DEAR PHAWKER, Anne Dicker couldn’t qualify for a mortgage to buy fumo’s house because she’s never held a job. That’s why she’s running for state senate. She finally want sto work after being in Philadlephia for 4 years. And why is she making a stink about Fumo’s property taxes? How much does Anne pay in property taxes? Wait, do you mean to tell me she has never paid the city wage tax and bnever paid the property tax here and STILL she thinks she is qualified to be a state senator? She actually thinks she knows what people who WORK […]
LIVE & DIRECT: The Democratic Presidential Debate
MONSTER M*A*S*H: Demonstrators act up at 34th & Chestnut, 7:55 PM BY JONATHAN VALANIA PHILADELPHIA — We are live and direct from the press filing room of the Democratic Presidential Debate at Drexel. All media poohbahs great and small are here: CNN, Philly Gay News, Newsweek, Phawker. I just saw the Daily News’ Dan Gross being led away by security yelling something about “Don’t Tase me, bro” — whatever that means. Maybe I should help. Fuck it. I’m sure he’ll be fine. Besides, I don’t wanna lose my spot in line for the snack table. They have pretzels. I like […]
NEWS CLUES: It’s Like Adderall For Your Eyeballs
ZOGBY POLL: Slim Majority Of Americans Say ‘Bomb Iran’ Despite President Bush’s perpetually abysmal approval ratings, it appears his increasingly hostile rhetoric against Iran has drummed up enough fear of a “nuclear holocaust” or a World War III that a majority of Americans are in favor of a US strike against the country aimed a curtailing its apparent nuclear ambitions, a new poll shows. The Zogby International survey shows 52 percent of Americans would support a strike on Iran, while 53 percent expect President Bush to launch such an attack before the end of his second term. Democratic candidate Hillary […]
SERVE THE SERVANTS: Dicker Bids On Hotel Fumo
Tuesday, October 30, 2007, Philadelphia, PA — Today, Pennsylvania State Senate candidate Anne Dicker put in an offer to buy Senator Vincent Fumo’s 2220 Green Street Mansion. The offer was for $250,001, which is $1 more than the value assessed by Philadelphia’s Board of Revision and Taxes (BRT). If successful, Anne Dicker has pledged to turn around and sell the house for upwards of $1.25 million, and to donate the profits from the sale to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. [via HEARD IN THE HALL] PREVIOUSLY: Welcome To The Hotel Vincent Fumo, You Can Check Out Any Time You Like, But […]
TODAY I SAW…
BY JEFF DEENEY TODAY I SAW a mountain of garbage stacked on the flat landing outside the front doors to Mantua Hall. There were bags filled with rotting garbage and piles of discarded clothes. There were bed mattresses tossed at angles on top of all the bags. There was busted up furniture pushed to the edges of the pile and left to soak in the rain. It was impossible to tell if the trash heap was a sign of progress or regress; these could be things discarded by families moving to new Section 8 housing in advance of the […]
CLOSED ENCOUNTERS: Judge Tells NASA To Come Clean On 1965 Kecksburg, Pa. UFO Crash
WASHINGTON (AP) — NASA has agreed to search its archives once again for documents on a 1965 UFO incident in Pennsylvania, a step the space agency fought in federal court. The government has refused to open its files about what, if anything, moved across the sky and crashed in the woods near Kecksburg, Pa., 40 miles southeast of Pittsburgh. Traffic was tied up in the area as curiosity seekers drove to the area, only to be kept away from the crash site by soldiers. The Air Force’s explanation for the unidentified flying object: a meteor or meteors. Eyewitnesses said a […]
HOT DOCUMENT: Look Who’s Blogging!
Congratulations! If you are receiving this email, you have been credentialed for the NBC Democratic Presidential Candidates Debate at Drexel University. Attached to this email is the Media Logistics memo. This memo outlines the logistics aspects of the debate, services available to working journalists and general information helpful in planning your coverage of the October 30 Democratic Candidates Debate at Drexel University in Philadelphia. NBC’s “Terms and Conditions” for re-broadcast are in a forthcoming email. NBC will provide satellite coordinates for those outlets who wish to pull down its feed of the debate on October 30 and that information will be […]
MEDIA: FEAR OF A HOMELESS PLANET
BY JEFF DEENEY I was struck by a sense of déjà vu while looking at the Sunday Inquirer. They’ve gotten around to noting, once again, that the numbers of homeless men and women living on the streets — especially on the Parkway — are on the rise. Funny, if you remember this article from a little more than a year ago, you’ll notice that they’re essentially the same story, almost verbatim. Last year, the focus was on whether or not charity groups should be able to feed the homeless on the Parkway, and this year the focus is on a […]
QUESTION THE PARKING AUTHORITY: Stop Piracy!
BY PATRICK KERKSTRA INQUIRER STAFF WRITER When it comes to ruthless efficiency in local government, the Philadelphia Parking Authority would seem peerless. With an army of blue-uniformed parking enforcers blanketing Philadelphia each day, the agency has become one of the nation’s most aggressive towing, booting and ticket-writing juggernauts since state Republicans took control of it in 2001. The authority slaps nearly 1.6 million violation notices on the windshields of Philadelphia drivers annually, a 35 percent increase over 2001. Nearly 50,000 vehicles are towed, more than double the old figure. Meters require more feeding, the hourly rate at authority garages is […]
SIGN OF THE TIMES: Rain On The Scarecrow
PENNSYLTUCKY: Target Bin Laden, Strohl Valley, PA, Pop. 34, Sunday 3:47 PM [Photo by JONATHAN VALANIA]
GAMBLOR: Sugarhouse Suing Its Way Into City’s Heart
INQUIRER: In suing the administration and City Council, SugarHouse joined the city’s other planned casino, Foxwoods, in forsaking the political process for the courts. Foxwoods Casino has also asked the Supreme Court to require the city to approve its project. (Virtually all issues connected with the licensing, planning and zoning of the state’s nascent slots industry go directly to the highest court, by law.) The lawsuit’s intent: “to force these guys to do what they’re legally obligated to do,” said SugarHouse’s lawyer, Stephen Cozen. Cozen was joined by labor leaders who urged the city to build the casinos now. Critics […]
NEWS CLUES: It’s Like Adderall For Your Eyeballs
LARRY CRAIG’S BACKDOOR: Wonkette Friend Recalls Sneakin’ In With The Senator It was late in the Spring of 1987, and Phillips was a graduate student at George Mason University. “One of my favorite hangouts was The Follies,” Phillips explains, referring to the notorious and now-closed go-go boy bar La Cage aux Follies on Capitol Hill. “There were so many closeted neocons who trolled for cock and ass there, particularly cock and ass on younger men: Terry Dolan, Jon Hinson, and a bunch of other men who seemed to run in a close and secretive group. I had sex with some […]