State Senate Tries to Shut Down School Reform Commission

State Senate Tries to Dismember School Reform Commission. State Senator Mike Stack referred to the Arlene Ackerman debacle of the past few months as a “sideshow.” The sad part is that it hasn’t been—it’s been the feature presentation on center stage for anything not involving a flash mob this summer. Now, he and his colleagues are looking to pass legislation that would effectively break up the band. Don’t count on anyone holding their breath in anticipation of a Robert Archie solo album, either. [CBS 3]

Trenton Transit Center Finally Sees Some Action. The station had been shut down since Saturday due to flooding from Hurricane Irene. Today, some NJ Transit trains rolled into the station and Amtrak expects service from Philly to New York to resume, although it will probably come with some delays. [FOX 29]

Philly Loaded Up on Booze in Preparation for Irene. If the Scoop was going to be stuck in the house for days on end with no cable and no Google, you can definitely bet the house on the fact that there will be some Jameson within reach. Apparently the rest of Philly was on the same page. [Inquirer]

Phils Crush Reds 9-0 Behind Halladay’s Gem. Doc tossed seven scoreless and added a bases clearing double as the Phils smoked Bronson Arroyo and the Reds. Howard went yard twice while Ibanez and Pence added homers of their own. Two down, 31 to go. [The 700 Level]

Irene Has Come and Gone But Some Remain Without Power. Some 500,000 PECO customers in Pennsylvania lost power during Irene. A small contingent of them are still using candlelight and have limited access to videos of kittens. Oh, the horror. [Inquirer]

Woman Mauled to Death by Dogs? A 50-year-old Hunting Park woman was found dead in her home last night. Police are investigating the possibility that she was mauled by her five pit bulls. They’ve also been questioning her husband and another man. [FOX 29]