Yo, Philly in the News

• The Phillies won Game 1 of the World Series last night, 3-2. Of course, being a Philly sports fan, this Phillyist would like to have seen them win better; there were a lot of missed opportunities to score, and Howard really needs to get out of this post-season slump he's stuck in. Still, a win is a win. Check out a preview for Game 2, and ponder what it might mean if Game 3 is rained out. Also remember having the Phils in the series means a big win for the region's economy. And it also means drinks for everybody!
• Lots of local trial news this morning: federal prosecutors opened their case against Vince Fumo yesterday by painting a harsh portrait of the man as someone driven by "greed, power, and a profound sense of entitlement." Jurors at the Fort Dix terrorism trial are watching some pretty disturbing videos. The local funeral directors found guilty in that body parts scam were each sentenced to 8 to 20 years in prison yesterday. 20-year-old Malik Collins was convicted of murder yesterday, for the second time in as many months. A 28-year-old North Philadelphia man convicted of murder gave up his right to an appeal yesterday as part of a deal to avoid the death penalty and get life in prison instead. Christian Squillaciotti, the South Philadelphia man accused in that road rage shooting on the Schuylkill Expressway, has been deemed mentally competent to face a preliminary hearing. And finally, two former charter school administrators pleaded guilty yesterday to charges of conspiracy and altering documents in 2006 to cover up their use of more than $14,000 in taxpayer money for personal expenses, including restaurants, gasoline, travel and alcohol.
• "Police issued a warrant yesterday for the arrest of a 15-year-old boy who they say was responsible for the fatal shooting of an 18-year-old National Guardsman last Friday."
• In an attempt to compete with Verizon's FiOS service, Comcast announced yesterday that it would double broadband speeds for its customers in the Philadelphia and Boston areas. Folks in South Jersey will get the speed upgrade by mid-December, while Philly customers will have to wait until the first half of 2009.
• The region is experiencing economic woes which will force Pennsylvania Universities to slash their budgets. To get extra money to pay for the Convention Center expansion, the City Council committee approved a 1.2 percentage-point increase in the city's hotel-room tax yesterday. But the Daily News points out that things are hard in many cities around the nation, not just ours.
• The Inquirer takes a look at a question that voters will have to answer on the November 4 ballot: Should the state borrow $400 million to pay for water and sewer improvements?

Photo of fans celebrating the Phils' win last night at Johnny Brenda's by Flickr user Proper Pictures.