Thanks — we’ll take it: Mercifully taking an early lead, the Flyers beat the Penguins 4-2 last night. The team stays alive by barely avoiding a dreaded playoff sweep, and now heads back to Pittsburgh for Game 5. [Inquirer]

Get down, party time!: Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia held its second annual prom for patients last night. Attendees were treated to donated clothes and a makeover, and the event even included a red carpet and national news coverage by the CBS Early Show’s Flavia Colgan. [CBS 3]

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Stretch marks be gone: A local dermatologist, Dr. Victoria Cirillo-Hyland, has found a way to lessen the appearance of stretch marks. The procedure isn’t 100 percent effective, however, and each round will cost you around $500, and it may cause seeping wounds. But hey, anything to diminish those unsightly reminders of 12-pound Little Johnny or 12 pounds of Little Debbie. [NBC 10]

I’m sorry. Was I speeding … Officer Handsome?: State police will now be using lasers on the Atlantic City Expressway as a new tool to zero in on speeding motorists. So, if you are planning on heading down the shore any time soon, you should probably slow down. Or invest in a laser detector. [6 ABC]

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A Jersey bear bigger than Tony Soprano: A 726-pound black bear dubbed “Bearzilla” is being noted as the biggest bear ever to be handled by New Jersey wildlife officials. Bearzilla and a few of his friends were getting a little too close for comfort to a New Jersey neighborhood and were promptly captured, tagged, and released to terrorize other neighborhoods. [NJ.com]

The search is on for Temple’s bicycling shooter: Police are on the lookout for 19-year-old Marshall Thomas in connection with a shooting on Temple University’s campus last night. A 19-year-old woman, who is not a Temple student, is now in critical condition after being shot repeatedly in the chest, leg and hand. [Inquirer]

Almost as eco-friendly as edible underwear: Eagles cheerleaders will be sporting eco-friendly bikinis for their new “eco-sexy” calendar due out this July. Each bathing suit is composed of organic or recycled materials. My favorite: the three bottle caps and dental floss g-string. Yeah, you wish! [Inquirer]

He’s just lucky it wasn’t still raining: Pat Cunnane, president of Fuji Bicycles, beat a bus and a car in this morning’s fourth annual Commuter Race, sponsored by the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia as part of Bike-to-Work Week. Starting at 45th and Spruce at 8 a.m., it took him just 10 minutes and 47 seconds to reach City Hall. The loser? The SEPTA rider, at 37 minutes — but at least she got to enjoy the scenery. [Inquirer]

Neptune reviews new shore guide: Local blogger Jen Miller, author of the just-released The Jersey Shore: Atlantic City to Cape May guidebook, showed immense littoral fortitude yesterday by grabbing some great but sobering shots of the flooding around Ocean City and Wildwood. [Down the Shore With Jen]

Search for missing passenger called off: The Coast Guard ended search operations late yesterday for a South Jersey woman who apparently fell off the Bermuda-bound cruise ship Norwegian Dawn on Sunday night. Gale-force winds hampered the seven-hour, 59-mile effort, which included helicopters dispatched from Atlantic City and Cape Cod, Mass. [Inquirer]

Pretender pleads guilty: Jocelyn Kirsch, who along with her boyfriend is charged with identity theft, bank fraud and money laundering, has signed a plea deal that guarantees jail time. The young partners in crime lived extravagantly in a luxury Center City condo and now Kirsch faces a minimum of two years in prison. [6 ABC]

Jacking union funds?: A member of District Council 33 and opposition supporter has filed a complaint against union president Herman “Pete” Matthews accusing him of using union money, time and other assets to fund his campaign for re-election. A spokesman for the union states that there is “nothing illegal going on.” [Daily News]

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Renewed call for assault-weapons ban: Still reeling from the murder of a police officer with a Chinese-made SKS rifle, local officials are pushing on Congress to reinstate the federal assault weapons ban that expired in 2004. While this particular weapon would not fall under the federal ban, Gov. Rendell, Mayor Nutter and Police Commissioner Ramsey all believe its use in the recent murder illustrates a need for stronger regulations. [Inquirer]

Preaching to the choir: Vice President Dick Cheney checked in on a government check-printing plant in Northeast Philadelphia yesterday to ballyhoo the refund headed for many taxpayers’ bank accounts. The gist of his speech? These checks you’re printing will help you pay for the gas it takes for you to get to work to print these checks — it’s like the circle of life. [6 ABC]

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Charmed by the South: Temple’s women’s basketball coach, Dawn Staley, left yesterday for the University of South Carolina. The Olympic gold medalist and Philadelphia native led the Owls to six NCAA appearances and four A-10 conference titles, but she heads south to compete with the top women’s b-ball teams as part of the Southeastern Conference. [Inquirer]

Beat it: A city police sergeant and five officers have been suspended from duty after footage was released showing about 15 police officers violently arresting three shooting suspects. A Fox 29 news chopper caught the beating on video, prompting an investigation into the conduct of the officers and their supervisor. [Inquirer]

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You gotta be a moron: The Inky has uncovered a despicable plot by Penguins fans lurking amongst us — a posting on a local Craigslist board asks for a volunteer to dress the Rocky statue in a Pittsburgh team jersey. Our cities gear up to face each other in the Stanley Cup playoffs starting Friday night. [Inquirer]

Fellowship of the ringtone: Comcast and some of the biggest bigwigs in communication and technology — Time Warner, Sprint Nextel, Google — are pouring money into a joint venture to bring high-speed internet to cell phones. WiMAX technology will provide wireless internet and video at speeds closer to a cable modem. Comcastic! [Inquirer]

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The house loses: The owner of the Tropicana casinos filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy after the Atlantic City location lost its casino license in December and is now being sold by a state-appointed conservator. The company assures that everything at the Las Vegas casino will continue to run normally, and a new owner of the A.C. Tropicana could be announced in a few weeks. [CBS 3]

Philly’s most wanted: Police and city officials continue to up the ante in their ever-widening search for Eric Floyd, the last suspect wanted in connection with the murder of Sgt. Stephen Liczbinski over the weekend. Floyd’s mug has been plastered around the city, and a reward of more than $140,000 is being offered for information. [Daily News]

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A potentially very bad fumble: Philadelphia’s own Marvin Harrison, a wide receiver for the Indianapolis Colts, is being questioned by police in connection with a shooting Tuesday that took place two blocks away from one of Harrison’s bars in the Fairmount section of the city. Harrison, an eight-time Pro Bowler, is the most productive receiver in Colts history and is known as a quiet but hard-working player. [NBC 10]

Heather has approximately 5,000 to 25,000 mommies: Opponents of a statewide ban on same-sex marriages and civil unions will gather today at 1 p.m. for the “Rally for All Families” at the Capitol Rotunda in Harrisburg. Senator Fumo, who came under fire recently for comparing the ban to slavery during a committee hearing last week, is one of the many expected speakers. [Inquirer]

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