Here's the press release:
COMMITTEE OF SEVENTY HOSTS
VICE PRESIDENT JOSEPH R. BIDEN, JR.
PHILADELPHIA, PA -- October 19, 2009 – Philadelphia’s Committee of Seventy is proud to announce that The Honorable Joseph R. Biden, Jr., Vice President of the United States, will offer official remarks at the organization’s Annual Breakfast on Monday, November 23, 2009.
"We are honored to welcome Vice President Biden. As a native of Pennsylvania, he has a deep understanding of our region's strengths and challenges. We are confident his insights will enrich and enliven our ongoing conversation about good government,” said Zachary Stalberg, President and CEO of the Committee of Seventy.
The Committee of Seventy is a non-partisan, non-profit organization fighting for clean and effective government, fair elections and an informed citizenry in Philadelphia and the region. Recognized nationally for its renowned Voter Protection Program, the Committee of Seventy recently published “Roadmap to Reform,” a groundbreaking series that has tackled campaign finance and ethics; Philadelphia’s budget, pension fund and labor negotiations; and strategies for reducing the size and cost of government. These reports, and more information about the Committee of Seventy, are available at www.seventy.org.
GOP City Controller candidate Al Schmidt is trying to call 200 registered voters per day as his race against the incumbent, Democrat Alan Butkovitz, heads into the home stretch.
John Baer takes a close look at another race on the ballot next month that you may not be paying much attention to and explains why you should.
Longtime Daily News writer Frank Dougherty calls the planned closure of the Northeast Catholic High School for boys "another rip in the fabric of the city."
And a mural representing 60 religious faiths is unveiled in Germantown.
This just in from the Mayor's press office:
MAYOR NUTTER ANNOUNCES WINNERS OF NATIONAL LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES TICKET RAFFLE
Philadelphia, October 16, 2009 – Today Mayor Michael A. Nutter announced the nine winners of National League Championship Series tickets. More than 29,000 people participated in the raffle. The winners were chosen by randomly generating nine numbers, from 1 to 29,000 (the number of correct response received), using a random number generator. Emails were then assigned a number, based on the order in which they were received. Emails with the randomly generated numbers were then selected as the winner.
Mayor Nutter will distribute tickets to the winners today at 5pm at City Hall, Room 215.
Winners for Game Three:
Julia Jacob - Philadelphia, PA
Thommas Khamphoumy - Philadelphia, PA
Stephanie Sersen - Conshohocken, PA
Winners for Game Four:
Sabrina Skari - Philadelphia, PA
Linda Laszecki – Downingtown, PA
Jason Perri – Sicklerville, NJ
City Hall looks great.
That’s probably the nicest thing we can say about “Law Abiding Citizen,” the Jamie Foxx-Gerard Butler revenge drama set in Philadelphia that hits theaters today. The movie captures the heft and majesty of the massive stone government building, from the top of Billy Penn’s hat, to the sweeping stair cases, to the ornate court rooms and elaborate City Council chambers.
During an action sequence when it looks like City Hall might suffer irrevocable harm, we actually tensed up.
Sadly, we never connected in the same way with any of the actual characters in “Citizen,” a laughable thriller directed by F. Gary Gray that features wooden performances from its two stars and suffers under the misguided belief that high tech gizmos can stand in for plotting and character development.
If you’ve seen the detailed trailer, you know the basic premise: Butler plays Clyde Shelton a man whose wife and daughter are killed by two thugs. He is then outraged when assistant District Attorney Nick Rice (played by a bland and emotionless Foxx) makes a plea deal with one of the deadly duo, thus sparing him from life in prison or the electric chair.
And so Butler, who has the ability to develop any number of high-tech death gadgets, exacts his revenge – ie, by killing most of the cast. He does some of this from within prison, playing cat and mouse games with Foxx and throwing out increasingly ridiculous one liners (“some lessons must be learned in blood,”) in a shaky American accent.
Meanwhile, Foxx – displaying none of his Oscar-winning acting skills – sleepwalks through most of the movie, suffering through a series of explosions, shootings, car bombs and boring conversations about right and wrong with Clyde, before emerging as the good guy in the end.
The Nutter administration has not met goals for installing police surveillance cameras.
The Clout column examine's U.S. Rep. Joe Sestak's "mystery endorsement."
Taxi official is acquitted of aggravated assault against a passenger.
In the neck and neck NJ governor's race, voters are looking for "connection."
The PoliticsPa website has a snazzy new redesign, which they unveiled this week. Head over there to check out the makeover.
Grim campaign news for Sen. Arlen Specter today.
A new survey from Susquenhanna Polling shows that 59 percent of state residents think it's time to give Specter's seat to someone else. A mere 16 percent of Republicans want to see Specter re-elected, while 44 percent of Democrats want him back.
Check out the poll here.
Mayor Nutter says he's looking forward to tonight's Philadelphia premiere of "Law Abiding Citizen," the Jamie Foxx action film shot in and around City Hall earlier this year. The mayor filmed a walk-on role in the film, which he said has made the final cut.
Nutter joked about his performance, saying: "The ability to stand so quietly and calmly, I think will be recognized by the academy. After the premiere, I'm looking forward to a number of calls from agents."
"Law Abiding Citizen" screens tonight at the Prince Music Theater as part of the Philadelphia Film Festival.
Mayor Nutter's administration vows to reform the "Neighborhood Transformation Initiative," the signature program of former Mayor John Street that was criticized this week in an audit by City Controller Alan Butkovitz.
Two new members of the School Reform Commission are sworn in and then briefed on the district's $197 million deficit.
The state's Department of Corrections is considering shipping inmates to prisons in other states to cope with over-crowding.
The District Attorney's Office is considering the death penalty for the man accused of organizing a stick-up turned double murder at the Piazza at Schmidts while a judge reduces charges for two of the three men accused in a fatal beating outside a Phillies game.
Want tickets for the home games in the National Leage Championship Series? Here's how to enter the mayor's contest for seats:
MAYOR NUTTER TO RAFFLE NATIONAL LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES TICKETS
Philadelphia, October 14, 2009 – Today Mayor Michael A. Nutter announced a drawing for National League Championship Series tickets. Three pairs of tickets will be given to watch each of the upcoming home games.* Winners will be selected randomly from citizens who send an email to mayorsbox@gmail.com by 5pm tomorrow, October 15th. Winners will be randomly selected from qualifying respondents.
“I know all Philadelphians share my excitement for the Phillies and I want to give everyone a chance to watch the games with me,” said Mayor Nutter. “Send me an email, and come Sunday night you might be watching the game from the Mayor’s Box.”
Contest Rules:
Send an email to mayorsbox@gmail.com by 5pm tomorrow, October 15th. In the body of the email, include your name, address and telephone number. Winners will be notified by 6pm on Thursday, October 15th. This contest is open to both Philadelphia residents and nonresidents. City employees are ineligible for this drawing but are welcome to apply for tickets through the normal process by contacting their supervisor.
* Game 5 will only be played if necessary.
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