University City

Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie married Philadelphia resident Tina Lai in a private ceremony this weekend. Lurie, 61, announced last July that he and Christina Weiss Lurie were getting divorced after 20 years of marriage. Lai will have no official role in the Eagles organization. The wedding was attended by family and close friends. "I am happy and excited as Tina and I begin our lives together," Lurie said in a statement. Lai, 39, is from a family that owns restaurants in Philadelphia, including the Vietnam Restaurant in Chinatown and the Vietnam Cafe in University City.

The City of Philadelphia will release a master plan Thursday for six miles along the lower Schuylkill seen as ripe for job-generating industrial and commercial uses, new roads, more green space, and added bicycle and pedestrian trails. The blueprint envisions three districts along the river's banks, stretching from University City to Philadelphia International Airport. "The area accounts for 68 percent of the city's underutilized and vacant industrial land," said Alan Greenberger, deputy mayor for economic development.

In some seasons, pollen is up. In others, down. And then there are those - like this one - that are all over the place, with cold following warmth following cold following warmth, nipping the buds every time they start to, well, bud. Tuesday's tree-pollen counts locally were the highest so far this season, but still less than a sixth of last year's high, and a potentially suppressing rain was predicted for Friday. Counts are rising late this spring. "Last year was a mild but quite moist winter, and the season started earlier and lasted longer," said S. Michael Phillips, director of clinical allergies and immunology at the University of Pennsylvania.

Karim Karamoko threw for two touchdowns on Thursday afternoon, and Robert Hall rushed for two more as University City rolled to a 40-0 win over Edison at West Philadelphia. Both of Karamoko's touchdowns came in the first half, and University City entered halftime ahead by 26-0. Hall opened up the third quarter with a 35-yard touchdown before adding another from 10 yards out. Commitments Lower Merion's Marina Aileen Forster signed a national letter of intent to accept a rowing scholarship to Drexel.

Winning in the pinch hasn't always come naturally to the University City basketball team. It only appears that way after games like the one yesterday, in which the fourth-ranked Jaguars outlasted visiting Mastbaum, 67-59, for Public League Division C bragging rights. "It shows that we can handle the pressure," said University City senior forward David Scott. "Last year, we had a lead against Mastbaum in the last 2 minutes, and we weren't experienced enough to handle it. This year, in the hard-nosed games, all of us are really up for the challenge.

Jaconda Jackson scored the 1,000th point of her career and the Martin Luther King girls ovecame a sluggish first half to defeat Northeast High, 54-37, in a Public League semifinal game yesterday at the Civic Center. The victory earned the Cougars, the defending Public League champions, a chance at a second straight title and their third straight visit to the championship. King (20-3) will face University City - an easy 58-28 winner over Franklin Learning Center in the other semifinal game - for the championship at the Civic Center next Sunday at 3 p.m., following the boys' championship.

University City head coach Lurline Jones had one question for her players late in the third quarter of yesterday's Public League girls' basketball game against Central: Is there anybody here who really wants to win? Jones had seen enough. The defending league champions were fumbling and stumbling their way to a 62-47 third-quarter deficit, missing layups and losing interest fast. "But we're a fourth-quarter team," Jones said afterward. "Don't ask me why. " The visiting Jaguars (13-4 overall, 4-1 league)

The Philadelphia Water Department reported Monday the appearance of rusty water in University City and urged customers to limit the use of the water while the utility cleans the system. The department said the rusty water is not a health hazard, but it is a nuisance. Once the system is cleared, customers should run cold water through their pipes to remove any accumulated rust. Customers with questions can call the department's hotline at 215-685-6300.    - Robert Moran

A 12-inch water main broke in University City this morning, forcing the Philadelphia Water Department to shut off nearby service, and causing traffic to slow. John DiGiulio, a spokesman for the department, said crews were at the scene of the break around Market street between 42nd and 43 Streets. DiGiulio said he did not have an estimate on when repairs would be complete and water service turned on for the block. The break is not on the scale of Saturday's 36-inch transmission pipe break in Old City that rushed five million to six million gallons of water through that area.

THIS WEEK "Street Gazing" left Center City for the University City home of the University of Pennsylvania and Drexel University. Class is in session and students promenading down Locust Walk clearly dress for comfort and style. On my journey I saw the classic prep style, relaxed looks and even some high fashion takes on the student body. It seems higher education builds your mind and sharpens your style.   Follow Reuben Harley on Twitter at @BigRubeHarley and at streetgazing.blogspot.com.

The City of Philadelphia will release a master plan Thursday for six miles along the lower Schuylkill seen as ripe for job-generating industrial and commercial uses, new roads, more green space, and added bicycle and pedestrian trails. The blueprint envisions three districts along the river's banks, stretching from University City to Philadelphia International Airport. "The area accounts for 68 percent of the city's underutilized and vacant industrial land," said Alan Greenberger, deputy mayor for economic development.

