5 stories to follow: June 18

Here's your daily look at five stories we're following:

1. Schools funding: Philadelphia School District leaders pressed City Council on Tuesday to borrow $55 million in order to prevent drastic cuts in city schools, though Council leaders are resisting borrowing that much. Superintendent William Hite is planning to go to Harrisburg today.

2. Scarfo fraud case: The jury that has spent nearly six months listening to testimony in the mortgage-fraud trial for Nicodemo Scarfo Jr. (the son of Philadelphia mob boss Nicodemo "Little Nicky" Scarfo) will begin its deliberations today.

3. Students to White House: A team of students from West Philadelphia's Workshop School are headed to Washington today for the White House's Maker Faire. The group built a fuel-efficient race car.

4. NBA player's sentencing: Former NBA player Tate George is scheduled to be sentenced in a New Jersey federal court today for his role in a Ponzi scheme that duped victims into paying for what they thought were real-estate investments.

5. N.J. troops deploying: More than 450 troops from the New Jersey National Guard are about to deploy to the Middle East. The unit will leave Fort Dix this afternoon for a mobilization station in Fort Bliss, Texas, before heading to Qatar.