1,500-ft. tower would top Sears; Chicago, New York plan taller
Philadelphia Daily News Jun 20, 08 4:15 PM CDT
(Newser)
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Philadelphia took a step toward entering America's mega-skyscraper club today, the Daily News reports, with a city councilman introducing zoning legislation for a building that, at 1,500 feet, would eclipse Chicago's Sears Tower. Plenty of bureaucratic hurdles remain for the proposed American Commerce Center, including retooling the city's planning commission.
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'Derrie-Air' vowed to charge passengers by the pound
Associated Press Jun 6, 08 7:44 PM CDT
(Newser)
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An ad for "Derrie-Air" airlines made Philadelphia readers the butt of a publicity joke today, the AP reports. The owner of two newspapers and an ad agency revealed that the airline—which claimed to charge passengers by weight, and be carbon-neutral—was cooked up to prove the power of advertising. And it's generating online buzz aplenty, a media company says.
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Philly AAA calls double as drivers run out of gas
Associated Press Jun 2, 08 3:05 AM CDT
(Newser)
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Strapped-for-cash drivers hit by rocketing gas prices are putting less in their tanks and gambling on having enough to last the week—but many don't make it. C alls to AAA for help from out-of-gas drivers in Philadelphia have doubled since prices began to spiral, AP reports.
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Battling city over eviction for barring gays
Philadelphia Inquirer May 28, 08 9:09 AM CDT
(Newser)
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The Philadelphia chapter of the Boy Scouts of America is locked in a legal battle with the city over the group's refusal to enroll gays. Philadelphia gave the Scouts an ultimatum to quit their historic city-owned headquarters—or pay a new fair-market annual rent of $200,000. The Scouts have responded with a federal civil rights lawsuit and are digging in for a long battle, reports the Philadelphia Inquirer.
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City of Brotherly Love has been trophy-less since 1983
Sports Illustrated May 20, 08 2:30 AM CDT
(Newser)
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The Flyers’ elimination from the NHL playoffs was more than the end to a hockey season in Philadelphia—it was the 100th consecutive season to see one of the local teams came up short of a championship. “Fans have been conditioned for failure,” suggests Sports Illustrated , which chronicles the 100 worst moments in Philadelphia sports since the city last raised a banner in 1983.
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Philly officers ordered off streets amid furor
Associated Press May 9, 08 8:22 AM CDT
(Newser)
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Authorities have ordered 13 Philadelphia police officers involved in the videotaped beating of three black suspects off the streets, AP reports. The video shows the suspects being kicked, punched, and hit with nightsticks while appearing to offer no resistance. Rev. Al Sharpton compared the incident with the videotaped beating of Rodney King in Los Angeles.
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City's cops on edge as hunt for cop killer continues
Associated Press May 7, 08 4:51 AM CDT
(Newser)
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A TV news helicopter has filmed six Philadelphia police officers repeatedly kicking and punching three suspects pulled from a car. The city's police commissioner said it "does not look good," but emphasized that the department "won't rush to judgment." Philly cops have been on edge since an officer was shot dead during a robbery on Saturday, he said, and one suspect is still being hunted.
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City of Brotherly Love has many of New York's charms—but at a big discount
MSNBC May 1, 08 8:29 PM CDT
(Newser)
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Cheesesteaks aren’t the only things luring young people to the City of Brotherly Love, MSNBC reports. A survey by Apartments.com and Careerbuilder that factors in the cost of apartments, job opportunities, and the number of 20-somethings, puts Philadelphia—$962 for a one-bedroom compared with $1,520 in NYC— atop its list. The rest of the top 10:
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Eakins will remain in city after museums match heiress' bid
Philadelphia Inquirer Apr 24, 08 12:24 PM CDT
(Newser)
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The saga over the sale of Thomas Eakins' The Gross Clinic came to an end yesterday when the Philadelphia Museum of Art announced it had raised enough money to cover the $68 million price tag. Eakins' painting of an operation in an anatomical theater was almost bought by Wal-Mart heiress Alice Walton, but it will now remain in Philadelphia after a last-minute scramble for a competing bid, writes the Philadelphia Inquirer .
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Candidate won't pay 'street money,' riling local Democrats
Los Angeles Times Apr 11, 08 2:44 PM CDT
(Newser)
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Barack Obama has been expected to do well in Philadelphia in this month's Pennsylvania primary, but a test of wills between his campaign and local party bosses might jeopardize his chances. The Philadelphia political scene has a long tradition of "street money"—payment to Democratic operatives who dispense $10, $20, and $50 bills to those who help get out the vote. But Obama's people won't pay up, writes the Los Angeles Times .
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Earthlink, other providers pull out
amid rising costs
New York Times Mar 22, 08 12:48 PM CDT
(Newser)
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Hopes for wireless cities are flickering out one by one as Internet providers run up against mounting logistics and small profits, the New York Times reports. Ambitious plans to provide free or cheap high-speed service to poor residents of cities such as Philadelphia, Houston, and San Francisco have ground to a halt as the providers, most notably Earthlink, pull out of the projects.
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Statement political, no service denied: panel
Philadelphia Inquirer Mar 20, 08 5:10 PM CDT
(Newser)
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The owner of a Philadelphia institution can keep signs that ask customers to order their cheese steaks in English, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports. A city agency ruled the signs at Geno's Steaks—"This is America. When ordering, please speak English"—do not violate discrimination rules; owner Joey Vento says he never turned away customers and just wanted to make a political point.
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Fired newscaster lays groundwork for claim
of 'economic injuries'
New York Daily News Mar 14, 08 5:20 PM CDT
(Newser)
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A former Philadelphia news anchor who allegedly punched a New York cop may be preparing to sue the city, the police department, and several individual officers—including the one she was originally charged with hitting. Alycia Lane's lawyer tells the Daily News the move allows her “to keep her options,” but she could seek $5 million over “economic injuries," a notice of claim filed this week states.
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