South Philadelphia Public Record

SOUTH PHILADELPHIA

Vol. XV No. 32

Issue 618

August 8, 2019

“The good things we do must be made a part of the public record”

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PHILLY’S NEW ‘MVP’

SMITH PLAYGROUND is the proud home to the city’s latest public work of art. The unveiling of “MVP,” Philadelphia’s first freestanding statue depicting an individual African American girl, also serves as the official kickoff of the City of Philadelphia’s 60th Anniversary of the Percent for Art Programs. From left to right: Mr. Ron, “The Mayor of Smith Playground”; Kathryn Ott Lovell, commissioner of the city’s Department of Parks & Recreation; former Eagles great Connor Barwin; Brian Abernathy, managing director of the City of Philadelphia; Jacque Liu, Moore College of Art & Design; Margot Berg, public art director for the City of Philadelphia; and Brian McCutcheon, who created the work. Story P. 2.

Photo by Tony Webb / Office of the City Representative

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T HE S O U T H PHIL A D EL PHI A P UB L I C R E CO R D

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Smith’s Newest ‘MVP’

The Philadelphia Public Record (PR-01) (ISSN 1938-856X) (USPS 1450) Published Weekly Requested Publication ($20 per year Optional Subscription) The South Philadelphia Public Record 21 S. 11th Street, Suite 205 Philadelphia, PA 19107 Periodical Postage Paid at Philadelphia, PA and additional mailing office POSTMASTER: Please send address changes to: The Public Record 21 S. 11th Street, Suite 205 Philadelphia, PA 19107 (215) 755-2000 Fax: (215) 525-2818 editor@phillyrecord.com EDITORIAL STAFF In Memoriam:James Tayoun, Sr. Editor/Publisher: Greg Salisbury Managing Editor: Anthony West Everyday People Editor: Denise Clay Contributing Editor: Bonnie Squires

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Photographers: Leona Dixon FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: Mr. Ron, “The Mayor of Smith Playground”; former Eagles great Connor Barwin; Brian Abernathy, managing director of the City of Philadelphia; Kathryn Ott Lovell, commissioner of the city’s Department of Parks & Recreation; Kelly Lee, chief cultural officer of the City of Philadelphia; Brian McCutcheon, who created the work; and Sheila Hess, city representative. Photos by Tony Webb / Office of the City Representative

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Production Manager: Sana Muaddi-Dows

he Office of Arts, Culture, and the Creative Economy’s Percent for Art Program unveiled the city’s latest public art commission at Smith Playground, located at 2100 South 24th Street.

“MVP,” created by artist Brian McCutcheon, depicts a young, African American female athlete – a representative image of the culturally vibrant community that uses Smith Playground. The figurative bronze sculpture presents a middle school-age basketball player in a competitive pose.

The new work represents a landmark for the city: It is the first freestanding statue depicting a young African American girl in the city’s historic public art collection.

“Public art instills a sense of identity and understanding of our city, our

history and our ideals,” said Mayor Jim Kenney.

“This impactful Percent for Art commission by Brian McCutcheon represents a long overdue celebration of our residents and particularly our youth.”

MVP is inspired by the trailblazing Philadelphia athlete Ora Washington (1898-1971). Ms. Washington was a legendary Philadelphian who excelled in basketball and tennis. She played for the Philadelphia Tribunes basketball team from 1931 to 1943 and was inducted into The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2018.

A multitalented athlete, she was also the American Tennis Association’s National Women’s Tennis Champion every year from 1925 to 1937. Ms. Washington’s achievements in the face of racial oppression and its systemic ob-

stacles to equal opportunity embody the narrative of determination triumphing over injustice.

“The City is committed to celebrating diversity in all initiatives, including public art,” said Chief Cultural Officer Kelly Lee. “The Percent for Art program is supporting this by commissioning public artworks that represent and respond specifically to the public spaces, communities and cultures that make Philadelphia a vibrant and creative place to be.”

Mr. McCutcheon’s work responds directly to the need for a public monument that represents the predominantly African American neighborhood around Smith Playground.

The figure’s body language and expression are intended to inspire confidence, strength and the possibilities that can be

Wendell Douglas Jim Jenkins

Harry Leech

Director of Operations:Allison Murphy Sales Director: Melissa Barrett Circulation: Yousef Maaddi

ARTIST Brian McCutcheon stands proudly with his work.

achieved through dedication and hard work. “I believe this contemporary monument will be a local landmark that captures youthful determination and optimism. My hope is that young people in the community will recognize themselves in this work, their time in history and their own heroic story,” states McCutcheon.

Smith Playground engages hundreds of youth and adults in year-round activities. Major renovations to the site were com-

pleted earlier this year.

These included: updates to the recreation center; the addition of a new WHYY Media Lab; full renovation of the playground area; new basketball courts; the creation of a new mural; new turf field striped for football, soccer and baseball; installation of Green Storm water Infrastructure including subsurface elements and a rain garden; general site amenity improvements and gateways; and an outdoor fitness area with walking path.

The Public Record welcomes news and photographs about your accomplishments and achievements which should be shared with the rest of the community. Contact us by phone, fax, e-mail or by dropping us a note in the mail. If you mail a news item, please include your name, address and daytime telephone number so we can verify the information you provided us, if necessary.

The Public Record reserves the right to edit all news items and letters for grammar, clarity and brevity.

No reproduction or use of the material herein may be made without the permission of the publisher. City & State will assume no obligation (other than the cancellation of charges for the actual space occupied) for accidental errors in advertisements, but we will be glad to furnish a signed letter to the buying public.

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understanding BANKRUPTCY

BY MICHAEL A. CIBIK AMERICAN BANKRUPTCY BOARD CERTIFIED uestion: Does it make a difference if I file bankruptcy before the end of the month?

Answer: If your income is above the median income for your household size in

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Task Force by $2.5 million, which was a 57% increase over last year. This program within the Attorney General’s Office targets gun traffickers and gets illegal guns off the street in Philadelphia. The attorney general has also been granted the ability to prosecute straw purchases or sales, or felons who possess firearms. The delegation supported these changes on a statewide level so that all 67 counties would be able to use every resource available to combat the epidemic of gun violence.

Dawkins, his own family affected by gun violence, said he knows the difficulty and senselessness of loss.

“While we can’t travel back in time and stop the killing that has already happened, we can take measures to prevent what has not yet happened by enacting smart gun reform,” Dawkins said. “We can save the victims of tomorrow’s gun violence by taking action today.”

your state, you must complete a “means test” when you file your bankruptcy petition. To determine whether you are above or below the median income, your gross income for the sixmonth period prior to the month you file bankruptcy is considered.

