Vol. II No. 191. (351)
Keeping You Posted With The Politics Of Philadelphia
November 30, 2011
Philadelphia Daily Record
Food For Thought
FOOD & WATER WATCH hosted workshop Tuesday to train local activists on skills needed for 2012 Farm Bill: running effective meetings and generating media awareness. State Rep. Babette Josephs, a food activist, was special guest at workshop, addressed group about opportunities for change. “If not you, then who?� Josephs said, challenging FWW campaigners. Josephs, right, is joined here by FWW organizer Emily Heffling.
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Dec. 1Reception honoring US Sen. Bob Casey with Special Guest James Carville, at Racquet Club of Phila., 215 S. 16th St. 6 p.m. Friend $250/person. Committee Person, Young Professional $100/person. RSVP (267) 601-4450 or rsvp@bobcasey.com. Dec. 2Local 98’s Turkeys and Toys Party, Finnigan’s Wake, 7 p.m. Dec. 310th Ward’s Christmas Holiday Gospel Breakfast hosted by Edgar Howard at Imhotep Charter HS, 6201 N. 21st St., 10 a.m. (Welcome home from hospital, Edgar!) Dec. 4Fundraiser for Tracey Gordon at 1033 Christian St., 5-5:30 p.m. For info (215) 501-2197. Dec.4Ward Leader Bob DellaValla, Esq, hosts 55th Democrat Executive Committee Chistmas Party from 2 to 6 p.m. at Knights of Columbus, 3300 Knorr Street( at Rowland). For info call (215) 335-4004. Dec. 7United Republican Club celebrates 131st birthday at Sheraton Society Hill, 1 Dock St., 5:30 to 7 p.m. For info (215) 545-2244. Dec. 8State Rep. W. Curtis Thomas hosts Weatherization and Energy Forum at Temple’s Dentistry Student Faculty Ctr., 3340 N. Broad St. (Broad & Ontario), 6-8 p.m. For info Natalie Davis (215) 560-3261. Dec. 15Christmas Celebration in 6300 block Germantown Avenue, 6-7 p.m. Corporate and community donations are welcome! For more info to make a donation A. Neal (215) 438-1768 or A. Alexander (215) 844-9345. Dec. 17Black Professionals Christmas Party at African American Museum, 7th & Arch Sts., 8 p.m.-1 a.m. $50 includes live music, entertainment. For info Earl Harvey (267) 2443860. Dec. 29Friends of Council-elect majority leader Curtis Jones host “Black Out Party” at 4130 Main Street, next to Manayunk Brewery. Dress in black. VIP Coctail 6 to 8 pm $1,000 host; $500 sponsor, $250 VIP. General admission, 8 p.m. to 1 p.m. $50 guest. Fort info call Dorian Stanley at 732-642-2163.
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Toomey Lays Out Earmark Ban US Sens. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) and Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) announced the bipartisan Earmark Elimination Act of 2011 yesterday. This legislation would build on the temporary moratorium on earmarks scheduled to expire at the end of 2012 and would permanently ban earmarks from the legislative process. The legislation would define earmarks as any congressionally directed spending item, limited tax benefit, or limited tariff benefit. It
would create a point of order against any legislation containing an earmark, which could only be waived by a two-thirds vote. Unfortunately, a number of congressional members are clamoring to reinstate the wasteful earmarking process that forced taxpayers to fund such pet projects as the Bridge to Nowhere. According to the Washington Post, lawmakers are trying to fund special-interest projects by finding loopholes in the current earmark moratorium.
“With some members of Congress clamoring for a return to wasteful earmark spending, it is time for Congress to make the current moratorium on special-interest giveaways a permanent ban,” Toomey said. “For years, earmarks played a role in fueling the overspending in Washington and undermining the integrity of our legislative process. We cannot afford to allow Congress to resume earmarking and playing pork barrel politics with taxpayer dollars.”
