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.

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.

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.

Penn's track and field teams battled through a season filled with record-breaking performances as well as setbacks. In the end, though there was to be no miraculous endings. The three Penn representatives at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships at Drake University were all unable to achieve their ultimate goals, with none earning All-America status.

By pushing legislation to preserve historic interiors, Councilman-at-Large Bill Green honors Philadelphia history.

A total of eight Ivy League baseball players were selected in the MLB draft, which took place last Thursday and Friday. It seemed like the Ivy League would have to wait until the second day for any players to move on, but the Boston Red Sox organization had its eyes on one Ivy Leaguer.

Two years ago, when then-Brown head coach Craig Robinson first signed at the Providence, R.I., school, he didn't cross too many borders to find his first assistant coach. He tabbed Jesse Agel, then an assistant at nearby Vermont. Now, when the Bears had to fill Robinson's shoes after he left for Oregon State April 7, they stayed even closer to home, moving right down the bench to promote Agel to head coach.

Former Wharton undergraduate Irina Malinovskaya pleaded no contest last Thursday to manslaughter charges in the death of Temple student Irina Zlotnikov, her ex-boyfriend's then-girlfriend, according to The Associated Press. She was sentenced to five years in jail with credit for time served by Delaware Superior Court President Judge James Vaughn and will be released in 10 months, said the AP.

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

Theft June 5 - A male student, 21, reported that an unknown suspect removed his unattended bike from Pottruck Gym at about 9:30 a.m. June 5 - Henry Baczynski, 36, unaffiliated with the University, was arrested for attempting to leave Fresh Grocer, located at 4001 Walnut St.

The credit crunch hit a little closer to home for many Penn students this past month, as they opened letters from Student Financial Services informing them that their current lender had stopped issuing Stafford loans due to recent market instability. According to Student Financial Aid director Bill Schilling, about 6,600 Penn students had to switch lenders for the upcoming school year.

Penn Presbyterian Medical Center announced Tuesday that Kenric Michael Murayama will assume the role of chief of surgery, effective Sept. 15. Murayama - an expert in advanced laparoscopic surgery - now serves as professor of surgery and chief of General Surgery at the University of Hawaii John A.

For all the difficulties the men's heavyweight rowing team has faced this season, it may have finally garnered an achievement that will make the Quakers proud. At the Intercollegiate Rowing Association Regatta - the national championship for rowing - in Camden, NJ this weekend, the Quakers made the Grand Final in the Open Four event, which they ultimately finished in sixth place.

The College Board, the same company that brings students the SAT and AP exams, has launched a pilot program that will offer universities lists of the names and contact information of low-income, high-achieving high-school students. Penn's admissions office will be one of the first universities to participate in the program.

Philadelphia's Gayborhood was splashed with more rainbows than usual this Sunday, as thousands flocked to Center City to celebrate the 20th annual lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Pride Parade and Festival. The parade snaked from 13th and Locust Streets, the cusp of the Gayborhood, down to Penn's Landing, where attendees were treated to entertainment headlined by Bruce Vilanch and vendors gathered to display their wares.

A glance at the past shows that our generation is not the first to face big issues - and that the situation's not hopeless

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.