INQUIRER: Bad roads cost the average Philadelphia-area driver about $1,500 a year because of added vehicle maintenance, extra gas, time lost in traffic jams, and the cost of traffic crashes, according to a study released Tuesday. The study, by a research group sponsored by insurance companies, labor unions, and construction companies, concluded that Pennsylvania’s deteriorated roads and bridges cost drivers statewide about $8.2 billion a year. The study cited eight busy bridges in the Philadelphia area as prime examples of deficient spans, including the Platt Bridge, the Chestnut Street bridge at 30th Street, and the Passyunk Avenue drawbridge over the […]

BOSTON GLOBE: The teen’s mutilated body was discovered Nov. 15 on the lawn of a posh Milton home at 9:30 p.m. Police said he had severe head trauma and his legs and arms were broken. Parts of his remains were found in two places on Brierbrook Street. An autopsy also found no clear sign of death, beyond the obvious trauma. A toxicology report is pending. FAA and Logan officials told the Herald yesterday that jets inbound to Boston from the south do drop their landing gear at about 2,000 feet in the air — right over Milton. And a flight […]

The Spectrum, 1:49 PM by JEFF FUSCO

The following is from a statement issued by Butch Patrick’s agent Jodi Ritzen: It has been 2 weeks since Butch Patrick better known for his character of Eddie Munster checked himself out of a Williamstown NJ rehab after just 4 days of a detox program.  The former child star now 57 who felt that he could conquer the 40 year old cocaine and alcohol addiction on his own proved to be wrong when Patrick not only continued with drugs and alcohol but started to black out and make rash decisions while under the influence causing him to nearly overdose last […]

* Kanye West & Jay-Z featuring Elly Jackson – That’s My Bitch by Hypetrak Leaked track from the forthcoming Kanye/HOVA joint Watch The Throne.

NEW YORK TIMES: For months, the secret talks unfolding between Taliban and Afghan leaders to end the war appeared to be showing promise, if only because of the appearance of a certain insurgent leader at one end of the table: Mullah Akhtar Muhammad Mansour [NOT pictured, above], one of the most senior commanders in the Taliban movement. But now, it turns out, Mr. Mansour was apparently not Mr. Mansour at all. In an episode that could have been lifted from a spy novel, United States and Afghan officials now say the Afghan man was an impostor, and high-level discussions conducted […]

[illustration by ALEX FINE] EDITOR’S NOTE: The bad news is that Ray Davies has canceled a four-date East Coast U.S. tour, which was scheduled to stop at the Kimmel Center on Saturday, citing health reasons. “Ray personally did not want to cancel this tour but was ordered by his doctors not to fly or travel until his medical condition has stabilized to their satisfaction,” says his publicist. The good news is they are planning to re-schedule, so that sounds encouraging. Not sure what this is all about, but we wish Ray all the best. Do yourself a favor: Cue up […]

Bushkill General Store, Route 209, 1:20 PM by JEFF FUSCO RELATED: Leroy Lewis stood in the doorway of his tiny mobile home in Bushkill on Monday evening and wept as a Pennsylvania Game Commission officer told him his beloved bear, Bozo, had been shot by a hunter. Seventeen years of memories filled Lewis’ mind as he digested the news that Bozo was dead. In those years, Lewis watched this wild animal-turned-pet grow as he hand-fed it table scraps and store-bought pies and other sweets. When Bozo was shot by a hunter Monday, he weighed nearly 900 pounds. That made Bozo […]

INQUIRER: Drawn by repeated distress signals from the Foxwoods Casino project, the preservation group at the helm of a historic ghost ship, the SS United States, is offering to sail upriver with a novel alternative. The proposal: Move the derelict cruise liner about three-quarters of a mile north from its resting place at Pier 82 in South Philadelphia and place it next to a new 10-story garage with two floors of gaming. Cut a dock into the 16-acre site and slip the bow in, facing Columbus Avenue. Renovate and refit the 58-year-old vessel – an estimated $150 million to $200 […]