Quiet news Tuesday

It's a quiet news day, as evidenced by top stories about past events, from the contaminated daycare centers to the Phillies' wife-beating pitcher. There's even a story about a bunch of nuts who are circulating an alternative currency because of their suspicions about the security of the Fed. (no, really!) So here's a smattering of more substantive bits dug out from among the pre-election lull...

• The Inquirer continues its series profiling candidates in the suburban House races, this time describing a feisty Curt Weldon (with challenger Sestak to get profiled tomorrow) in the 7th. In related news, AAJane gives a rough play-by-play of last Friday's Weldon-Sestak debate.
  
  
• Another large Inquirer story looks at the dangerous financial state of PGW, the gas utility in the Philadelphia area, calling it "the slow-motion crisis that everyone sees coming." Expect them to request another substantial rate hike this fall, but also longer-term discussions about whether to expand the company's boundaries outside the city, merge it with a healthier company, or get the state to help support it.
  
  
• The Daily News offers a round-up of unusual approaches taken by other cities to curbing gun violence, from gang surveillance to shaming of repeat offenders.
  
  
• Rendell and Swann debate again tonight, and it will be televised live and repeated a couple of times. Pennsyltucky Politics snarkily offers an alternative line-up of TV options for the night. Another choice, of course, is Dan Savage's event for PAS...
  
  
• Deborah Leavy writes a DN opinion piece telling Arlen Specter to give up any pretense of moderation in light of his votes on some significant recent bills, specifically putting loyalty to Bush over any stated principle.
  
  
• A Philadelphia Ward Leader responds to recent criticism by explaining his job (which involves a lot of facets) and also zings progressives for not getting involved in a wider portion of the city.
  
  
• Ben at YPP shares a story about Jim Kenney that gives him hope that politicians can sometimes be made to change their minds in support of a good cause.
  
  
• Marc Stier has just posted a substantial two-part discussion of community-based economic development strategies -- what he means by that phrase, how it differs from liberal programs of the past, and also how it differs from tax-cut-based incentive approaches. Chewy and worth a read: part I and part II. There's a third part still to come.