Yo, Philly in the News

• The operator of a Chester charter school has filed a lawsuit against The Inquirer, alleging that failed business talks between him and publisher Brian P. Tierney motivated articles last month that raised questions about the school's use of public funds. The suit, which was filed Tuesday in Delaware County Court, charges that the stories made false, misleading and defamatory statements about Chester Coimmunity Charter School and its management company's cheif executive, Vahan H. Gureghian. William K. Marimow, editor of The Inquirer, staunchly defended its coverage, which included three stories and an editorial, and said it had nothing to do with any dealings Tierney might have had with anyone.
• William Allan Foster was sentenced to at least five years in state prison for viloating his probation on theft and drug offenses. He had been wanted by probation and parole officials in Bucks County and New Jersey on Nov. 17, the night his speeding vehicle crashed into Officer Simpson's police cruiser in the Juniata Park section of the city, killing the 20-year veteran. Foster awaits trial in Philadelphia on third-degree murder, vehicular-homicide, and other charges.
• Mayor Nutter said yesterday that he remained hopeful that President-elect Barack Obama would send federal money from his economic-stimulus package directly to city governments. "It's absolutely on the table," said Nutter, who was among about 14 mayors invited to join Obama at George Mason University in Virginia for Obama's speech on the economy and job creation. Nutter took Obama's words to mean that he understood that states and cities played "a critical role in helping people get back to work." Obama did not detail the size of the stimulus package, how it would be divided up, or what criteria would determine what it included.
• Since being put into operation in 2002, Philadelphia's $62 million emergency radio system has been plagued with problems - from systemwide failures to blocked calls for police and firefighters. Nonetheless, the city wants to extend its contract with Motorola Corp. for four years and $34.5 million. City officials say it is the least expensive choice. Unions for the police and firefighters agree, although with reservations about the system's reliability.
• Tomorrow could bring the biggest snowfall in nearly three years, and perhaps even some snow during Sunday's Eagles game, according to the National Weather Service. The forecast calls for 4 to 7 inches of snow in counties west and north of the city, 2 to 4 in the city, and 1 to 3 in South Jersey. Eight inches might fall in the Lehigh Valley and the Poconos. A half-foot is expected throughout North Jersey, where the Eagles have a 1 p.m. playoff game against the Giants. The forecast there calls for a "chance of snow and sleet before 10 a.m., then a chance of snow between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m."

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