Thursday smattering

• School commotion
  
  
  
  • Parents vow to fight budget cuts
    
    
  • School budget cuts could drive one family to suburbia (caus' nobody's ever left before...)
    
    
  • DN opinion: School panel hit on budget
  
  
• Forum asks: Does money sway judges? (a look at the expensive state Supreme Court race expected this fall and at the general merits of electing judges)
  
  
• Rendell: Leases are no threat to highway work (yeah, because that's exactly what had us worried...)
  
  
• Street and Nutter talk city finances
  
  
• City Paper: Growing Pains -- The battle over renovating an old firehouse pits art against real estate. (What do you do when the highest bidder for a public property isn't the one the neighbors want?)
  
  
• Taubenberger readies for uphill battle in November (more like a cliff...)
  
  
• Opinions
  
  
  
  • Inky Editorial | Wireless Philadelphia -- Man, I was wondering if this had totally fallen off the radar or hit some snag we hadn't heard about, but it seems like it's just been going reaaaallllly slllloooowwwly:

    The project known as Wireless Philadelphia recently scaled another major hurdle. Street announced at a ceremony last week that the city had finished testing wireless service in a 15-square-mile test zone.

    The rest of the city is supposed to be covered by the end of the year, so expect to hear more.
    
    
  • DN opinion page: RX FOR CASINO ANGST? MORE ! (they argue that even suggesting table games indicates severe legislative tone-deafness)
  
  
• Statewide bits
  
  
  
  • Seeking higher voter turnout, state to consider mail-in ballots (Josephs to convene hearings)
    
    
  • Pennsylvanians split on Turnpike privatization, poll shows
    
    
  • Willow Grove Base Could Become Homeland Security Hub (a "state-run" security hub? what does DHS think? and, um, where does the money come from?)

We're getting into summer craziness, and I apologize for the weird hours and coverage here. Will be out tomorrow and Monday, although I might drop in for a post over the weekend... Meantime, you might enjoy a vicarious taste of local produce that I've shared here. Have a good one, all!