So, if you would file Oct. 31, the six-month period under examination is April through September. If you file the next day, Nov. 1, the six-month period excludes April but adds October.

If you get the exact same paycheck each payday, this won’t make a difference.

But what if you got a lump sum bonus or a retroactive pay raise in one of your October paychecks? In that case, you could be un-

der the median today, but well over it tomorrow.

Some income may not need to be included in determining median income.

Social Security income, for example is excluded.

Just because you are over the median income, it doesn’t necessarily mean that you can’t file a Chapter 7. For example, if more than 50% of your debt is business-related and not consumer debt, you may be able to avoid the “means test” and qualify for Chapter 7 bankruptcy. Therefore, be sure to work with an experienced bankruptcy lawyer to see what your best options are.

Next Week’s Question: How can your bankruptcy affect your children?

With the UNIONS

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he Pennsylvania Association of Staff Nurses & Allied Professionals, which represents over 2,500 nurses and allied health professionals at Temple University Hospital, made comprehensive proposals to transform Temple’s relationship with the community.

The proposals are to preserve services at Temple in the event of a merger and a sale; to guarantee nurse, allied health professional and community representation on the Temple University Health

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dozen gun-reform bills that could be voted on today that would make a difference in people’s lives. While we must fight back against hatred and bigotry, which seem central to the shootings this weekend, Dawkins said keeping guns out of the hands of those who wish to do harm is something we can do right now.

“We are in what seems like an endless cycle of violence, killings, heartbreak, and then thoughts and prayers,” Dawkins said.

“This cycle started long before El Paso and Dayton.

And this cycle happens even when the shooting incidents don’t end up in national news headlines. Five people were gunned down July 28 in Philadelphia, one of them killed. Four people were shot in Uniontown, Pa. the same day. Four people were shot in Clairton, Pa. a week before that.”

In June, the House Philadelphia Delegation increased funding for Philadelphia’s Gun Violence

System board; to provide for safe patient care standards that ensure that nurses and health professionals have sufficient staffing to be able to do their job; to stop the epidemic of workplace violence against nurses and health-care professionals; and to provide workers at Temple with the same paid family and sick leave provided to other workers in the City of Philadelphia.

PASNAP was joined at the bargaining table by State Sen. Sharif Street (D-N. Phila.) and State Rep. Stephen Kinsey (D-Northwest), who emphasized the critical role that PASNAP members play in providing patient care and supported PASNAP’s contract proposals.

“Our proposals will ensure that Temple remains a community hospital that serves everyone, no matter what their background is” said PASNAP President Maureen

May, RN, who has worked at Temple for 22 years.

“PASNAP is fighting for everyone who needs care or will need care at Temple.”

“We provide the patient care. We do the work that keeps our communities healthy,” said TAP-PASNAP President Carlos Aviles, who has worked at Temple for 10 years. “Unions fight for everyone, and we are no exception. It is time for Temple to show whether or not they care about their patients and workers or whether they care about profits and sky-high executive compensation.”

“In this contract, we will be fighting for our patients,” said TUHNA-PASNAP President Francine Frezghi, RN, who has worked at Temple for 19 years. “Research has shown time and again that if nurses and health professionals don’t have time to devote to patient care that people die.”

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tate Rep. Jason Dawkins (D-Kensington), chairman of the Philadelphia Delegation in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, along with delegation members, called on state and federal lawmakers Monday to act on sensible gun reform.

“The tragedies in El Paso, Tex. and Dayton, Ohio, have pained our hearts,” Dawkins said. “The news of more lives lost to gun violence is tragic. And not enacting sensible gun reform in Pennsylvania is a travesty.”

Dawkins pointed to Gov. Tom Wolf’s statement on Sunday, in which the governor tweeted that we can ban assault weapons and institute stricter background checks, target white nationalism and promote tolerance and invest in mental-health care to help those who are struggling; but we must not accept this violence as normal.

Dawkins said there are currently more than two

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Philly House Delegation Seeks Action on Violence

PASNAP Presses Temple Demands

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Can Toomey Pull the Trigger on Gun Control?

POLS on the STREET

BY JOE SHAHEELI n the wake of this week’s horrific pair of mass shootings, U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) moved decisively to do what few Republican politicians ever do: urge gun controls.

He has done it before, in 2013. His measures failed then to persuade a Democratic-controlled Senate. It may seem even less likely now that his fellow Republicans, who tend to fear National Rifle Association retaliation, hold the reins.

But Toomey has shown himself to be dogged in his views while retaining good credentials as a conservative.

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That, combined with his increased seniority and experience, may give him a shot.

Toomey’s measures aim to establish a broad system of universal background checks for gun buyers.

“What I want to do is focus on what I think we can accomplish now, and that is make it harder for people who shouldn’t have firearms to obtain firearms,” Toomey explained. He was clear that he intends to use the recent mass slayings as leverage: “If it creates a momentum, if it creates an opportunity, then we need to seize that opportunity.”

To seek bipartisan support, he is teaming up with Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.).

That shouldn’t be hard. The challenge will come in persuading two key backers: President Donald Trump and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.).

Trump may be doable.

His positions on gun control, as on many policies, have been all over the lot but he has at times expressed that criminals and mentally

Linda Fields Takes Aim at Leach For the second time in two years, a prominent Philadelphia-area labor official is making a run for State Senate – in a different district than she did the first time. Linda Fields challenged incumbent State Sen. Bob Mensch (R-Montgomery), losing by a respectable 5 points. This time, she is tackling an incumbent fellow Democrat, State Sen. Daylin Leach, in the primary.

This is made possible because Fields owns homes in two different parts of Montgomery County, enabling her to change residences with ease.

Born in West Philadelphia, Fields has a long track record with important city supporters. She has been an organizer as a national organizer and business agent with the National Union of Hospital & Healthcare Employees, District 1199C, since the 1970s,

when, working with Local 1199C head Henry Nicholas, she helped to organize Temple Hospital. Since then, she has also played influential roles with national and local AFSCME and AFL-CIO. She is close to Laborers’ Local 135,

STATE REP MARY ISAACSON

195th Leg. Dist.

2835 W. Girard Ave Phila, PA 19130

310 W. Chelten Ave. Phila PA 19148

175TH LEGISLATIVE DISTRICT

T: (215) 684-3738 F: (215) 235-4629

P: 215-849-6426 State Senator

Sharif

Street 1621 W. Jefferson Street Philadelphia, PA 19121

215-227-6161

610 N. SECOND STREET 215.503.3245

Representative

Angel Cruz

District Office 3503 ‘B’ St. 215-291-5643 Ready to Serve you

Paid for with PA Tax Dollars

State Rep.

