Thursday news round-up

Actually, this may have to hold you news-hounds through the weekend, as I'm out until Tuesday (although I could, I suppose, be inspired to post from in front of my fireplace on Christmas Eve or so). So, leaving nothing out!

1. Here's something you don't usually see: a vigil for the homeless who have passed away, in celebration of National Homeless Persons Memorial Day. A couple of individual stories tell the history of the treatment of homeless folks in the city, which has improved radically in the last decade or so. [And if you see somebody on the street that needs help, call the coordinator at 215-232-1984.]
   
   
2. The PHA is in a tussle with a developer over plans for mixed housing in East Falls. Um, I'd say more if I knew anything about this... Are there two developer battles in the area?
   
   
3. Wrestling over new voting machines for Bucks county takes a new twist, with the Democratic Committee demanding voter approval of the choice. Basically, I think nobody likes the current options, but federal law says they can't stick with the [reliable] lever machines that they have...
   
   
4. Somehow the BPT becomes news again without anything having actually happened. Prediction: narrow passage and eventual veto, an annual ritual.
   
   
5. Speaking of ritual, there's an element of Kabuki to the news that Nutter is calling upon Street for help in getting the smoking ban moving again. Alternatively, maybe in the pre-holiday period we should drop the pretense of "news" and call it "top stories of the year" instead...
   
   
6. Councilman Clarke calls on Harrisburg to take gun violence seriously and to pass legislation allowing City Council regulations to take effect. Another protest consigned to ritual.
   
   
7. And finally, the CityPaper reports on an unusual approach to urban design being suggested for North Philadelphia (as part of a design competition), in which lurking places are minimized and neighborhood interconnection is supported. A rare incorporation of realities of urban life and transitional areas.

Oh, and if you're in a holiday shopping panic, PhillyFuture offers a last-minute shopping guide that might help out. Have a great weekend and a Merry Christmas, all!