Just when it seemed there was no hope left for Wireless Philadelphia and its plans for digital inclusion, a group of local investors announced an agreement with Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter, City Councilman Bill Green and Wireless Philadelphia on Tuesday to take over operations of Philadelphia's Wireless Initiative.

Though a few students may have skeletons in their closets, someone seems to have left one behind this summer. A Campus Apartments manager discovered what he believed might be a human skull in an apartment at 249 S. 49th St. at about 1:30 p.m. Monday afternoon, according to Officer Jillian Russell.

Whether you own your own or are just renting one for the day, hybrid cars are all the rage this summer. Ever-rising gas prices mean that more people are choosing to rent rather than maintain vehicles of their own. To keep up with this increase in membership, car-sharing companies are looking to add extra vehicles to their systems - particularly those that are environmentally friendly.

Filming of the movie Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen took place on campus last weekend, drawing large crowds of passersby struck by the Hollywood scene and hoping to catch a glimpse of the film's director Michael Bay and star actor Shia LeBeouf. "This is the first big studio motion picture that's been filmed on campus proper," said University spokeswoman Phyllis Holtzman.

Smoke 'em if you got 'em, because in three months you'll be out of luck. Last Friday, Pennsylvania Gov. Edward Rendell signed into law the Clean Indoor Air Act, which will prohibit smoking in most public places, such as restaurants, workplaces and certain parts of casino floors.

Eric Furda, Penn's incoming Dean of Admissions, recently made two senior appointments to the admissions office. Furda appointed Quenby Jackson Mott the vice dean and director of Undergraduate admissions and David Phillips the vice dean of admissions and director of information and management systems.

As go the Philadelphia suburbs, so goes Pennsylvania - or at least, that's what presumptive Democratic nominee Barack Obama seems to believe. With a town hall meeting held at Radnor Middle School in Wayne last Saturday, Obama signaled his dedication to winning not only the heavily-Democratic city of Philadelphia over presumptive Republican nominee John McCain, but the surrounding counties as well.

This fall, students will have yet another reason to stay glued to their Facebook page. In a new effort to better reach students, Blackboard, Inc. has created a Facebook application - already in use by over 400 universities - that alerts students about updates to their Blackboard accounts, Blackboard product director Greg Ritter said.

Clark Park was one of six green spaces in Philadelphia to receive part of a $2 million grant, Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter announced Saturday. The grant - half from the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and half from the city of Philadelphia - was a result of requests from "very, very supportive neighborhood groups that are willing to make things happen," DCNR deputy press secretary Terry Brady said.

On the Philadelphia Police Department's Web site, a colored banner boasts the murder statistics for this calendar year: 145 murders in 2008 compared to 182 by the same time in 2007. Crime on Penn's campus reflected the same general trend. Violent crime decreased significantly - 41 percent - since last year, according to the Division of Public Safety.

Theft June 12 - A female unaffiliated with the University, 49, reported that an unknown suspect broke into her vehicle and removed a GPS device that was left in plain view in a parking lot located at 3900 Filbert St. at about 2 p.m. June 11 - A male unaffiliated with the University, 20, reported that an unknown suspect removed his temporary registration sticker from his vehicle on the 4200 block of Chestnut St.

It's a Monday afternoon in June, and the question at the Graduate Student Center is: "Are you ready for some football?" The answer is a resounding yes, given that here, "football" means soccer, and the match underway isn't a step towards the Super Bowl's Lombardi trophy - it's part of the quest for the title as champion of Euro Cup 2008.

Penn President Amy Gutmann received a 41-percent pay increase last year - a jump in compensation that makes her one of only a handful of college presidents who take in more than $1 million annually. Gutmann earned a total of $1,155,634 in the 2006-07 fiscal year, the latest year for which compensation figures are available.

Provost Ronald Daniels and Associate Provost Vincent Price announced on Monday that Charles Howard will take over the position of University Chaplain effective July 1. Howard has served as interim chaplain since February 2008 and Associate Chaplain since 2005.

This summer, a Penn research team will travel to China to determine whether a drug that relieves heroin withdrawal symptoms can also be the stepping stone in a new effort to cure HIV. Penn Director of the HIV/AIDS Prevention Research Division David Metzger said that this one-year program plans to test a new approach to treating heroin addiction.

Almost three years after the Hurricane Katrina disaster, New Orleans is still rebuilding and requires both resources and help - and members of the Penn community are providing them. Twenty-five Penn faculty and staff volunteers went to New Orleans last week to help with the reconstruction effort by working on a Habitat for Humanity construction site for five days.

The candidates are back and Pennsylvania is once again a battleground state in the fight for the presidency - one that presumptive Republican nominee John McCain doesn't plan to concede anytime soon. McCain held a town hall meeting at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia yesterday, marking the beginning of his effort to win Pennsylvania in the general election this fall.