A mother and daughter prostitute team in Wissinoming, who promised to "double your pleasure" in Craigslist ads for their services, were arrested yesterday by an undercover police officer. At a defendant's sentencing hearing yesterday in a robbery and attempted rape case, the woman who had been the victim of the attack began hyperventilating in court and then collapsed in an anteroom. She was taken to Thomas Jefferson University Hospital and later released. The defendant was......

The House rejected the economic bailout plan yesterday and the Dow plummeted. The Inquirer takes a look at how local folks and small businesses are coping with the economic crisis, and the Daily News finds that things are going well for at least one set of businesses: secondhand shops. A second-grade student at Harrington Avery D School in West Philly brought a bag of marijuana to school yesterday and showed it off to his......

Seven people were shot in five separate incidents within about a 12-hour span from Monday into yesterday. The judge for the Fumo corruption trial is still ill, a fact that may delay the trial for at least a month. Monday was the first work day with higher tolls on the DRPA's Ben Franklin, Walt Whitman, Commodore Barry, and Betsy Ross Bridges, so it's not entirely surprising that commuter traffic dropped on those bridges Monday,......

We know it's hard, keeping up with all the political corruption our city has to offer. Toss in worrying about the presidential election, and it's no wonder few of us have the energy to keep abreast of local scandals. Never fear! In the case of Papa Vince, City Paper has you covered. Tom Namako is blogging and twittering the Fumo Trial over at Fumogation. With cross-linking galore, you'll stay in the loop, and be able......

Sources say that Governor Rendell and Mayor Nutter will announce at a 1PM press conference today that Foxwoods Casino has made an agreement with the state and the city to move its long-delayed slots parlor, originally planned for the South Philadelphia waterfront, to the Gallery at Market East. In January, former President Bill Clinton will replace former President George H.W. Bush as chairman of the National Constitution Center. Bush suggested Clinton as his replacement and......

We're starting off with a very weird and disturbing story this morning. Shortly after midnight on Thursday, on the SEPTA subway near the Fairmount Avenue stop, a bearded, stocky, 5-foot-9, thirty-something black man in a yellow shirt and black pants, accompanied by a three- or four-year-old child, took out a hammer and, with no provocation whatsoever, began using it to viciously beat a 20-year-old man who was dozing off in his seat nearby. Surveillance......

Hey, we made it to the top of another good list, Philadelphia! Zagat says the citizens of our fine city are the most generous tippers in the nation. The Daily News talks to two Philadelphia area men about their experiences after being arrested and thrown into a Chinese prison. In an effort to cut costs and avoid layoffs, the Newspaper Guild of Greater Philadelphia voted last night to postpone until next August a $25-a-week......

Yesterday morning, 20-year-old Community College of Philadelphia accounting student Fakhur Uddin was bound with duct tape and string, shot in the head, and left in the back room of the East Germantown gift and sundry store he was minding for his ailing father. Police believe he was killed during a robbery. Apparently one of the key witnesses against Vincent Fumo in his corruption trial will be his own son-in-law. In the hopes of keeping......

We're so proud: one of the Eagles cheerleaders (Janelle Stangl) has been named by Maxim as one of the NFL's four "most gorgeous" cheerleaders in the magazine's September issue, which hits newsstands today. Click through for a pic. The Daily News describes a climate of fear and anger in Frankford, with residents on the lookout for a serial rapist. "Anticrime activists passed out flyers in the neighborhood yesterday while police—in a massive manhunt—took the unusual......

The parents of Danieal Kelly have filed a lawsuit against their criminal co-defendants, blaming them for the girl's demise. Leonard P. Luchko, a top computer technician for State Sen. Vincent J. Fumo pleaded guilty yesterday and told a federal judge that he followed Fumo's orders to erase e-mails being sought by federal agents investigating the powerful Philadelphia Democrat. Apparently he failed to erase incriminating e-mails from his own devices, however. Police responded to reports......

Philadelphia rock musician and songwriter Robert Hazard died unexpectedly Tuesday night after surgery at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. Leonard Luchko, a computer technician and former aide of Senator Vincent Fumo, is accused of illegally destroying years' worth of state Senate computer records, apparently in an attempt to hide the data from the FBI during its investigation into Fumo. Luchko will plead guilty on Monday, marking the first plea in the corruption case against......

At an emotional news conference yesterday, Mayor Nutter announced the suspension of seven more DHS workers in the starvation death of 14-year-old Danieal Kelly, saying, "I am fully, thoroughly, and completely pissed off." He went on to say, to the other employees of DHS: "If you are not prepared to take the action that needs to be taken, if you cannot keep up and stay on top of things, then you should leave this city......

A rear-end collision took place around 1AM this morning on southbound Roosevelt Boulevard near Adams Avenue. It tied up traffic for hours, killed a 17-year-old male, and critically injured at least two people, including an infant and a man. The crash apparently followed an argument and a chase, and is being investigated as a homicide. The Inquirer discusses the Dalai Lama's one-day visit to Philadelphia today. A City Planning Commission hearing was held yesterday on......

Recently a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit upheld Mumia Abu-Jamal's conviction in the killing of Philadelphia Police Officer Daniel Faulkner, but said a new jury should decide whether he deserved life in prison or the death sentence for the crime. But Abu-Jamal is asking the federal appeals court to reconsider, and is still seeking a new trial. Despite a threat from Senator Fumo that their tax breaks......

