?Volume 8, No. 29 Sunday, June 7, 2009 Price $1.00

INSIDE

Commentary Food Comics Sports Across America 4-A 1-B 3-B 1-C 3-C George Tiller A comment about the death of Dr. George Tiller is posted on a sign at the Spirit One Christian Center in Wichita, Kan., on Tuesday. Scott Roeder was charged Tuesday with first-degree murder in the shooting death of abortion provider George Tiller at a church in Wichita. Zack Burgess Tribune Correspondent Ayana Jones Tribune Staff Writer The success of the Pennsylvania Fresh Food Financing Initiative has caught the attention of The White House. The initiative has been so successful in bringing fresh groceries to underserved neighborhoods that its partners traveled to Washington, D.C., on Friday morning to talk with White House representatives about the program?s success. Developed as a public-private partnership between the com- Caribbean Classifieds Obituaries Leisure Religion The Philadelphia Tribune 4-C 5-C 6-C 1-D 5-D ? AP PHOTO/ORLIN WAGNER Whatever the reason, whether it be health, religion or otherwise, the march of civilization down through the 21st century has created an uproar on the topic of abortion, which has the nation clamoring to explain the reasons why the procedure is good and bad for society ? with no comprise in sight. A week ago, Dr. George Tiller, a Kansas doctor, who was known for performing late-term abortions, was murdered in the foyer of his church. This comes after President Barack Obama?s monwealth of Pennsylvania, The Reinvestment Fund and the Greater Philadelphia Urban Affairs Coalition, FFFI is a statewide grant and loan program for grocery store development. The program is aimed at combating the lack of access to fresh groceries and the high incidences of diet related diseases that plague many urban and low-income communities. Among those present at the White House meeting were state Rep. Dwight Evans, who was instrumental in allocating Evans ? Page 5B speech at Notre Dame last month, which called for the country to reach a common ground on the issue. The administration had already been quietly struggling to deal with the tensions that exist even today, 37 years after Roe v. Wade. Two days before the president was to deliver his speech at Notre Dame, the White House hosted a meeting of activists on both sides, only to cause friction as a subtle disagreement ensued between an Obama aide and a leading abortion foe. This is telling as activists continue to disagree. ?We have killed millions of people worldwide in defense of freedom and justice and our constitutional rights. To kill one doctor who murders the most innocent of humans is more worthy of murder than killing civilians worldwide in the process of supposedly giving them rights that most do not understand nor care about,? said Pablo Solomon of Austin, Texas, a world-renowned artist with deep concerns for human rights. ?We have killed an average of one million tiny people a year since abortion was legalized. These little people had committed no crime and got no trial. They were Abortion ? Page 4B

Fresh Food promoters visit D.C.

State. Rep. Dwight Evans and others see a possible national rollout

SPORTS

Eagles running back undergoes surgery

Westbrook expected to be ready for season. 1C

THE ABORTION DEBATE

Jeffrey Brown, president and CEO of Brown?s Family ShopRite, looks at state Rep. Dwight Evans Friday as the lawmaker explains how the White House is considering using the city?s Fresh Food program as a national model. ? ABDUL R. SULAYMAN/TRIBUNE CHIEF PHOTOGRAPHER

Gays, Christians still polarized

Signs of compromise slowly emerging. 5D

SEE SPORTS 1C

Magic shake off rout, prepare for Game 2

Lonely in the middle

See

Editorial

on Page

4A

RELIGION CARIBBEAN

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Hopes rise as layoffs scale back

345,000 jobs cut ? a sharp decline

Jeannine Aversa WASHINGTON ? Employers throttled back on layoffs in May and cut the fewest jobs in any month since the financial crisis erupted last fall ? raising the brightest hope yet that an economic recovery will take hold later this year. But with companies still reluctant to hire, the nation?s jobless rate rose to a quarter-century high of 9.4 percent, and it likely will keep rising into 2010, possibly within striking distance of its post-World War II peak of 10.8 percent. The economy shed 345,000 jobs in May, the Labor Department said Friday ? half what it was losing in a month at the start of the year. But the report also underscored how hard it has been for America?s 14.5 million unemployed to find new jobs. ?Less bad, yes,? Ian Shepherdson, chief U.S. economist at High Frequency Economics, said, summarizing the economy. ?Good, no.? Companies probably won?t ramp up hiring until they feel sure a recovery is here to stay. Still, considering the damage the recession has wrought ? 6 million jobs lost since December 2007 ? it was encouraging that employers cut far fewer jobs in May. The 345,000 jobs lost was down sharply from 504,000 in April, and an even bigger improvement over the average of nearly 700,000 jobs lost monthly during the first quarter of this year. ?The light at the end of the tunnel just got a lot brighter,? said Nigel Gault, chief U.S. economist at IHS Global Insight. Jobless ? Page 5B

City, SEPTA prepare for PECO hike

When price caps end, electricity costs will spike across the state

Eric Mayes Tribune Staff Writer Bracing for a price spike as PECO?s price caps expire, two of the area?s largest users ? the city and SEPTA ? have already begun to explore options that officials hope could save them a bundle. The two spent a combined total of about $102 million last year for electricity. Conservative projections suggest that number will jump as high as $110.2 million when price caps end. On Jan. 1, 2011, price controls on electricity will end as Pennsylvania moves from its traditional regulation of electric markets to a free-market model. Predictions of what will happen in the southeastern corner of the state vary. The state?s official estimate suggests a price increase of about 8 percent. But, in some parts of the state where caps have already been removed, the price of electricity has jumped 75 percent. However, in the last few months, prices, which are tied to the price of natural gas, have dropped. Nevertheless, one city official predicted difficulties when the caps expire. ?There are going to be huge difficulties for the PECO ? Page 3A

June is Caribbean Month in U.S.

Philly Islanders celebrated last Sunday. 4C COMING TUESDAY Chandra Wilson comes to Broadway

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