A group of City Council members huddled this morning after their weekly caucus meeting, just before the start of their weekly session, to have what appeared to be a debate about reforming the city's Board of Revision of Taxes. Council Majority Leader Marian Tasco and Majority Whip Darrell Clarke tried to shoo away reporters, claiming they didn't have a quorum of Council present so the discussion was not public.
PhillyClout did a quick head count and found nine Council members -- a quorum -- present in the caucus room. The debate quickly broke up.
What was all that about? PhillyClout has a notion that some Council members didn't get the word that their leaders decided after a long meeting yesterday to follow Mayor Nutter's pace on BRT reform. You can read about that in today's Daily News.
Watchdog group Committee of Seventy just put out a press release reminding citizens that the voter registration deadline in Pennsylvania is October 5. Check out the rest of their advice here.
Dave Davies has a great column on the lack of transparancy in the state budget process.
Is Comcast considering buying NBC?
The Mayor and City Council are still talking how to pursue BRT reform.
Here's a detailed look at the battle over who should pay court costs.
Law Abiding Citizen, the Jamie Foxx movie filmed at City Hall earlier this year, is set to have its world debut at the 18 1/2 Philadelphia Film Festival in October. Check this Philebrity report for more details.
The action thriller features Gerard Butler as a man bent on revenge against a corrupt district attorney, played by Foxx. From the looks of the trailer, it's heavy on explosions.
A new poll from Quinnipiac University shows state Attorney General Tom Corbett leading the Republican pack of gubanatorial candidates and Allegheny County Executive Dan Onorato heading up the Democrats.
The survey also shows that Gov. Rendell's ratings remain low.
You can check out the poll here.
John Baer thinks the state budget is unlikely to be signed by Gov. Rendell Sunday.
Councilman Jack Kelly's one-time campaign treasurer is heading to prison for two years for bribery.
Three rapes have been reported in three days, including one at the University of Pennsylvania.
Al Sharpton visits two Philadelphia schools.
Andy Teitelman, an attorney who served as Councilman Jack Kelly's campaign treasurer, was sentenced to 24 months in federal prison this afternoon for bribing Kelly's one-time chief of staff, Chris Wright. His sentence also included a $5,000 fine and two years of supervised release after he gets out of prison. Teitelman's attorney had argued that he should be sentenced to a "substantial sentence of home confinement with community service" while prosecutors sought a 51-63 month prison term.
Teitelman was convicted in February with Wright and developer Ravinder Chawla. Teitelman served as chief counsel to real estate businesses run by Chawla and his brother, Hardeep, who was acquitted during the trial. Wright, sentenced in August to four years in prison, must surrender by 2 p.m. Thursday. Chawla, one of Kelly's most generous campaign contributors, was sentenced three weeks ago to 30 months in prison and must surrender by Oct. 26.
A jury found that Chawla and Teitelman gave Wright use of a rent-free apartment near Rittenhouse Square and free legal services in return for his help on real-estate, zoning and tax matters. Prosecutors said those bribes were worth about $20,000. Kelly, who was not charged, secretly recorded conversations for the FBI with Chawla and Wright during the investigation and testified during their trial.
Teitelman's attorney said he deserved a break because he received no direct benefit from Wright. Prosecutors countered that Teitelman did not tell the truth when he testified in his own defense that he never spoke with Chawla about Wright moving into the apartment, a claim contradicted by other testimony. They also noted that Teitelman did not pay income taxes for five years until he realized that he was the target of a federal investigation.
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette had a good story today on the outcome of the G-20 conference. They list six of the important decisions made during the talks.
You can check it out here.
The Daily News takes a look at youths who kill in the city and how they often share a common profile. Some do well when supervised by the courts after early trouble but fall back when released. And here's a run-down of some recent cases that highlight the problem.
The federal license for a Spring Garden Street gun shop is being revoked after the owner pleaded guilty yesterday to making false statements and failing to keep proper records on the sales of 10 weapons.
A former Philadelphia Sheriff's deputy gets five to 10 years in prison for shooting her neighbor.
And Sticky the cat is on the mend and headed for a new home soon.
If you missed it last week, we strongly suggest you check out the Sundance Channel documentary series "Brick City."
The five part program documents life in Newark from all angles, as Mayor Corey Booker pushes to revive the downtrodden town. Booker, the police chief and gang members on the street are featured throughout the episodes, which delve deep into the problems of poverty and crime plaguing Newark. It's a great opportunity to see how government works, especially since many of Booker's goals mirror Mayor Nutter's -- in particular crime reduction and job creation.
Here's the website for Brick City.
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Catherine Lucey luceyc@phillynews.com |
Chris Brennan brennac@phillynews.com |
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