In other Friday news

• Nutter gets tips of the trade on NYC visit and
  NYC mayor shows Nutter how its done (let's hope he takes the right subset of the advice!)
  
  
• Schools take ‘corrective action’ after progress report (stay tuned for more details)
  
  
• A fight over bid to move homeless meals indoors -- the ongoing onslaught of misplaced charity
  
  
• Phila. schools lay off 53 more aides -- attributed to decisions at individual schools, not district-wide budgeting
  
  
• Pa. probing House aides' bonuses
  
  
• Philadelphia hosts EPA’s smog hearing
  
  
• Real story of citywide wi-fi (lauds from the CEO of Wireless Philadelphia)
  
  
• Back Channels | Regarding toll booths: Why stop with I-80? snark alert
  
  
• AN ORDINANCE also snarky, but it's hard to disagree
  
  
• YPP: Support Inclusionary Housing -- petition and rally opportunities (and much good discussion too)
  
  
• YPP: Back to Philadelphia's Economic Future -- Ray Murphy reports from a panel discussion and goes from there to talk about strategies for taking the region forward
  
  
• AAJane is surprised to get a freebie from SEPTA (even though I'd say it was a long overdue aid to using their service).

Friday's top two stories

Again, two seemed much more interesting than the rest, in part because they're, you know, new stuff:

• New towers to rise on 30th St. -- that is, our first glimpse of UPenn's plan for the parcel of land they acquired along the western banks of the Schuylkill River. The schematics include a large office tower (Cira Center South), a residential tower on Chestnut, conversion of the US Post Office building into IRS offices, and eventually some more athletic fields and other open space. Plans span more than five years, but would go a long way toward bridging the underpopulated gap between Penn and the river (and thus Center City). Exciting prospects!
  
  
• Probably a longer shot, but still a novelty: Future of Pa. six-pack sales is now a case for justices -- that is, might Pennsylvanians be trusted to buy beer at grocery and convenience stores, like residents of other states? It's almost too much to imagine... The article is a trip through the arcana of state beer regulations.

In other Thursday news

• Pa. test scores up, but schools falter
  
  
• Pa., N.J. join flood of bills on immigrants

  President Pro Tempore Joseph Scarnati (R., Jefferson) and other [State] Senate Republicans have introduced bills making it more difficult for illegal immigrants to receive public benefits, penalizing employers who hire them, and requiring law enforcement officers to report to federal authorities when illegal immigrants are charged with a crime.

  yeah, there's a hot issue for the region! oy.
  
  
• Street upbeat on city's Wi-Fi effort -- Earthlink laying people off generally, but claims to have 50% coverage in Philly already.
  
  
• Plan would lighten prison load by letting some nonviolent inmates work outside under close supervision
  
  
• CityPaper: Why did a security-guard union bargain away Philly? -- SEIU makes a poor showing in local efforts
  
  
• Metro: Nutter travels to other big cities to discuss leadership techniques
  
  
• Following up on Inga Saffron's note that the Inquirer building was up for sale, the Wall Street Journal notes a recent tendency of major papers to sell their real estate, in part to make up for the debt incurred during the purchase. Doesn't anybody just wait to make back their investment the normal, slow way? Sigh.
  
  
• AAJane alerts us to a new tool to track legislation by subject or sponsors, handy for keeping track of what your representatives are up to
  
  
• Editorial | Curbing Pollution -- the American Lung Association gave Philly an F for air quality? how did I miss the main story? EPA comes through to talk about reducing ozone levels...
  
  
• Waxman at YPP: Pa. Attorney General Targets Democrats

Thursday top stories

Two stories stood out for me today among the general clamor:

1. A group in Bucks County is going to set up a solar power array large enough to power some 400 homes. It's the brain-child of a pair of local entrepreneurs, although it's being funded through some of the big alternative power players. Go, green options! (Also notable is that there are ongoing programs for homeowners to put solar panels on their own homes.)
   
   
2. A prime piece of Philadelphia real estate, in the 2000 block of Sansom, will no longer be held hostage by a disputed PPA project, as they gave up after eight years of planning and court battle, selling the property to some developers. No word yet on what the latter have in mind for the site, but presumably they learned something from the reaction to the PPA's proposed demolition of three historic buildings . . . Now if we could just do something about that grassy lot on Chestnut!

