PhilaNet.com

Penn State has several campuses in the Greater Philadelphia Region including Abington (Montgomery County), Great Valley (Chester County) and Lima (Delaware County). Here are some other Penn State facts:

1. Penn State names Eric J. Barron president

2. THON 2014 ‘redefines the possibilities’ with $13.3 million for pediatric
cancer

3. Times Higher Education global reputation survey ranks Penn State in Top 50

4. Family and friends create trustee scholarship in alumnus’ memory

5. CORED symposium highlights diversity dynamics, potential improvements

6. New MajorQuest guides students in choosing a major

7. Symposium puts spotlight on engaged scholarship

8. Smeal Finance student leads creation of Student Financial Education Center

9. Penn State students featured as ‘incredibly impressive’ undergraduates

10. Erickson addresses Pa. House, Senate appropriations committees

11. Sports Archive to celebrate 25th anniversary

12. Theatre Professor Susan Russell named Penn State laureate for 2014-15

13. Dates for your calendar: Spring 2014

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1. Penn State names Eric J. Barron president

The 18th president of Penn State has been named by the University’s Board of
Trustees. Eric J. Barron, a former dean at Penn State and current leader of
Florida State University, will begin as Penn State’s next president on or
before May 12, 2014.

Read the full story: http://news.psu.edu/link/bMStGkgZ

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2. THON 2014 ‘redefines the possibilities’ with $13.3 million for pediatric
cancer

THON 2014, Penn State’s 42nd annual Dance Marathon, concluded its annual
46-hour THON Weekend Sunday (Feb. 23) at the Bryce Jordan Center by raising a
record-breaking $13,343,517.33 in the fight against pediatric cancer.

Read the full story: http://news.psu.edu/link/j22sFh_h

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3. Times Higher Education global reputation survey ranks Penn State in Top 50

Penn State has ranked 39th among universities worldwide in the fourth annual
Times Higher Education World Reputation Rankings, released today (March 5).
The University entered the Top 50 for the first time in the 2014 reputation
rankings, based on 10,536 responses, from 133 countries, to an
invitation-only, worldwide academic survey of academics and researchers asked
to identify institutions they considered to be the best in research and
teaching.

Read the full story: http://news.psu.edu/link/DT1vHnk8

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4. Family and friends create trustee scholarship in alumnus’ memory

Family and friends of late Penn State alumnus Kyle Johnson, Class of 2012,
recently established a scholarship in his memory. The Kyle Chase Johnson
Memorial Trustee Scholarship will provide financial support for students who
are members of the Lion Ambassadors at Penn State, an organization in which
Kyle participated as an undergraduate.

Read the full story: http://news.psu.edu/link/P_vhM24X

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5. CORED symposium highlights diversity dynamics, potential improvements

While Penn State has made strides in promoting diversity and inclusion on its
campuses, “there’s always more to do,” Vice Provost for Educational Equity
Terrell Jones said as he opened the Commission on Racial/Ethnic Diversity
(CORED) spring symposium and open house held Tuesday (March 4) at the
Pasquerilla Spiritual Center.

Read the full story: http://news.psu.edu/link/NWnrcFpx

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6. New MajorQuest guides students in choosing a major

The Division of Undergraduate Studies released a newly designed version of
MajorQuest last week to help Penn State students find majors that relate to
their areas of interest. The new site at
http://dus.psu.edu/students/majorquest introduces an improved interactive
tool that prompts students to select one or more of their interests, such as
art and design, cyber information, environment and sustainability, helping
people, sports and teaching. MajorQuest then filters Penn State’s
more-than-160 majors and lists those that incorporate all the selected
interests.

Read the full story: http://news.psu.edu/link/GqZgHXzg

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7. Symposium puts spotlight on engaged scholarship

Penn State’s inaugural Engaged Scholarship Symposium provides an opportunity
to learn more about engaged scholarship and how it enriches student learning.
The symposium, planned for March 25 at the Nittany Lion Inn on Penn State’s
University Park campus, is open to faculty, staff and students from all Penn
State locations. For more information and to register for the conference,
visit http://goo.gl/iv1tW2 online. Those unable to attend in person can
register to view a live stream.