Senate Passes Casey Amendment To Keep Libyan Arms From Terrorists The US Senate yesterday unanimously accepted a bipartisan amendment to the FY 2012 Defense Authorization bill that urges greater action by the Obama Administration to keep Libya’s stockpile of about 20,000 portable anti-aircraft missiles, known as MANPADS, out of the hands of terrorists who wish to do harm to Americans. US Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.), Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Near Eastern & South & Cen-
tral Asian Affairs, cosponsored the amendment. “It is essential that the U.S. work with its allies to ensure that weapons from the war in Libya do not end up in the hands of terrorists,” said the Senator. “Shoulderlaunched missiles pose an extremely dangerous threat to commercial aircraft across the Middle East, including to our ally Israel. I was proud to be an original cosponsor of this important
amendment, which will enhance the safety of those flying internationally.” The amendment specifically charges the Administration to conduct an urgent intelligence assessment of the threat these missile pose to the American people and our allies. It also requires the President to develop and implement a comprehensive strategy to mitigate this threat.
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State Police Bust Local Bus Lines The Pennsylvania State Police recently participated in a five-day enforcement effort inspecting motor coaches. State and municipal motor carrier enforcement personnel, including Philadelphia and Pittsburgh police officers and Public Utility Commission staff, inspected 341 motor coaches at popular travel destina-
tions such as casinos and amusement parks throughout the state.
aware of the road and to be a safe, courteous and patient driver.”
“Motor-coach strike forces are just one of the many ways we help ensure the safety of everyone traveling throughout Pennsylvania,” State Police Commissioner Frank Noonan said. “Whether you’ll be driving 20 or 200 miles this holiday season, it’s important to be
Troop K (Delaware, Montgomery and Philadelphia Cos.) conducted 41 inspections. It put two vehicles and one driver out of service, issued four citations and 22 warnings.
PGW Set To Cut Gas Rates The Philadelphia Gas Works today announced it will decrease what residential customers pay for natural gas. The average residential heating customer will pay about 1.1% less per month for the next three months.
chasing the least-expensive gas for our customers,” said Craig White, president and CEO for PGW. “With the abundance of natural gas available, we expect the cost of gas to remain stable for the foreseeable future.”
The new cost for gas will change from $1.52 per Ccf to $1.51 per Ccf. Residential heating customers will pay $1.51 per one hundred cubic feet (Ccf) of natural gas as of Dec 1, 2011. The price for PGW’s commercial, industrial and municipal customers will also decrease on that date. The rate will stay in effect through Mar. 1, 2012, when PGW will determine, based on market conditions, whether or not the rate should change.
The company anticipates its rates should remain stable, based on current market projections, producing savings for all of the company’s customers compared to recent years. PGW’s residential natural gas rates are made up of two main components: a supply charge and delivery charge. The supply charge is the part of the bill that reflects the amount of gas used by the customer. This charge is what PGW pays for the gas and is passed on to the customer without markup.
“PGW consistently excels at pur-
Founded in 1836, PGW is owned
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by the City of Philadelphia and is the largest municipally owned gas utility in the country.
Sens. Hughes, Tartaglione Visit Stetson School State Sens. Vincent J. Hughes (DW. Phila.) and Christine Tartaglione (D-Kensington) toured Stetson MS yesterday to get a firsthand look at the school’s remarkable turnaround. “It is an honor to be here today to meet with the faculty, students, and parents of this promising school. Stetson MS is a successful model of education reform,” Hughes said. “After years of underachievement,
THE PHILADELPHIA DAILY RECORD Stetson is now a school with a promising academic future for all students.” Stetson, which has a largely Hispanic student body, was one of Philadelphia’s lowest-performing schools, until it was taken over by Aspira of Pennsylvania, a Hispanic advocacy group. Since the takeover, the school has produced academic gains, while reducing violence and disruptive behavior. “In a changing world economy, ed-
ucation becomes more valuable every day,” Tartaglione said. “The success at Stetson proves that with parents, teachers, and administrators working together to help students, the future can be bright for any student who wants to achieve.” Hughes was instrumental, along with Success Schools COO Robert Lysek, in securing 50 iPads for Stetson students and 10 for teachers and administrators. The stu-
dents use the iPads for remedial math and writing support. Teachers use them to support and facilitate the lessons. During the tour, Hughes and Tartaglione were updated by student leaders on how Stetson was turned around through targeted education reforms. Many once-disruptive students are now classroom leaders, excelling both academically and socially. The school has seen gains in PSSA scores as well.
