Thursday late round-up

Ugh, office meeting and other distractions today. Onward, ho.

• Politicians
  
  
  
  • Inky: City Democratic ward leaders set to endorse Brady -- most interesting to me is the fact that the City Committee hasn't made an endorsement in an open primary in 35 years. It does seem odd!
    
    
  • Kenney offers modified bill to alter city campaign finance, doubling limits every time a millionaire candidate gives his own campaign $2 million. Better than no cap, but unlikely to make anybody really happy. Edit: yep.
    
    
  • Ok, he's rich; what else about Knox might we find out? (not many answers here)
    
    
  • Fumo out on bail, on the condition that he hand over his 200-some guns to court officials. In other Fumo minutia, the CityPaper links to 10 years of coverage of the Big Dog in a variety of contexts.
    
    
  • District Council candidate Maria Quiñones Sánchez suggests supplementing Philadelphia's police forces with civilian foot patrols to help replicate the safety that Center City residents find in ubiquitous pedestrian traffic. She has other ideas here too.
    
    
  • Albert notices a proliferation of Nutter for mayor stickers, in somewhat garish array.
    
    
  • The Inky offers details on some Montgomery County battles shaping up.
  
  
• Other news
  
  
  
  • I'll take irony for $300, Alex: Lower Merion neighbors fight to keep Barnes. Aren't these the same neighbors whose complaints about visitor traffic and parking contributed to starving the institution into near-bankruptcy?
    
    
  • Updates on the experts invited to help plan Philadelphia's riverfront. Isn't there an old adage about closing the barn door... ?
    
    
  • Progress on a big development project for North Broad St. City Council makes these decisions?

    He said Westrum had agreed to fund a supermarket development either on or off the project site and the creation of 20 affordable units outside the project area, with more to come.

    I don't know much else about the project, but this part seems good.
    
    
  • Three interesting pieces in the new City Paper:
    
    
    
    • Is anything still made in the area? All sorts of things, from baked goods to steel plating, and they list some 30 of their finds.
      
      
    • Our future casinos will surely make money, but will they draw tourists with only slots? Isn't it enough to bleed dry the elderly and poor from nearby?
      
      
    • Another piece notes that riverfront planning is supposed to avoid discussing casinos and their impact, despite the interest of some participants in exactly that issue. Note: I am unclear whether this article is talking about the longer-term Penn Praxis undertaking, or a onetime public hearing that is unrelated.
    
    
  • Rendell is asking Bush to restore funding for a coal waste reclamation plant somewhere in Schuylkill County.
    
    
  • Across the state, Pittsburgh attempts to get more local tax authority, something that many in Philadelphia would also like.
    
    
  • Editorial pages: Inquirer on Fairmont Park funding, DN on the expected formation of a Zoning Code Commission by City Council today, DN on Rendell's budget.