The Maritime Stakeholders Group (MSG) of Philadelphia yesterday presented proposals to Pennsylvania state legislators for a major port development on the site of the current port of Philadelphia. The MSG represents a cross-section of organizations involved in promoting the development of the US port of Philadelphia. The group told legislators that major terminal operators, shipping lines and investment firms had expressed interest in the new port development plan. The project aims to turn Philadelphia port into a major East Coast container facility, capable of handling over 3.5 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) per year. “With the congestion at West Coast […]
GAMBLOR: Foxwoods Already A Three Million Dollar Tax Deadbeat & Trying To Weasel Casino Property Value Down To Zero
Foxwoods paid $65 million to acquire the property at Reed and Columbus Blvd. in January, 2005, but hasn’t paid any taxes on the property since the [Philadelphia Board of Revision of Taxes] raised its market value for the property to $45 million in August 2005. According to the Philadelphia Revenue Dept., Foxwoods Philadelphia Casino now owes the City $2.8 million in back taxes for 2006 and 2007, making it the third largest corporate tax deadbeat after Amtrak and Septa according to the Top 100 list maintained by Hallwatch. An appraisal submitted by Foxwoods as part of its appeal suggests that […]
TALKIN’ TRASH: NOLA Mayor Sorry — As He Damn Well Should Be, But Deep Down You Know He’s Right
Referring to his remarks about Philadelphia’s problem with trash and litter, Nagin said in a statement issued yesterday that he was speaking to a New Orleans community group Saturday and, “in an effort to reassure the citizens of New Orleans of the progress being made in our recovery, I pointed to an area in which many American cities struggle but which we are achieving some success.” “I intended no disrespect to the city of Philadelphia,” Nagin’s statement said. “We are truly thankful for the generosity of our hosts and look forward to a long, positive working relationship between our cities.” […]
HIZZONER ’07: High Court Keeps Brady’s Bunch On The Ballot; White Vote Remains Split; Advantage Fattah
The State Supreme Court today declined to hear an appeal filed by supporters of rival candidate Tom Knox, who wanted Brady booted from Philadelphia’s May 15 mayoral primary ballot for omitting certain information on his financial-disclosure form. The ruling means that as Brady campaigns for mayor in the remaining three weeks before the Democratic primary, he can do so knowing that his place on the ballot is secure. The legal fight over his candidacy, begun March 16, is over. INQUIRER: Joe Trippi Knox Kept Brady Back On His Heels For More Than A Month While Building A Double-Digit Lead With […]
TURTLES: So Happy Together
Geez Louise, Phawker was one big bummer after another today, huh? Burning monks, dead journalists, fucked city finances, murder and mayhem, sound sucked at Spoon. But remember folks, we don’t make news, we just make fun of it. We scare because we care.
NPR FOR THE DEAD: David Halberstam RIP
FRESH AIR Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist David Halberstam died yesterday from injuries sustained in a car crash. He was 73. We revisit his Fresh Air interviews from 1985, from 1993, and from 1999. [Via Wikipedia] Thich Quang Duc (born Lam Van Tic in 1897 – June 11, 1963), was a Vietnamese Buddhist monk who burned himself to death at a busy Saigon intersection on June 11, 1963. His act of self-immolation, which was repeated by others, was witnessed by David Halberstam, a New York Times reporter, who wrote: I was to see that sight again, but once was enough. Flames were coming […]
EARLY WORD: No Rain In Spain Tonight
D.J.’s Silvia & Jay spin international vinyl rarities — ’60s soul, beat and mod sides all cut en Espana — at MADE IN SPAIN TONITE 9:00 pm until late TRITONE 1508 South Street, Philadelphia (215) 545-0475 Admission: FREE
MEDIA: ‘Corporate Crime Reporter’ To Watchdog Inky ‘Bidness’ Section
[E]ven with the consolidation of corporate journalism, there still existed an imaginary wall separating the editorial from the advertising side of most corporate newspapers. It has kept alive in the public mind the illusion of objectivity. Now, that wall too is crumbling. Earlier this month, the Philadelphia Inquirer announced that the front page of its business section will be sponsored by Citizens Bank. According to the Inquirer, a Citizens Bank ad will appear across the bottom of the front page of the business section — and another smaller ad in the top corner. And a front page business column will […]
HIZZONER ’07: Next Mayor Will Have To Be Juggler + Fireater + Sword Swallower + Insane In The Membrane
BY PATRICK KERKSTRA INQUIRER STAFF WRITER Before the next mayor’s first term ends, $1 of every $4 Philadelphia spends will go to city workers’ pensions and health benefits. Unless the city gets a handle on these costs — which have more than doubled in Mayor Street’s tenure — the next mayor will have little or no cash left for new initiatives. Alone among big U.S. cities, Philadelphia has committed itself to substantive, long-term tax cuts. The reductions may be essential if the city is to scale down its notorious tax burden and compete for commerce, but that does not erase […]
TODAY I SAW…
BY JEFF DEENEY “Today I saw…” is a series of nonfiction shorts based on my experiences as a caseworker serving formerly homeless families now living in North and West Philadelphia. I decided not long after starting the job that I was seeing so many fascinating and disturbing things in the city’s poorest neighborhoods that I needed to start cataloging them. I hope this bi-weekly column serves as a record of a side of the city that many Philadelphians don’t come in contact with on a daily basis. I want to capture moments not frequently covered by the local media, which […]
BRIAN ENO & DAVID BYRNE: Mea Culpa
From My Life In The Bush Of Ghosts, 1981.
KILLADELPHIA: Death Toll Hits 128; Nutter Calls For Emergency Declaration; Phawker Says ‘Call Superman’
For the fourth time in six months, the Democratic mayoral candidate yesterday called for Mayor Street to respond to the city’s climbing homicide rate by declaring a crime emergency. That would allow police to be sent into specified neighborhoods, Nutter said, to crack down on illegal weapons and to arrest probation and parole violators. Street rejected Nutter’s advice. Mayoral spokesman Joe Grace said the police already are working energetically against gun-related violence but would not set different rules for police activity in high-crime neighborhoods. “Something must be done,” Nutter told reporters on the sidewalk outside City Hall. “If we’re serious […]
Hold The Phone! SAM KATZ Switches From GOP To Indie, Opening Door To Possible 2007 Mayoral Run
MARICA GELBERT OF THE INQUIRER After weeks of blogging about the Philadelphia mayor’s race, Sam Katz has taken a step toward jumping into it, The Inquirer has learned. The three-time mayoral candidate has left the door open for a fourth run, quietly switching his party registration at the eleventh hour last week from Republican to independent. In an interview this afternoon, Katz repeatedly declined to say whether he was considering a run. But he also did not rule it out, saying only: “It is what it is. I wouldn’t read too much into it.” The pre-primary deadline for voter registration […]