Vol. II No. 203 (363)
Keeping You Posted With The Politics Of Philadelphia
December 19, 2011
Philadelphia Daily Record
Castille Nixes Sullivan IN A LIGHTNING PURGE, Pennsylvania Supreme Court Chief Justice Ron Castille sacked Phila. Traffic Court Administrative Judge Michael Sullivan today and assigned Traffic Court management to a caretaker. Castille’s action followed a probe by FBI into Traffic Court. Story page 3 (Photo by McGlasson Photography)
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Dec.15City’s Christmas Crèche dedication at NEC of Love Pk., 16th & Arch, adjacent to Christmas Village, 3 p.m. Carols by St. Francis Xavier School students. All invited. Dec. 15Berean Institute Christmas Open House at 1901 W. Girard Ave., 5-9 p.m. For info (215) 763-4833. Dec. 15Christmas Celebration in 6300 block Germantown Ave., 6-7 p.m. Corporate and community donations welcome! For more info, to make a donation, A. Neal (215) 438-1768 or A. Alexander (215) 844-9345. Dec. 15Join Stephanie Singer for an evening of political comedy at “This Is the Week that Is”, 1812 Productions’ yearly political satire. Tickets, $20, cover cost of theater ticket, plus a donation of any size (from $1 up to the legal individual maximum of $2,600). For info John Barber (484) 469-0633. Dec. 17Volunteers needed to help wrap gifts for Councilwoman Jannie Blackwell’s Christmas Holiday Party for Homeless. Join her in City Hall Rm. 401, 9 a.m. Call to sign up (215) 686-3418. Dec. 17Phila. Federation of Young Republicans hosts Christmas Party at Liberties, 705 N. 2nd St., 3-7 p.m. Tickets $20. Dec. 17Committee to Elect Brett Mandel hosts Auld Lang Syne cocktail reception at 2303 Lombard St., 6-8 p.m. Contributions $100 to $1,000. For info www.brettmandel.com.
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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) 244-3860. Dec. 17N.W. Futures PAC Christmas Bash at 5547 Germantown Ave., 9 p.m.-1 a.m. $20. BYOB. For info Derek S. Green, Esq., (216) 205-4988. Dec. 20Councilwoman Jannie Blackwell hosts City’s homeless at her annual Christmas Party at Pennsylvania Convention Ctr., 3-7 p.m. Dec. 20State Rep. Vanessa Lowery Brown hosts Winter Wonderland Open House at Sayre HS, 58th & Walnut Sts., 5 p.m. Clowns, face-painting, magic show, child-safety, constituent services. Santa will come with gifts for children. Free but must RSVP for ticket (215) 879-6615. Dec. 22State Rep. Vanessa Lowery Brown hosts Winter Wonderland Open House at HS for Future, 4021 Parkside Ave., 5 p.m. Clowns, face-painting, magic show, child-safety, constituent services. Santa will come with gifts for children. Free but must RSVP for ticket (215) 879-6615. Dec. 29Friends of Council Majority LeaderElect Curtis Jones hosts “Black Out Party” at 4130 Main St., next to Manayunk Brewery, 8 p.m.-1 a.m. Dress in black. VIP Cocktail 6-8 p.m. $1,000 host, $500 sponsor, $250 VIP, $50 general admission, guest. For info Dorian Stanley (732) 642-2163.
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Castille Places Overseer In Philadelphia Traffic Court Pennsylvania Chief Justice Ronald D. Castille announced today the Supreme Court has removed Philadelphia Traffic Court Judge Michael J. Sullivan as Administrative Judge of the Philadelphia Traffic Court and taken the unprecedented step of appointing a Philadelphia Common Pleas judge to oversee the Philadelphia Traffic Court. In a per curiam order issued today, the Supreme Court relieved Judge Sullivan of his assignment as Administrative Judge, effective immediately, and reposed all duties of the Administrative Judge of Traffic Court in The Hon. Gary S. Glazer, Judge of the Court of Common Pleas of the 1st Judicial District of Pennsylvania. The Supreme Court’s action came after a review of the operations of Traffic Court that began in September 2011, after the Federal Bureau of Investigation executed search warrants at the Traffic Court chambers and offices, and at homes and businesses related to Judge Sullivan and William Hird, the Traffic Court’s then-Director of Courtroom Operations. Federal agents also searched the home of former Traffic Court Administrative Judge Fortunato Perri on the same day. While an initial review determined that many aspects of the Traffic Court’s operations were sound, it identified a long-standing practice
of Traffic Court judges accepting external requests for favorable treatment of defendants appearing before them, primarily from political sources. The review found the practice of accepting external requests for favorable treatment was so prevailing that it had become institutionalized in the operations of the court and involved administrative staff in addition to the judges. The practice is expressly prohibited by the Pennsylvania Code of Judicial Conduct. “In addition to being prohibited by the Code of Judicial Conduct,” Chief Justice Castille said, “the practice of accepting ex parte requests for favorable treatment exposes the court to the enormous risk of money changing hands in return for such favors and deprives the city and state of fines that traffic violations impose.” Most importantly, the Chief Justice said, “the citizens are entitled to a Traffic Court where cases are adjudicated fairly based on evidence presented in open court rather than by judges in the back room and where everyone has the same opportunity for a fair hearing, not just the politically connected.” Chief Justice Castille noted that in removing Judge Sullivan, under whose leadership the practice continued, and appointing Judge Glazer, a highly respected Com-