Wednesday headlines

• Census' take on health, wealth -- Health-care coverage: The number of people without health insurance continues to rise.
  
  
• Phila., Camden among poorest places; suburbs richest
  
  
• Pay deal angers district parents -- School District budget chief cuts nice severance package during deficit crisis...
  
  
• At rally, activists decry gun violence
  
  
• Students protest backpack rule in Wissahickon -- because, what adolescent needs privacy?!
  
  
• No delay for gun-database upgrade
  
  
• The Philadelphia Weekly profiles new City Council prospect Curtis Jones.
  
  
• PW: Home Run -- A chronically homeless man gets a free apartment—no strings attached.
  
  
• Jill Porter | No new court bldg.? It's the usual i$$ue
  
  
• John Baer | Legislative airbags ignoring seat belts
  
  
• Phil Goldsmith | THE KEEPER OF THE CITY'S HISTORY
  
  
• AAJane: The Redistricting Game
  
  
• Dan Urevick-Ackelsberg goes to the World Rowing Championship! woot!

Tuesday news roundup -- headline edition

• Troubled waters for Pa. bridges
  
  
• Neighbors sue to keep Barnes from moving -- yawn
  
  
• Pa. welfare rate dips to '60s level
  
  
• All-time high for Phila. inmates -- crowding, that is
  
  
• Citing delays, casinos balk at fees -- blaming the locals a new public relations strategy?
  
  
• Casino site fight keeps on going
  
  
• 3 election rivals mull plan to ax incumbent -- can Donna Reed Miller's rivals agree to unify their efforts?
  
  
• Taxi strike in the works -- for today -- did it happen? (more on the conflict here)
  
  
• Casey promotes children's health insurance bill
  
  
• DOCTOR BUSH VS. DOCTOR RENDELL: ADMINISTRATION UNDERCUTS PA. HEALTH-CARE PLAN FOR KIDS
  
  
• NPR Morning Edition reports Specter may be candidate to replace Gonzales -- much more speculation to follow
  
  
• Green Fest Philly -- a week from Sunday on South St.
  
  
• Rendell shows up for jury duty (unlike Santorum, say)
  
  
• Phila zoo has triplet tigers about to show themselves to the public
  (via GirlHacker)

Still summer in Philly

Most of the news seems slumberous to me, but here's what caught my eye upon my return from computerless traipsing around the country...

• Fumo said to push bill for same-sex-partner rights. Sounds like he's looking for some minimally controversial approaches, like avoiding civil union/marriage chat in favor of economic and other protections that might have some sense of passing. Hoping to forestall a Dicker challenge by appealing to one of her major bases? Looking to polish his image with liberals? Only time will tell. Mere rumors of this development were enough to prompt discussion over at YPP about the Senator's motives and the strategic implications for gay rights activists.
  
  
• Last week saw a hearing on casino plans that included revised traffic estimates but allowed no room for discussion or public input into the practicality of the proposed solutions. Sounds brutal, and the author is frothing for reform of our regulatory system(s).
  
  
• Probably everybody knows this by now, but SEPTA's elimination of transfers is blocked by court order (subject, of course, to various appeals). I'm sure we'll hear more about how SEPTA handles its perceived cash needs and (disposable?) ridership...
  
  
• The Inquirer's Great Expectations project is sponsoring ongoing forums/dinners for citizens to talk with and question the mayoral candidates. Two bloggers have summarized the dinners they attended in the last week or two: mdcphilly at YPP (who went to Mount Airy) and Albert (who went to South PHilly, and includes stellar photos along the way). Both give a good feel for the participants and the issues discussed.
  
  
• AAJane has an interview with David Landau, a candidate for Delaware County Council, that will be of interest to those in that voting area (as well as general political geeks such as myself).
  
