Yo, Philly in the News

• Soaring gas prices are leading to increased ridership on local public transportation services like SEPTA, which just passed a $1.1 billion budget for 2009 that includes major upgrades to handle all those new riders. Because of course, fuel costs are increasing for SEPTA, too.
• The Philadelphia chapter of the Boy Scouts sued the city in federal court late Friday to prevent being evicted from its city-owned headquarters or being charged $200,000 a year in rent. Mayor Nutter said yesterday that he's astounded by their audacity. If you'll remember, the Scouts have been paying only $1 annually to lease a city building as their headquarters, but Nutter decided the city could no longer afford to subsidize the rent of a group that discriminates.
• Being astounded by the Boy Scouts isn't the only thing Nutter's up to; this morning at a 9:45AM press conference at Dilworth Plaza, he's going to announce a plan that would significantly add to the number of units available for homeless people in Philadelphia.
• Bad news for Philadelphia cops: another case of police brutality has surfaced. "Two officers were charged yesterday with severely beating a 36-year-old man they found painting graffiti in August, then falsifying records to make it appear the encounter never occurred."
• "A Senate committee will hold a hearing today to explore whether the state should impose a strict limit on gifts that lobbyists have routinely lavished on lawmakers for years."
• Two men with guns invaded a home on the 1000 block of Filmore Street about 4AM yesterday morning. When police arrived, both men fled. One was captured on a nearby roof, but the other ran into an adjacent house (which turned out to be vacant), where he holed up for 90 minutes while police tried to talk him out. Finally they entered the house and apprehended the suspect.

Image Credit: Flickr user Studio 34: Yoga | Healing | Arts