mon Pleas Judge and former federal prosecutor who pursued judicial corruption in Philadelphia as an Assistant U.S. Attorney, the Supreme Court has taken a decisive step to ensure the integrity of Traffic Court operations. The Chief Justice commended Judge Glazer for his willingness to take on the substantial challenge of changing an ingrained culture at the Traffic Court. Judge Glazer has served as a judge in the Court of Common Pleas since 1991. Prior to his election as a judge, he was an Assistant US Attorney in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, serving as Chief of the Frauds Section and Acting 1st Assistant US Attorney. While practicing law and serving as a judge, Judge Glazer has lectured extensively and authored numerous articles for scholarly publications. In 2005, as the recipient of a Fulbright Senior Specialist Grant, Judge Glazer led four seminars in the French language on various aspects of the American legal system for French judges, lawyers and law students at the Institut des Hautes Etudes Sur La Justice and University of Paris. “It is a privilege to be asked to take an active role in the reform of the 1st Judicial Dist.,” said Judge Glazer. “I have every confidence that we can bring about permanent change in the operations of the Traffic Court so that who you are
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THE PHILADELPHIA DAILY RECORD and who you know will not get you a different outcome.” The Administrative Judge of Traffic Court has administrative supervision over all the judges of the Traffic Court in the exercise of their jurisdiction. To that end, the duties of the Administrative Judge are extensive, and include the assignment of judges to cases, the preparation of the proposed annual budget for the Traffic Court and the appointment and assignment of all personnel at Traffic Court. In addition, the Administrative Judge is charged with setting the rules of internal operating procedures at Traffic Court and making recommendations to the Supreme Court for any changes or improvements in rules and procedures that will further the proper administration
of justice. The review of Traffic Court by Chadwick Associates continues. Chief Justice Castille has ordered all personnel to cooperate with the internal review and the federal investigation and has directed that failure to do so will give rise to appropriate sanctions.
Medals For 9/11 Victims: Senate Passes Casey-Toomey Bill The US Senate unanimously passed the Fallen Heroes of 9/11 Act Thursday night. The bill, introduced by US Sens. Bob Casey (DPa.) and Pat Toomey (R-Pa.), honors victims of 9/11 by authorizing the President to award Con-
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gressional Medals to the Flight 93 National Memorial in Pennsylvania, the National Sep. 11 Memorial and Museum in New York and the Pentagon Memorial in Virginia. “We must never forget the sacrifice of the victims of the Sep. 11 attack on the United States,” Casey said. “This measure will appropriately honor their bravery and serve as a reminder to us all of their valor and heroism.” “The events of Sep. 11 forever changed our nation, and we should honor and remember those affected by that day. These congressional medals will pay tribute to these fallen heroes and remind the American people of their tremendous sacrifices,” Toomey said. Gordon Felt, President of Families of Flight 93, said, “The Flight 93 families are deeply thankful to Senators Casey and Toomey for their outstanding work in ensuring Senate passage of the Fallen Heroes of 9/11 Act. They have been hardworking champions of this legislation who understood the importance to us of providing Congressional Gold Medals for the three memorial sites to honor the 40 fallen heroes of Flight 93 and all those who lost their lives on Sep. 11, 2001. We are tremendously grateful to the Senate for their overwhelming support and to both houses of Congress for quickly moving this legislation before they recess for the year. It is a wonderful gift in memory of our loved ones’ lives and actions.” Under the legislation, the design of each medal shall appropriately
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THE PHILADELPHIA DAILY RECORD honor the passengers and crew aboard United Airlines Flight 93, which was brought down in rural Pennsylvania near Shanksville in Somerset Co.; those who lost their lives in the World Trade Center, including civilians, public safety officers, emergency workers and the passengers and crew of American Airlines Flight 11 and United Airlines Flight 175; and those who lost their lives at the Pentagon, including the passengers and crew of American Airlines Flight 77.