Councilman

Mark

McClinton

Squilla

191st Leg. Dist.

6027 Ludlow St. Unit A Phila., PA 19139

1st District City Hall Room 332

T: (215) 748-6712 F: (215) 748-1687

215-686-3458/59

Donatucci

Councilman At-Large

DEREK S. GREEN City Hall, Room 594 Philadelphia, PA 19107

215-686-3450 www.phlcouncil.com

City Councilwoman Cherelle L. Parker 9th District

District Office 1538 E. Wadsworth Avenue Philadelphia, PA 19150 Phone: 215-686-3454 Fax: 215-685-9271. www.phlcouncil.com/CherelleParker

Facebook: CouncilwomanCherelleLParker Twitter: @CherelleParker9

which is based in Montgomery County.

Fields is endorsed by AFSCME DC 33, District 1199C,ASCFME, AFL-CIO, Transportation Workers Union Local 234 and International Longshoremen Association Local 1291.

It’s no secret why Leach is in trouble. He has been the target of numerous sexual-harassment allegations for the past couple of years – an (Cont. Next page)

Joanna E.

Rep.Maria P.

8th Senatorial District

“Paid for with Pennsylvanian taxpayer dollars”

INDEPENDENT councilmanic hopeful Joe Cox attended the affair, sharing political theater with Laura Desimine.

Bullock

198th District

2103 SNYDER AVENUE PHILADELPHIA, PA 19145 (215) 755-9185 FAX: (215) 952-3375 ---SENATE BOX 203008 HARRISBURG, PA 17120 ROOM: 11 EAST WING (717) 787-5970 FAX: (717) 772-0574

THE AFL-CIO’S youth wing held a Democratic Debate Watch party at Haute restaurant in Center City, an increasingly popular political hangout. Photos by Wendell Douglas

AT YOUR SERVICE

Anthony Hardy Williams 2901 ISLAND AVE. STE 100 PHILADELPHIA, PA 19153 (215) 492-2980 FAX: (215) 492-2990 ---419 CHURCH LANE YEADON, PA 19050 (610) 284-7335 FAX: (610) 284-5955 6630 LINDBERGH BLVD.

Haute Politics

Donna

Youngblood

State Senator

chance to sway him, Toomey is probably the right man to send for the job.

State Rep.

Rep. Rosita

Always Hard At Work for You! P H IL LY R E CO R D.C O M - 215 -755 -20 0 0

ill people should be screened out of gun purchases. If he gave the nod, Vice President Mike Pence would stand behind his boss. Toomey would then have to persuade only two other Republicans to go along – and that’s not impossible.

First, however, he would have to persuade McConnell to allow the measure to be introduced. That’s a taller order.

But Toomey has the August recess to work on the majority leader. And it is possible that McConnell may have a reason to play along.

He is up for re-election this year. And he has never been popular in his home state.

He is challenged by former Marine pilot Amy McGrath, who ran strongly in a race for congress last year. If public opinion puts gun violence on the front burner, he may be persuaded to do a nimble parliamentary dance for self-preservation.

Still, most observers are betting that NRA will succeed as before in putting in the last word to McConnell.

If, however, there is a

D-185th District 2901 S. 19th St. Phila PA 19145 P: 215-468-1515 F: 215-952-1164 Councilwoman

Jannie L. Blackwell

District 3 City Hall, Room 408 Philadelphia, PA 19107 (215) 686-3418, (215) 686-3419 FAX: (215) 686-1933

State Rep. Jason

Dawkins District Office:

4667 Paul St. Philadelphia, PA 19124 (215) 744-7901 M.–Th.:8:30a.m.–5:00p.m.

F.: 8:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.

State Rep.

Kevin J.

Boyle 172nd Dist.

7420 Frankford Ave. Phila., PA 19136

215-331-2600

THE VESPER CLUB was filled to capacity with Republicans from across Philadelphia and the suburbs eager to mingle with each other and to meet new PA GOP chair Lawrence Tabas, 2nd from R. Among those in the crowd were LeNard Shotwell, GOP 11th Ward leader; judicial candidate Christylee Peck; and longtime GOP stalwart and Public Record contributor Mike Cibik.

No Mayoral Debate Ahead To the surprise of absolutely no one, Mayor Jim Kenney has declined to participate in a formal debate with his Republican opponent, Bill Ciancaglini, in the November general election.

City Republicans have already decried his refusal. City Council at-large candidate Matt Wolfe tore into Kenney, saying, “I don’t know what is worse: that the mayor won’t engage in a debate with his opponent or his reason for refusing. Debates are a bedrock of the American political system that allowed him to become mayor of a major U.S. city.

Mayor Kenney disrespects our city’s and country’s values.”

Kenney will no doubt shrug off this criticism.

He has no reason to share the spotlight with his opponent.

In the meantime, the mayor celebrated his birthday yesterday. Without debate.

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(Cont. From Prev. Page) issue that plays especially poorly with suburban Democratic women in 2019. Leach has stumbled in his search for an adequate response, never a good sign.

While investigators have uncovered no provable basis for legal action against Leach, his Democratic colleagues in June called for him to resign.

At this point, Leach’s best chance for survival may lie in the fact that, as it now stands, the primary is a four-way race.

Norristown Area School Board President Shae Ashe has also announced his candidacy as has Sara Atkins, a Lower Merion committee member.

But in a race between two woman and two men, with sexual harassment the hottest topic, Fields also looks good.

Party leaders at the state level may exert pressure to get two of the challengers to bow out.

City GOP stalwart Mike Cibik, R, chatted with former PAGOP chair Rob Gleason and Chester County Sheriff Carolyn “Bunny” Welsh.

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POLS on the STREET

ALSO IN The crowd:were City Councilmember Al Taubenberger, one of the event’s sponsors, and judicial candidate Beth Grossman.

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GOP Turns out for Tabas

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Once More Unto the Breach

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OPINION

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That didn’t take long.

Once again, we feel compelled to address the ceaseless violence wrought upon our society by firearms or, as President Donald Trump put it most succinctly in his inaugural address, “American carnage,” which, he promised, “stops right here and stops right now.”

That was almost three years ago. While no one with even a passing familiarity of 2nd Amendment issues

would be foolhardy enough to either utter a phrase like that or believe someone who did, it still beggars belief to see how we are marching backwards on gun control.

The massacres in Ohio and Texas, so quickly following the one in California, have captured the nation’s attention in a way that the deadly weekly tolls from Chicago, New York – and, of course, Philadelphia – fail to do.