Read the full story: http://news.psu.edu/link/NzMsW4BJ

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8. Smeal Finance student leads creation of Student Financial Education Center

Concerned with soaring student loan debt and what he perceived as a lack of
financial literacy among college students, Penn State Smeal College of
Business finance student Anand Ganjam proposed an effort last spring to
provide students with personal finance education. Earlier this semester, the
Student Financial Education Center (SFEC) opened its doors in 309 Paterno
Library on the University Park campus.

Read the full story: http://news.psu.edu/link/22ZN41JS

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9. Penn State students featured as ‘incredibly impressive’ undergraduates

In the classroom and laboratory, performing on the field — or in it, doing
world-class research and altruistic service around the globe — these Penn
State students represent just a small fraction of what is “incredibly
impressive” about our University.

Read the full story: http://news.psu.edu/link/X3f7HDFj

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10. Erickson addresses Pa. House, Senate appropriations committees

Penn State President Rodney Erickson addressed appropriations committees for
both chambers of the Pennsylvania General Assembly on Feb. 25, urging
lawmakers to keep the partnership between the University and the Commonwealth
strong in the coming year.

Read the full story: http://news.psu.edu/link/1CBHw6Yg

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11. Sports Archive to celebrate 25th anniversary

The public is invited to events surrounding the 25th anniversary of the Penn
State Sports Archives, a collection in The Eberly Family Special Collections
Library. Established in 1988, the collection consists of athlete files,
audio-visual materials, media guides, press kits and memorabilia.

Read the full story: http://news.psu.edu/link/HJJBMfgP

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12. Theatre Professor Susan Russell named Penn State laureate for 2014-15

Susan Russell, associate professor of theatre, has been named the Penn State
laureate for the 2014-15 academic year. She succeeds 2013-14 Penn State
Laureate Kenneth Womack, senior associate dean for Academic Affairs and
professor of English and integrative arts at Penn State Altoona.

Read the full story: http://news.psu.edu/link/hczmddb8

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13. Dates for your calendar: Spring 2014

Spring Semester 2014

March 9-15: Spring break, no classes
May 2: Classes end
May 5-9: Final exams
​May 9-11: Commencement

Many additional dates during the semester are important to the academic
progress of your student, available online at

http://www.registrar.psu.edu/academic_calendar/calendar_index.cfm

Read the full story: http://news.psu.edu/link/grgY2Wd2

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The Parents and Families Newswire is brought to you by the Penn State Parents
Program. We want to hear from you — email your comments or questions to
Parents@psu.edu.

For your convenience, we provide an online form for updating parent addresses
and other information at
https://parentinfo.psu.edu. You will need your student’s PSU ID number to
fill out the form.

The Nutter Administration announced today that it has signed an agreement to sell the assets of the Philadelphia Gas Works (PGW) to UIL Holdings Corporation for $1.86 billion. The sale, which would inject at least $424 million into the City’s pension fund, must still win approval from City Council and then the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC), prior to closing.

“When I announced nearly two years ago that the City would begin exploring the sale of PGW, I pledged that I would sign an agreement only if the terms benefited Philadelphia taxpayers and PGW customers,” said Mayor Michael A. Nutter. “This agreement accomplishes those goals and much more. UIL submitted the highest bid for PGW and agreed to contract terms that were important to the City. Our agreement keeps rates frozen for three years, maintains PGW’s discount programs for low-income families and seniors, safeguards PGW employee and retiree pensions and positions PGW to take full advantage of the abundant supply of natural gas in Pennsylvania to make our city and region a prime energy hub.”

Headquartered in New Haven, UIL serves approximately 706,000 electric and natural gas customers in Connecticut and Massachusetts and has combined total assets of more than $4 billion. Its holdings comprise The United Illuminating Company, The Southern Connecticut Gas Company, Connecticut Natural Gas Corporation and The Berkshire Gas Company.

“We are very excited about coming to Philadelphia and getting involved with the community,” said UIL CEO James P. Torgerson. “Energy is our core business and UIL is well suited to operate the natural gas utility business in Philadelphia and make substantive investments in its infrastructure. UIL has substantial experience running an urban natural gas utility and being an engaged civic partner in the communities we serve. We also see this as a great opportunity to explore strategic growth opportunities that will benefit the customers and citizens of Philadelphia. We look forward to working with the City Council and PUC through the approval process.”

