Philly’s one of the few places where government procurement works, NPR says [LINKS]

Online Tool Eases Applications To Pa. Universities [CBS Philly] “A new online tool copies basic data from a student’s first application to any subsequent application. Before, students had to fill out the same information for every campus they applied to.”

Hacker faked hostage call to 9-1-1 to raise profile, police say [Philadelphia Daily News] “A DELAWARE COUNTY man who considered himself a big deal in the online hacking community lied to a 9-1-1 dispatcher in September, claiming he was being held hostage, because he wanted to raise his status among hackers, authorities said yesterday.”

Menendez, Toomey propose measure to help launch small businesses [Newsworks] “Their bill, known as the Startup Jobs and Innovation Act, would simplify tax requirements for small-business owners and increase tax deductions for equipment.”

After Brooklyn market flees, entrepreneur sets up shop in old Strawbridge’s [Newsworks] “Old City resident Mark Vevle watched the Brooklyn Flea set up and eventually fail to take hold in Philly, finally closing last month. But Vevle knew such a flea market could thrive in the city, that it just needed more time. Vevle, who was hired to set up the now-defunct New York transplant, has moved on to his own venture with creation of the Franklin Flea Market.”

Pottstown woman sentenced for stalking a judge [Philadelphia Inquirer] “A Pottstown woman was banned from Twitter and sentenced to at least a year in jail Wednesday after pleading guilty to stalking a Montgomery County judge who had ruled against her in a child custody case.”

A Few Places Where Government Tech Procurement Works [NPR] “But bidding’s getting easier in the City of Brotherly Love. Philadelphia leaders decided to put technology at the heart of government, hiring Headd to team up with existing tech talent in the city, and simplify bidding for government projects. To ‘go where the developers are,’ Headd created an account for the city on GitHub, a transparent code repository, and posted its open data policy there.”

Nutter abroad: Philadelphia more than 1776 and cheesesteaks [Philadelphia Inquirer] “[Artisan CEO Bob] Moul had been pursuing relationships with five United Kingdom companies before the trip, he said, but he used the trade mission ‘as a catalyst to getting the meetings scheduled.’ Coming with the mayor, he wrote in an e-mail, ‘added a bit of gravitas, for lack of a better word, that lent an air of importance to our efforts. . . . We are exploring no less than five partnerships as a way to expand our reach into the U.K.,’ wrote Moul, who returned to Philadelphia on Thursday. ‘The prospects are so intriguing that I plan to make another trip back in the coming weeks.'”

The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Drexel University and Hebrew University Launch Research Consortium Initiative During Philadelphia Delegation Visit to Jerusalem [press release]