Thursday news

• Politicians
  
  
  
  • Joe Sestak was talking about taxes yesterday, proposing that middle-class income taxes could be cut by a variety of means (including closing corporate tax loopholes and scaling down military involvements in Iraq).
    
    
  • Tulin notices that Lynn Swann is starting to make his presence known in PHiladelphia.
    
    
  • A poster at PhillyFuture is pushing for eminent domain reform, and asks Pennsylvania residents to pressure Sens. Specter and Santorum to vote for the version of the bill that is awaiting Senate action.
    
    
  • The new mayor of Pittsburgh, sworn in this weekend after his predecessor's death, is only 26 years old but unafraid to take on his new responsibilities.
    (via Tom Ferrick's blog)
  
  
• Other news
  
  
  
  • A new study indicates that Philadelphia's property tax abatements have boosted the economy, not only via the prospect of much higher future property taxes, but through increased construction wages and other ongoing benefits. (Note: a builder's group commissioned the study; however, other cities have found ongoing benefits, even after a building boom is underway.)
    
    
  • Rather than making tempers hotter, August's heat wave lowered the homicide rate in Philly, putting us back down to normal annual totals.
    
    
  • The Inquirer uses the upcoming 9/11 anniversary to review Philadelphia's preparedness, and finds that it's much easier to identify weaknesses than it is to redress them.
    
    
  • The head of Philadelphia's Redevelopment Authority (RDA) resigned effective yesterday, after 13 years in his position. The Inquirer piece (linked above) note rumors that he might find another governmental staff position, perhaps with the city's gaming task force; the Daily News adds that he differed with Mayor Street on the proposed reorganization of the city's housing agencies (and might even have sided with Doc in that conflict).
    
    
  • A new study shows that PA does poorly in making college education accessible. DanUA has some thoughts on the matter.
    
    
  • People concerned about the safety of children on their way to and from school might be interested in an event this weekend to address the topic. A wide range of groups are behind the effort.
    
    
  • Apparently a compromise position has been found for the Rocky statue, which will place it near the Art Museum but not atop the steps (eliciting charges of elitism from Smerconish). Is it too much to hope that we could never discuss this again?