Perspective | At home and abroad, drinking age debated

When College junior Cameron Clark looks back on this fall semester, he will fondly remember fine dinners paired with appropriate wines in the company of friends. But these memories aren't from Philadelphia, where the minimum legal drinking age is 21. Instead, they are souvenirs he is accumulating during his semester abroad at the Universite Lumiere Lyon in France.

'AP' investigation finds traces of medicine in Philadelphia water

Can you taste the 56 different flavors in the water you drink? Last month, the Associated Press reported that traces of pharmaceuticals were found in the nation's water supply. In the article, investigators in Philadelphia were said to have found 56 different pharmaceuticals or byproducts in the city's water supply.

Group protests casinos

Anti-casino activists are hoping to score a royal flush with their latest campaign launched this week. On Wednesday, Casino-Free Philadelphia kicked off its campaign against construction of casinos in the city - called Operation Hidden Costs - with a visit to the Governor's office at Walnut and Broad streets.

A windmill on Locust Walk? It could happen

Penn students are usually pretty vocal about letting the administration know exactly what they want. Cheaper printing! A longer add/drop period! Better high rise elevators! But a proposal to install an energy-producing wind turbine in the "wind tunnel" on Locust Walk? Now, that's a different story.

Courts Roundup

Alleged panty thief awaits arraignment Legal proceedings against Diexia Wang, the Wharton senior who allegedly stole female undergarments from Mayer Hall, will continue next week. Wang, 21, is scheduled to be arraigned in Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas on Dec.

MLS team could come to Phila.

Philadelphians may have another team to cheer for within the next two years. Major League Soccer is enlarging its field from 14 to 16 teams and Philadelphia is MLS' top choice to join Seattle in hosting the expansion teams, which would begin playing in 2009.

For psych departments, Freud just doesn't cut it

German professor Liliane Weissberg's class on Sigmund Freud is listed under the German department. It's also listed under the History and Sociology of Science department. It's in the English, Women's Studies and Comparative Literature departments, too.

Student Murder Trial | With prosecution 'making progress,' fourth trial possible

Despite three hung juries in the murder trial of Wharton student Irina Malinovskaya, experts say a fourth trial is still a distinct possibility. Lead prosecutor Paul Wallace declined to comment on the possibility of a fourth trial, but experts say the state could take the rare step of retrying Malinovskaya for a third time.

Student Murder Trial | Jury deadlocks again for third mistrial

WILMINGTON, Del. - The murder trial of Irina Malinovskaya ended in a hung jury yesterday, the third mistrial for the Wharton undergraduate. The jury was unable to reach a consensus regarding three of four charges levied against Malinovskaya, including counts of both first- and second-degree murder.

Student Murder Trial | Third mistrial declared

A mistrial was declared today in the murder trial of Wharton undergraduate Irina Malinovskaya. The ruling marks the third hung jury in Deleware's prosecution of Malinovskaya. Judge James Vaughn discharged the jury after the foreman informed him that further deliberations would not yield a verdict.

Student Murder Trial | Deliberations drag on to 'uncharted territory'

WILMINGTON, Del. - The jury in the murder trial of Wharton undergraduate Irina Malinovskaya has still not reached a verdict, and attorneys familiar with the trial say the length of deliberations is unprecedented in Delaware murder cases. Today, the jury enters its tenth day of trying to determine the guilt or innocence of Malinovskaya, who is accused of bludgeoning Temple University graduate student Irina Zlotnikov to death in Dec.

Election 2007 | What election? Interest on hold until '08

There are no national contests. The mayor's race is a foregone conclusion. It's Election Day - but you may not know it.

U. to launch center for genetic ethics

With genetics involved, there are always questions of ethics. Now, Penn has a place that intends to answer those questions. Last month, the School of Medicine received a $5.4 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to fund the new Center for Excellence in Ethical, Legal and Social Implications, one of two new centers that will examine questions surrounding genetic research.

Student Murder Trial: Jury enters fifth day of deliberations

Wharton undergraduate Irina Malinovskaya still remains in limbo as the jury failed to reach a verdict on the fourth day of deliberations. Malinovskaya is accused of bludgeoning to death Temple University graduate student Irina Zlotnikov, the girlfriend of the accused's former boyfriend, Robert Bondar, on Dec.

Student Murder Trial | Jury fails to reach a verdict after first day of deliberations

The future of Wharton undergraduate Irina Malinovskaya still hangs in the balance as the jury failed to reach a verdict yesterday. Malinovskaya is charged with the murder of Temple University graduate student Irina Zlotnikov, the girlfriend of the accused's former boyfriend, Robert Bondar.

Student Murder Trial: Defense wants 2nd-degree murder dropped

The second-degree murder charge for Wharton undergraduate Irina Malinovskaya should be dropped, the defense argued yesterday, in light of the circumstances surrounding the 2004 bludgeoning of Temple University graduate student Irina Zlotnikov. Defense attorney Eugene Maurer brought a motion asking Judge James Vaughn to forbid the jury from considering the charge because the murder must have been premeditated, which would only leave first-degree murder as an option.

Student Murder Trial: 'Mentally, I was tormented'

WILMINGTON, Del. - Wharton undergraduate Irina Malinovskaya was called to the stand by the defense yesterday, marking a pivotal juncture in a trial that has now lasted over a month. Malinovskaya is being tried a third time for the 2004 murder of Temple University graduate student Irina Zlotnikov, the then-girlfriend of Malinovskaya's ex-boyfriend Robert Bondar.

More schools cover HPV vaccine, but Penn claims costs too high

Several Ivy League schools have recently announced that students under their insurance plans will be eligible for a low-cost HPV vaccine, but Penn officials say they currently have no plans to do the same.

News Brief: Bondar testimony pushed to next week

What should have been a dramatic day in the trial of Wharton undergraduate Irina Malinovskaya became a mundane affair as the testimony of her ex-boyfriend, Robert Bondar, was pushed back to next week. After grilling Bondar through Monday's session, the defense called him to the stand yesterday, but his testimony was cut short.

Study: Highest court a mystery

John Roberts is the Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court. Um . who? Roberts, along with his eight colleagues on the nation's highest court, are virtual strangers to most Americans, according to a recent study by the Annenberg Public Policy Center.