Yo, Philly in the News

• Remember those makeshift stables in Strawberry Mansion that animal cruelty investigators raided yesterday? Well, the owners of about 40 of the horses living there removed their animals yesterday, as ordered. About 20 more horses were allowed to stay in three garages on Fletcher Street near 27th that had been made into stables while owners of those properties made repairs. The other structures will be bulldozed today.
• Yesterday, City Council gave final approval to a lease with Fairmount Park that will allow Fox Chase Cancer Center to begin an $800 million expansion. Council also got its first look at a proposal to build a 15-story condominium tower and six-story hotel on the NewMarket site in Society Hill.
• "Temple University and state officials are scheduled to announce today at noon the opening of a new, state-funded Governor's School for Urban Education Teaching at Temple this summer."
• Pictures from a racy Christmas party at a Montgomery County 911 dispatch center found their way onto MySpace, and from there, into the hands of the Montgomery County commissioners, and now a supervisor has been fired and the rest of the employees severely reprimanded.
• "David Atkins, 43, of the 1600 block of Staub Street in Nicetown, was gunned down early Saturday morning after he was awakened by a knock at the door." The motive for the shooting is unknown, and Atkins' son may have witnessed part of the attack. Atikins' funeral services are scheduled for today. He was a devoted father and worked hard to send his son to St. Martin de Porres Interparochial School, so now the school is allowing the child to remain there on a full scholarship through the end of the year, and a scholarship fund has been established to collect money for future tuition. Checks can be made payable to the David Atkins Memorial Fund, sent to the attention of Hillig at St. Martin's, 44 W. Logan St., Philadelphia, Pa., 19144.
• The Inquirer is taking a look at local sports stars making their marks overseas, in basketball and soccer. And speaking of soccer, Chester's new Major League Soccer team has sold more than 2,000 season tickets in its first seven days.
• In politics, Bill Clinton will be stopping in Philly today to address the city's Democratic ward leaders and stump for his wife. Meanwhile, Obama's team was settling into their new digs here yesterday, and the City Council is split on which of the Democratic nominees it wants for president.

Image Credit: Flickr user mezone.