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......

Well, Jocelyn Kirsch isn't going to jail, but she has been placed under house arrest, where she's to be under the custody of her parents or grandmother at all times. She'll also continue to wear an electronic monitoring ankle bracelet, and her bond has been increased from $50,000 to $100,000. Click through for some of the strange and goofy details of her various crimes in California. Two women were sitting in a van parked......

Recent events over the border in New Jersey have brought to light the sad plight of some of the people who appear on Extreme Makeover: Home Edition—they're given a big amazing house and then can't afford to pay the taxes and utilities on it. In its typically overblown and melodramatic fashion, the Daily News takes a closer look at the phenomenon of cop-killers, in the wake of the murder of Sgt. Stephen Liczbinski. The Daily......

Have a nominee for Asshole of the Week? Send it to us! You knew it was only a matter of time. He was doing everything he could possibly do to get himself named Asshole of the Week, but for whatever reason, it just hadn't happened until now. After all, this was the guy who, for awhile, had the testicular fortitude to try and retain his state Senate seat while under indictment, had his multi-million dollar......

While touring Pennsylvania yesterday touting his health care plan, John McCain also got in a dig against Obama for failing to endorse the proposal, supported by himself and Clinton, to suspend the federal gasoline tax from Memorial Day to Labor Day. "City officials yesterday embraced the concept of bicycle sharing as a way to reduce traffic and pollution, but said many questions must be answered before Philadelphia becomes the first U.S. city to institute public......

The story of Roger Band, Bill Clinton's travel doctor, and Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania ER doctor. A look back at Easter in Philly—specifically, Philly's Easter Promenade & Finery Contest. New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson and Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell agree that the Democratic campaign has become too negative and that it's getting to be about time to just pick a candidate and get behind that person. The problem is, they don't agree on......

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......

Ben Franklin and Betsy Ross are getting married! We're freaking out!! (Via Sarah) The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Building at 16th and Callowhill Streets was evacuated yesterday morning when a white, powdery substance was found in a third-floor office. The substance turned out to be foot powder. D'oh. (Via Sarah) An accident on the westbound Pennsylvania Turnpike between the Mid-County and Valley Forge interchanges led to the death of the driver of a FedEx......

Data reported earlier this week by the Philadelphia Daily News shows a slight rise in violence reported in and around Philadelphia public schools during the first six months of this academic year. And some educators say violence in city schools is worse than the numbers indicate, because teachers and other staff are still reluctant to report attacks. Both the Inquirer and the Daily News have coverage of State Senator Vincent J. Fumo's press conference......

Police are asking for the public's help in locating the mother of a baby who was found swaddled in a blue and gray blanket and stuffed in a black garbage bag amid shrubs and branches in the front yard of a home on 58th Street near Chestnut yesterday afternoon. The baby, who had been born yesterday morning and whose umbilical cord was still attached, is healthy, and police say they are not looking to......

An Associated Press investigation has shown that "a vast array of pharmaceuticals — including antibiotics, anti-convulsants, mood stabilizers and sex hormones — have been found in the drinking water supplies of at least 41 million Americans." That includes the drinking water supplies here in Philly, where testing uncovered "56 pharmaceuticals or byproducts in treated drinking water, including medicines for pain, infection, high cholesterol, asthma, epilepsy, mental illness and heart problems. Sixty-three pharmaceuticals or byproducts......

Animal cruelty investigators raided some rowhouse stables on Fletcher Street yesterday, giving the owners 24 hours to relocate the 60 horses on the site. The Daily News paints a pretty horrific picture of the conditions the animals were living in. Chelsea Clinton was at Penn yesterday, stumping for her Mom, and said we should expect to see her and her family a lot in the near future. Which sounds like a threat to us. Beware,......

Highway Patrol Officers were passing a house on Jefferson Street near 26th on Friday night when they spotted a man who matched the description of someone who had robbed and shot another man earlier that night. When they arrested him, they discovered that the house had a cache of drugs, money, and weapons, including seven loaded handguns, an AK-47 assault rifle, a shotgun, two Kevlar vests, $3,000 in cash, and $25,000 worth of cocaine. In......

Senator Vincent Fumo was eating dinner at his Spring Garden home at 7PM last night when he started experiencing chest pains. He was taken by ambulance to Hahnemann University Hospital where it was determined that he had suffered a heart attack and that his right coronary artery was 100 percent blocked. He had emergency surgery and remains in critical condition this morning, although he was alert and speaking with his family after the procedure. Hey,......

Governor Rendell said that he would back the indicted Senator Fumo's reelection bid if Fumo just asked him. Ed says: "We would be lost in Harrisburg without him because of his skill. He has done great things, and we are lucky to have him." The Inquirer is getting excited about the Philadelphia Flower Show, which will have a preview opening for selected guests tomorrow, and then open to the general public on Sunday. Catherine......

City Council members will review minority-inclusion plans today, which they demanded in December from the Building Trade unions. If they don't approve those plans today, it could jeopardize the financial viability of the whole Convention Center expansion project. Britt Reid is scheduled to be released from jail today. Next he'll be entering a drug court treatment program. The state House of Representatives could vote as early as today on legislation that would require all records......