Two arrested, charged for bicycle thefts
Two males, one of whom was in possession of a .380-caliber pistol, were arrested on Saturday night near Van Pelt Library on 34th and Walnut streets, according to the University Police Department.
Michael Johnson, a 23-year-old who said he was from York, Pa., and Juan House, a 24-year-old whose residence is unknown, were arrested at around 8:12 p.m.
After receiving a call about suspicious activity around the library, police officers arrived and saw "two males in the area that fit the description," Police Chief Thomas Rambo explained.
"The officers were approached by a passerby," who told them that the males had been seen attempting to steal bicycles from bicycle racks, Rambo said. Johnson was charged with two or three counts in violation of the Uniform Firearms Act and also with attempted theft of bicycles. House was charged with conspiracy and attempted theft of bicycles.
-- Yona Silverman
Transit services to Center City expanded
In response to student feedback, Penn Transit services to Center City were extended last week.
The services were originally scaled back this summer when Penn Transit instituted a pilot program in response to a decline in ridership.
Weekday door drop-offs in Center City will now be available with the extended Penn Shuttle East service.
While ridership numbers are still down compared to this time last year, Business Services officials noted that enough students had complained to warrant a change.
"We got quite a lot of feedback that Center City riders would appreciate a shuttle," Business Services spokeswoman Rhea Lewis said, noting that while monitoring will continue, the most recent batch of changes will likely stay in place.
The new changes will not affect the recent decision by the Medical School and the Design School to offer shuttle services to their own students.
That change, also a response to the Penn Transit pilot program announced over the summer, came after graduate students in those schools complained that their needs were not met by the new Penn Transit services.
"They are still going to pay for a shuttle for their own students," Lewis said. "Their boundaries are a little wider."
-- Laura Sullivan