  
• Lots of action on my favorite blogs in the last two weeks, which I'll just touch on here:
  YPP:
  
  
  1. How DC may screw up the PA insurance program for children by changing its requirements.
     
  2. Seth Williams still doing a great job as Inspector General, this time nipping water bill fraudsters.
  
  Skyline Online:
  
  
  1. Family Court: Farewell Logan Square, Hello Love Park
     
  2. For Sale: Groovy Gov't Office Bldg.
     
  3. CCRA Attacks SS Bridge Design (perhaps their muscle will get a listen)
     
  4. Also For Sale: My Shining White Knight -- the Inquirer building!
  
  Philly/dragonball: great photos of the Comcast Center under construction!
  
  
• In the amusing department, an Inquirer writer dips a toe into the ineffable question of how sports fans determine their loyalties, especially after they relocate between regions . . .
  
  
• Also, for those interested in the history of the Philly area and its various structures and infrastructures, a new blog called The Necessity of Ruins offers an interesting perspective worth checking out.

Friday roundup: Prevacation edition

Will be on the road for a couple weeks, so this will be the last update until late in the month...

• City concourse gets a breath of fresh air -- Center City District folks subcontracting to clean under Suburban Station and its maze of tunnels.
  
  
• Parking meter rates are rising in Center City -- popular areas being, um, punished.
  
  
• SEPTA granted transfer delay -- another week before the case will be decided.
  
  
• City's nonunion workers get raise -- part of the regular budget, a 4% boost.
  
  
• Clout | OK, so not mayor. How 'bout Sen. Knox? -- is that the Dems' best option to catch Specter? [Note that there are other short political bits at this link too.]
  
  
• Editorial | Mentally Ill and Homeless -- Inky recommends a "tough love" approach.
  
  
• Opinion: ARE SRC, DISTRICT READY FOR SCHOOL?
  
  
• Metro: District looks at new location options for West Philadelphia High
  
  
• YPP: Drafting the Rules for [Philadelphia] Radicals: What the hell are we organizing for anyway, and how are we trying to do it? -- intriguing suggestion that linking existing organizations is better than trying to work in parallel or around them, and long interesting discussion about the strengths and weaknesses of various approaches.
  
  
• TIME did a photo gallery of Philadelphia murals that gives our local gem a little national exposure...

Have a good August and stay cool!

Thursday headlines

You know, I could do this earlier in the day, but I keep thinking I'll have time to do more...

• US Airways investigating bag handlers [insert snark]
  
  
• Schools to pare K-3 class sizes and
  District may add teachers to cut class sizes in 54 schools
  
  
• Teaching tolerance in the street
  
  
• Gaming officials irked by delay at Phila. Park
  
  
• Gaming Board gives OK to DeNaples
  
  
• Secret Slot Talks
  
  
• Phila. college fund gets first major gift
  
  
• SEPTA AND CIVIL RIGHTS
  
  
• The Trickle-Up Theory -- Could affordable-housing developers become green-building pioneers?
  
  
• Best Hobnobbers
  
  
• Who knew that we were getting a new central library?

Quick Wednesday roundup

• Movie studio planned for area
  
  
• Official: Pa. bridge ratings will be released
  
  
• Opinion: THE DIRTY LITTLE SECRET ABOUT BRIDGES: IF YOU DON'T TAKE CARE OF THEM, THEY FALL DOWN
  
  
• 5th year of gains for Phila. schools
  
  
• City students' scores improve in state tests
  
  
• Foxwoods Casino to seek Council approval Aug. 21
  
  
• As gaming chief exits, turf spat continues
  
  
• Metro: Not all SEPTA Board behind elimination plan
  
  
• The Invisible children -- ON THE RISE: Orphans from the city's murder epidemic
  
  
• Opinion: An Army surgeon tells of war on our own turf
  
  
• John Baer | See how they run: Another Casey in wings?
  
  
• PW: The Italian Market gets a new plaque and an old name.
  
  
• Editorial | Homeland Security Law (more rational law may mean better funding for Philly efforts)
  
  
• Letters | Protecting the Barnes -- I link this purely as an excuse to rant again about how Merion County slowly strangled the Barnes Foundation for decades (the ridiculous shackles on visitors were my first experience of the Barnes) and now pouts that it has to leave to live.

In other Tuesday news...

• Homeowners don't like the sound of no barriers -- sounds like some grim turnpike screwage...
  