WWE Superstars Visit Northeast High WWE Superstars Sheamus and Hornswoggle were visiting Northeast HS today to discuss the ‘be a STAR’ Alliance anti-bullying initiative this afternoon where they addressed an assembly of students in the 9th grade. The ‘”Be a STAR”: Alliance is an anti-bullying initiative, co-founded by WWE and The Creative Coalition, whose tagline is: Don’t be a bully, be a STAR: Show Tolerance and Respect. The “Be a STAR” initiative has created a free anti-bullying educators resource guide for teachers to use in the classroom to combat bullying and spread a message of tolerance and respect. It can be downloaded from www.beaSTARalliance.org. This educator’s resource guide was created in partnership with the National Education Association and True Educator, Inc. and meets National Education Standards.
Stronger Teen-Driver Law to Take Effect Dec. 24 Pennsylvania’s new law aimed at increasing safety for young drivers takes effect at 12:01 a.m. on Dec. 24. The new law increases behindthe-wheel training requirements, places a limit on the number of passengers a young driver can transport and makes not wearing a seatbelt a primary offense for young drivers. The new law adds 15 hours of supervised, behindthe-wheel training for driver’s license permit holders younger than 18, bringing the total to 65 hours. Ten of the additional hours must include driving at night and five hours must occur during poor weather conditions. Current permit-holders younger than 18 who have not yet passed the driving skills test before Dec. 24 will have to meet the requirements of the new law. Also, as part of the law, drivers younger than 18 will not be permitted to transport more than one passenger who is under 18 and is not an immediate family member unless they are accompanied by a parent or legal guardian. After six months, the junior driver may transport up to three passengers younger than 18 who are not immediate family members without a parent or legal guardian present, but only if that driver has not been convicted of a driving violation or has not been partially or fully responsible for a reportable crash. The law also requires that junior drivers and passengers under the age of 18 must wear a
seat belt, and children under the age of eight must be fastened in a child restraint system. The seat belt provisions of the new law are primary offenses, meaning a driver can be stopped and cited solely for that violation. More information on the changes for teen drivers can be found at http://www.dmv.state.pa.us/ by clicking on the “New Teen Driver Law 2011” button. For more information on young driver safety, visit PennDOT’s highway safety website, www.DriveSafePA.org and select the “Young Driver” link under the Traffic Safety Information Center. Media contacts: Jan McKnight (717) 787-0485 or Craig Yetter (717) 705-1092.
Holidays Giving You Pain In The Neck? For the past few weeks you’ve walked miles in the mall, probably lifting and carrying heavy packages. You also decorated the house and generally ran around like the Energizer bunny. Is it any wonder your muscles are now as tight as a drum? “This is supposed to be the season of comfort and joy, but for those who have stressed out their bodies while doing all the pre-holiday chores, this time of the year is not so merry,” says Phil Nicolaou, owner of Chester County Adventure Boot Camp in Kennett Square, PA. “It’s difficult to get into the holiday mood when your neck, shoulders, back, and other muscles are stiff and sore.” Unfortunately, when doing all the
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THE PHILADELPHIA DAILY RECORD holiday preparations, most people don’t think of the strain this extra effort might put on their bodies. “Many of us don’t pay attention to the risks of physical overexertion,” Nicolaou notes. “It’s only when we feel tightness and tension in our muscles that we realize we might have gone overboard just a tad.”
bend the neck forward, extending it until the chin is tucked all the way. Even though you may not be carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders, you might still be feeling some pain in that area. Shoulder rolls, shrugs, and squeezes will relax those tight muscles.
What should you do when muscle pain puts a damper on the holiday spirit? Learn how to relieve all that discomfort so it doesn’t put you out of action for the rest of this festive season, Nicolaou says.
Untreated, lower-back pain can really sideline you, but a series of “cat” and knee-to-chest stretches, as well as pelvic tilts, will bring some relief.
“Generally speaking, gentle stretching of the impacted muscle groups will reduce the stiffness and improve flexibility,” he points out.
Your feet are likely bearing the grunt of your excesses. Toe raises and curls, as well as ankle circles, will not only relax tired feet, but also make sure that you have two strong legs to stand on.
For example: For a stiff neck, do some “rolling” exercises – move the neck sideways, trying to touch each shoulder with the ear. Then
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While these measures will help loosen the muscles right now, the focus should be on preventing this kind of discomfort from happening
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in the future, Nicolaou notes. “Regular resistance and range-ofmotion exercises will strengthen all the muscle groups, as well as keep joints and ligaments supple and flexible,” he says. “This way, they won’t be as prone to aches and pains as weakened muscles.”
Pennsylvanians 4th In Fewer Pounds Gained Over Holidays According to a study by Healthy Americans, Pennsylvania residents rank the fourth in the least amount of weight gained overall from holiday eating. First is Massachusetts with a weight gain per person of 0.56 lbs., followed by Indiana, .58, Wisconsin, .64, and then Pennsylvania at .66. We can blame it on beer.