President Obama singled out the city's Mastery Charter Schools in a speech to the National Urban League on Thursday. In outlining his Race to the Top initiative and his program to turn around the 5,000 lowest performing schools, Obama cited Mastery's work and Philadelphia Democrat, U.S. Rep. Chaka Fattah. Here's what he said, from the White House transcript:

"Now, in some cases, that’s going to mean restarting the school under different management as a charter school -– as an independent public school formed by parents, teachers, and civic leaders who’ve got broad leeway to innovate. And some people don’t like charter schools. They say, well, that’s going to take away money from other public schools that also need support. Charter schools aren’t a magic bullet, but I want to give states and school districts the chance to try new things. If a charter school works, then let’s apply those lessons elsewhere. And if a charter school doesn’t work, we’ll hold it accountable; we’ll shut it down.

So, no, I don’t support all charter schools, but I do support good charter schools. I’ll give you an example. There’s a charter school called Mastery in Philadelphia. And in just two years, three of the schools that Mastery has taken over have seen reading and math levels nearly double –- in some cases, triple. Chaka Fattah is here, so he knows what I’m talking about. One school called Pickett went from just 14 percent of students being proficient in math to almost 70 percent. (Applause.) Now -- and here’s the kicker -- at the same time academic performance improved, violence dropped by 80 percent -– 80 percent. And that’s no coincidence. (Applause.)

Now, if a school like Mastery can do it, if Pickett can do it, every troubled school can do it. But that means we’re going to have to shake some things up. Setting high standards, common standards, empowering students to meet them; partnering with our teachers to achieve excellence in the classroom; educating our children -- all of them -- to graduate ready for college, ready for a career, ready to make most of their lives -- none of this should be controversial. There should be a fuss if we weren’t doing these things. There should be a fuss if Arne Duncan wasn’t trying to shake things up. (Applause.)"

»  More President praises Philly's Mastery Charter Schools

There’s a homecoming in the works for Doug Oliver.

Mayor Nutter’s spokesman since he took office, Oliver is expected soon to announce that he is leaving the administration for a senior level job with the Philadelphia Gas Works – where he worked for more than three years before the mayor took office.

Oliver this afternoon would not comment except to say, “I’m serving as the mayor’s press secretary. If there is something to say, there will be an announcement.”

Oliver, who earns about $114,000 a year, oversees a five-person staff. One of the most visible members of the mayor’s inner circle, he has been a steady presence in an administration that has confronted a number of crises, including police deaths, an economic recession and political feuds with independent agencies such as the Board of Revision of Taxes.

»  More New job opening: Nutter's spokesman

City Councilman Jim Kenney this afternoon formally asked that the police immediately suspend the list of tow-truck operators they call to clear the roads and remove cars after auto accidents.

In the aftermath of gunshots being fired involving two tow-truck companies, Kenney suggested that the police instead use the nine tow-truck operators already under contract to recover stolen vehicles. Those operators, he said, have been vetted in ways that the other have not.

Speaking at a City Hall news conference, the councilman also said he has requested the city's Licenses & Inspections Department to thoroughly review each of the 96 companies on the police department's rotating list of operators. He said his own office's review found complaints and violations filed against 19 of them, mostly for overcharging customers.

During what he estimated as a one or two month suspension period, Kenney said the city should try to determine if there is a better way to regulate the industry. Right now, L&I is responsible for some of that work, but the agency, which has lost personnel and money because of budget cuts, is "overwhelmed."

»  More Councilman calls for suspension of current tow-truck operators

Are you a thought leader?

Eagles President Joe Banner is.

Which is why he will join Philadelphia's Chief Service Officer, Catie Wolfgang andotherstomorrow to discussa plan for encouraging and increasing community service. The meeting coincides with a visit from a Washington official, Stan Soloway, from the federal Corporation for National and Community Service.

Mayor Nutter's wife, Lisa, will also be involved in the discussion, joining other first wives from many cities and states who have filled similar roles.

»  More Community service to be focus of meetings Wednesday

The Nutter administration expects to distribute a list next week of fire engine and ladder companies that will close on a rotational basis as part of the plan for rolling closures, according to Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Everett Gillison. He said the schedule of temporary closures would provide information for about a year.

