Out of the nation's 10 largest cities, Philadelphia's homicide rate is the worst. Last year ended with 324 homicides, up from 306 in 2010. And just one month into this year, there has been on average more than one homicide each day in the city. Temple criminal justice professor Jerry Ratcliffe says it's important to put Philadelphia's homicide data into a broader perspective: "I don't want to belittle the numbers, but it's really too difficult to assess the safety of the entire city based on little over a month of data," he said.

In an opinion piece, the Erie Times asked why Pennsylvania's state-owned and state-supported universities have taken a big hit again in Gov. Tom Corbett's 2012-13 budget. “We understand the need for government at all levels to economize and stay within budget. But Corbett has yet to explain why higher education spending has become one of his favorite targets.”

Registration for the 2012 Broad Street Run sold-out in five hours, compared to four days last year. Jeremy Jordan, director of the Sport Industry Research Center at Temple, says the race course's longevity, downhill slope, and enthusiasm of participants all play a role in its popularity. "The timing allows for participants to set a spring goal for running that significant, yet manageable 10 miles," Jordan said. "It's a nice way to come out of the winter." SIRC has researched participant satisfaction in the race.