Following the recent death of Philadelphia Police Sgt. Patrick McDonald, Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell has signed a stricter gun control law. The law imposes a mandatory 20-year sentence for shooting, or even attempting to shoot, a police officer. Additionally, the law includes provisions to cut down on straw purchases, in which legal buyers of firearms act as proxies for those who cannot legally purchase firearms.

Coming into this season, senior midfielder Rachel Eng had only scored four times in her 38-game Penn field hockey career. In 13 contests this year, she's already trumped that, finding the back of the net five times for the Quakers. "Rachel has become more confident," Penn coach Val Cloud said.

NEW HAVEN, CONN. -- Who needs touchdowns, anyway? In a game mired with punts and near interceptions, the Quakers didn't, as they used three second-half field goals off the leg of Andrew Samson to complete a 9-7 comeback win over Yale. Quarterback Robert Irvin was a paltry 4-for-10 with an interception that set up the Bulldogs' lone score.

Transforming books into digital resources may be the latest trend in the world of academic libraries, but Penn officials say it may be a while before Penn joins in on the fun. HathiTrust - an initiative launched by the Committee on Institutional Cooperation as well as the 11 libraries of the University of California system - will grow to be a digital book repository for major research institution libraries.

Senior tight end Josh Koontz clearly remembers last year's triple-overtime thriller against Yale. "I'd be lying if I said it wasn't in the back of our minds," the captain said. "It's definitely motivation." In the third overtime, the Quakers found themselves facing fourth-and-goal trailing by six points.

Five games into his first season on the varsity squad, Yale quarterback Brook Hart is already playing well beyond his years, leading all Ivy signal-callers in passing efficiency. Thankfully, unlike a certain infamous Little Leaguer from his past, Hart's got the documentation to prove he's legit.

SPEC-TRUM announced last night that rising hip-hop artist Wale and R&B; producer and vocalist Ryan Leslie will headline its annual fall concert on Nov. 20. The acts have been compared to big names - Wale is often likened to Kanye West and Leslie has been called "the next John Legend," said College sophomore Ferrell Townsend, a director of the Social Planning and Events Committee to Represent Undergraduate Minorities.

The next U.S. President, says former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, will be "drowned in conflict" if he tries to face all his problems at once. Kissinger and former Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin debated diplomacy, development and defense at the Impact 08 forum hosted by the Center for U.

With so much media attention focused on the upcoming presidential election, it's easy to forget that Congress is also turning over. That's just as well, since rampant gerrymandering has severely reduced the competitiveness of many congressional elections in Pennsylvania, leaving voters with few real choices or decision-making influence.

Engineering senior Ryan Goldstein said he remains enrolled in the University and intends to graduate in the spring. On Tuesday, Goldstein was sentenced in federal court to five years probation, a $30,000 fine and one year in various forms of custody for his involvement in hacking into the School of Engineering and Applied Science'scomputer server in February 2006.

In his Oct. 3, 2008 column, Mordechai Treiger raises a very valid question: "Why save New Orleans?" He claims that New Orleans, because of it precarious geologic location, is in danger of succumbing to the forces of nature and therefore will unavoidably be destroyed.

Activists are rattling the University's cage about animal experimentation. A small protest last weekend on the corner of 34th and Walnut streets reiterated complaints that community members have with the University's research methods. The protestors echoed the concerns of Stop Animal Exploitation Now (SAEN), an animal-rights group, which claims that Penn is one of the worst universities when it comes to animal research.

What do you get when you combine comic books, TV weathermen and the military? The premise for a vaguely funny joke? Possibly. But according to sixth-year graduate student Roger Turner, these three seemingly incongruous institutions actually have a shared history, dating back to the First World War.

37 + 19 = ? The calculation may not seem that hard now, but try doing it while drunk. That's the goal of Google Mail Goggles, a new feature for Gmail that requires users to complete a series of simple math problems before sending an e-mail late on weekend nights.

It has long been the norm for the University to deny funding to student political groups. So when the price tag for Republican presidential nominee John McCain's November 2007 visit to Penn came to nearly $5,000, members of the executive board of the College Republicans had to reach into their own pockets to help cover the costs, said College junior and College Republicans president Zac Byer.

Waiting at the 38th Street crosswalk while you're late for class isn't the only horror on Spruce Street. Penn Dance and Glee Club's seventh annual collaboration, "Nightmare on Spruce Street," opens today in the Prince Theatre at the Annenberg Center. The Glee Club, founded in 1862 as an all male a cappella group, has toured over 35 different countries on five continents, while Penn Dance is experienced in its own right, with over 30 years of bringing modern dance to university audiences and beyond.

Lacrosse, eh? They may not have infiltrated the sport the way Eastern Europe rules women's tennis, but Canadian high schoolers are getting a closer look from NCAA men's lacrosse programs throughout the nation, coaches say. It's a trend that is reintroducing Canada to the outdoor game - which originated near the Great Lakes - and creating new incentives for Canadian players to make themselves known in the U.