Complaints

A new mobile app allows Philadelphia residents to send complaints about potholes, graffiti, and other issues - complete with photographs and location - directly into the city's maintenance work flow. The Philly311 app, released by the Mayor's Office Thursday, also tracks service requests and notifies the user when the issue is resolved. It is available on iPhone, Android, and BlackBerry. Councilman Bobby Henon released a similar program, the CityHall App for iPhone, in April. He said more than 500 people had downloaded it so far. "Many, many of the people who downloaded my app use it on a regular basis," Henon said.

POLICE COMMISSIONER Charles Ramsey has asked an outside law firm to investigate the conduct of one of the department's highest-ranking officers. The Daily News this month reported that the officer, Staff Inspector Jerrold Bates, allegedly coerced former aide Keisha Johnson into a sexual relationship to keep her job. The District Attorney's Office also has launched a probe to determine whether Bates should face criminal charges, Ramsey said....

HARRISBURG - A young man who testified against Jerry Sandusky sued Pennsylvania State University on Friday, blaming the university for how its top officials dealt with complaints that the former assistant football coach behaved inappropriately with boys. The lawsuit filed by the person known as Victim 1 at Sandusky's trial said university officials made deliberate decisions not to report Sandusky to authorities. Those decisions were "a function of [Penn State's] purposeful, deliberate and shameful subordination of the safety of children to its economic self-interests, and to its interest in maintaining and perpetuating its reputation," the suit said.

Montgomery County authorities will review the millionaire philanthropist Raymond Perelman's claim that his son illegally altered the death certificate for Perelman's wife, the county's top prosecutor said Wednesday. District Attorney Risa Vetri Ferman declined to discuss the allegation but said her office would process it like any other private criminal complaint. In such cases, Ferman said, county investigators first determine whether the alleged act occurred within their jurisdiction, then whether the claim warrants criminal investigation or prosecution.

The family of a former special-education student at Oxford Area High School who claimed work was withheld from the teen when he was too sick to go to school has filed a complaint with the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission. The commission suggested the action after learning of the teen's allegations against his school's principal. The family filed a complaint last month with the state Department of Education against high school principal David Madden, who they say blocked their son from getting assignments during his frequent absences.

The family of a former special-education student at Oxford Area High School who claimed work was withheld from the teen when he was too sick to go to school has filed a complaint with the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission. The commission suggested the action after learning of the teen's allegations against his school's principal. The family filed a complaint last month with the state Department of Education against high school principal David Madden, who they say blocked their son from getting assignments during his frequent absences.

CAIRO - Under Hosni Mubarak, Egypt's presidential palace inspired awe and fear, much like the autocratic leader who lived large inside. But under President Mohammed Morsi, the old barricades have fallen. Nearly every day, Egyptians from all walks of life throng the main entrance of the imperial white building to make their feelings known. Instead of pushing people away, Morsi has established a mechanism for his staff to receive and review complaints. The gesture is the latest way in which Morsi, the country's first Islamist president, is seeking to burnish his image as a man of the people and a public servant who represents the dawn of democratic rule in Egypt.

When Kevin Turner retired from professional football in January 2000 after five seasons as a fullback with the Philadelphia Eagles, the letdown was steeper than he expected. "I just turned into a loser overnight and I couldn't figure out what was wrong," Turner, 42, told reporters Thursday. "It was a very scary proposition. " Turner's tally of ailments grew until August 2010 when doctors told him he had amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, the incurable, devastating neurological disease that killed baseball great Lou Gehrig.

IN THE REGION Vishay sells debt to buy shares Vishay Intertechnology Inc., a Malvern producer of electronic components, said it sold $150 million in convertible debt. The proceeds will be used to buy back shares, the company said. — Harold Brubaker   Institute helps nonprofit leaders The United Way of Southeastern Pennsylvania and the Philadelphia Foundation started a Nonprofit Board Leadership Institute to provide collaborative training for nonprofit board chairs and their executive directors.