  
• President's House remnants receive protective covering (before the hole is refilled)
  
  
• They play a vital role -- as party endorsements carry less weight, individual Ward Leaders and other consultants are raking in bucks for their aid.

  The freelance consultants have driven down the value of the Democratic endorsement while driving up campaign costs. Citywide candidates now have to make separate deals with various factions of the 69 ward leaders and anybody else who's assembling a sample ballot — or choose not to make a deal, at the candidate's peril.

  An interesting look at the increasing complexity of low-profile races.
  
  
• The pol who makes winners -- a Ward Leader who's been playing kingmaker (a prime example of the phenomenon in the previous article). Dan U-A calls this a puff piece where more serious investigation was warranted.
  
  
• Metro: School district set to unveil data showing steady improvement
  
  
• Will Do: Fake Disaster Goes Off Without A Hitch -- feigned sigh of relief...
  
  
• YPP: RX4PA: Insurance reform and other good news.

Tuesday SEPTA-related news

• The federal government is becoming involved in the transfer debate:

  In the letter, dated Friday, the [Federal Transit] administration's office of civil rights told SEPTA that it must conduct an analysis as to whether any proposed fare increase would "have a disproportionately high and adverse effect on minority and low-income riders."

  I think we already know the answer there; less clear is what action, if any, the federal agency might be prepared to take (funding cuts?). The letter was discussed as part of the hearings being held. A decision in the local case is expected no sooner than Friday.
  
  
• The DN has a related story with the headline SEPTA transfers to stay - for now, which also describes arguments being made.
  
  
• The Metro's version catches the quote that the head of SEPTA's ridership division was unaware of the federal mandate to do an impact study before undertaking restructuring of fares. oops.

Most random story of the week

Drexel West? Outside Sacramento? Apparently so, as the combination of an expanding city in need of higher educational institutions and a donor willing to give a substantial chunk of land and funding make possible the founding of a new college with a similar focus on local students. Apparently the linkage of such ambitions to Drexel comes via a personal connection with the college's President, who appears to love ambitious projects...

Quick Monday roundup -- headline edition

• A nifty little crimebuster -- At $39.95, it pays dividends for police.
  
  
• Green tips to ride out hot streak -- Energy efficiency was the order of the day at a Habitat for Humanity site.
  
  
• Metro: Rendell is listening to groups’ casino worries
  
  
• Metro: Reformers’ Roundtable: Slowing guns, crime
  
  
• Editorial | Rendell's Health-Care Plan: Recovering nicely
  
  
• Editorial | Pa.'s Open-Records Law: Presumption of openness
  
  
• Opinion: HOW REWARDING IS TEACHING? IN PHILADELPHIA, NOT SO MUCH. THAT SHOULD CHANGE.
  
  
• Letters | It's very wrong to give city leaders a pass on guns
  
  
• YPP: No New Taxes! (what that pledge costs us all)
  
  
• America's Hometown: PhillyCareShare + Bicycles = Velib'
  
  
• Marc Stier: live blogging from the transit hearing

Friday headlines

• Tougher steps signal Philadelphia's frustration over homeless
  
  
• City safety/infrastructure-related
  
  
  
  • Pa., N.J. planning bridge safety checks
    
    
  • Philly bridges get OK on safety, but many in Pa. are seen as shaky
    
    
  • Editorial | Bridge Collapse -- A tragic warning
    
    
  • Changing Skyline | Shivers on South St. Bridge
    
    
  • Tony Auth: a visual rumination on infrastructure...
  
  
• Rebuke in GOP over I-80 tolls
  
  
• Ronnie Polaneczky | On this hand, SEPTA's playing the dumb card
  
  
• Rendell meets with city casino protesters
  
  
• School budget cuts in jeopardy?
  
  
• District’s new program caters to immigrant students
  
  
• A bill to boost 'stop-and-frisk'
  
  
• Lawmaker’s proposal would allow baseless gun searches
  
  
• A forum for baby mamas and daddies to air their gripes
  
  
• Opinion: GAMING OUT-OF-CONTROL BOARD?
  
  
• New law targets tough infections in N.J. hospitals
  
  
• YPP: Yearly Kos 2007 - Day 1
  
  
• YPP: Congrats to Dan!

