Tuesday quickies (short day apologia)

1. City:
   
   
   
   • Philadelphia's new anti-gun-violence initiative is off to a slow start, with shootings up everywhere but especially in the hot spots they're putting under extra oversight. oops.
     
     
   • The Inquirer is raising eyebrows about a new Street cabinet member (deputy CIO), because (a) he makes more than the mayor and (b) he doesn't live within the city limits, as required, and in fact claims a false address. Seth Williams made the catch.
     
     
   • Another one of Mariano's codefendants has pleaded guilty. Not likely to help the Councilman's defense.
     
     
   • Street and Nutter appear to differ in their reading of the mayor's bill to cut business taxes. Would the cuts last one year or three? Only the Shadow knows...
     
     
   • Mark Alan Hughes wonders what it would take to drag Bob Brady into the mayoral field. The whole chessboard brought to play here...
     
     
   • The former head of Philly for Change (local branch of DFA), Anne Dicker, is running for the state rep. seat in the 175th district, which is the easternmost sliver of Philadelphia and northeast. Ray Murphy is pretty excited, although he makes no comparisons with other candidates for the open seat.
     Update: Above Average Jane puts in two cents on this too.
     
     
   • Apparently we're home to one of the top five coffee shops in the nation -- mmm, La Colombe...
   
   
2. State/region:
   
   
   
   • Trenton will be the testing ground for a new law aimed at restricting the degree to which animal rights activists can harrass businesses and their employees to make a point.
     
     
   • Pennsylvania's requirement that people show a Social Security number when applying for a gun license has just been struck down by a federal court. Privacy rights bump heads with attempts to regulate gun trafficking -- bummer.
     
     
   • Impact reports for proposed casinos are being held by the state regulatory board, preventing cities and neighborhoods from having complete information before deciding whether to support or fight the plans. A DN editorial bemoans this state of affairs (and particularly its implications for Philadelphia).