Wednesday deluge II

• Schools and education
  
  
  
  • New anti-truancy initiative announced.
    
    
  • Iconoclastic? Some favor avoiding painful program cuts by selling off art that the School District has in storage. Strong feelings result.
    
    
  • State Senator Anthony Williams (South and West Philly) argues against rolling back school reforms for budget reasons, in a Daily News opinion piece.
    
    
  • Meanwhile, a YPP poster wonders whether Vallas is doing his job and deserves to keep it.
    
  
  
• Ethics
  
  
  
  • City Council gives preliminary approval to Street's nominees for the independent Ethics Board. A final vote should come tomorrow. Intriguing question raised here about how the oversight turf should be divided among this Board, the Inspector General, and the City Controller. I say, the more the merrier; there's plenty to go 'round!
    
    
  • The new board is already eyeing the mayoral race and particularly city limits on campaign contributions and expenditures. [Timeline laid out here.]
    
  
  
• Miscellaneous regional bits
  
  
  
  • This seems overdue: a large chunk of money is being designated to help West Philly businesses hit hard by the Market Street El reconstruction projects there. Too late for those stores already driven under, but something to help the rest hang on...
    
    
  • Only the Shadow knows: now that elections are past, will the dredging dispute be settled, allowing the PA/NJ Port Authority to function normally again?
    
    
  • Score one for rationality: academic bill of rights declared unnecessary by a bipartisan legislative panel because political discrimination is rare on campuses. Not *opinions*, mind you...
    
    
  • Two opinion bits on transit: a challenge to Rendell, and a plea to SEPTA to be more active in reaching out for support from everybody from riders to legislators, before the budget crisis gets here.
    
    
  • Another Daily News opinion piece looks at a current Council bill aimed at inclusionary housing, and finds it wanting in many ways, especially in directing most of its benefits to those who need them least.
    
    
  • The Philadelphia Weekly looks at the effect of local bloggers on last week's elections, noting in particular that Patrick Murphy got some early and vocal backing from the "netroots."
    
    
  • Apparently today is America Recycles Day. If only that were enough to make city officials care about our shameful lack of progress...
    
    
  • Green Plan Philadelphia is soliciting community input on how regional open spaces should be used. You can speak your mind at any of several upcoming meetings.
    
    
  • Finally, Tom Ferrick's getting out of the blogging business, at least for now. Good luck with your next project(s).