An unsolved 23-year-old art heist in Boston may have local connections. In the years following the theft of 13 works worth $500 million from the Gardner Museum — including pieces by Rembrandt, Degas and Vermeer — the stolen art may have been brought to Philadelphia to be fenced. "The Gardner heist is in the minds of most art historians as one of the most spectacular and heartbreaking art thefts," said art historian Therese Dolan of the Tyler School of Art. "Who could afford [these pieces]? Who would want them?

Earlier this year, the Temple Symphony Orchestra was nominated for two Grammy awards. Now the ensemble is preparing to debut a newly commissioned piece by a Grammy-winning composer. In a program that also features Barber's Prayers of Kierkegaard, featuring the combined Temple choirs, and Shostakovich's Ninth Symphony, the Temple Symphony Orchestra will perform the world premiere of Reflections on the Mississippi at the Kimmel Center on Sunday, March 24. 

Prime Minister Abe said Japan will join negotiations on an American-led regional trade accord opposed by some of his core supporters as he seeks to boost growth and strengthen ties with the U.S. "Abe wants to use these talks to promote structural reform in Japan, help exporters and boost domestic productivity, but it's a risky move because he is taking on a powerful interest group," said Jeff Kingston, the director of Asian Studies at Temple University in Tokyo. 

Temple students returning from spring break are being greeted by two large Adirondack chairs – one white and one cherry red – in front of Paley Library. The sturdy chairs are big enough to fit four people. Over the last few weeks, university carpenter Tony “The Hat” Molinari built and painted the super-sized chairs. Each is graced with a Temple T and the hashtag #TUbigchairs. “The hope,” said university spokesman Hillel Hoffman, is that students will “take pictures, tag them, find them and follow along as others do the same.”