An organization representing dozens of Philadelphia Muslim congregations is offering $20,000 to help catch the burqa-wearing thieves who’ve been terrorizing and robbing Philly-area banks. Some Islamic leaders believe the crimes “could make Muslim women the targets of mistrust or even violence.” While the original details of the crimes appeared on anti-Islamic blog ‘Jihad Watch,’ this story, regarding the reward, has not. Jihad Watch argues all Muslim dress should be banned because of potential crimes like this one, whether it’s being committed by Muslims, or not.

Local activists are heading to Harrisburg on May 7 to fight against 15 bills they say are anti-immigration and, therefore, anti-immigrant. Some of those bills would require, among other things, employers checking their potential employees’ employment eligibility, proof you’re a legal citizen to receive public benefits and prohibiting individuals and businesses from knowingly hiring illegal immigrants. There are Arizona-style immigration laws and English-only proposals in the Legislature, as well, but they haven’t gained too much traction.

Police arrested a suspect in the Northeast Philly tire slashings. Turns out, he’s allegedly slashed his own tires, and his wife’s; he also spoke with 6 ABC and other media about the incidents in the past, at one point claiming he’d been victimized 11 times. He faces a lot of charges, including more than 50 counts of criminal mischief. Genius.

Tom Smith, the former Democrat who won the Pennsylvania Republican Senate primary (not to be confused with the former Democrat who lost), is letting bygones be bygones with Gov. Tom Corbett, who chose to endorse Steve Welch (him) in the primary. “I got a call from the governor, I got a call from the lieutenant governor,” Smith said. “No, I don’t think there will be any healing process (needed). We’ll be together.”

But the honeymoon didn’t last long. The Pennsylvania Democrat Party’s spokesman Mark Nicastre called the GOP primary “lackluster” and called Smith “flawed”: “Tom Smith emerged from one of the lowest turnout primaries in Pennsylvania history, damaged by the race’s divisiveness and hindered by Sen. Casey’s strength in the state. With little voter or institutional enthusiasm for Tom Smith, he faces a tough uphill climb in the race.”

Does shortening Cecil B. Moore’s name to C.B. Moore hurt the civil rights activist’s legacy? A group of new activists say yes.