The second retrial for Wharton undergraduate Irina Malinovskaya has been pushed back to September, Delaware State Prosecutor Victoria Witherell said yesterday. After two mistrials, a third trial was slated to begin in April. Malinovskaya is charged with the murder of Irina Zlotnikov, a Temple University graduate student.

San Francisco set a good example for other cities when it banned the use of plastic bags in grocery stores.

Teaching experience To the Editor: I want to assuage some of your doubts about my teaching position at the University next spring semester. I can understand how my "public persona" may make me a dubious candidate for a traditional teaching position, but it is the amalgamation of my professional experiences as an actor, director, producer and guest lecturer that have given rise to this opportunity at Penn.

The coaches who recruited them have left, but for three Ivy League recruits, none of that matters. Dan Mavraides and Bobby Foley will still be playing basketball for Princeton despite coach Joe Scott leaving for Denver, and Adam Demuyakor remains committed to Harvard after coach Frank Sullivan was let go after 15 years on March 5.

A baby elephant, on average, weighs 230 lbs. Last night, Richard Scarlett benchpressed about one and a half baby elephants: 425 lbs. at Pottruck's benchpress competition. The hour-long event, open to anyone in the Philadelphia community, started at 7 p.m.

For rowers who have been cramped inside on the ergometer all winter, the start of the season brings a welcome reality check. Both the heavy and lightweight men's crew teams will be competing in their first events of the spring season this weekend at home and at Rutgers, respectively.

Penn's interdisciplinary approach can make it hard for students with multiple interests to decide on a major.

The Columbia women's lacrosse team may just be a pebble in the Quakers' shoe. And Saturday's game against the Lions is a small obstacle in Penn's campaign for its first Ivy title since 1982. Though the Lions (3-5) have not proven to be much of an opponent in the past, the Quakers are still starting their usual lineup.

Attention, college coaches: You're overpaid. So says Andrew Zimbalist, an economics professor at Smith College and one of the most renowned sports economists in the country. Zimbalist addressed an intimate crowd at the Penn Bookstore last night, reading an excerpt from his new book, The Bottom Line: Observations and Arguments on the Sports Business, before fielding questions for nearly an hour.

Abdi Farah is a College sophomore from Owings Mills, Md. His e-mail address is abdm@sas.upenn.edu.

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.

Lawyers for mayoral candidate Bob Brady petitioned the Pennsylvania Supreme Court Friday to take jurisdiction away from a lower court and decide the status of Brady's candidacy. A local judge decided last week that Brady would be allowed to stay on the May 15 primary ballot after his candidacy was challenged for allegedly filling out campaign finance-disclosure forms incorrectly.

For the lucky residents of Mayer Hall, laundry troubles may be a thing of the past. Penn officials and representatives from Mac-Gray Corporation, the company that manages Penn's laundry services, officially opened the newly renovated laundry room in Stouffer House's Mayer Hall last night.

The men's lacrosse team has a chance this year to spoil Big Red's party

When Penn shortstop William Gordon tweaked his shoulder last week, the Quakers weren't just in danger of losing their No. 6 hitter - they would have been a man short in the bullpen as well. Luckily for Penn, the freshman will be available to be the man the middle infield for this weekend's home doubleheaders against Harvard and Dartmouth.

Voter turnout may be at a record high of 41.4 percent, but the message of the voters hasn't changed: They like the status quo. The results of the student-government elections were released last night, and, of the 53 positions up for grabs, only 12 were filled by new faces.

Off to its best start in a very long time, the Penn softball team isn't letting two losses to Lehigh get it down. "Our focus has always been on league play so we're not dwelling on the games from Tuesday," head coach Leslie King said. "We're really excited for this weekend.