Following up on ballot challenges, covering the latest priest abuse suit

    Good morning, Feeders! Sorry about the rain; Morning Edition host Jo Ann Allen tells us it’ll stop at some point today. At least we’re not in Northwest Jersey where they’re still getting snow. But take heart — there is only one weather-related story in today’s news chase.

    Susan Philips is covering the announcement of the fourth priest abuse lawsuit. The suit comes from a former student at Our Lady of Calvary parish in the Northeast.

    Susan is also looking into the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission’s proposal to add a surcharge to customers to help fix and replace the old cast iron gas pipelines credited with recent leaks and explosions.

    Dave Davies will follow up on last week’s ballot challenge hearings. DROP candidates Marge Tartaglione, Marian Tasco and Frank Rizzo had their challenges rolled into one hearing, while Milton Street faced questions about his petition signatures.

    • WHYY thanks our sponsors — become a WHYY sponsor

    Jen Howard is heading to Camden where Project Knock Out will encourage pitbull owners to take care of their dogs and spay and neuter them. Here’s hoping for some pictures of cute dogs.

    Shai Ben-Yaacov is making some calls about LIHEAP. Will the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program have to cut its funding due to budget constrictions?

    Karen O’Toole is tracking the Temple University Japan student who flew back to the states this weekend. She’s out to determine how many have returned following the suggested evacuation of the university’s Tokyo campus.

    As the Marathon Grill partners with a North Philadelphia farm for locally sourced foods, the Horticultural Society has lost funding from Philadelphia that would have allowed PHS to pay residents to maintain abandoned lots. Peter Crimmins is out to see if there’s a connection between urban farmers and these lots that will now need some extra love.

    Heard about the NFL lockout? Carolyn Beeler tells us some low-paid players are concerned about COBRA health care coverage is the lockout isn’t lifted soon.

    Phil Gregory will bring us more about the push in New Jersey to advance the Jessica Lunsford Act to create stricter penalties for child sex offenders.

    And we promised you a weather story, didn’t we? Karen O’Toole will talk to some folks about the Delaware River Canal towpath, which seems to have washed out again in the latest rain — after much work to restore it following floods in 2006.

    Feed the Feed: What stories are you most interested in today? What do you think we should be chasing?

    WHYY is your source for fact-based, in-depth journalism and information. As a nonprofit organization, we rely on financial support from readers like you. Please give today.

    Want a digest of WHYY’s programs, events & stories? Sign up for our weekly newsletter.

    Together we can reach 100% of WHYY’s fiscal year goal