How do we know that this time is different? We don’t.

While past performance is no indicator of future returns, we have absolute faith in the ability of our state and national legislators to let us down once again in making even the smallest good faith effort to move us incrementally forward.

There are small glimmers of possible change on the

horizon. One of the more-telling chyrons from the past few days was CNN listing the 50 GOP lawmakers they asked to appear on the network to discuss the tragedies.

Out of those 50 legislators, only one, Congressman Ted Yoho (R-Fla.) agreed to come on the air. You know the tide has turned against you when you can’t even muster the fortitude to repeat the NRA-approved talking points to the talking heads. And U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey’s bipartisan background checks bill appears to have regained momentum.

There have even been rumblings about reinstating the long-dead assault-rifle ban.

But it’s August and Congress is in recess. By the time the pols return to the Capitol, who knows what else will be competing for their – and our – attention?

The News in Black & White

STATE REP. Danilo Burgos received collegial support at his recent fundraiser at Taqueria La Raza in Kensington: L-R, State Rep. Matt Bradford from Montgomery County with his sons Will, Zachary and Jack; Burgos; and State Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta from N. Philadelphia. Photo by Wendell Douglas

New Ways to Pay for College

BY STATE SEN. WAYNE D. FONTANA ost college students look forward to summer break and a reprieve from the classroom, but few have the resources to take the “summer off” from one of their most difficult challenges: paying for their education.

A postsecondary education can be expensive, but it is an investment worth making. Whether a student attends the Community College of Allegheny County, learns a trade, or receives a four-year degree from the University of Pittsburgh, education is the key to a better future.

Fortunately, the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency, in cooperation with the Pennsylvania Department of Community & Economic Development and State Treasurer Joseph Torsella, have launched the PA Forward Student Loan Program.

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PA Forward is a new suite of affordable private student-loan programs created to help families cover the full cost of higher education, without getting buried in unnecessary debt.

Students and families can benefit from this homegrown program more than ever. According to a 2012 Lumina Foundation study, Americans with associate degrees earn 51% more annually than high-school graduates with no college degree. Bachelor’s-degree holders earn 134% more annually. Those who attain degrees are more likely to find jobs, have health insurance, vote in elections, and even live longer.

Currently, over 46% of Pennsylvanians have obtained their postsecondary education, including high-quality certificate programs and degrees. However, it is estimated that 60% of Pennsylvanians will need

to obtain a postsecondary education by 2025 to meet Pennsylvania’s future workforce needs.

Additionally, low-income, first-generation students must often overcome difficult barriers when attaining their degree. These barriers can be even higher for people of color.

The recent “Indicators of Higher Education Equity in the United States” report examined circumstances that can result in challenging situations for those seeking to improve themselves via higher education. The report demonstrates how the cost burden of a degree is shifting to students and families, since there is less state and federal funding for college, as compared to prior decades.

At the same time, federal Pell Grants cover less of the cost of college than ever before. In 2017, the Pell (Cont. Next Page)

MARK your CALENDAR Aug. 8- State Sen. Christine Tartaglione hosts Community Picnic at Fairhill Sq. Pk., 412 W. Lehigh Ave., 10 a.m.-2 p.m. DJs, refreshments, back-to-school giveaways, child fingerprinting & vendors. Family-friendly and free. For info: (215) 533-0440.

Aug. 9- C o u n c i l m a n Bobby Henon hosts “Philly Play Summer Challenges” at Pennypack Pk., State Rd. & Pennypack Path, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Children’s sports, obstacle courses & oth-

er physical fun. For info: Frank Keel (454) 4104932.

Aug. 9- FOP Lodge 5 hosts “Team McNesby at Shore” at Keenan’s, 113 Olde New Jersey Ave., N. Wildwood, N.J., 6-9 p.m.

Aug. 9- C o u n c i l m a n Mark Squilla hosts Summer Soirée Down the Shore at Keenan’s, 113 Olde New Jersey Ave., N. Wildwood, N.J., 7-10 p.m. Yachts $5,000, Sailboats $2,500, Paddle Boats $1,000, Gen. Admission $30. Payable to “Squilla for Council,” P.O. Box 37332, Phila., PA 19148 or http:// www.marksquilla.org/upcomingevents/.

Aug. 10- State Reps.

Morgan Cephas, Movita Johnson-Harrell & Joanna McClinton hosts “60th St. Health & Wellness Community Summer Jam” on 60th St. betw. Arch and Chestnut, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Free. Entertainment, food, family

fun, constituent services.

For info: Hope Foy (215) 748-6712.

Aug. 10- State Rep. Jordan Harris hosts Soul School Festival at 19th St. & Washington Ave., 12-8 p.m. Bounce houses, food, games, live entertainment & government-agency information. For info: (215) 9523378.

Aug. 10- IBEW Local 98 hosts Down Under at Keenan’s, 113 Olde New Jersey Ave., N. Wildwood, N.J., 3-7 p.m.

Aug. 10- Local 686 Gas Workers’ Union hosts Shore Party at Keenan’s, 113 Olde New Jersey Ave., N. Wildwood, N.J., 4-8 p.m.

Aug. 10- State Sen. Sharif Street hosts “Happy Hour down the Shore” at Cuba Libre Restaurant & Bar, 2801 Pacific Ave., Su. 228, Atlantic City, N.J., 4-6 p.m. Contribution levels: Platinum (Cont. Next page)

For Further Listings see “Calendar” Online At www.phillyrecord.com

COLLEGE (Cont. From Prev. Page) Grant covered about 25% of college costs, down from 67% in 1976. As a result, more students and their families are borrowing to pay for college than ever before. The report also found that African American bachelor’s-degree recipients have both the highest borrowing rates (85%) and the highest average amount borrowed ($34,000).

Clearly, the rising cost of college means that private student loans are increasingly necessary after students exhaust grants, scholarships, campus-based aid, and low-cost federal student loans.

Under PA Forward, PHEAA makes borrower-friendly private student loans to Penn-

sylvania students at competitively low rates and with superior repayment benefits. Students can borrow up to the total cost of attendance with no application or origination fees, flexible repayment options, interest rate reductions for successful graduation, additional rate reductions for enrolling in automatic debt, and no late fees during repayment.

Students pursuing a degree, diploma or certificate for completing certain trades training programs can also qualify for a loan.

The PA Forward Student Loan Program will make borrowing more affordable. However, students must also understand that the key to borrowing wisely is to do so only when it’s necessary.

Again, low-cost, federal student loans should be the first option after all eligibility for gift aid is exhausted.

