… But they aren’t. Philadelphians are.

 Yes, Philadelphia has topped yet another unflattering list.

In addition to our ugliness, our misery and our unsurpassable incarceration rates, Philadelphians now have yet another negative ranking to live for: the worst drivers in America.

As reported by Dan Geringer in the Daily News yesterday, in a report by Allstate auto insurance company appropriately titled “Philadelphia Drivers Skid In Among Worst,” research showed that drivers in Philadelphia average 6.6 years between collisions, whereas the average in the U.S. is about 10 years.

Temple educational psychology professor Frank Farley is quoted in the article talking about the distractions for drivers (guys selling flowers, pies, water bottles, newspapers … you name it) and the seeming lack of traffic laws on North Broad Street near campus.

Unfortunately, I’d have to agree that North Broad Street is a sort of automotive no man’s land, so to speak. A loaded gun-wielding drunk driver hit a car I was in at Broad and Cecil B. Moore Streets in February.

But where else can you buy a pie, a newspaper, some flowers for your significant other and a bottle of water all on the same block?

Surely not in Sioux Falls, S.D., which topped this year’s “Allstate America’s Best Drivers” report, where drivers averaged 14.6 years between collisions.

As you might imagine, Philly didn’t make that list.

Penny for your thoughts on what the next terrible list Philly tops will be. Maybe someone will have a bright idea and just rank us the worst people in the U.S. and get it over with!

Drive safe, Philly.

The 2008 summer Olympics in Beijing will see three former Temple Owls competing for gold in Men’s Crew.

CSTV.comis reporting 2003 Temple grad, Marcus McElhenny will serve as coxswain for the USA team and Jason Read, a 2002 graduate will be an alternate.

Rowing the Irish National Team in Beijing will be Sean Casey, a 2001 Temple graduate.

The Associated Press is reporting that Tonya Cardoza will be replacing Dawn Staley as the Temple women’s basketball coach.

Cardoza has been at the University of Connecticut for 14 seasons. She helped coach the Huskies to numerous national championships.

It is expected that Temple will make the official announcement tomorrow.

Now that the Dirt Lot may be nearing extinction, you might want to think twice before parking illegally somewhere else.

The Philadelphia Parking Authority has announced an increase in towing fees - from $15 to $150.

This applies for cars booted in the “Live Stop” program, which looks for drivers with improper registration or invalid, suspended or revoked driver’s licenses.

The authority says the need for the increase is because of, like many things today, the increased price of gas.

PPA vehicles need to travel, too, you know.

Thank you, philly.com.

The Web site that is Philadelphia assembled for us an archive.  An archive entitled “Alycia Lane in the News.”

Don’t worry.  Larry’s on there, too.  It might as well be called “CBS3 in the News.”

And the latest story comes from the columnist who is Philadelphia, who assembled for us her thoughts defending Alycia.

Jill Porter wrote a column that many people will laugh at.  Many people won’t take it seriously.  It’s questionable if she even takes it seriously.

In a nutshell, her column says that we, the news-crazed Philadelphia public, never gave Alycia a chance.  Maybe she’s not the ditzy diva the Philadelphia media has made her out to be.

We ought to believe that, Porter says.  But we probably won’t.

That’s because this long saga that began December 14 after an incident involving a news anchor, a New York City cop and a taxi cab (sounds like the setup for a joke) is finally coming to an end.  There are only two more milestones to come - the future of Mr. Mendte’s federal investigation and the outcome of Lane’s lawsuit against KYW.

Well, unless Mendte files a wrongful termination lawsuit.  But let’s pretend that’s not an option.

But these outcomes aren’t what we care about.  We cared about the public destruction of two beloved news anchors - those whom we loved to watch and who will likely not be on the Philadelphia airwaves anymore.

And you know what?  We’re going to miss them.  I already do.

Way to go, Philadelphia.

It’s sad but true. The dirt lot will no longer be a haven for Temple commuters.

The Temple News is reporting that the dirt lot will become the home to a academic building. The newest addition to Temple’s campus will be four-to-seven stories high, complete with classrooms and an auditorium.

But fear not commuters, the building’s construction will probably not begin until the end of next year.

Until then cherish your moments with the dirt lot.

CBS3’s Susan Barnett announced today on Eyewitness News at 6 that her former co-anchor, Larry Mendte, has been released from his contract.

The result of the federal investigation into Mendte’s alleged snooping of previously fired CBS3 diva Alycia Lane’s private e-mail has not come, but Barnett said a private investigation by CBS3 led to the dismissal.

CBS hasn’t released an official statement but has a short story on its Web site.

No word on who will replace Mendte in the anchor chair. He’s been off the air since May 29. Anchor/reporter Chris May has been filling in at 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. since.

Just another day in the Philadelphia media market.

A bright yet subtle change may be soon coming to the Philadelphia skyline. But as with most additions to Center City, controversy is high.

Two Liberty Place, what is now the third-tallest building in Philadelphia, dwarfed by its big brother One Liberty Place and the new Comcast Center, may soon be donned with 11-foot high illuminated letters over the 38th and 39th floors advertising a new tenant, Unisys Corps.

However, other tenants – the ones who are in the process of moving into the luxury condos in the same building – are not too thrilled.

The condo owners are afraid the red lighting will reflect into their living rooms and hurt the overall value of their condos. The city, on the other hand, supports the act, saying it will show the world that Philadelphia is the place to be for a corporate home.

Let a tenant in the Empire State Building try to pull off something like this, one homeowner said.

As an AP reporter notes, the Liberty Place towers like to break tradition. When constructed, One Liberty Place broke the unwritten “Gentlemen’s Agreement” when built in 1987, which ‘said’ no building should be built higher than William Penn’s statue atop City Hall.

Oops.

Photo courtesy philly.com.

Six schools will be taken back from private managers by the Philadelphia School District as of July 1st.

The Daily Newsis reporting that Temple University is one of the institutions that will be losing a school from the six year old experiment of putting students’ education in the hands of private enterprises.

School Reform Commission chairwoman Sandra Dungee Glenn said the schools would still be operated by the private managers but at varying levels. Temple manages four schools and will be losing one, Dunbar. The university will be keeping Duckry and Meade.

If you are in need of something to do today, get some culture and head to the Philadelphia Art Museum. The museum will be free today till 6p.m. for everyone.

The complimentary admission is in honor of the late Anne d’Harnoncourt. D’Harnoncourt led the museum for many years.