After fighting lawsuits filed by developers irked by their decisions, the Old City Civic Association announced it has disbanded its development and liquor committees because it no longer could afford skyrocketing liability insurance. "This is a national phenomenon, really a rather despicable, purposeful strategy for developers to use their economic power to shut up people who are just community-minded and have a different view about the effects of development," said Professor David Kairys of Temple’s Beasley School of Law.

Japan’s prime minister appears to be stepping up his campaign to reinterpret Japan’s wartime history, aggravating China and South Korea at a time when the region should be uniting to deal with North Korea. “This has always been the real Abe,” said Robert Dujarric of Temple University, Japan Campus. “He really believes this stuff, and when he is not under the control of his bureaucrats, like during this week’s parliamentary session, he says what he thinks. And he doesn’t seem to realize how much he is hurting Japan.

Trumpeter Terell Stafford, director of Jazz Studies and chair of Instrumental Studies at Temple’s Boyer College of Music and Dance, has launched a new venture to celebrate Philadelphia’s “integral role in jazz history”: He is the founding artistic director of the Philadelphia Jazz Orchestra, a new all-star ensemble. “The first premise is bringing folks together,” he said. “Then it’s about representing the musical legacy of Philadelphia on the highest level possible, because there’s some incredible musicians here and some incredible musicians who come from here.”