After careful consideration of the costs and options for financing college, and the many long-term positive returns on a college degree, student loans are increasingly the only way forward for many students.

When this is the case, we are working to make sure students have the tools and resources to make smart choices, including PHEAA’s new PA Forward Student Loan Program.

Sen. Wayne D. Fontana is the Vice Chairman of the PHEAA Board of Directors. For more information on PHEAA’s PA Forward Student Loans Program, please visit PHEAA.org/ PA-Forward.

ten Ave., 11 a.m.-3 p.m.

Vendors, activities, pony rides, helicopter. For info: (215) 242-8171.

Aug. 17- State Rep. Morgan Cephas hosts Constituent District

Day at Tustin Rec Ctr., 5901 W. Columbia Ave., 12-4 p.m. Basketball tournament, live music, games, raffles, giveaways, food & refreshments. Constituent

services. For info: (215) 879-6625.

Aug. 17- Teamsters host Unity Day at Keenan’s, 113 Olde New Jersey Ave., N. Wildwood, N.J., 3-7 p.m.

Entrepreneur Sid Booker apologizes for last week’s oversight of names not included as “invited guests” to his Annual Shrimp & BBQ Pool Party being held on Sunday, August 11, 2019.

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Aug. 15- State Sen. Christine Tartaglione hosts Community Picnic at Lawncrest Rec Ctr., 6000 Rising Sun Ave., 10 a.m.-2 p.m. DJs, refreshments, back-toschool giveaways, child fingerprinting & vendors.

Family-friendly and free. For info: (215) 533-0440.

Aug. 16- State Rep. Joanna McClinton hosts Summer Soirée at Bartram’s Garden, 5400 Lindbergh Blvd., 5-9 p.m., Dinner 6 p.m. For info: www.mcclintonforpa.com.

Aug. 17- State Rep. Danilo Burgos hosts First-Time Homebuyer Workshop at 635 W. Erie Ave., 10 a.m.12 m. Establish credit, down-payment & closing assistance. For info: (215) 223-1890.

Aug. 17- State Sen. Art Haywood & Regular Fellows Foundation host Back to School Celebration at Lonnie Young Rec Ctr., 1100 E. Chel-

Not included in the ad was: Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro and Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner.

Sid Booker Entrepreneur

Sid Booker, along with his guests, is looking forward to seeing you both this Sunday.

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(Cont. From Prev. Page) $10,000, Gold $5,000, Silver $2,500, Bronze $1,000, Tickets $100, Young Professionals $35. Payable to “Friends of Sharif Street,” P.O. Box 28854, Phila., PA 19151.

RSVP: Lindsey Perry (267) 275-2120 or Lindsey@LPerryGroup.com.

Aug. 12- Councilwoman Cindy Bass hosts “Showtime at the Apollo,” carnival talent show with free food, children’s gamers & prizes at Stenton Pk., 1701 W. Courtland Ave., 6 p.m. For info: (215) 686-3424.

Aug. 13- Councilwoman Cindy Bass hosts “Jazz, Funk & Soul with DJ Gary O” at Morris Estate, 1610 W. Chelten Ave., 6 p.m. For info: (215) 686-3424.

Aug. 14- Councilwoman Cindy Bass hosts

“Oldies in the Park” at Vernon Pk., 5800 Germantown Ave., 5:30 p.m. Family activities &outdoor dance party with DJ Gary O. For info: (215) 686-3424.

Aug. 14- City Commissioner Lisa Deeley Hosts Birthday at the Palm, 200 S. Broad St., 5:30-7:30 p.m. Contribution Levels: Gold $1,000, Silver $500, Bronze $250. Payable to “Deeley 15,” P.O. Box 22535, Phila., PA 19110. For info: (215) 906-0339.

Aug. 14- Councilmanic candidate Sherrie Cohen hosts Summer Bash at Stir Lounge, 1705 Chancellor St., 5:30-7 p.m. Contribution levels: Gold $2,000, Silver $1,000, Bronze $500, Supporters $250, Friends $100, Tickets $25. Payable to “Cohen for Council,” P.O. Box 22541, Phila., PA 19110 RSVP: Matt@ S h er r i e C o h en 4 Ph il ly. com.

Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro

Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner

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The Struggle to Save Hahnemann

NUHHCE LOCAL 1199C President Henry Nicholas brought many of his members to the rally. Local 1199C is the major union representing hospital and health-care workers in this city.

Photos by Wendell Douglas

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FORMER MAYOR John Street was one of many civic leaders who demonstrated outside Hahnemann University Hospital last week in an effort to prevent its inpatient services from being permanently shut down. When in City Council, Street’s district was intensively served by Hahnemann.

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IN FORCE at the rally were, L-R, councilmanic candidates Isaiah Thomas and Katherine Gilmore Richardson, Councilman Bobby Henon, councilmanic candidate Jamie Gauthier and Philadelphia Council AFL-CIO President Pat Eiding.

UNION leaders at the event consulted: L-R, AFSCME SecretaryTreasurer Elissa McBride, Local 1199C Executive Vice President Chris Woods and Laborers’ District Council Business Manager Ryan Boyer.

SHOWING solidarity were, L-R, State Sen. Vincent Hughes; AFLCIO leader Pat Eiding; Kristina Brown; Natalie Slowinski; and Mike Cogbill, organizing coordinator for Philadelphia AFL-CIO.

L-R WERE councilmanic candidates Jamie Gauthier, Katherine Gilmore Richardson and Isaiah Thomas with District Attorney Larry Krasner.

FIGHTING to save Hahnemann were, L-R, State Rep. Morgan Cephas, councilmanic candidate Katherine Gilmore Richardson, Local 1199C leader Henry Nicholas, and councilmanic candidates Isaiah Thomas and Jamie Gauthier.

STATE SEN. Vincent Hughes, L, posed with a close political ally, Laborers’ leader Ryan Boyer.

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INSULATORS’ Local 14’s annual seashore sandy beach party was again a success in Keenan’s N. Wildwood. Local 14 Business Agent Stephen Pettit, C, continues to superbly lead the Philadelphia Region local. Here he greets two Local 14 members who were elected as Borough Councilmen: Traz Tovinsky of Mount Ephraim, N.J .and Frank Rollo of Clayton, N.J. Photos by Joe Stivala

DEMOCRATIC Party Chairman Robert Brady, L, greeted Local14 leader Stephen Pettit and his lovely wife during their Local 14 summer celebration. Carmella Jacquinto, Esq,, judicial candidate in the November election, R, was also on hand to thank Local 14 for support. Pat Eiding. president of the Philadelphia AFL-CIO once served as Local 14 leader.

