5 stories to follow: May 24

Happy Friday. Let's kick off the last day at the office before the long Memorial Day weekend with a quick look at five stories to know about:

1. Memorial Day: It is, of course, Memorial Day weekend. The Jersey Shore says it's ready for summer, even after the wreckage from Superstorm Sandy last fall. Check out the forecast for the weekend and our Atlantic City party picks, and vote in a poll about how you're spending the holiday.

2. Philly.com's newest columnist: The newest contributor to "Voices of Philly.com" is Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett. Here's why he has a column, and some opinions on it. And here are the governor's first piece and Will Bunch's "bienvenida."

3. Police shootings: A confrontation between a suspect and Philly police ended in gunfire Thursday night, the third time police opened fire on a suspect in about 24 hours. Police fatally shot two people in separate encounters on Wednesday evening. (Philly.com reported last week that the number of shootings by Philly police skyrocketed last year)

4. Boy Scouts to accept gay scouts: The Boy Scouts of America is ending its ban on openly gay boys joining its ranks. Gay scout leaders are still not permitted. The shift is being praised in Philly.

5. Lucky Joes: Guiseppe "Joe" Garofalo, of Tinton Falls, N.J., has come forward to claim his half of the $198 million annuity jackpot in last Friday's Mega Millions. It's the second time in 14 months that a man named Joe who lives in the Monmouth County town of 18,000 has won a major lottery drawing.