City Controller Alan Butkovitz will release an audit of the city's recreation centers and playgrounds in an 11:30AM press conference today. Charter schools in the city of Chester seem to be successful, but the school district is having a hard time coping with the drain they put on available resources. Meanwhile, the Philadelphia School Reform Commission will hold the first of two scheduled public hearings today on the proposed closing of two troubled city......

What to Watch: It's the Flyers vs. the Penguins in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals at 7:30pm on Versus. Bad news for the Orange and Black: Kimmo Timonen has a blood clot in his left ankle. The Flyers' best defensemen will likely miss this series and possibly the remainder of the playoffs, a huge blow to the Flyers' chances of shutting down Sidney Crosby and the high-flying Pens. But hey, they've dealt with......

If they don't win tonight, they're out of the playoffs. So we'll have our fingers crossed. Meanwhile, how 'bout them Flyers, huh? Anyone else see the last five minutes of last night's game?......

"No - no words. No words to describe it. Poetry! They should've sent a poet. So beautiful. So beautiful..." - Ellie Arroway, talking about the amazing spring day we have here in Philadelphia. OPEN STAGE NIGHT AT COMEDY CABARET You know the deal. Show up and pound a few so you can convince yourself that people want to see you try to sing or be funny or do that weird thing where you put......

"A man who was being evicted from his apartment in Yeadon, Delaware County, yesterday pulled a gun and shot the constable who served the eviction notice and the apartment manager, police said. The gunman fled into Southwest Philadelphia and hid in a rowhouse at 1846 Conestoga St, but a host of cops tracked him down and arrested him as he attempted to get away out the back door." The wounded men were listed in critical......

The Flyers defeated the Washington Capitals 3-2 in overtime last night, advancing to the second round of the NHL playoffs. You knew that, right? What’s that, you’re not a hockey fan? This is the best time of year to start! Don’t worry, there’s plenty of room on the bandwagon. Here are 10 reasons to get Flyered Up, teeth optional. 10. Playoff Beards Hockey players are a superstitious bunch. One of their practices is to start......

Friday The much-ballyhooed match-up between Cole Hamels and Johan Santana took place at a sold-out Citizens Bank Park. Santana baffled the Phils bats, fanning 10, and David Wright went 4-4 with 2 RBI’s as the Mets nipped the Phils 6-4. The Good - Greg Dobbs’ pinch-hit, three-run homer brought the Phillies to within a run in the bottom of the eighth. Santana may have had an answer for the Phils offense, but he only......

Guess we know who Ringling Bros. is cheering for.........

A tall, icy glass of our favorite internet junk, just for you. Warren Ellis reveals which comic hooked him on the medium. (Via) The best invention ever? You decide. (Via Sarah) Uwe Boll on the internet petition we mentioned yesterday. Turns out he can make an entertaining movie! The top 25 child stars of all time, according to Moviefone. The NHL is recruiting famous fans to write blogs about hockey. Included are Jason Reitman and......

We know, we know: we're late. Well, today is the express version of your favorite evening guidebook, so strap in and please, be forgiving: sometimes we need to step back from the computer for a moment and, you know, work. SALSA LESSON AND DANCE FOR BEGINNERS Go to Brasil's Nightclub (site is borderline NSFW, trust us) tonight and get a lesson in how to dance. Looking like you're desperate not to trip over nothing......

The Sixers are still motoring along, posting a win over the Orlando Magic on Wednesday night (101-89), and fueling… playoff fever? We’ve felt this before, haven’t we Philly? Breathe through it. It’s not worth the morning after remorse. They’re not home again until March 7; hopefully they’ll keep up the winning away against Golden State (tonight 10:30PM), Phoenix (tomorrow 9PM), and the LA Clippers (Monday at 10:30PM); you can catch all on SportsNet. The Flyers......

Tuesday brings us several events chosen only on the merits of their names. While this is not always a wise principle by which to live, it will certainly serve to spice up an otherwise Snoozeday Tuesday. Yup. We made that up, right on the spot. What? We don't care if you've heard it before! We haven't, so it's ours! PHILADELPHIA PHANTOMS VS SYRACUSE CRUNCH Okay, okay, we'll admit it: We're not the biggest Phantoms......

The Sixers are still going (for now) as they seek to match their season-high four game winning streak (they’ve won at home against Washington 101-96, Miami 101-84, and the LA Clippers 101-80) with a win over the Dallas Mavericks tonight at 7PM at the Wach (get tickets or watch here). They will host the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday at 7PM at the Wach (get tickets or watch here). If you’re going to that game, get......

The Sixers lost to the Orlando Magic Saturday in an excruciatingly close game (108-106). They will try to regroup tomorrow night against the Washington Wizards at 7PM at the Wach (get tickets or watch here), and the Miami Heat on Thursday at 7PM at the Wach (get tickets or watch here). The Flyers fared better, beating the Anaheim Ducks Saturday (3-0). They host the Washington Capitals on Wednesday at 7PM at the Wach (get tickets......

The Sixers are trying to keep up the home court magic after trashing the Milwaukee Bucks Wednesday (112-69), by beating the Orlando Magic tonight at 7PM at the Wach (get tickets or watch here). The Flyers (who despite some people’s assessment aren’t doing that bad, even with that embarrassing loss to the Rangers (0-4) last night) host the Anaheim Ducks tomorrow night at 7PM at the Wach (get tickets or watch here). The Kixx try......