CITY DEMOCRATIC Party Chairman Bob Brady met Local 22 Firefighters 2nd Vice President Chuck McQuilken during the 17th Annual Firefighters Beach party in N. Wildwood. They are joined by Carmella Jacquinto, Esq., candidate for Common Pleas judge; Battalion Chief John McQuire, event organizer; and firefighter John Branella.

L-R, DEMOCRATIC Party Chairman Bob Brady and judicial candidate Carmella Jacquinto, Esq. greet Local 14 members Taz Tovinsky and Frank Rollo who were elected as Councilpersons in their respective boroughs. Union members are seeking public office within their region. Local 13 Boilermakers are fielding two Council candidates in the Allentown area.

HANGING out with the team were Local 14 Business Manager Steve Pettit, 4th from R rear, and President Dennis Kilderry, 7th from L rear.

Baker Playground Enjoys a Safe Outing

BAKER Playground in West Philadelphia was host to a Saturday party stressing safety and fun. Photos by Wendell Douglas

HOST Councilman Curtis Jones was joined by, L-R, Police Officers Christos Fountas, Joshua Kelly and Daniel Barr.

COOLING off in the city on a summer afternoon were, L-R, Chris Meng, Tess Donie and Sylvohv Corbin.

STATE SEN. Vincent Hughes was flanked by Sheriff’s Deputies Philip Gordon, L, and Ed Kyne.

THE SHERIFF’S team was present in force: L-R, Sgt. Barry Johnson, Councilman Curtis Jones, Lynwood Savage, Deputy Sheriff Paris Washington and Police Officer Broderick Fowler.

HAVING a good time were, L-R, DeMarcus Waites, Councilman Curtis Jones and Allen Thomas.

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CITY FIREFIGHTERS were a “sea” of humanity of the seashore during the 17th Annual Local #22 party at the shore. This event was held in Keenan’s, N. Wildwood in honor of the fallen firefighter Danny McDaniels. Up and coming in Local 22 is 1st Vice President Mike Bresnan. Photos by Joe Stivala

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Local 22 Waters At Keenan’s

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hiladelphia MAYOR JIM KENNEY and other City officials recently headed to Vancouver and Toronto (of course on taxpayer funds) to look at safe injection sites. The mayor’s office stated, “The mayor looks forward to meeting with public-health and safety officials in these cities to learn more about Overdose Prevention Sites operations and their impact on public safety and neighboring communities, as well as any other lessons that can help Philadelphia

EVERYDAY PEOPLE

BY DENISE CLAY ecause we live in a society where the 2nd Amendment is the only one that counts and people have to take to the streets to make folks realize that Black Lives Matter, we wind up talking about mass shootings a lot.

This weekend was particularly, shall we say, robust when it comes to mass shootings. The rampage at a Wal-Mart in El Paso, Tex. claimed the lives of more than 20 people, among them a mother who shielded her son from the gun-

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in its effort to combat the opioid epidemic.” Vancouver is a lovely city and nice this time of year.

Kenney was joined by former GOV. ED RENDELL, who is the chairman of Safehouse, the not-for-profit that plans to put a safe injection site in Kensington.

Safehouse expects to spend almost $2 million a year to operate this site which, they point out, is an area of the city seriously afflicted by the opioid epidemic.

Philadelphia has the highest opioid death rate of any large U.S. city. The mayor (and others) believe “that OPS can save lives and should be located in the heart of the crisis.” They argue that Kensington is the epicenter of the epidemic, so it makes sense to bring the safe injection site to the area where the problem is most acute.

Kensington residents point out there are homes and schools in walking

distance of proposed sites.

Also, I wonder if the crisis in Kensington was not a least in part caused by the tolerance by the City of the drug-using homeless camp that existed under the railroad bridge near Frankford & Lehigh Avenues. The residents near this camp complained repeatedly about the troubled, but potentially dangerous, people living under the bridge. I wonder if this camp were in Rittenhouse Square, how long it would have lasted.

U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, WILLIAM McSWAIN, sued Safehouse in February, arguing it’s seeking to break the law and normalize the use of deadly drugs like heroin and fentanyl. The suit argues the federal Controlled Substances Act makes it illegal to operate any site “for the purpose of unlawfully using a controlled substance.”

(Cont. Page 15)

man’s bullets and her husband, leaving their three children parentless.

Later that night, a man shot at patrons waiting to enter a bar in Dayton, Ohio, killing nine of them. One of those nine was his sister. I can only imagine the episode of “Murderers Among Us” that’s going to lead to.

Add this the shootings at the Gilroy Garlic Festival, and even a mass shooting here in Philadelphia that same weekend that seem to skip the notice of the national media because young Black men in cities are supposed to die in bunches, and you have a pretty murderous Summer clip working right now.

But I want to focus on the shootings in El Paso and Dayton right now, mostly because the discussions we’re having surrounding them kind of pours salt into a wound that never seems to heal.

Apparently, what led 21-year-old Patrick Crusius

of Allen, Texas to go into that Walmart with the AK47 he probably bought there last week and start busting shots off was his perception that America was being overrun by Mexicans, so he wanted to shoot as many of them as possible.

(Now here’s where I bring up the fact that the President of the United States, a man whose first political endorsement came from former Ku Klux Klan Grand Dragon David Duke, has made othering immigrants a central part of the pep rallies he’s been throwing himself around the country, including El Paso.)

Now we could go along with everyone who says that Mr. Crusius has a screw loose and it completely came undone before he walked into Walmart with several mags of ammo shot up everyone.

But in order to do that, racism and white supremacy would have to become (Cont. Next Page)

WALKING the BEAT

BY JOE SHAY STIVALA RAFFIC LIGHTS: The Philadelphia Public Record has been hammering away at the need to ease traffic flow to move traffic at least four blocks thanks to synchronized green lights for those blocks. City Traffic Light Supervisor said that it was difficult to keep the obsolete traffic lights synchronized. Hmm. WHERE are they synchronized? On traffic-light timing, City Traffic Engineer Patrick Callahan said that timing is significant in off-rush

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CITY HALL SAM

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lot of Philadelphians spend their summer months at down the shore or at city parks or pools. Instead of dipping his toes into the sand and surf at the shore, Philadelphia’s Mayor Jim Kenney headed north to visit safe injection sites in Canada.

The heroin epidemic continues in Philadelphia and in fact a corollary hepatitis epidemic is also taking place. The health crisis and dealing with people who have been infected is directly related

hours. Are you kidding?

