Yo, Philly in the News

• The latest on the Rick's Steaks controversy: the Reading Terminal Market Merchants Association has declared Saturday "Save Rick's, Save The Market Day," and will be holding a news conference at 10AM at Rick's Steaks. "T-shirts, hats and buttons will be sold to raise funds for Olivieri's legal defense."
• Marjorie Rendell (that's Governor Rendell's wife) was being driven in an SUV by a state trooper Tuesday night at 8th and Pine when a luxury car ran a red light and struck her vehicle. Both vehicles had to be towed, and two people in the car were taken to the hospital complaining of head, shoulder, and back pain, but nobody in the SUV was injured.
• Five masked men entered Club William Penn at 57th and Ludlow streets at about 3PM Tuesday, planning to rob the place, but when the owner, Clinton Horrit, confronted them, they kidnapped him and used his cell phone to call his family and demand a $450,000 ransom. They took him to a house, tied him up, and tortured and stabbed him before giving up on the whole plot and running off. Horrit was then able to climb out a basement window and hobble over to a neighbor's house, where the police were called. Police are still looking for the kidnappers, and were waiting yesterday for Horrit to come out of sedation at the hospital so they could question him further. Call police at 215-686-3183 if you have any information.
• Speaking of botched kidnappings, the police have just made a number of arrests in another such incident that happened back on June 20. This was a case where a 7-year-old boy was taken and held for two hours before being released physically unharmed.
• Oh no! There was an oven fire at the Tasty Baking Company in North Philadelphia early this morning. Thankfully, no one was injured. But were any Tastykakes burned?! Please, no!
• Back on July 10, Superior Tube Co. of Lower Providence Township mistakenly allowed more than 2,400 pounds of trichloroethylene (TCE) - a toxic gas and a probable human carcinogen - to escape into the air over a two and a half-hour period. That's over sixty times the amount allowed. The company also did not report the leak within two hours, as is required. Thankfully, the chemical dissipates quickly in the open air, and "DEP officials said there was no indication that the release spelled danger for neighbors of the metal-tube maker." Still, some enforcement action will be taken, although it's not clear what that will be yet.
• Police have busted a gang of seven thieves who were stealing guns and other valuables from suburban homes and then selling the firearms in Philadelphia. The suspected burglars are all behind bars, but about 30 of the guns they sold have not been recovered.

Image Credit: Flickr user pianoforte