BEFORE sunrise Thursday, Don Ly emerged from his family's South Philadelphia home - just as he had day in and day out for nearly two decades - to prepare his fruit cart for work. But Ly didn't make it to his post at 34th and Walnut streets in University City on Thursday. A predator was lurking on the 68-year-old vendor's quiet block of Vollmer Street near 4th, and minutes after Ly stepped outside about 5 a.m., he was savagely attacked, his assailant plunging a knife seven times into his chest and neck, according to police.

When she arrived at the University of the Sciences, Helen F. Giles-Gee was impressed with the beautiful oil paintings in the president's office, which she was about to occupy. But something struck her: "There was no painting of a woman. So I asked: Is there someone distinctive that I could put on the wall that would be representative of the women at this institution?" Up went a portrait of Susan Hayhurst, the first female graduate of what was then known as the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy.

In some seasons, pollen is up. In others, down. And then there are those - like this one - that are all over the place, with cold following warmth following cold following warmth, nipping the buds every time they start to, well, bud. Tuesday's tree-pollen counts locally were the highest so far this season, but still less than a sixth of last year's high, and a potentially suppressing rain was predicted for Friday. Counts are rising late this spring. "Last year was a mild but quite moist winter, and the season started earlier and lasted longer," said S. Michael Phillips, director of clinical allergies and immunology at the University of Pennsylvania.

TO PARAPHRASE the movie "Network," Philadelphians are confused as hell and they're not going to take it anymore. They're confused, often angry, about AVI - the Actual Value Initiative that Mayor Nutter is using to: 1) establish true market value for property and 2) apply tax at that value. It is a massive task no other city has voluntarily attempted. Over the past two years, all 579,383 pieces of city real estate supposedly were eyeballed by experts for reassessment. Some city residents now find their property is worth far more than it used to be, others much less.

IN HIS MARCH 25th letter, Chris Isles suggested that Jack McMahon, the attorney defending Dr. Kermit Gosnell in his murder trial, is attempting to play on the sympathies of minority jury members by suggesting that Dr. Gosnell, who is African-American, is a victim of "prosecutorial lynching. " Well, of course he is, Mr. Isles; he'd be crazy not to! Jack McMahon is (literally) fighting for his client's life, as the District Attorney's Office would like none other than to see Dr. Gosnell put to death!

Stefanie Ulmer hit a layup as time expired to lift Franklin Towne Charter over Engineering & Science, 32-31, in a Public League girls' basketball game Friday. With Engineering & Science trailing, 30-29, Aaliyah Worley hit a pair of free throws with 25 seconds left to put the Engineers ahead by a point. With 0.7 of a second remaining, Ulmer caught an inbounds pass under the basket and converted a layup as the buzzer sounded. Ulmer finished the game with 21 points and nine rebounds.

Imagine a particle 1/10,000 of a cross-section of a human hair. That's the size of a protein, way smaller than a cell. Bernardo Cordovez, 29, and his partners have come up with something they call a NanoTweezer that allows them to pick up and move that kind of teeny-tiny particle using a laser beam of light. There's been a lot of talk about trying to bring high-tech, high-potential businesses to Philadelphia, and the story behind how Cordovez's very small company, Optofluidics Inc., landed here provides an object lesson.

Keeping up with Han Chiang's Sichuan machine is no small task. No sooner had I eaten at his new Han Dynasty in University City than it was no longer his newest branch, with the recent opening of HD Cherry Hill. The recent dynastic expansion of the fiery chain gives devoted regulars pause. But his West Philly perch in the old MidAtlantic is a step up, style-wise, from his 3-bell Old City lair, both in decor and service. And our food didn't suffer one bit. I even discovered a new favorite, this double-cooked flounder that gets pan-crisped once, then goes into the wok to finish with leeks, hot peppers, funky fermented beans, and a chile oil-peppercorn sauce that brought just the right touch of numbing heat.

Junior Robert Hall scored in overtime for his third touchdown, leading University City to a 34-28 win against Mastbaum on Wednesday night in a nonleague football game. Hall scored on two fumble recoveries, the second with a minute left in regulation to send the game to overtime. In overtime, the linebacker/running back scored on a 20-yard run for the winning points. Ronnie Kennedy scored two rushing touchdowns for Mastbaum. In other nonleague action: Prep Charter 46, Furness 12 - Sophomore Vion Dolo threw four touchdown passes to lead Prep Charter to the nonleague win. Dolo's scoring strikes covered 25, 35, 32, and 31 yards, with Ronald Stokes and John Graham receiving two each.