Commonwealth

Applebrook's Catherine Elliott used a tournament-best 74 to capture the Women's Golf Association of Philadelphia's 104th Stroke Play Championship on Thursday at Manufacturers Golf and Country Club. Elliott, tied for sixth place after the first day of the 36-hole competition, overtook 18-hole leaders Marji Goldman and Kerry Rutan of the Philadelphia Cricket Club to post a two-day total of 155. Elliott won by a stroke and claimed the Mary Thayer Farnum Cup. Elliott, who helped Penn win the Ivy League title this spring, also claimed the WGAP's Silver Cross, which is awarded to the player with the lowest combined scores from the Farnum Cup and the qualifying round of the Amateur Championship.

Women's Golf Association BOYLE CUP Quarterfinals: Ali and Matt Tutelman, Green Valley, def. Joanne Bidwell, Old York Road, and Daniel Kluger, Cedarbrook, 2 up; Laura Ladden and Jim Simmons, Whitford, def. Beverly and John Brennan, Spring Ford, 1 up; Linda Kennedy and Steve Krevitz, Commonwealth, def. Christina Koerper and Paul Kovalcheck, LuLu, 1 up; Catherine Elliott, Applebrook, and Jeff Klagholz, Rolling Green, def. Jean and Sam Paddison,...

A Philadelphia judge this morning struck from the record testimony given by accused cop killer Eric Deshann Floyd after he refused to answer the prosecutor's questions. Floyd, 35, one of two men on trial for the May 3, 2008 murder of police Sgt. Stephen Liczbinski, denied taking part in the killing and denied taking part in two home invasions in the weeks leading up to the officer's death. Floyd fell silent after Assistant District Attorney Jude Conroy continued to press him about his involvement in the crimes.

Drexel coach Bruiser Flint tried to warn his Dragons going into last night's Colonial Athletic Association matchup with Virginia Commonwealth. Evidently the message didn't get through. "I told my guys that they better be ready for a fight," said Flint. "These guys have lost two games in a row and they're going to be ready. " The Rams threw a knockout punch at both ends of the floor, holding the Dragons to 36.2 percent shooting while making 50 percent of their attempts in posting a 73-54 decision over Drexel.

Gabriela Marginean had 15 points, including a game-winning 14-foot jumper with just under 3 seconds remaining to give host Drexel (12-6, 6-1) a 55-53 victory over Virginia Commonwealth (13-6, 6-1) in a Colonial Athletic Assocation game. At George Washington, Kay-Kay Allums' 21 points led the Colonials (4-14, 1-4) to a 58-50 win over La Salle in an Atlantic 10 Conference game. Nadia Duncan's 15 led La Salle (5-15, 0-5 A-10).

I AM A LIFELONG resident of Delaware, incarcerated by the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections. Gov. Rendell and Secretary of Corrections Jeffery Beard are preparing to send 1,500-2,000 prisoners out of state, hundreds, if not thousands of miles away from family and friends. Most will not want to go. However, some would love to transfer to their home state's department of corrections. I've requested a transfer under the "Inmate Interstate Corrections Compact" to Delaware. Each request has been denied, stating that I don't meet the criteria for that type of transfer.

Two key provisions of Philadelphia's latest attempt to impose local gun controls - banning assault weapons and "straw purchases" of handguns - were invalidated yesterday by a state appeals court. Following judicial precedent that doomed previous Philadelphia gun-control laws, Commonwealth Court held that the state Supreme Court ruled in 1996 that only the legislature has the authority to enact gun laws. Counties and municipal governments are out of luck. But the 6-1 majority in Commonwealth Court affirmed part of the 2008 decision of then-Philadelphia Common Pleas Court Judge Jane Cutler Greenspan and allowed three other provisions.

The fate of electronic voting machines used in most Pennsylvania counties will be decided by a state court. A decision by the state Supreme Court this week denying an appeal filed by the secretary of the commonwealth clears the way for Commonwealth Court to determine whether touch-screen machines violate the state election code. "It allows, finally, the courts to review whether the secretary of the commonwealth complied with his obligation to ensure that the Pennsylvania system of voting is reliable and safe," said Michael Churchill, an attorney for the 25 voters who sued the agency claiming the machines are flawed.

Commonwealth Court Judge James Gardner Colins, the longest-serving judge in the 37-year history of the court, will step down in January to devote himself to defending judicial independence, he said. Colins, 61, said that after 23 years on the Commonwealth Court and four years on Philadelphia Municipal Court, it was "time to move on. " In an interview yesterday, Colins said he looked forward to taking up the cause of what he said was an "increasing threat to the independence of the judiciary.