Last November, when Mayor Michael Nutter announced emergency budget cuts that would close libraries and public recreation centers, many were bewildered that the typically receptive and thoughtful mayor made such a tone-deaf decision, without considering others' opinions.

In late January, Mayor Michael Nutter announced that the City was contemplating raising taxes in order to close the $1.4-billion budget deficit Philadelphia faces over the next five years. A week ago, he and his team officially unveiled a projected budget and five-year plan intended to close the gap and mitigate the effects of the recession.

After yesterday's game against Villanova, it seems as though depth will not be an issue for the baseball team as it heads into the Ivy League Tournament this weekend. Sophomore Mike Mariano more-than-literally stepped up to the plate in the bottom of the fourth inning, still searching for his first hit of the season.

In an increasingly competitive job market, young professionals are turning to the resources of networking, and Career Services is showing them how to do it. Yesterday afternoon, a small crowd gathered in the living room of Civic House in order to discuss the art of networking, in an event sponsored by Career Services entitled "Networking - Launching a Career in the Public Interest Sector.

Erin Brennan has the speed, the build and the skills of your average lacrosse player. So what separates the Penn freshman from the pack? She plays left-handed. As the only natural southpaw on the team, Brennan can confuse the opposition since teams most often see attackers shooting from the right side of their bodies.

The bacteria isolated from the campus' fourth reported case of meningitis is "genetically similar" to the bacteria that infected three students last month. All four cases are part of the same outbreak, a City health official said. Despite this, Student Health Service director Evelyn Wiener said the fourth case, reported during spring break, is distinct from the first three and that there is no common source linking the two groups of incidents.

As Penn searches to replace women's basketball coach Pat Knapp, I have some advice for potential applicants: Make sure you know what you're getting into. To be clear, I don't say that because of the makeup of the team, even though on paper the current roster does not have great prospects.

Former Penn student Diexia Wang pleaded guilty on Monday to five separate counts of defiant trespassing in the dormitories of female residents at Penn. Under a negotiated agreement, Common Pleas Judge Rayford Means sentenced Wang to five consecutive years of probation that includes mental-health counseling and restitution payment to the victims.

UC-Riverside broke its pre-match team huddle yesterday by erupting in a powerful chorus of "1, 2, 3. FIGHT!" If its match against Penn were indeed a brawl, the Highlanders left Levy Tennis Pavilion in the same condition as the rest of the Quakers' home opponents this season - black and blue.

In the wake of Leonore Annenberg's death, concern has grown about the future of the Annenberg investments at Penn - but this worry has proven unnecessary. Administrators in the Annenberg School for Communication and the Annenberg Public Policy Center confirm that both will continue to be as strong as ever.

As part of the economic-stimulus bill passed last month, SEPTA will receive federal funding for up-to-date facilities. About $5.2 million of the total $191 million dollars in stimulus funds SEPTA received will be used to improve problems and delays on its subway-surface routes.

Assault March 18 - Jermaine Brown, 21, unaffiliated with the University and of the 3200 block of Defense Terrace, was arrested at about 11 p.m. for allegedly assaulting a woman, 21, unaffiliated with the University, on the 3600 block of Spruce Street. Burglary Mar.

Violent crime for the first two months of 2009 is slightly up compared to this time last year, but crimes against property and theft both show a significant decrease. The total number of crimes for the year to date is also down compared to January and February 2008, from 134 to 106.

This Hey Day, the Class of 2009 will greet the current juniors not with condiments but with a raised glass. The Senior- and Junior-Class Boards have established what they hope will become a new tradition with the "Final Toast," an event that aims to welcome the outgoing seniors into the alumni community while celebrating the incoming seniors at the same time.

Just one day after the men's basketball season ended, sophomore Harrison Gaines announced that he was transferring out of Penn at the end of the semester. The guard from Victorville, Calif., averaged 9.9 points per game this year, second on the team to Tyler Bernardini's 13.

Students now have a reason - besides the return of fried Oreos and Mask & Wig's Saturday afternoon performance, of course - to start getting excited about this year's Spring Fling. Guster and Akon, SPEC's two selections for Spring Fling, are not only both known by fans of their respective genres but marque names worthy of a major concert.