News Brief: Gutmann second in pay in Ivies for '05-'06

Penn President Amy Gutmann raked in $777,692 in total compensation in 2005-06, according to the Chronicle of Higher Education's annual survey released yesterday. The total placed Gutmann second among Ivy League leaders, only trailing Yale University's Richard Levin, who earned $869,026.

News Brief | Alleged cop killer caught in Miami

The accused murderer of Philadelphia Police Officer Chuck Cassidy was tracked down and arrested in Miami yesterday, ending a weeklong manhunt that involved hundreds of local and federal law enforcement officials. John Lewis, a 21-year-old with a record of drug offenses, was caught after a staff member at a Miami homeless shelter recognized him from his wanted picture.

News Brief: Penn team finalists in nat'l car contest

A team of students and faculty from Penn and Lehigh University will compete in California this weekend for the title of a national engineering vehicle contest as one of 11 finalists. "Little Ben," an autonomous vehicle created by the team, will have to drive safely through a 60-mile course in less than six hours and negotiate traffic without human aid to win the 2007 Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency Union Challenge.

News Brief: Police officer dies, shooter still at-large

The Philadelphia Police officer who was shot during a North Philadelphia robbery died early yesterday morning, and police have increased efforts to hunt down the killer. Chuck Cassidy, who was shot at point-blank range once in the head after walking into a robbery in progress at a Dunkin' Donuts at 6620 N.

Rae: A royal meal in a U. City castle

Since its construction, the Cira Centre has served as the shiniest welcome sign to University City Penn has ever seen. It has simultaneously served as a building that has confounded students with an array of questions: What exactly goes on there? Is it an office building? A conference center? And how exactly do people walk inside when it's shaped so weirdly? One question (is the food there good?) was answered at Rae, the building's first floor occupant, with a resounding yes.

News Brief: Prof wins NIH New Innovators' Award

James Shorter, a professor of Biochemistry and Biophysics in the School of Medicine, has been selected as one of the 29 scholars to receive the National Institutes of Health's New Innovator Award. The award - for which more than 2,100 people applied - totals $1.

Penn student a victim of local taxi robberies

Division of Public Safety officials have now confirmed that one Penn student was a victim in the recent string of taxi cab robberies, and police officials continue to search for two men alleged to have robbed four individuals at gunpoint since Sept. 2.

News Brief: CCP receives $10M donation, new name

The Center for Community Partnerships received a $10 million gift from alumnus Edward Netter, boosting to one of Penn's most acclaimed programs. The CCP has also been renamed the center the Barbara and Edward Netter Center for Community Partnerships after Edward, a 1953 College graduate, and his wife.

News Brief: Pope may pay Philly a visit next spring

Pope Benedict XVI may come to Philadelphia next April, according to a report from the Catholic News Service. A Vatican spokesman had said earlier this year that the pope was planning a trip to the United Nations and New York City in 2008, likely in April.

Malinovskaya back in court for third murder trial

WILMINGTON, Del. - It was deja vu all over again as the third murder trial for Wharton undergraduate Irina Malinovskaya began yesterday at the New Castle Co. courthouse.

News Brief: Health center opens at Sayre High School

The Sayre Health Center, based out of Sayre High School at 58th and Walnut streets, had its official grand opening Friday. The health center, which was created out of a partnership with Penn, will act as a community health facility offering both clinical and preventative care for both Sayre students and residents of the area.

News Brief: Judge removes self from McIntosh case

Common Pleas Court Judge Rayford Means excused himself from the resentencing of former Penn professor Tracy McIntosh, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported Friday. McIntosh, who pled no contest to charges relating to a 2002 sexual assault, was originally sentenced by Means to only 11 1/2 to 23 months of house arrest, partly due to McIntosh's societal value as a neurobiology researcher.

Stetson makes sudden departure

In an abrupt turn, Dean of Admissions Lee Stetson has announced that he has resigned from his post, effective immediately. He has been replaced on an interim basis by Eric Kaplan, who served as the Dean of Admissions at Lehigh University from 2003 to 2006.

Student's parent robbed at 36th and Locust

The mother of a female student was robbed of her purse by three juveniles last Friday near the intersection of 36th Street and Locust Walk, Division of Public Safety officials said. The mother, her husband and the student were sitting on a bench on Locust Walk at about 8:55 p.

Year-to-date crime sees slight increase

Total crime in the Penn Police patrol zone this semester was up 1 percent compared to last year's spring semester, Division of Public Safety officials said. This spring, 256 crimes occurred, three more than last year's 253. Total crime for the month of April is down slightly, with 74 crimes last month compared to 75 during April 2006.

DPS: Penn Police would be prepared for similar incident

In the wake of shootings on the Virginia Tech campus, Vice President of Public Safety Maureen Rush called for better communication and improved student preparedness as the best way to ensure safety if a similar incident were to occur on campus. Thirty-two people were killed before an unidentified gunman took his own life yesterday at the rural Virginia campus in the worst mass shooting in United States history.

News Brief: Casino referendum stopped by Pa. court

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court issued a preliminary injunction Friday that forbids a controversial casino referendum question from being placed on the May 15 ballot. The court also asked both sides - the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board and Philadelphia City Council - to file briefs by April 27 and will likely issue a filing ruling before the May primary.

News Brief: Prosecutor won't seek death penalty for Robb

The prosecution will not make the murder trial of Economics professor Rafael Robb a capital case, meaning the death penalty will not be an option in sentencing, Montgomery County District Attorney Bruce Castor told The Associated Press last week. Prosecutors decided not to seek the death penalty because they have not found aggravating circumstances that would make that sentence appropriate.

News Brief: U.S. official suspended in student loan scandal

Matteo Fontana, a U.S. Education Department senior official, was suspended Friday for holding more than $100,000 worth of stock in a student loan company while he monitored the loan industry. The Education Department discovered Thursday that Fontana, a general manager in the Office of Federal Student Aid, held shares in 2003 in the parent company of Student Loan XPress.

News Brief: Casino referendum still on despite veto

The City Council overrode a veto by Mayor John Street to keep a referendum banning casinos in any of Philadelphia on the May 15th ballot. Street vetoed the legislation passed by Council this month that would limit casinos to sites that are 1,500 feet or more away from any residence, church or school.