“We are trying to give as much information upfront to people as we can,” Gillison said. He said the major caveat is that the fire commissioner and administration reserve the right to change or modify the schedule based on need or their judgment.

The administration will consider several factors in determining which fire companies close and when, including the size of the area covered by the engine or ladder company; the workload based on runs and EMS; the amount of time spent fighting fires in 2009; the proximity to other companies recently shut for a period of time; the capability of surrounding companies to respond; and the security of the firefighting facility itself.

Gillison also emphasized that the idea of rolling closures is not new. Typically, he said, up to five companies a day are not in service because of training needs – something that has happened for the past 35 years.

»  More Factors Announced To Determine Rolling Closures of Fire Companies

The mayor’s reentry office for ex-offenders could soon have its third leader in three years.

The administration posted a job opening last month for a new executive director for the office known as RISE (Re-Integration Services for Ex-Offenders), and hopes to fill the position by September.

About 40 people applied, but just 10 or so are still in the running — including the office’s interim head, Carolyn Harper, according to Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Everett Gillison.

Harper has been at the helm since the fall of 2008, when Nutter’s initial pick to lead the office, Ron Cuie, was forced out after he overspent his budget.

»  More Mayor seeks new leader for prisoner re-entry office

Councilwoman Marian B. Tasco with former Mayor Wilson Goode and Mayor Nutter in 2008.

City Council Majority Leader Marian B. Tasco will have a prime seat today for President Obama's signing of the national financial reform bill.

The White House invited Tasco, an early opponent of predatory lending and advocate for foreclosure protection, to the 11:30 a.m. ceremonial signing of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010.

See the City Council release below:

Philadelphia – The White House has invited Philadelphia City Council’s Majority Leader Marian B. Tasco to witness the historic signing of national financial reform legislation at 11:30 AM, Wednesday, July 21, 2010 in the Amphitheater of the Ronald Reagan Building, 1300 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, in Washington DC.

»  More Mrs. Tasco goes to Washington

Last week, it was BigBelly trash containers that City Controller Alan Butkovitz went after. This week, it's Elliot Shelkrot, former head of the Free Library of Philadelphia.

In a new departmental audit, Butkovitz reveals that Shelkot received two "bonus" payments during a two year period totaling $65,000. Further work by City Solicitor Shelley Smith revealed that Shelkrot in fact received $171,535 more in bonuses since 2001 - in addition to his annual salary of about $120,000. According to Smith, all the bonus payments were improper under the City Charter.

The bonuses were paid by the Board of Trustees of the Free Library of Philadelphia, which is an independent entity created under the City Charter and appoints the library president. "Consequently, the Board believed and Mr. Shelkrot understood that it was authorized to set the President's compensation and to use its own funds towards that level of compensation," current library President Siobhan A. Reardon wrote in response to the controller's report.

Butkovitz this morning said he believes Shelkrot should give back the bonus money.

»  More Butkovitz: Former head of Free Library improperly accepted $230,000 in bonus payments

Look out City Council contenders, here comes Latrice!

With talk beginning to simmer about who's in and who's out for City Council in 2011, City Council's most recognizable staff member, Latrice Bryant, is considering a run for Councilwoman Donna Reed Miller's 8th District seat in 2011.

Bryant comes from a political family with deep ties to the Democratic City Committee, and she challenged State Rep. Rosita Youngblood in the 198th House District in 2004. But it was in 2008 that Bryant gained local notoriety by virtue of an unflattering television news investigation into her work hours and an apparent romantic link with her boss, City Councilman W. Wilson Goode Jr.

The Fox 29 News investigation in September of 2008 questioned whether Bryant worked a full schedule and falsified time sheets during Council's summer recess. Bryant escalated the situation by flashing hand-written signs in Council Chambers that labeled Fox 29 reporter Jeff Cole as a member of the Ku Klux Klan.  Fox 29 happily responded to her allegations of racism by publishing photos of her and Goode on vacation together in Jamaica. Bryant later apologized for her actions but disputed the report's conclusions.

»  More Latrice for City Council?