July 2010 Archives

Is DROP a Flop?

That's the finding of a Boston consultant hired by the city to examine the pros and cons of the early retirement program.  Oddly, the report from the consultant isn't due until later this month, but The Inquirer got a tip... (Comments)

That Sinking Feeling

When the legislature passed this year's state budget, they knew it had a huge hole. It depended on $850 million coming from the feds for Medicaid.  At first, Gov. Rendell said he was optimistic Congress would pass the additional aid.... (Comments)

The eHarmony Blues

By Tara Jo Quinn Three weeks before Dan and I got engaged we signed up for an online dating service.  It was a game, you see.   One afternoon, while we were watching baseball highlights, a commercial for eHarmony came... (Comments)

Strike One

By Tom Ferrick Jr. They say that baseball is the sport that most resembles life, but baseball also resembles political campaigns. They are both games played over long seasons; both involve big plays and big money; in each errors can... (Comments)

Worries Over Gas Drilling

The rapid expansion of gas exploration in Pennsylvania has triggered a demand for more federal oversight over drilling.  The New York Times reported Sunday (July 25) that the EPA is considering looking into issues involving drilling, particularly the practice called... (Comments)

How the Money Game is Changing Harrisburg

By Tom Ferrick Jr. State Rep. Dwight Evans raised nearly $1.7 million for his campaign fund during the two-year cycle that ended with the 2008 election. But the most amazing part isn't the amount of money he amassed; it is... (Comments)

The Money Game: Pennsylvania as PAC Land

By William Ecenbarger Money not only talks in Pennsylvania politics-it's keeping up a running conversation. Between 1999 and 2008, total money raised for state political campaigns nearly doubled, from $74.4 million to $133 million. Who gives all this money to... (Comments)

The Money Game: Marcellus Shale Cash

Oil and gas interests were never big givers to politicians in Pennsylvania -- until the Marcellus Shale natural gas deposit was discovered running under the state. Now, as the drilling rigs arrive, so have campaign contributions.. (Comments)

My Entry-Level Trap

By Zach Sinemus I entered my freshman year at Swarthmore College in the fall of 2006 with wide eyes and high hopes. My goal was to receive a liberal arts education that would prepare me for anything; I'd major in... (Comments)

253 Yellow Feathers

Gov. Rendell is trying to lure the legislature back to Harrisburg for a late August session to deal with the $400-million plus hole in the PennDOT budget due to the fed refusing to allow I80 to become a toll road.... (Comments)

The Van Seat

By Christine Fisher Whenever company asks how to get to my apartment in South Philadelphia, I tell them I live in the apartment between the flower shop and the van seat chained to an alley. These are the landmarks that... (Comments)

Mayor Muddle

By Tom Ferrick Jr. For any group willing to try it out, I think I have found a method to get money and support from the Nutter administration.  Here is my plan: Arrange for a meeting with the mayor and... (Comments)

Drill Our Way Out?

At last, some realistic talk about the state of state government. Democratic Rep. Todd Eachus, the House majority leader, went before the editorial board of his hometown paper and laid out the difficult shape the state is in.  The deficit is... (Comments)

Rent to Own

By Lauren Hall Last summer, my husband and I relocated to Philly from Boston.  I gave myself a weekend to find an apartment in Center City, and lined up several appointments with local realtors well in advance.  I figured it... (Comments)

Open Mouth, Insert Foot

Tom Corbett is lucky it is July and hardly anyone is paying attention to the race for governor.  It gives him time to recover from kerfuffle over his remarks about the unemployed which implied -- stratch that -- said a lot of them won't... (Comments)

Run Away! Run Away!

By Tom Ferrick Jr. The big news about the state budget this year was that it wasn't big news. Unlike last year, when we went 101 days before it finally, mercifully passed, this year the legislature met the June 30th... (Comments)

More South Street Woes

South Street was back in the news over the weekend and not in a good way. Early Sunday (7-11), police had to close off the street after an estimate 20,000 youths congregated there.  The draw? Word that there was another... (Comments)

Wissahickon Days

By Lucien Crowder It's a cloudless morning in the middle of May. The sun shines pale and lemony. The winter was a brutal prison. This day is joyous release. I have disembarked the R6 train at the Wissahickon stop. I'm... (Comments)

Greening Philadelphia Tree by Tree

By Morgan Zalot William Penn's vision of a "Greene Country Towne" faded to black and grey long ago. Viewed from above, Philadelphia today has huge swaths of hot spots - where asphalt and concrete predominate and the color green is... (Comments)

Greening Philadelphia: One Man's Tale

By Morgan Zalot Not even last week's 100-plus degree heat could deter Hasan Malik from filling a 100-gallon tank in the back of his pickup truck with water for the young trees in Frankford's Overington Park. "It's a good thing... (Comments)

The Specter-Murtha Libraries?

Gov. Rendell signed the new state budget Tuesday (July 6), but most of the chatter was about two line items in the state's $600 million capital budget to build libraries for retiring Sen. Arlen Specter and the late Rep. John... (Comments)

Desperate for Work

By Jennifer Lejman  The ad on Craigslist was for a High Roller Host in Atlantic City. Having worked a seemingly endless string of dead-end jobs, I was drawn to the flashy job title "High Roller Host"  -- that and... (Comments)

The Missing Piece

By Tom Ferrick Jr. Many years ago, I was interviewing John Kromer, a bright and able public servant who was then head of the Office of Housing and Community Development. As I recall, he was showing me a map of... (Comments)