NEWS
May 21, 2013 | By Peter Dobrin, Inquirer Music Critic
The Guarneri Quartet is no more, and yet there it was (plus one), closing the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society season Friday night. You couldn't fool the audience at the American Philosophical Society, which greeted the four former members of the quartet with love obviously rooted in the years between 1964 and 2009, when the Guarneri was a real force. They met at Marlboro Music, the Vermont school and festival that is PCMS' sister organization, and the clubbiness surrounding both groups cuts both ways.
BUSINESS
May 19, 2013 | By Steve Rothwell, Associated Press
NEW YORK - Encouraging news about the U.S. economy extended the stock market's rally Friday. A gauge of future economic activity rose more than analysts had expected, as did a measure of consumer confidence, adding to evidence that the economy is steadily recovering. Stocks closed higher for a fourth straight week. Indexes are at record levels after surging this year on optimism about the economy and record corporate earnings. The market is also being supported by ongoing stimulus from the Federal Reserve, which is keeping long-term borrowing costs at historically low levels.
NEWS
May 17, 2013 | By Jeff Gammage, Inquirer Staff Writer
Five grew up on the hard streets of North Philadelphia, one in the killing fields of Cambodia. Two are social workers, one is a nurse, another a soldier who served two tours in Iraq. They are black, Latino, and Asian, all about the same age, all but two of them mothers, all bound to one another today through the happenstance of having long ago shared a particular middle-school teacher. Their intergenerational, multiracial friendship might be unusual in parts of the Philadelphia region, recently named among the nation's most segregated, but it thrives at Caryl Levin's house in Melrose Park.
NEWS
May 15, 2013 | By Jane M. Von Bergen, Inquirer Staff Writer
New Jersey's public defenders are going to court to stop Gloucester County from closing its county jail and splitting its 250 to 350 inmates among four other county jails, including one in Newark. Not only will the move make it difficult for public defenders to help their clients, but the Gloucester County Board of Chosen Freeholders' decision to close the facility is a violation of state regulations, the lawsuit says. "We do not, as a matter of policy, comment on matters involving litigation," Gloucester County spokeswoman Debra Sellitto responded Monday.
BUSINESS
May 9, 2013 | By Steve Rothwell, Associated Press
NEW YORK - The Dow Jones industrial average rose, closing above 15,000 for a second day after passing the landmark level for the first time Tuesday. On Wednesday, a day without any major economic releases, investors focused on company earnings as reporting for the first quarter draws to a close. Although earnings growth has slowed from last quarter, profits are at record levels and projected to rise throughout the year. The Dow closed up 48.92 points, or 0.3 percent, at 15,105.12.
BUSINESS
May 9, 2013 | By Steve Rothwell and Matt Craft, Associated Press
NEW YORK - Two months after recovering the last of its losses from the financial crisis, the Dow Jones industrial average charged higher Tuesday, closing above 15,000 for the first time. It was another milestone in the market's epic ascent of 2013. Good economic reports, strong corporate earnings, and fresh support from central banks have eased investors' concerns about another economic slowdown. Many had been on the lookout for signs that a spring swoon would derail the rally, as in each of the last three years.
NEWS
May 8, 2013 | By Cynthia Tucker
Sometimes the absurdities of an official policy or action are so clear that they need not be elucidated. Such is the case with the Obama administration's maintenance of the U.S. detention facility at Guantanamo Bay. Last week, President Obama told reporters that he intends to once again press Congress to close the facility, as he had promised to do in his first campaign. But there is no indication that the president intends to devote any of his remaining political capital to the task - any more than he did during his first term.
NEWS
May 7, 2013 | By Maddie Hanna, Inquirer Staff Writer
When Andreotti's Viennese Cafe opened in Cherry Hill in 1983, Marianne Andreotti would deliver her restaurant's seven-cheese spread to people sitting outside in their cars, waiting for a table. "We were so afraid they were going to leave," said Andreotti, whose father, Mark, started the restaurant on Route 70, then primarily a pastry shop with lunch seating. The patrons stayed, and the Andreottis expanded, over the years adding a dining room, piano, bar, and dance floor. The space evolved, but the traditions remained, including free hors d'oeuvres and desserts and music and dancing on Saturday nights.
NEWS
May 7, 2013 | By David Dishneau, Associated Press
FORT MEADE, Md. - Government secrecy reaches a new level this week in the court-martial of Army Pfc. Bradley Manning, an intelligence analyst who sent 700,000 classified U.S. documents to the WikiLeaks website. A military judge, Col. Denise Lind, has ordered what prosecutors say is an unprecedented closed hearing Wednesday at Fort Meade to help her decide how much of Manning's coming trial should be closed to protect national security. An unidentified prosecution witness will testify during that closed hearing in a "dry run. " Defense attorneys say that could allow the judge to find ways to avoid closing the courtroom to the public during the presentation of classified evidence.
NEWS
May 3, 2013 | By Susan Snyder, Inquirer Staff Writer
Another highly contested race for three open alumni seats on Pennsylvania State University's board of trustees will come to a close at the end of this week when trustees announce the results of the election. Thirty-nine candidates - from military leaders to business professionals, retired alumni to the recently graduated - are vying for three seats on the 32-member board, with 26,861 alumni having cast votes as of April 24. Voting closes at 9 a.m. Thursday. A picture, biography, and position statement for each candidate are posted on the board of trustees website.