieties.

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Domino’s has over 20,000 stores worldwide in more than 90 markets, according to the company.

The pizza franchise pulled in more than $17.5 billion in retail sales in 2022.

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More than $8.7 billion of last year’s sales were in the U.S.

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Millions of Generation Xers are headed to retirement without nearly enough saved to finance it, a recent study said.

The typical Gen Xer household has an average of $243,332 tucked away to finance the milestone, according to the National Institute on Retirement Savings (NIRS) study. However, the median balance is a low $40,000 for the average household. 

That gap between average and median savings reflects the relatively small number of people that are successfully saving for retirement while others struggle.

When broken down by individual savings, the average account balance for Gen Xers was $129,994 — far below the amount they’ll need to finance a comfortable retirement soon, according to the study. Even more concerning is that the median account balance for an individual in Gen X is only $10,000, and 40% have a zero-dollar balance in their savings account.

“Gen Xers are fast approaching retirement age, but the data indicate that the vast majority are not even close to having enough savings to retire,” NIRS Executive Director Dan Doonan said in a statement. “This really isn’t surprising given the terrible retirement hand that has been dealt to the latchkey generation. 

“Most Gen Xers don’t have a pension plan, they’ve lived through multiple economic crises, wages aren’t keeping up with inflation, and costs are rising,” Doonan continued. “The American Dream of retirement is going to be a nightmare for too many Gen Xers.”

If you are retired or are preparing to retire, paying down debt with a personal loan can help you reduce your interest rate and monthly expenses. You can visit Credible to compare multiple personal loan lenders in one place and choose the one with the best interest rate for you.

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Homeownership makes up the largest component of wealth (28.6%) for Gen Xers and can help reduce spending in retirement, according to the study. Yet, roughly 71% of the youngest Gen Xers, who would be in their early 40s, don’t own their own home and rent. 

“Renting ultimately is more expensive than owning a home, and living in a home with no more mortgage debt can be a significant financial advantage in retirement, so it is concerning that so few younger Gex Xers own their own home,” the study said. 

Moreover, 16% of younger Gen Xers are still dealing with a student debt burden which is an additional challenge when it comes to saving for retirement, the study said. The majority of federal student debt is concentrated with Gen X, and individuals with student loans have an average debt of $43,438, according to data from the Education Data Initiative.

If you are preparing for your retirement, you could consider using a personal loan to help you pay off debt at a lower interest rate, saving you money each month. Visit Credible to find your personalized interest rate without affecting your credit score.

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Social Security trust funds will begin to run out of money by 2034, one year earlier than was projected unless Congress intervenes.

The revision comes on the expectation of slower near-term economic growth — gross domestic product and labor productivity were revised down by about 3% for the projected time period. 

Despite the projections, a recent Prudential survey said that 58% of Gen X members — roughly 40 million Americans — plan to rely on their Social Security benefit as a main source of income in retirement.

“Gen X faces one of the most complex landscapes for retirement readiness in decades, including the decline of defined benefit pension plans which supported prior generations’ retirement, as well as significant uncertainty about the economy and long-term Social Security benefits,” Prudential Vice Chair Rob Falzon said. “This data underscores how important it is for Gen X to adopt a new set of retirement strategies designed to protect and grow their savings, and, when possible, translate their assets into reliable sources of future income.”

If high-interest debt is preventing you from saving more for retirement, consider paying it off with a personal loan at a lower interest rate. Visit Credible to get your personalized rate in minutes without affecting your credit score.

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