Ah, it's a bad photograph of a car! And that can mean only one thing: the Philadelphia International Auto Show is almost here! We're finding it hard to believe that it's already that time again, but it must be true, because whenever we go within a four block radius of the Convention Center, we see dozens of large trucks full of cars. And we snapped this shot this morning of one classic specimen already......

After losing to the Knicks (81-89) on Friday and beating the Charlotte Bobcats away Saturday night (103-96), the Sixers hope to score big at home: seven of their next eight games are at the Wachovia Center. Catch them Wednesday battling the Milwaukee Bucks at 7PM (get tickets or watch). The Flyers had a break for the All-Star game, but now have to defend their #1 status with wins against the Los Angeles Kings Tuesday night......

After losing to the Pacers Monday (110-103), and the Pistons Wednesday (86-78), the Sixers are hoping to beat the Knicks tonight. They’re hoping that snaps them out of the losing funk they’ve been in, which has seen them lose 10 of their last 12 games. The Flyers lost out big time to the Devils this week (7-3), but conquered the Penguins last night (4-3). Everybody’s eye is on the Atlantic Division, which is in a......

The Sixers lost on the road to the Celtics on Friday, but finally beat the Toronto Raptors, the first time this season, 99-95 Saturday. They’re playing the Pacers today at 2PM (watch or get tickets) and the Pistons on Wednesday night at 7PM (watch or get tickets) at the Wachovia Center. After winning on the road Friday night against the Islanders (5-3), the Flyers gave a “thorough shellacking” to the Ottawa Senators at home on......

After snapping their losing streak, the Sixers face off against the Toronto Raptors tomorrow night at 7PM at the Wachovia Center (get tickets or watch); Monday they’ll host the Indiana Pacers at 2PM at the Wach. (get tickets or watch) Coming off a win against the Panthers yesterday, the Flyers get political with the Ottawa Senators Sunday at 7PM at the Wachovia Center. (get tickets or watch) Oh, and congrats to the All-Stars. The Kixx......

The Sixers weren’t able to pull it out against the Bulls, losing with a disappointing 100-97 score. Unfortunately it seems the Inqy is right: they’re not such a great team this year. The Flyers made up a two-goal deficit in the third period and got the game against the Bruins into overtime; sadly, overtime lasted 43 seconds and gave the win to Boston with a score of 4-3. The boys did better on the......

In hoops, the Sixers try to break their five-game losing streak with a win tonight against the Chicago Bulls at the Wachovia Center, 7PM. Broadcast on Comcast Sportsnet, or buy tickets. On ice, the Flyers come off a 5-1 road trip to challenge the Boston Bruins at home Saturday at 1PM at the Wachovia Center. Broadcast on Comcast Sportsnet, or buy tickets. The Phantoms, whose fourth straight win Wednesday night against the Lowell Devils kept......

We recently posted about the promising state of the Philadelphia Flyers this season, but we never thought they would be this good. Sure, we like sports. But even more, we like sports where teams beat the hell out of each other and don't hesitate to run the score up until their opponents are growling through desperately-held-back tears. The Flyers rocked the Pittsburgh Penguins 8 to 2 on Tuesday night, prompting the coach of the tuxedo-clad......

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This week ended with the launch of the seventh and final Harry Potter installation. But while the world was consumed with Pottermania, it's important to remember that there were more serious things going on in the world, too – two of them in -Ist cities. Sampaist was shocked when a passenger jet crashed into the center of Sao Paulo, killing at least 200 people. The airplane, an Airbus A320, skidded off the runway at the......

June 17 -The Phillies lost the last game of their series with the Detroit Tigers, 7-4. Not only did the Phillies lose the series, but gave away yet another game that they should have won. Phillies pitcher Adam Eaton continued his string of quality starts, and pitched and hit well enough to win, leaving the game with a 3-1 lead, and coming up with two hits on the day. Yet, it’s the same story on......

They like us, they really like us! Our own "Philadelphia is one of only two of the top 20 cities in the United States that has shown an increase in overseas visitation from 2000 to 2005." How did we miss this? Back on Thursday, the City Council declared Philadelphia officially a "'Pro-Choice City,' which supports 'women's reproductive rights and freedom' and defends 'the right to choose a legal and safe abortion as a final but......

Spring is when we get busy here in the Ist-A-Verse. Very busy. But, after staying bundled-up indoors all winter, it's nice for us to be out, about, and collecting things to write about for you. Here's a glimpse at what's been keeping your favorite citybloggers busily away from home and out of bed. For LAist, strong winds attacked LA on the same day the Feds raided the Crips. Not to fear, though: the Japanese version......

First off, let us say that although this particular item isn't about Philly, nor does it take place in Philly, or are far as we know involve Philly in any way, we're including it because it's big news, even if we mentioned it in yesterday's Whiz, too: NASA has set a time line for the realization of a manned Moon Base. Naturally, we have begun making plans to replicate their plans on the dark......

As soon as we ascended to the upper level, the brawl broke out. We leaned over the railing and joined the fans’ roar, volume oscillating with each flurry of punches thrown. Grabbing each other’s uniforms at arm’s length, the two skaters-turned-prize fighters continued to take swings until the refs intervened. With the fight quelled and the crowd subdued, we took a chance to survey the scene around us—and quickly realized that thirty collegiate males......