History professor and Penn Civic Scholars Program faculty director Walter Licht has lived in West Philadelphia since 1977, when he began teaching at Penn. For Licht, living in the area offered city living with the perks of low prices and more space. "I am an urban person," said Licht, who grew up in Brooklyn.

The city's vital services will remain intact but not without tough cuts and revenue increases, Mayor Michael Nutter announced yesterday when he presented his five-year budget plan to the City Council. The city faces a $1.4-billion budget deficit owing largely to the global economic crisis manifested in falling business and real-estate tax revenues and losses in the city's pension fund.

On March 11, a state House committee approved House Bill 300, which, if passed in the Senate, will ban discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity in Pennsylvania. The bill addresses discrimination in public spheres such as employment, housing, credit and public accommodations.

Daniel Schwartz is a College junior from Decatur, Ga. His e-mail address is dschwartz@dailypennsylvanian.com

The Penn men's golf team cancelled its spring break tournament, participating in fundraising and exhibition events instead. Still, coach Scott Allen believes his team's break experience will help everyone be ready for the start of the spring season this weekend.

Penn men's golf conquered the wind, questions about their depth, and 19 other teams this weekend in Bethany Beach, Del., so it's certainly understandable that two teams managed to slip through their grasp. Minus their star senior Mike Blodgett, the Quakers used a strong collective effort to finish third among the 22 schools participating in the George Washington Invitational at Bear Trap Dunes.

Only15 games into its season, the Penn softball team already faces a must-win game if it hopes to preserve its chances of finishing with a winning overall record. For the streaky Quakers (4-11), this scenario is very familiar. Last year, after losing eight straight games about midway through the season, the Quakers responded with a dominant 7-0 victory over Villanova that allowed them to regain their confidence and finish strongly with an 8-4 record in their final 12 games.

Yesterday, the School of Veterinary Medicine celebrated its 125th anniversary with the third-annual Phi Zeta Student Research Day at Hill Pavilion. The event highlighted student research and included a keynote speech and the induction of new members into the Phi Zeta Veterinary Honor Society.

It looks as if the NCAA Wrestling tournament seeding committee knew what it was doing when it handed out just one seed to a Penn participant. The only seeded grappler for the Quakers (12-7, 6-3 EIWA), No. 8 Rollie Peterkin at 125 pounds, was the the only Red and Blue wrestler to make it to the quarterfinals of his weightclass.

This year, you might not have to sign up for FlingSafe to actually fling safely. After last year's Spring Fling upgrade, which included an increased budget and a larger performing venue, the Social Planning and Events Committee expects a similar packed party - just one with better crowd control.

After a three-game skid, the men's lacrosse team is in need of serious redemption. It gets the chance to turn its season around when it travels to New England, taking on Harvard tomorrow and Division I newcomer Bryant Sunday afternoon. For now, the Quakers (1-3, 0-1 Ivy) are focusing on the No.

Walking 36 holes - nearly nine miles total - while carrying heavy clubs and still keeping a competitive attitude is a tough challenge, but Lisette Vitter is confident her team can handle it. "I think our team can do it, I think we're all very hard workers," the Penn women's golf captain said.

Imagine this: One day, Philadelphia has 1.5 million people in it. The next, most of the population disappears, and nearly four years later, only half has returned. The city would be desolate, its institutions destroyed, its buildings abandoned. This is reality for people in St.

When a defender appears on a scouting report, you know she means business. Cornell senior Deirdre Lafferty is that defender. So she is a threat that the No. 3 Penn women's lacrosse team will be aware of in tomorrow's matchup against the No. 14 Big Red at 1 p.

New coffee shop Lovers and Madmen seeks to mirror its philosophy in its name: to provide a venue that caters to passionate people. Manager Megan Powers said she chose the coffee shop's name to "convey the same passion and intensity" from the scene in Shakespeare's Midsummer Night's Dream.

A fire in the Chestnut Hall apartment building, located at 3900 Chestnut St., caused an evacuation early this morning. The fire was reported at about 5:10 a.m., according to Division of Public Safety spokeswoman Stef Cella. Penn and Philadelphia Police officers and the Philadelphia Fire Department arrived on the scene shortly afterward, and the Fire Department extinguished the fire.