For a person with just over 8 percent of support in the polls, Republican mayoral candidate Al Taubenberger is remarkably optimistic. "I'd say I have about a 50-50 shot," he says. "For one thing, I'm going to do a lot better than the last poll indicated." Optimism seems to define the plucky, enthusiastic candidate, who will square off today against Democratic nominee Michael Nutter.

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

The Undergraduate Assembly traveled across campus to Harrison Rooftop Lounge on Sunday night, where pizza and cookies were provided in an effort to attract students. The meeting, moved for the night as part of UA Cross Campus, focused on a number of initiatives aimed to better on- and off-campus student activities.

Developers are notorious for replacing community centers with shopping malls, but Jonathan Rose wants to change that. Rose and Whitney Foutzis, of the planning and development conglomerate Jonathan Rose Companies LLC, spoke to City and Regional Planning students at the School of Design last night about rebuilding cities with a revolutionary set of principles.

With responsibility for raising $310 million of the University's $3.5 billion capital campaign, Penn's six resource centers are charged with making a significant contribution. But undergraduate and graduate schools, for example, have loyal alumni with incentives to give - how do you fundraise when you don't have an obvious constituency? At the six centers - the Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts, Penn Athletics, the Institute of Contemporary Art, Penn Libraries, the Morris Arboretum and the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology - development directors are faced with this challenge as they try to mobilize their constituents to reach campaign goals.

WILMINGTON, Del. - After eight days of deliberations, the jury still has yet to render a verdict on the first-degree murder charges against Irina Malinovskaya. Malinovskaya, a Wharton student, allegedly bludgeoned to death her ex-boyfriend Robert Bondar's girlfriend, Temple University student Irina Zlotnikov, at Bondar's New Castle, Del.

Red and blue made green Friday as the Penn Environmental Group hosted GreenFest. The annual festival is designed "to let Penn students and the community know that there's an active student interest in environmental sustainability," PEG director Jen Tintenfass said.

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.

Dodging other cars, giving the right of way and stopping at intersections are all standard rules of driving. Little Ben, a Toyota Prius, obeys them all - without a human driver.

WILMINGTON, Del. - Jurors still have yet to decide the fate of accused murderer Irina Malinovskaya more than a week after closing arguments. Malinovskaya allegedly bludgeoned to death Irina Zlotnikov, the girlfriend of her ex-lover Robert Bondar, in Dec. 2004.

The Undergraduate Assembly is trying to give more students a voice, but most of them aren't talking. As part of his platform for UA chairman, College senior Jason Karsh promised to implement a 10-minute open forum at every meeting during which any undergraduate could speak about campus issues.

Campus is growing. But how big is too big for students to get around on foot? The addition of the postal lands to campus will increase the length of campus by several blocks, but University officials are working to ensure that getting to the new parts of campus will be relatively easy - and maybe even enjoyable.

The Division of Public Safety tested its new PennAlert emergency-notification system Thursday, with 95.3 percent of the targeted individuals receiving a notification either by phone, e-mail or text-message. DPS simulated a hazardous materials accident in the Caster Building, located at 3701 Locust Walk, and the new system successfully alerted 429 of the 450 individuals slated to receive a notification.

Instead of orientation seminars and sorority rush events, Florida State University student Callie Broughton spent her freshman year eating paella in Spain and riding camels in Morocco. Now a junior, Broughton lived in Valencia, Spain, for a year as part of Florida State's then-brand new freshman study-abroad program, an option that is now gaining popularity at several universities across the country.

Back away from the table. That's what Ed Mierzwinski wants you to do when it comes to signing up for a credit card on campus. Mierzwinski, of the U.S. Public Interest Research Group, is heading a campaign called FEESA to limit unfair credit card marketing on college campuses, a problem he says plagues students nationwide.

Is God erotic? Though not a question asked often, it's the central theme for the Penn Christian Association's Rev. Beverly Dale, who aims to help Christians become sexually connected with themselves while embracing spirituality. Her primarily online-based sexual ministry, PassionWorks, puts it plainly: "The Church is wounded.

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.