Wednesday deluge (!!)

• Independence Mall security
  
  
  
  • The controversial 6-foot security fence behind Independence Hall (irony, be damned!) has been scrapped in favor of a simple hip-high system of posts and chains. Other details, such as reduced screening procedures, are also included in this story.
    
    
  • Daily News columnist Ronnie Polaneczky approves of the new plan, opining that it better respects the dignity of the historical site.
    
    
  • The Inquirer editorial page agrees, describing the proposal as "step toward sanity, at no real expense to security." Imagine!
  
  
• People
  
  
  
  • Well, Brady may be in, but Doc is officially out of the mayoral primary race, although not ruling out a future run. More on the story here.
    
    
  • The Inquirer devotes a second article to pointing out that Doughtery is still a huge force in local politics as head of a very active union (although they poured their fortune into some losers the last time around).
    
    
  • Bob Casey is doing an Inquirer Q&A forum, so now's your chance to press him on his plans and priorities.
    
    
  • Mayor Street continues to spar with City Council over needed capital repairs, refusing to spend some $30 million explicitly authorized for police, fire, and recreation departments.
  
  
• Casinos, casinos (tired of them yet?)
  
  
  
  • Debate continues over whether to ban all smoking in Atlantic City casinos, with an apparent compromise to allow smoking on some percentage of gaming floors.
    
    
  • Sure enough, DiCicco offered his anti-casino bills in City Council yesterday. No mention of other supporters. (I swear this is the identical article to the one I linked previously, but with every "today" changed to "yesterday." But maybe I'm just too dubious to read the whole thing...)
    
    
  • Apparently the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board is about to run out of money to do its job, leading to wrangling with casino operators over getting an early dip into their tills...
    
    
  • The Philadelphia Weekly offers a lengthy look at the new anti-casino effort that is centered around a charter change measure to be added to the May ballot, which would prohibit authorization of any gaming facility within 1000 feet of residential structures or a variety of public resources. Those pushing this measure hope to get 20,000 signatures and 9 council votes to allow it to be put to the public. A fascinating, if long-shot, effort.
  
  
• Other news
  
  
  
  • The Seaport Museum ex-chief being sued for defrauding the institution was shocked, just shocked to find himself the object of legal action. After reading the litany of slime in yesterday's story, I find myself without sympathy.
    
    
  • The DN's Jill Porter appears to side with Nutter in claiming that Street should be cracking down on crime-ridden neighborhoods. She admits that it's an intrusion on the personal freedom of residents there, but argues that many people are already prisoners in their own homes, afraid of being caught in the crossfire of gun violence.
    
    
  • An arbitrator upheld the School District's end of a dispute with the Teachers' Federation over how/when payroll checks get cut. (Um, this is an older story, but I can't find when it first came up...)
    
    
  • A mural on 15th St. is endangered by a permit controversy (it was a private notion of the building owner, not part of the Mural Arts program). The neighborhood loves this mural, but for some reason Pierce College takes exception. Perhaps it loved the former grafitti and prostitute combination??
    
    
  • A brave YPP poster shares what it's like to live without health coverage, when every cut or cough fills you with fear of bills you can't afford. Hardly a rare story, but one we need to hear again.
  
  
• Visit our new location (no, not mine)
  
  
  
  • The House panel on legislative reform has set up a new email address for those wishing to share their ideas.
    
    
  • Marc Stier plans to stop blogging at his personal site, at least for the duration of his City Council campaign, but will be blogging at his campaign website from now on (http://www.stier2007.com/, but I'm not sure it's been updated yet) -- and he promises shorter entries!