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The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency plans a hearing Wednesday in Philadelphia on an Obama administration proposal to clean up gasoline and automobile emissions, one of only two public sessions nationwide on the so-called Tier 3 standards. The rules, which mandate cleaner fuels and some new vehicle technologies, are aimed at reducing soot, sulfur, and nitrogen oxide emissions. "We're looking at automobiles and fuels as a system," said Christopher Grundler, director of the EPA's Office of Transportation and Air Quality.

COULD Philadelphia host the 2024 Olympics? Mayor Nutter sent a letter to the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) Monday confirming the city has an interest in bidding on the Olympic games. "The city of Philadelphia shares the USOC's dedication to building a spectacular experience for Olympic athletes, the Olympic family and the watching world," Nutter said in a statement. "We have had great success partnering with other organizations to host world-class events, and we are committed to working cooperatively and effectively under the direction of the USOC in the months - and hopefully - years ahead.

Upper Moreland baseball coach Ernie Rehr said he would put his top of the lineup up against anyone else's. Just not on Friday afternoon. The top of the order stumbled, but the bottom of Rehr's lineup pulled through and propelled Upper Moreland to a 3-2 walkoff win against Wissahickon in a Suburban One American game. Kyle Irwin, the team's No. 8 hitter, stroked a single to center field that easily scored No. 7 hitter Nick Corbett from third base. Both players finished 2 for 3. "It was just one of those days where it didn't work out for them," Rehr said of the top of the lineup.

Philadelphia will be the site of the 2013 Beyond Sport Summit from Sept. 9 to 11, Mayor Nutter announced at City Hall on Wednesday. The Eagles, who won the Beyond Sport award in 2011 for their work in the community, will host the annual event for the global organization that promotes and funds sports as a vehicle for social change. "I think we're the greatest sports town in the United States of America, and we know that sport has a tremendous impact, especially on our young people," said Nutter, who was joined at the announcement by former Eagles safety Brian Dawkins and former 76ers center Dikembe Mutombo.

I RA GLASS is the Jessica Simpson of public radio. Not the new, pregnant designer Jessica Simpson. The old, singing, can't dance a lick Jessica Simpson. That Jessica used to surround herself with dancers to hide her own immobility. And that brings us to Glass. The "This American Life" host will present the world premiere of "One Radio Show, Two Dancers," a night of stories and dance, courtesy of Monica Bill Barnes and Anna Bass , Saturday and Sunday at the Annenberg Center.

  J AKE TAPPER may be headlining his own CNN show, "The Lead," airing Monday through Friday at 4 p.m., but his news-watching habits began in his family's Queen Village home. His biggest local influences were guys like 6ABC's Jim Gardner and former ABC and CBS 3 reporter/anchor Marc Howard . "I knew who Jim Gardner was long before Peter Jennings ," Tapper told me. "One of the thrills of being at ABC was getting to know Jim Gardner. " Tapper doesn't stay nearly as niche as Gardner's local beat on "The Lead," saying his main goal as a newscaster is to bring front-page news to his viewers.

Emma Dahle, Friends' Central girls' lacrosse coach Lauren Rubin said, is the team's leader. She is the closer. And Rubin said there is no one she would want more in a pressure-filled situation. The coach got her wish Wednesday as Dahle scored from a free position with just nine seconds left in overtime to send the Phoenix past host Agnes Irwin, 16-15, in a nonleague game. "There was a lot of pressure, especially after she was probably exhausted from playing almost 60 minutes," Rubin said.

BAGHDAD - A suicide bomber blew himself up Saturday at a lunch hosted by a Sunni candidate in Iraq's regional elections, killing 20 people, officials said. The blast ripped through a hospitality tent pitched next to the house of Muthana al-Jourani, who is running for the provincial council and held the lunch rally for supporters, councilman Sadiq al-Huseini said. The attack took place in Baqouba, a mixed Sunni-Shiite city 35 miles northeast of Baghdad. Insurgent attacks and sectarian bloodletting have been rampant there in the decade since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion.

Drexel has made it to the semifinals of the WNIT on the strength of its defense. The Dragons have compiled a 19-1 record in games in which they have limited their opponents to 50 points or fewer. Florida has done the opposite thanks to a potent offense. The Gators have averaged 70.9 points overall and 78.0 points in four WNIT victories. The two styles will clash Wednesday night at the Daskalakis Athletic Center when the Dragons (26-10) and the Gators (22-14) meet with a trip to the WNIT championship game on the line.