Timing is important in RUSH HOURS too! For over 30 years it has been possible to travel mostly without a red light from 30th Street to 63rd on Walnut – and return on Chestnut while driving at about 26 miles per hour. It dates back to the era of Mayor James H.J. TATE. Now speeders make it less easy to do. But we need more of it. PS traffic engineers, we won’t have to synchronize if we have REAL-TIME traffic lights on certain streets where they can observe the number of cars and adjust light-change interval to MOVE traffic.

We learned that 200K in food stamps is in jeopardy in the area of State expanded eligibility. State officials say a cut there would give us “sound fiscal policy.”

WHO CARES about that?

Sound policy applies to an ENTIRE State budget.

We are talking about HU-

MAN LIVES. Rest assured that State officials whop favor fiscal frugality over poor people have FULL BELLIES – and COULD be overfed?

Judge Gwen BRIGHT set Chester Hollman free.

He was wrongfully convicted of murder. How does a person get those LOST YEARS back from statistic-driven prosecution?

A reader reminds me of the feds obtaining an admission of guilt when the suspect’s wife is threatened with trial and jail. Holding a wife HOSTAGE would be a lazy and POLTROONISH way, rather than trained methods. It is less than manly to do this. Henry V might say that would be to “Hold your manhood CHEAP.” At the least it is less than honorable. We should find out how many convictions were obtained this way.

(Cont. Page 15)

to unsanitary conditions in heroin addiction. This is more money out of the City budget. Money that is not going to student instruction in our neighborhood schools, to filling potholes, or to fixing leaky roofs and abating mold and lead at our schools and recreation centers.

The only way this problem can be solved is by dealing with addiction.

Not making it easier, safer, and cleaner, but stopping it. The city has many talented addiction specialists that can help provide addiction treatment.

Perhaps law enforcement should be given the power to force addicts into treatment rather than taking them to jail. This is the only way to solve this problem and the waterfall of cash pouring out of the City budget to deal with this issue. Philadelphia doesn’t need to emulate Canada. Philadelphia needs to show

brotherly love to addicts that desperately need treatment.

The fight to save Hahnemann Hospital has elicited a lot of public concern from labor and political leaders–but so far not a lot of money, public or private. It is not clear where such monies can be found at this hour.

Perhaps a wiser course would be the Philadelphia Department of Public Health to begin a systematic “stress test” of all the city’s inpatient-care facilities to determine whether other institutions may be under pressure in future years. The underlying economics of inpatient care in a city with a high poverty rate are difficult. The time to intervene is before bankruptcy, not after.

Check Our News & Calendar Daily Updates @ www.phillyrecord.com

EVERYDAY PEOPLE

(Cont. From Prev. Page) part of the DSM-4, the psychologists’ guide to mental disorders. Considering these are learned behaviors, I don’t see it.

What I will grant the Justice Department is that they’ve finally seen the light when it comes to this stuff. Cruises is going to get called a domestic terrorist for the purposes of prosecution. This certainly fits.

Actual commonsense gun control would help too, but I know we’re not going for it. Moscow Mitch McConnell and company let me know that when a bunch of kindergarten kids didn’t make it home from Sandy Hook Elementary School and you made sure nothing got passed.

Next week, I’m going to talk about some other mass shootings that we don’t think about a whole lot, probably because of whom they happen to.

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o! Here we go again with this story. Imagine if you had to do it.

Jesse was a chicken-plucker. He stood on a line in a chicken factory and spent his days pulling the feathers off dead chickens so the rest of us wouldn’t have to. It wasn’t much of a job.

But at the time, Jesse didn’t think he was much of a person. His father was a brute of a man. His dad was actually thought to be

hypochondriac symptoms persisted, the military did recognize his talents and put him in the entertainment corps. That was when his world changed. He gained confidence.

He found he had a talent for making people laugh, and laugh so hard they often had tears in their eyes.

Yes, little Jesse had found himself.

You know, the history books are full of people who overcame a handicap to go on and make a success of themselves, but Jesse is one of the few I know of who didn’t “overcome” it. Instead he used his paranoia to make a million dollars!

Yes, that little paranoid hypochondriac, who transferred his nerves into a successful career, still holds the record for the most Emmys given in a single category.

The wonderful, gifted, comedian who brought us “Barney Fife” was Jesse Don Knotts.

There is a street named for him and his statue stands in Morgantown, W.V., his place of birth.

It honors Jesse Donald “Don” Knotts (Jul. 21, 1924Feb. 24, 2006). Gone but not forgotten.

LABORERS’ DISTRICT COUNCIL HEALTH & SAFETY FUND 665 N. Broad St. Philadelphia, PA 19123

(215) 236-6700

www.ldc-phila-vic.org Alan Parham, Adminstrator

Place your ad in the Philadelphia Public Record.

For ad rates and other information, please contact Melissa Barrett at 215-755-2000, ext. 5 or email at mbarrett@phillyrecord.com

Local 57 - Esteban Vera, Jr., Business Manager Local 135 - Daniel L. Woodall, Jr.,, Business Manager Local 332 - Samuel Staten, Jr., Business Manager Local 413 - James Harper, Jr., Business Manager Laborers’ District Council - Ryan Boyer, Business Manager Building better and safer communities in Philadlephia, Bucks, Chester, Delaware and Montgomery Counties

Do it Right, Do It Safe, Do It Union.

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the WAFFLE MAN

mentally ill and treated Jesse roughly all of his life.

Jesse’s older brother wasn’t much better. He was always picking on Jesse and beating him up. Life was anything but easy and he thought life didn’t hold much hope for him. That’s why he was standing in this chicken line, doing a job darn few people wanted.

In addition to all the rough treatment at home, it seems Jesse was always sick. Sometimes it was real physical illness, but way too often it was all in his head.

He was a small child, skinny and meek. That sure didn’t help the situation any.

When he started to school, he was the object of every bully on the playground. He was a hypochondriac of the first order.

For Jesse, tomorrow was not always something he looked forward to, but, he had dreams. He wanted to be a ventriloquist. He found books on ventriloquism. He practiced with sock puppets and saved his hard-earned dollars until he could get a real ventriloquist dummy.

When he was old enough, he joined the military and even though many of his

Special Issue

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Please join us on September 12th for The Philadelphia Public Record’s annual

Back to School Issue,

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a fresh look at the latest trends in and out of class.