Palumbo Academy Wins Interstate Attendance Challenge The Academy at Palumbo, a school of 646 students, improved its overall attendance rate to 97% in seven weeks to win the East Region of the national Get Schooled Foundation’s Fall 2011 Attendance Challenge.
emy students showed their commitment to their education and their future by showing up to school and participating in the Attendance Challenge,” said Adrienne Wallace-Chew, principal of the Academy at Palumbo.
The friendly competition engaged nearly 80,000 students from 73 high schools in 17 states between Oct. 3 and Nov. 18 students through a variety of online, social media, and in-school activities. Across all participating schools 1,000 additional students came to school during the course of the challenge.
Attendance is the greatest predictor of graduation and a significant driver of student achievement. Research shows missing just 10 days a year can lead to academic problems. Students who miss 20 days a year (or about one month) have less than a one-in-five chance of graduating from high school. Few districts report these chronic truancy numbers, despite their correlation to low graduation rates.
Get Schooled brought a mix of celebrity encouragement, interactive educational games, and plenty of opportunities to elevate the youth voice, resulting in an average of 2.8% attendance rate increase across all participating schools. Schools earned points in the challenge by improving their attendance, nominating teachers who inspire them to come to school and testing their knowledge in an online trivia bowl. 185 students signed up for wake-up calls from their favorite celebrities, such as Tyra Banks and Trey Songz.
To celebrate the school’s achievements, Paramount Pictures, a unit of Viacom, will host a red-carpet experience for the students, with a Mission: Impossible-themed event at the school and preview screenings of Mission: Impossible -
During the Challenge, the Academy hosted a Halloween attendance-focused pep rally with more than 600 students and teachers to celebrate their high attendance rates and to showcase their school spirit.
In the Eastern region, the Academy at Palumbo, motivated by the idea of a national competition and the chance to rally their school around a common goal of improving attendance, worked hard to improve upon their attendance rate. “We are so proud that our Acad-
Ghost Protocol at the UA Riverview theatre in Philadelphia for all students.
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Boyle Brothers To Host Hoops Tourney For Fallen Officers State Reps. Brendan and Kevin Boyle (both D-Northeast) will host their annual basketball classic from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 3 at Lincoln HS 3201 Ryan Avenue. The tournament championships will be played at 10 a.m. on Sunday, Dec. 4.
An awards ceremony will follow the championship. At the ceremony, Billy Gibson, a 14-year-old local Boy Scout, will receive the “Constituent of the Year” award for his leadership and community service.
The tournament will allow 7th- and 8th-grade students from local middle schools to compete. Twelve boys’ teams and seven girls’ teams will participate. The event raises funds for the Fraternal Order of Police Survivors Fund.
Butkovitz Finds City Using Outdated Software To Manage Huge Inventory City Controller Alan Butkovitz today released the FY08-09 Procurement Dept. audit that found the Department is using a 15-year-old database-software application to account for the City’s $472 million equipment inventory.
mediately replace its old software with a newer database application that meets today’s technology standards.”
Since 1996, the software has undergone four major revisions but the Department never obtained the upgraded versions. The software is no longer supported by the Microsoft developer.
Philadelphia’s Procurement Dept. was created to centralize the purchases made by all City departments, agencies, boards and commissions that receive funds from the City treasury. One of the department’s main responsibilities is to keep records of all equipment already owned by the City.
“By failing to keep its software updated, the Procurement Dept. has created the potential for unwanted risks,” said Butkovitz. “Old, outdated software can cause flawed transactions and can open the door to the threat of malicious programs and hackers.”
To view the FY08-09 Procurement Department Auditor’s Report, please visit the City Controller’s website at www.philadelphiacontroller.org
Butkovitz continued, “The Procurement Department needs to im6|
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Blackwell Calls For Volunteer Gift-Wrappers
ISSUING a call for volunteer gift-wrappers this morning was Councilwoman Jannie Blackwell, at First Thursday meeting chaired by University of Penna. VP Glenn Bryant, center. Every year she throws a mammoth Christmas Party for thousands of homeless individuals and families; every child gets a present. Volunteers are needed to wrap presents at City Hall Saturday morning, Dec. 17. Call (215) 6863418/3419 to find out how you can help.
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