Late Thursday round-up

Quickish, insofar as I'm actually capable of that...

Old stories, revisited:


• Rendell says he's running out patience of on the dredging dispute with New Jersey. What patience is that, exactly? Isn't he already the one showing tantrum-like behavior in holding the River Port Authority hostage?
  
  
• Councilman DiCicco calls on the Gaming Board to delay casino licensing decisions for six months, so that the city's Riverfront planning group can have time to consider broader riverfront development. More here. It's noteworthy that his approach here was to suggest a (last-minute) petition to the Board, rather than, say, introducing legislation in City Council to defer creation of new Entertainment Districts . . . Meanwhile, Dougherty and DiCicco aids get in tiff as sideshow.
  
  
• The Convention Center Authority has reached a deal with the state to allow their expansion to come in under the budget cap. The final contract needs to be signed before bids are heard in March.
  
  
• A CityPaper piece looks at the ongoing dispute with railroad company CSX over pedestrian crossings needed to guarantee safe access to the Schuylkill River Park. Councilman Clarke says an agreement might come by summer; see also the previous post about the River City project, which would actually span these train tracks and provide a safer crossing.

More recent stories, ongoing:


• The Liquor Control Board approved, in a split decision, the new CEO position created by Rendell apparently for (outgoing State Sen.) Joe Conti. The current chief remains livid about the short notice and apparent breach of good government procedures. Ya' think? An Inquirer editorial really takes Rendell to task for the move: "To conjure up such a cushy patronage job in a year in which voters booted out 24 incumbents takes a brazenness the size of Lincoln Financial Field."
  
  
• A Chester County judge will decide whether recounts in the 152nd District State House race will proceed by machine or manual methods. Apparently the current vote differential is within the margin of error for the optical scanners involved.
  
  
• A Daily News editorial applauds current City Council efforts to overhaul the Zoning Code.
  
  
• Mary Patel at the CityPaper gives her take on the recent Philadelphia Society gathering in New York.

New business:


• Vallas claims that Philadelphia schools were safer this year than last.
  
  
• South Philly residents put Homeland Security reps on the spot over the vulnerability of the Sunoco processing plant to terrorist attack (lack of adequate sirens, evacuation plans, etc.).
  
  
• AAJane notes two instances of folks trying to make local politics matter.
  
  
• It might not be too late to make tonight's launch party for PhillySkyline's new calendar of local photos; it's definitely not too late to order one -- support the site, the artists, and your city all at once.