Thursday roundup

• More on the departure of the Gaming Board head here (Inky) and here (DN).
  
  
• More on SEPTA and transportation:
  
  
  
  • The head of the Delaware Valley Association of Rail Passengers argues with SEPTA's reasoning for the transfer elimination.
    
    
  • No more buses wrapped with Colt 45 ads after pressure from Brady and others.
    
    
  • The DN opinion page argues against the PA lawmakers trying to derail the I-80 toll plan, saying that their objections make no sense.
    
    
  • Dan U-A opines about arrogance and misguidance among SEPTA's representatives, sparking a lively debate about how best to get rider input into the system, the role of judges in getting fairness, and... um... a bunch of other stuff. (It's YPP, after all!)
    
    
  • Weakly related but amusing: NYC's Bloomberg likes to claim himself as a regular subway rider, but it turns out he only likes express lines, taking a hefty SUV trip to bypass most of his commute.
  
  
• Nutter suggests that Philadelphia needs more than occasional lobbying in DC, suggesting a permanent office there to help establish our city's importance to the country.
  
  
• Alert to all who hate telemarketers: Pennsylvania's Do Not Call List is about to expire, meaning that everybody needs to sign up again if they want to stay pester-free.
  
  
• Apparently November's mayoral ballot will include a Socialist candidate from pinko hotbed Germantown. He's most famous for having challenged Pennsylvania's loyalty oath at some point in the past.
  
  
• A number of interesting bits in the new CityPaper (links by subtitle):
  
  
  
  • Police shootings on the rise, but watchdogs go unheeded.
    
    
  • In his grim new novel, ex-Black Panther Milton McGriff looks to the past to find the future.
    
    
  • With the two leading Democratic contenders already competing for local dollars, 2008 presidential politics is in full swing this summer.
  
  
• DN opinion: Diversity Inc. -- how to make sure that the diverse community is represented in business and the boardroom.
  
  
• Ray Murphy: Building a union movement one hotel at a time -- surprisingly, the Doubletree Hotel's workers might join the Steelworkers' Union.
  
  
• AAJane: Another Update on Flooding -- plans to forestall and handle future flooding in SE PA.

Wednesday news bits

• The SEPTA saga is still ongoing, with a judge blocking the transfer elimination for a few days, although most indications are that nobody is in a position to overrule the SEPTA board on this one. More here, and the DN opinion page weighs in here, including an apt comparison to the School District's last-minute budget scrambles.
  
  
• The Inquirer does a profile piece on how Bob Brady is settling into his new committee chairmanship in DC, which may for the first time give him a little rainmaking capability on the national scene.

  "They couldn't have found a better guy for this - he's tailor-made," said Larry Ceisler, a Philadelphia-based political consultant. "He'll never have to read a Brookings report or sit through a hearing with boring testimony, and he'll never have to be on C-Span.
  
  "He can trade favors and office space for things that can do good for Philadelphia and Pennsylvania," Ceisler added. "This is really the language that he deals in, and it is currency that he understands."

  Perhaps this is a niche in which Brady can really serve his constituents better than ever before.
  
  
• Pa. gaming chief plans to resign after one term. The DN goes with the slightly saltier headline Pa. gaming chairman, targeted by casino foes, to quit board
  
  
• The PW offers a look at noncriminal gun owners in the Philadelphia area (from a recent book), showing a range of types of characters.
  
  
• Phil Goldsmith | URBAN AGENDA'S THORNIEST PROBLEMS -- another declamation of the difficulties of urban homelessness.
  
  
• Teacher-merit plan set for charter schools -- perhaps equally notable is that the District's public school teachers rejected such a plan, even though it could have increased their pay.
  
  
• Groups hope to cash in on a virtual version of Philly -- why visit the city when you can see it in Second Life? um, a bunch of reasons...
  
  
• Minister tries again for City Council seat -- Jesse Brown gets over the signature hurdle for his "independent Democrat" run against Donna Reed Miller.
  
  
• Camden, A.C. get clearance to start needle exchanges
  
  
• AAJane: Update on Homeless Veterans Legislation -- Patrick Murphy's plan may be making progress.