Friday trickle
- Now I know the election is officially behind us, because the Convention Center is back in the news: City officials are struggling to keep costs down for the planned expansion, given that they've been given a $700 million (ahem) cap by the state. Nutter finds himself in the middle on this perennial hot potato. The Daily News version of this story leads with what the Inquirer version tucks at the end: that land, construction, and materials costs have been rising hugely during the time that this project has been under discussion; they also note that the CC Authority can't start spending money until it gets its budget under the limits.
- The arrival of a new investor for one of Philadelphia's casino proposals sparks some interest. Remind me again why the skin color of the multimillionaires in the picture matters? Meanwhile the Daily News offers the schedule and substance of hearings at which the applicants will testify, starting next week; they're open to the public if you want to get your details first-hand.
- The School District budget is the subject of more hand-wringing: parents decry cuts in bus service that might make it impossible for students to travel to their magnet schools, and Vallas spurns begging state for more money to fill the gap. Lots more testimony expected today.
- State courts firm on pay-hike rulings. There shall be no further appeals!
- It may be a couple weeks before we know which party has control of the Pennsylvania State House, as absentee and provisional ballots in two tight races are counted.
- Cops raid a deli that offered pot. No really. Best line: "It wasn't a complete facade," Werner remarked. "He really sold food in there, too."
- DN opinions:
- The recent Democratic victory should be the spur for reestablishing a balance of power in national government. Crazy talk!
- Councilwoman Joan L. Krajewski suggests that Northeast Philly may have something to teach the new Riverfront Development folks as they plan for the future of the city's Delaware River face.
- The recent Democratic victory should be the spur for reestablishing a balance of power in national government. Crazy talk!
posted by ACM at 2:47 PM
2 Comments:
Why does skin color matter? Because it always matters (to some). And for some it's a good sign, and for other's it could be a problem.
I think here (Philadelphia) it matters in that some people may now be more comfortable that hiring policies may be 'fairer across the board' whatever that relly means.
And I think this particular guy is of interest, black or white, because of his successes, and ties. BET is a successful endevour, and now the guy is also involved in a top tier professional sport. (Gambling and sports are always a mix that gets attention; again some think it's good and others think it's bad.)
And as an aside to the Philly issues, there are some thoughts that the NBA Sacramento Kings may relocate and some speculation is that Las Vegas would be a successful location. So the idea that this NBA owner may also be a board member of a casino-like operation (even without a sports book) is probably also generating some attention to see how that all shakes out...
well, I understand why it's of interest to the public, both his color and the connections you name, but I don't understand why official preference would be given to investment groups with minority involvement, given that it's much more important to have minority contractors, employees, and generally to spread the benefits to disadvantaged groups -- however, it's harder to convince me that a black millionare is in need of preference any more than a white millionare. that is, it's great to have there be some black millionares, for all sorts of reasons, but they shouldn't really need any help from there.
but maybe you're right that it's a voice to make sure that the group as a whole keeps minority needs in mind. that just implies a pretty hands-on involvement that a large group is unlikely to offer in reality...
dunno. appreciate the input.
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