Please make checks payable to the Public Record Newspaper

Please send your ad to mbarrett@phillyrecord.com or call Melissa Barrett, 215-755-2000 Ext. 5 21 S. 11th Street, Suite 205 • Philadelphia PA 19107

THE BIGGEST National Night Out celebration was at Snyder Plaza in Whitman. It had all the bells and whistles: games, firetrucks, live bands – even a helicopter landing. Photo by Wendell Douglas

GENIAL host was Councilman Mark Squilla, R, shown here with friend Joe Ferretti. Photo by Wendell Douglas

COUNCILMANIC aspirant Katherine Gilmore Richardson dropped by for the party, accompanied by her three daughters, from L, Katherine, Simone and David Richardson. Photo by Wendell Douglas

DEPUTIES of the Philadelphia Sheriff’s Office were on hand to discuss law enforcement with residents in the 34th Ward. The 6100 Block Race Street Civic Association again sponsored the National Night Out event. Community leader and Democratic Committeeperson Kathy Huggins, 3rd from L, again sponsored the event. Free gun locks were distributed by the sheriff to lock guns in homes with children.

Photo by Joe Stivala

STATE REP. Kevin Boyle sponsored another massive party at Fox Chase Elementary School. Photo by Harry Leech

JOINING State Rep. Kevin Boyle was Councilman Brian O’Neill, R. Photo by Harry Leech

Philadelphia Society Mourns Mendelsohn’s Passing

JOINING State Rep. Kevin Boyle was Councilman Brian O’Neill, R. Photo by Harry Leech

OFT-PHOTOGRAPHED man about town Donald “Ducky” Birts, R, gave condolences to Mendelsohn’s sister Judy Marcus & her husband Larry.

A GRATEFUL city embraced with love a modest hero on his passing.

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A SOLEMN ceremony celebrated the life of photographer Robert Mendelsohn, who chronicled the lives and doings of Philadelphia’s Black elite. Photos by Wendell Douglas

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Thousands Enjoy Philadelphia’s National Night Out

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Special Issue

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HAPPY LABOR DAY Honoring Our Locals

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Please join us on August 29th in our 2019 Labor Day Commemorative Issue honoring our Local Unions and their membership.

Come celebrate at the 32nd Annual AFL-CIO Labor Day Parade:

Monday, September 2, 2019

at Sheet Metal Workers Local 19 Union Hall 1301 S. Columbus Blvd. & Washington Ave.

WALKING the BEAT (Cont. From Page 10) MEDIA CRITIQUE: I read an article about the sentencing of former Sheriff John GREEN. Part of the headline blared that critics (it never offered who the critics were) want the sheriff’s office eliminated. The critics could almost certainly be the Editorial Board and the Committee of 70. There was a quote from the head of 70 that said such an “OBSCURE” office need not exist. Obscurity is no reason to eliminate an office that works, bringing millions to City coffers. The massive article of FULL-PAGE print had a puny five paragraphs on closing that office (?).

They contend this means that fewer needles are found on the neighboring streets. Perhaps the number of needles on the street per the number of addicts may be reduced, but commonsense (and Canadians living near these sites) tell me that these OPSs attract users that otherwise might not be in the neighborhood.

After these drug users safely shoot heroin (and other opioids), they wan-

der out into the surrounding neighborhoods to experience their high and look for the next ones. Many of these users finance their drugs through crimes perpetrated on neighbors. The people selling these drugs go to where the cliental hangs out. These drug salesmen are criminals and are not nice people. Do you want these criminals around your children?

The proponents of these sites say that there needs

to be one in Kensington as that is where the addicts are most prevalent. At the same time, these OPS proponents try to appeal to naysayers by contending that the opioid epidemic cuts across class and racial lines. Then let’s put the first Philadelphia OPS in East Falls where Rendell lived for decades. I guess it is okay to put an OPS in a neighborhood where parents send their children go to Our Lady of Port

It felt like the story was written in a curmudgeonly mood. If the 70 critics will turn in their cigarettes, I will buy them Newports instead.

A column of Joe ASHDALE having 10 relatives working at the Parking Authority would have Claudio worried too much, as in “Much Ado About Nothing. “Joe’s gotta go” was a line used; but it did not seem to fire up the piece. Then an anti-PPA editorial said that PPA had not collected $580 MILLION in fines. Whoa!

I pay my fines to the BAA, not PPA. The BAA is part of the CITY FINANCE DEPARTMENT, not the quasi-STATE PPA. Deputy Finance Commissioner PASTEUR in charge?

LOOK AROUND the nation. Cities cannot collect

many millions in such fines!

A great editorial finally gave good treatment to former State Attorney General Kathleen KANE. In my book, all the critics who poked fun at her appearance really should consult a mirror. She was railroaded. Kane’s PORNGATE list of names was never released. Some say that its release would ROCK THE COMMONWEALTH (?)

A reader reminded me that when journalists disparage a politician, they give no thought to a lifetime’s worth of work to constituents to proclaim that all politicians are crooks. Even in polite society, the talk is of politicians and how they are (all) on the take. Doing this is a blanket value judgment from afar. Only GOD and

those who studied under AKBAR should do it.

SAD NEWS was the loss of Lydia P. KIRKLAND, mother of Senior Judge Lydia Kirkland. Mom lived a full life and has crossed the river and now rests in the shade of the trees.

PEOPLE: Bryan Bush is celebrating 10 years as Assistant Business Manager of Local 19 Sheet Metal Workers. Bravo to him!

Congrats to Christian ROLLO, Esq. on graduation

from Drexel Law School.

He will report to work with his dad Joseph at his law office on S. Broad Street. Best wishes!

The break-in at the home of Congressman Elijah Cummings in Baltimore SMELLS FUNNY. The intruder did not stay long, made noise and got away.

Then Trump tweeted.

Shades of Watergate? Can we resurrect the late detective Tony ULASEWICZ to testify on this?

Check Our

Richmond, but not Penn 15 Charter.

In my opinion, these drug users need help to kick their addictions, we should not be enabling them. If we save these poor souls from overdosing today, where will they be tomorrow? We need to help these people before they get addicted and by providing them with rehab afterwards, not by standing by and watching them destroy their bodies and minds.

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T HE S O U T H PHIL A D EL PHI A P UB L I C R E CO R D

(Cont. From Page 10) While I grant that McSwain was appointed to this position by a Republican administration, I should note that the Democrat ATTORNEY GENERAL OF PENNSYLVANIA JOSH SHAPIRO shares McSwain’s opinion of the legality of these OPSs. Safehouse’s latest claim is that their right to their

religious convictions protects their activities. I guess that means if you belong to a religion that permits having sex with a minor, that pedophilia is okay.

The operators of OPSs in Canada contend that they have successfully saved people taking drugs in their sites from potential overdoses. They probably accurately claim that the used needles are disposed of in the OPSs.

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ELEPHANT CORNER

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