Yo, Philly in the News

• Governor Rendell announced yesterday that he would freeze salaries for thousands of nonunion state workers and forgo his own raise. The move is part of the $128 million cost-cutting package announced yesterday. The news came hours after some legislative leaders announced that they would give back their 2.8-percent COLA raises, which took effect Monday.
• A scholarship program that has provided cash to nearly 13,000 Philadelphia high school students headed for college is coming to a sudden end. U.S. Rep. Chaka Fattah told Mayor Nutter in a letter last week that he was disbanding the program, in part because of the mayor’s decision last month to cut the city’s annual contribution this year by $1 million. “Regretfully, the budget realities for the City of Philadelphia make it impossible to continue this effort,” Fattah wrote.



• Two armed bandits forced their way into a clothing store in Northeast Philadelphia early yesterday. The pair tied up three employees, and fled with up to $11,000 according to Capt. Jack McGinnis of Northeast Detectives. At gunpoint, one of the robbers made an employee open a safe and hand over store receipts, estimated to be between $5,000 and $11,000, police said.
• Andrew Mogilyansky was arrested on Tuesday on federal charges of traveling to St. Petersburg, Russia, to have sex with orphan teen girls, then employing them as prostitutes in Moscow. The 38-year-old dual Russian-U.S. citizen lives in Richboro, Bucks County, on more than an acre of land and his net worth is $5 million. He preyed on young girls aged 14 or less in orphanages.
• The Philadelphia Police Department honored their heroes yesterday. 46 officers and 11 civilians were honored for heroic deeds at the biannual Police Department commendation awards ceremony at the Fraternal Order of Police hall. “It’s great to shine a light on these achievements because they represent the best of public service and the best of being human beings,” said Managing Director Camille Barnett.

Image Credit: Flickr user It's Our City