Yo, Philly in the News

• Philly police have a lot of bulletproof vests made with Zylon, a material shown to degrade under exposure to moisture and sunlight, thus making the vests less effective. Luckily, the manufacturer agreed not only to replace the vests with non-Zylon versions, but to also pay the department $100 for each one. Nice!
• The Youth Study Center near 20th and Pennsylvania Avenue is outdated, overcrowded, and just overall in very poor condition. It's really the only detention center for younger suspects in the city, and it's not keeping them in very effectively. Luckily, a new, high tech version could be built in West Philly - if Mayor Street and Councilwoman Jannie Blackwell (whose district the new site is in) can kiss and make up.
• Four candidates were knocked off the ballot as a result of the many challenges filed, but remarkably, Milton Street, Jesus White, and Queena Bass were not among those four. As usual, Milton had some hilarious things to say; he blamed his nephew Sharif for the petition challenge (this ballot isn't big enough for two Streets!), and mentioned that he'd gotten a lot of his signatures down at the Gallery, where the manager kept trying to throw him out.
• In other Mayoral news, the Inquirer takes a look at the various candidates' ideas on how to solve the crime problem in the city, then asks experts if they make any sense. Meanwhile, according to a recent poll, the mayor's race is still a dead heat, although Tom Knox has the momentum on his side.
• Campaigning was going on for another race in Philly yesterday, as well; both Hilary Clinton and John McCain were in Philly, asking for your vote for President.
• A young man from Kensington was shot and killed around 2AM yesterday morning on a subway concourse near City Hall, at 15th and JFK. If you're interested in the count, he was homicide victim number 84 for this year.
• The Inquirer warns that you might want to stop trying to sneak through area toll booths without coughing up the cash; PA and NJ highway authorities are tired of losing millions of dollars every year in unpaid tolls and are cracking down. Expect trooper stakeouts and high fines.
• There's a bald eagle nest in a secret location somewhere in Philadelphia! It's the first one found in the city in more than 200 years. They're hoping more bald eagles will appear in the nest soon, which is why its exact location is being kept a secret; they don't want the birds disturbed in their work.

Image Credit: Flickr user maura