It looks like trans fats just can't find a friend in the world. Already banned in New York City and regulated by the Food and Drug Administration, the artery-clogging acids used in food preparation may meet their match in Philadelphia as well. A bill sponsored by Councilman Juan Ramos passed without opposition through City Council's Committee on Public Health and Human Services last week, a first step toward banning trans fats in all restaurants, takeout eateries and food trucks.

Penn's campus may look a little greener from the other side. A Jan. 24 report evaluating environmental consciousness on college campuses gave Penn a B for its overall greening efforts, but student environmental group leaders argue that the report fails to recognize numerous existing problems.

The cause of a fire that destroyed a house just off campus Saturday has still not been determined, Philadelphia Fire Department Executive Chief Daniel Williams said yesterday. The fire broke out at about 6:15 a.m. Saturday at 210 S. 41st St. No one was injured, but the flames gutted the building and forced residents to evacuate.

Boosting the highest percentage of international undergraduates in the Ivy League and $7.5 million awarded annually in loans to foreign students, Penn - which also admitted its highest percentage of international students early this cycle - has become one of the most internationally diverse schools in the nation.

Mayor John Street is to Philadelphia as Amy Gutmann is to "blank." SAT-style analogies may be a thing of the past, but a new program is bringing Penn students back to the days of flash cards and diagnostic tests. And all with a little West Philadelphia flavor.

A pipe above the Harnwell College House mail room burst at around 8:30 p.m. yesterday, flooding the mail room, the Cafe area and the mezzanine level. First-year MBA student and Harnwell Graduate Associate Matthias Weisheit said Facilities staff responded quickly to the incident.

Forty percent racial minority, 25 percent Jewish, 17 percent international: Penn loves statistics that boast of its commitment to diversity - a priority the Student Committee on Undergraduate Education explored in a panel discussion last night. In light of the recent debate about adding a United States Cultural Analysis Requirement to the College of Arts and Science's curriculum, the panel of student leaders met to discuss the challenges of diversity in higher education.

As the quest for graduate-student-government reform continues, leaders are turning to their peers for feedback. Four graduate-student government meetings, including one held yesterday afternoon, gave the average grad student a chance to catch up on what's become a heated debate among the graduate community.

A second-year Penn Law student was arrested yesterday after he allegedly fired about 15 shots into the door of his downstairs neighbors' apartment.

For some, February is reserved for Valentine's Day, the first round of midterms and Black History Month. For seniors, it's for one big party. Today marks the kickoff of FebClub, an annual tradition during which Penn's senior class board plans one event per day for seniors for the entire month of February.

College senior Bryce LeFort was sentenced to two years of probation yesterday for his involvement in the Oct. 5 attack of College senior Andrew Scharf with a beer bottle. At a remanded trial hearing, LeFort pled guilty to misdemeanor simple assault and reckless endangerment charges. Philadelphia lower-court judge Lydia Kirkland approved the sentencing agreement reached between Lefort and Scharf, whose right ear was permanently damaged due to the incident.

After an uncontested election last night, the Lambda Alliance - the one-year-old umbrella coalition for all undergraduate sexual- and gender-minority-groups - chose a new chairman: College junior Kevin Rurak. Rurak - who has been active in the LGBT community since his sophomore year at Penn- sat down for an interview with The Daily Pennsylvanian last night.

Making private stories public is what Neal Baer has been trying to do for the last 18 years in the entertainment business. Baer - who helped to write and produce television hits such as ER and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit - spoke candidly about his career in television yesterday to lecturer Gail Shister's television-criticism class in the Fireside Lounge of the ARCH Building.

Not everyone was happy to see Jack Bauer freed from a Chinese prison. In this season of Fox's hit show 24, Arab Muslims are portrayed as terrorists for the second time in three years - a characterization that has incensed Muslim-rights groups here on campus and across the country.

Bill Gates's introduction of the new Windows Vista operating system Monday - which included dancers clad in Microsoft colors - pulled out all the stops. But it's the release of Microsoft Office 2007 that has Penn officials all abuzz. The newest version of the Microsoft Office productivity suite went on sale yesterday and will require an overhaul of some of Wharton's Operations and Information Management curriculum, OPIM professor Thomas Lee said.

Theft Jan. 26 - Two students reported that items, value undetermined, had been stolen from Meyerson Hall. Jan. 26 - Nicole Clark, 28 and Erma Williams, 26, both unaffiliated with the University, were arrested for theft after store employees at Urban Outfitters, located at 110 S.

By helen yoon Staff Writer wonhee@sas.upenn.edu The School of Nursing is getting a head start on its spring cleaning. Nursing faculty and staff have begun clearing out their offices in preparation for this summer's planned renovations to the Nursing Education Building.