As we reported last week, the new issue of Philadelphia Magazine, which comes out tomorrow, will feature a juicy story about governor Ed Rendell’s alleged extramarital affairs, but it may not be what you think. The latest buzz is that the story will actually quash rumors of infidelity, not foment them.

PREVIOUSLY: We have been hearing talk that the July issue of Philadelphia Magazine, which hits newsstands next Friday, will feature a story about the extramarital affairs of Governor Ed Rendell. We called up Philly Mag Editor Larry Platt and asked him to confirm or deny and he said the following: “We do have a story on the governor in the July issue, but beyond that I don’t discuss the content of stories before they are published.” Hmmm. We will let you, dear reader, decide how much to read between the lines, but as a wise man once said, ‘It don’t take a weather man to know which way the wind blows.’

PREVIOUSLY: POWER APHRODISIA: Hanky Panky In Harrisburg?

Guv Goes On Diet, Loses 40 Pounds; Cheesesteak Industry Devastated

Ed Rendell, the unabashed indulger in all things greasy, has not had so much as a bite of a cheesesteak in two months. He’s given up sweets, too, including his favorite dessert, Starbucks coffee ice cream. Not a spoonful, as hard as that might be to believe. It shows. The once-rotund governor has shed nearly 40 pounds since reaching an all-time high in the spring of 265 pounds. His secret? “I literally eat half of what I used to,” Rendell said yesterday at the governor’s mansion. “I am now a devout disciple of the fact that if you want to lose weight you have to significantly reduce the amount of food you put in your mouth.” So, a three-egg omelet is now made with two eggs; eight slices of bacon are now four. Some not-so-subtle hints made by those closest to him earlier this year got the 5-foot-11, 65-year-old governor thinking long and hard about being big and fat. [via INQUIRER]

LOST IN TRANSLATION: Temple Student Killed For Not Understanding English

A Temple University student and West African immigrant was shot in an attempted robbery this morning in a Southwest Philadelphia park because he did not understand the gunman’s commands, police said. Mamadou Makadji, 22, was pistol-whipped and shot once in the chest around 1:12 a.m. in Elmwood Park, said Philadelphia Homicide Capt. James Clark. Makadji was declared dead a short time later at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. Makadji and two friends were sitting on a bench in the park, at 71st and Buist Avenue, when a lone gunman approached and “announced a robbery,” Clark said. Because of the language barrier, Makadji did not understand what the gunman was saying. The robber pistol-whipped and shot Makadji when he did not comply fast enough with his commands, the captain said. [via INQUIRER]

Angry Mob Corners Alleged Rapist In Alley Until The Cops Show Up

“I seen this young girl running down the street after this guy and I heard her say ‘He raped me! He raped me!’ ” resident Aaron Edwards recalled. Edwards, 31, was standing at the corner of 56th Street and Lansdowne Avenue and, along with several other residents, chased the suspect, identified by police as 19-year-old Jamil Harper, trapping him in an alley until officers arrived, he said. “At 19 you still in your baby stage – how are you going to go and do something like that?” Edwards said. It was at least the second time this summer that Philadelphians used vigilante justice to hold a sexual-assault suspect until police arrived. On June 2, an angry Kensington mob pummeled and held down Jose Carrasquillo, who stands accused of raping an 11-year-old girl on her way to school June 1. [via DAILY NEWS]

JUST WONDERING: What Exactly Does Bringing A Gun To A Health Care Debate Prove, Other Than The Fact That Morons Shouldn’t Be Allowed To Own A Gun?