• Beginning late Sunday night, a 30-year-old University of Pennsylvania dental student was held captive by three thieves who ransacked his apartment and then sat around for a while watching reruns of American Gladiator and old movies on his TV. After they finally left 11:30AM yesterday, they went on a shopping spree, buying sneakers, clothes, and gift cards using the man's credit cards and cash from his ATM accounts. Police caught one of the thieves last night when he used the man's credit card at the Rite Aid at 23rd and Walnut streets. The other thieves were still at large as of last night.
• The primary season is heating up in Pennsylvania! Both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama will be making appearances in the area today. Clinton spoke in Scranton yesterday, and should be on Q102 right about now; you can listen to the show online here. Then she has a noon campaign event in Harrisburg at The Forum, and a Philadelphia rally at 6PM at Temple University's McGonigle Hall. Meanwhile, Obama is scheduled to tour a Bucks County factory in Fairless Hills today. Tomorrow, the United Black Clergy of Philadelphia and Vicinity meets to consider a presidential endorsement, and they're expected to pick Obama, despite a history of affection for the Clintons. Finally, you might be interested to know that starting tonight at 11PM, and continuing every Tuesday night until the primary on April 22nd, political reporter Bruce Gordon and anchor Kerri-Lee Halkett will host a half-hour special on Fox 29 focusing on the Presidential primary contest in Pennsylvania.
• The non-profit agency known as the Pennsylvania Environmental Council will present a report to Mayor Nutter as part of a 10AM panel discussion at the Cira Center this morning. The "report is expected to suggest strategies to encourage the development of green buildings and recommend solutions to some of the barriers."
• Foxwoods Casino told City Council yesterday that "it has a traffic plan that would not only handle the 12,000 to 28,000 vehicles coming to or leaving its riverfront casino every day, but that would also improve traffic in the already congested Pennsport neighborhood." Council was skeptical.
• Supermarket executive Gary W. Redner, 55, was killed between Saturday night and Sunday morning at his home on Rebers Bridge Road in Lower Heidelberg Township. At this point, everything else about the murder remains a mystery.
• Yesterday, Mayor Nutter announced his plan for a city-wide clean-up effort on April 5th from 9AM to 2PM that would be the largest of its kind ever in Philadelphia. He aims to enlist 10,000 volunteers to remove one million pounds of debris from 5,000 city blocks. "He said that during his campaign for mayor he noticed that 'far too many areas of our city are filthy and unacceptable.'" He went on to say: "With a clean city, the citizens are also saying something about themselves and what we think of our own neighborhoods."

Image Credit: Flickr user pwbaker