Yo, Philly in the News

• Remember, Eagles fans: tickets go on sale this morning at 10AM. The Inquirer offers tips on how to score some for yourself.
• Today is Philadelphia City Council's last meeting before summer break, so they're going to try to make decisions on a lot of leftover items at the last minute, including proposals to hike fines for littering, privatize the city's sludge plant, take control of Fairmount Park, force contractors to keep sidewalks open during construction projects, and allow dining decks fronting the Manayunk canal. We suspect they will also all join in on a rousing chorus of "School's Out for the Summer" at the end of the session.
• The School Reform Commission voted yesterday to seize six schools from their private managers and warned them that they are in danger of losing 20 others if progress is not made.
• Pennsylvania lawmakers yesterday held up voting on a resolution recognizing a Muslim group's convention after Rep. Daryl Metcalfe, a Republican from Butler County, north of Pittsburgh, said he opposed the recognition because "the Muslims do not recognize Jesus Christ as God." Has this bigoted clown ever even seen the Constitution? By the way, the convention's mission is to "increase faith and harmony and introduce various humanitarian, social and religious services." But apparently since they don't believe Jesus is God, they should take their harmony and humanitarianism elsewhere!
• The Upper Darby Police Department will soon have four Tasers in the field. Police Superintendent Michael Chitwood, 64, wanted to see the impact the weapon would have on an individual, so he took a hit from it himself—on camera. Click through for the video. His assessment? "It hurts."
• An animal rights group believes it may have been more than old age that killed the Philadelphia Zoo's elephant, Petal, and has filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Agriculture calling for an investigation into Petal's death.
• "If the good weather we've been having holds up, the city will spray a section of Pennypack Park tonight to control the mosquito population."
• The Strawberry Mansion High School student who was shot after his graduation Tuesday afternoon went home yesterday. Apparently he was an innocent bystander and was struck when some young men having a fight began firing into the crowd. In the wake of the shooting, security was stepped up at graduation ceremonies around the city.

Image Credit: Flickr user halfbisqued