It was a violent weekend in Philadelphia, with eight people hospitalized after five separate shooting incidents. One of them was a soldier a week away from training who died from his injuries. Oh boy, the Fumo corruption trial is finally going to start this week! The Daily News lists some of the key players so you can follow along at home, while the DA praises the defendant for his work on gun laws. That's not......

The Daily News and the Inquirer both have more detail on the suspect arrested in that October 5th road rage shooting. The Daily News story reveals the man is so upset over what happened, he attempted suicide. Someone sent a threatening letter containing a suspicious substance to Barack Obama's South Philadelphia campaign office at 15th and Christian streets. The office was evacuated, but initial tests determined the substance was brown sugar. Meanwhile, McCain was......

With the great clash between Philly and LA coming up tonight, it's time to compare the cities and start trading barbs. (Meanwhile, as the Eagles seem to drift further and further from a championship, they at least have phone sex with Playboy Playmates to console them.) This weekend a number of political superstars will be coming to the region, including Sarah Palin, who'll be dropping the first puck at the Flyers' regular-season opener at the......

The murder trial of Hakeem Bey goes to a Common Pleas Court jury today. Ten minutes into the prosecutor's closing argument yesterday, juror number nine signaled for a break; some heard her say, "I'm scared. I don't think I can do this." She was excused and replaced. The case has been fraught with witness intimidation. Meleanie Hain of Lebanon used to take her holstered Glock 26 handgun everywhere for personal security, but her concealed-weapons......

If you hurry, you can still bid on Michael's argyle sweater on eBay! We knew that the economic downtimes would mean bad things for the city, but we didn't realize it was this bad. Michael delivered the news to the City Council that the city's five-year financial plan was short by $450 million. Yikes. The first victim of the city's economic tightening: a would-be press aide for Michael's Managing Director. Michael unveiled the BenePhilly program,......

Once again, you just can't make this stuff up. According to Time.com, Mary Lou McFate (aka Mary McFate, aka Mary Lou Sapone), who has had previous incarnations as a flight attendant and a sex counselor (odd resume, Ms. McFate...) may have been working for the National Rifle Association even as she served on the board at organizations like CeasefirePA and States United to Prevent Gun Violence. Mother Jones Magazine broke the story. CeasefirePA will vote......

The City of Philadelphia still has police officers—at least temporarily—thanks to a deal struck this week. Michael referred to the deal as buying time to work out the details of a longer-term agreement. Maybe he's right, or maybe he's just postponing the inevitable. Only time will tell. Michael's slogan for Philadelphia's soon-to-be-effective law requiring gun owners to report lost or stolen firearms within 24 hours: "If you lose your piece, call the police." Somewhere, Johnny......

"There will be overnight traffic restrictions on Route 202 at the Route 29 interchange in East Whiteland Township, Chester County, tonight and Monday." Also, I-95 North in Philadelphia will have a lane closure tonight, tomorrow night and Saturday morning for barrier construction. Newly released estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau reveal that Philadelphia lost more residents between 2000 and 2007 than any U.S. city except New Orleans. Ouch. High fuel costs are also affecting......

It's now been a week since the Supreme Court handed down its opinion in District of Columbia v. Heller, which struck down the District of Columbia's handgun ban as unconstitutional under the Second Amendment. Now that the hysteria dust has settled a bit, we've decided to take a look at the Heller decision to see what it says, what it doesn't say, and what it might mean for Philadelphia. We're not going to pass judgment......

Photograph of one of the man-made waterfalls under the Brooklyn Bridge by Jake Dobkin Gothamist enjoyed watching New York City's latest big public art project--four multi-story man-made waterfalls--rise up in East River and the debate about whether it's art or folly (but they sure look pretty at night).Londonist handed out advice on how to queue for Wimbledon tickets, then embarked on a gruelling fact-finding tour of drinking-holes at the capital's main terminus rail stations.Seattlest......

Michael is all for revamping the Delaware River waterfront. Of course, the new riverfront will include casinos, which probably doesn't make him too happy. Michael was very pleased with the revenue and publicity generated by the Olympic gymnastics trials being held in the city. Universal healthcare? Michael's on that bandwagon. Michael joined the other mayors of major cities at a conference in Miami. We expect that other mayors are now cowering in shame because, well,......

The Inquirer covers yesterday's early school closings due to heat, and points out that we'll see more of the same today. They also talk about the help and charity inspired by an article about a family struggling without air conditioning in the heat. A while back, state legislators increased pay for injured police officers and made it easier for them to resist returning to work. Now on any given day, roughly 250 Philadelphia police......

We haven't reported on Michael naming new officials in a while, so let's start with that. This week, Michael tapped attorney Rue Landau to be the next head of the Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations. Michael announced an $8 million spending plan to help Philadelphia's homeless population. Michael defended the city's decision to raise the rent on the Boy Scouts' headquarters due to the organization's policy against homosexuals. Michael is pushing for stricter gun laws......

Today, from 9AM through 5PM, Media Mobilizing Project and local broadband activists are urging Philadelphians to call Mayor Michael Nutter to demand that the city step in to save the Wireless Philadelphia network. If you want to give it a shot, the numbers are (215) 686-3000 or (215) 686-2250. The Delaware River Port Authority is conducting two public meetings about its planned efforts to ease congestion on the Philadelphia side of the Ben Franklin Bridge.......

Yesterday Police Commissioner Charles H. Ramsey fired four police officers and disciplined four others for taking part in the infamous videotaped beating of three shooting suspects. "Students from four Philadelphia-area high schools are meeting at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia today, with other students videoconferencing from as far away as Louisiana, to discuss issues in the presidential election and create a student agenda for the candidates." As promised, Governor Rendell announced the highest......

With all the news focus this week on the Presidential primary, there wasn't a whole lot to report in the world o' Nutter. But here's what we've got for you. The biggest Michael Nutter news of the week was, of course, his appearance on The Colbert Report, where Michael did a good job of holding his own against Colbert's needling. Of course, we would've liked to have seen the mayor play along and give a......

"Common Pleas Judge Jane Cutler Greenspan yesterday ordered the city to temporarily halt enforcement of five gun-control laws passed by City Council last week and signed by Mayor Nutter. The city must stop writing police rules for enforcing the laws and training officers about them." Meanwhile, Philadelphia police officers confiscated 113 firearms in two separate incidents this week. West Philadelphia High School's Automotive and Technology Academy has become the first program of its kind......

The Eagles' 2008 schedule has been released, and one of the more exciting games will be the one they'll they'll play at home versus the Arizona Cardinals on Thanksgiving night. It will be nationally televised on the NFL Network. (Via Sarah) Barack Obama's wife, Michelle Obama, was apparently well received when she spoke at a rally at Haverford College yesterday. A new Daily News/Franklin & Marshall poll has Clinton still in the lead with......

Michael's well-publicized citywide cleanup was last weekend. He called the effort, which drew 15,000 volunteers, the largest cleanup in United States history. All in all, volunteers cleaned up more than 2.5 million pounds in trash. Now the city needs to listen to Natalia Smirnov and everyone else in the city calling for more trash cans. The Michael Nutter lovefest continued this week, with the mayor being honored by Philadelphia Hospitality with the Vision of......

Mayor Nutter will join Hillary Clinton at two events today. The first is a talk about public safety at 10AM at the West Philadelphia YMCA—a talk which, ironically enough, is not open to the public. The next is at 5PM at Drexel University. At the public safety talk, Clinton will unveil a crime-fighting plan that she claims will halve homicide rates in cities over five years. Meanwhile, the Inquirer takes a look at how and......

Updated. See below. After last week's defeat of an amendment that would have required gun owners to report lost or stolen firearms, yesterday a comprehensive gun-package bill unanimously passed the state House of Representatives by a 200-to-0 vote. The bill raises the penalties on gun-related crimes and makes things tougher on straw purchasers. In response to recent highly publicized attacks on SEPTA platforms, the transportation agency has increased after-school policing on the Philadelphia subway system......

At least Clinton and Obama can agree on one thing: neither of them likes McCain. The Philadelphia Inquirer has coverage of Obama's appearance on sports-talk radio station WIP (610 AM) this morning, where he talked about his poor bowling; the fact that he'd rather be Dr. J than president; and the fact that he prefers the Eagles to the Steelers, but he'll always be a Bears fan first. Meanwhile, Hillary was criticizing Obama and......

Mantua Hall at 35th and Fairmount, one of the original 40 high-rise public housing towers built as part of the city's urban-renewal era, was imploded this weekend. It was the 21st such tower that the Philadelphia Housing Authority has imploded since 1995. The end of the building is considered a new beginning for Mantua. But the scandal involving the Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Philadelphia Housing Authority could lead to the flow......

The Inquirer reminds us that Monday is the last day to register for Pennsylvania's April 22nd primary. They also include a list of locations you can go to register, and a link to a site with more information. Meanwhile, the Inquirer has another primary-related article which reveals that since last November, according to state registration numbers, the Democratic Party has gained 111,227 new voters, and the Republican Party has lost 13,391. A helpful list......

The tiny Bucks County borough of Yardley is home to some of the most frequently flooded properties in the nation, thanks to the Delaware River's chronic deluges. Thus Yardley expects to receive $655,000 from a pilot grant program aimed at stemming federal flood claims in hard-hit towns. Apparently our new soccer club's anthem is "I'm Looking Over a Four-Leaf Clover." Well it's appropriate for today, anyway. "Handgun-control proponents in the State House are attempting......

Firstly, we've got to congratulate Michael on the opening of his play. What's that? You didn't know Michael had a play? Well he does. Sort of. Michael is the honorary producer of the Arden Theatre's production of The Piano Lesson, which officially opened on Wednesday night. (Look for our review of the show next week.) Back in the more traditional political arena, Michael is becoming more active in the increasingly hostile Democratic primary. After an......

Nearly a year after the massacre at Virginia Tech, questions on gun control have emerged again in the wake of the February 14th shooting at Northern Illinois University in Dekalb, Illinois. A Google News search yields just as many op-ed pieces about the Illinois tragedy as news articles. Here’s a review of gun-related news in those states: Virginia seems unchanged by the tragedy as far as gun regulation is concerned. According to the Virginian Pilot,......

Every weekday of December (except for December 25, that is), Phillyist will be counting down to 2008 with our highlights from the past year and our predictions for the next. If you have a list you'd like to submit, let us know! 10. Alycia Lane moving to New York City 'kay thanks, bye! 9. Less extreme weather Give us a friggin' break, eh? 8. Trans fat in our cannoli Please, don't take it away! We......

As Phillyist Sarah pointed out yesterday in a comment on Philly in the News, Mark O'Donnell was arrested yesterday in the murder of Ebony Nicole Dorsey, the daughter of his girlfriend. He's been charged this morning with beating, strangling and sexually assaulting the 14-year-old. Dorsey's mother says the attack came after O'Donnell had been smoking crack all night, but O'Donnell says that's not true and that he caught the girl molesting his daughter. About 100......

If you still aren't bored of stories about Jocelyn S. Kirsch and Edward K. Anderton, then by all means, read on. Meanwhile, other rather more dangerous criminals are still on the loose. Police still have little to go on in the brutal November 25th murder of John Bartram High School sophomore Antonio Q. Clarke, who was last seen alive trying to catch a trolley in Southwest Philadelphia. Call police at 215-686-3334 or -3335 with......