Once the sale is complete, UIL plans to operate dual corporate headquarters in Philadelphia and New Haven. PGW will become UIL’s largest operating company, and UIL officials say it is very important to them to become part of the Philadelphia community, including personal involvement in civic activities and financial commitments to charitable organizations.

“PGW will become a bigger, stronger company under UIL’s ownership and that will create more opportunities for us,” said PGW President and CEO Craig E. White. “Our company has made major strides over the past several years, but there are constraints as a city-owned utility that prevent us from realizing our full potential. The ability to react quickly to market opportunities and a greater investment in developing markets will result in a win-win for both the company and its customers and will result in a greater demand for jobs.”

The contract signed by UIL and the City requires that all PGW employees be offered employment at UIL. If an employee decides to retire or accept a job elsewhere, that position may go unfilled, but total employment may not dip below 1,350 employees for at least three years. A privately-owned PGW will require highly skilled employees to maintain and operate the gas company and will ensure that the system continues to deliver gas safely to customers, while improving the gas infrastructure. Like PGW, UIL has strong relationships with the Utility Workers of America. Also like PGW, UIL has a highly diversified workforce and places an emphasis on contracting with minority and woman-owned businesses in selecting its vendors.

The sale will provide substantial support for the City’s pension fund, helping address one of the most pressing financial issues facing the City. After paying off all of PGW’s bond obligations and putting aside funds for other liabilities, including fully funding the PGW pension plan and prudently reserving for residual risks, the City expects to have between $424 million and $631 million remaining, based on current stock and bond markets and reasonable assumptions. The Administration will then deposit the sum into the City employee pension fund. With the pension fund now less than 50 percent funded, this contribution is one part of a strategy to provide additional resources to the fund, while lowering its costs in order to improve that funding percentage.

The Administration proposes other measures to preserve the value of this contribution so that the benefit to the City pension fund will be protected over time without any negative impact on the City’s general fund. The pension funds’ low funded percentage is one of the greatest concerns mentioned by rating agencies, so the deposit should be a credit positive for the City.

Interest in buying PGW, which remains the largest city-owned gas company in the nation, was overwhelming. Thirty-three entities submitted indications of interest last fall. Through a series of bidding rounds the City whittled the field to a handful before finally selecting UIL.

“We thoroughly vetted all bidders and chose UIL for a number of reasons, not the least of which was that it provided us with the strongest contract terms and value. But beyond the numbers, UIL has an outstanding safety record, excellent employee and customer relations, credibility, a commitment to infrastructure improvements, and is a valued corporate citizen in the communities it now serves. I am confident that City Council and the citizens of Philadelphia will arrive at the same conclusion as I have: that UIL is going to become a great addition to our City,” Mayor Nutter said.

PGW is the nation’s largest municipally-owned gas utility, with annual revenues of more than $600 million, more than 500,000 residential, commercial and industrial customers, and more than 1,600 employees. Read more about the sale process and submit questions or comments at www.exploringasale.com.

PHILADELPHIA – February 24, 2014 (Reprint of WPVI story featuring our PhilaNet.com reporter) — We’ve heard horror stories of people’s cars being moved into illegal spots by tow truck drivers, vehicles held ransom for hundreds of dollars, and major damage done in the towing process.

In the city where the reality show ‘Parking Wars’ was made famous, we’re exposing the unwritten rules for parking in Philadelphia. Here’s what you should know before you snag what you think is that perfect parking spot.

“They (George Smith Towing) started towing it down the street. There were sparks flying, it was a crazy loud racket,” said Daniel Brouse.

Brouse is a freelance photographer who has been tracking one of the city’s top tow companies on candid camera.

“When I started filming them, they threatened my life,” said Brouse.

His go-to spot was behind the Piazza at Schmidt’s in Northern Liberties.

“I thought he was a car thief the way he was breaking into the car,” said Brouse. “And then I saw him hook up a tow truck to the vehicle.”

Theft is exactly how Philadelphia Councilman Jim Kenney describes towing in the city.

“They should be arrested because they’re stealing the car. There’s no difference between a tow truck operator taking a car from the curb illegally and a guy hot-wiring it and stealing it,” Kenney said.

The history of aggressive and illegal towing is notorious in the City of Brotherly Love.

“Clearly there are no city signs that say that you cannot park here,” said Jadi Gonzalez.

Surveillance video shows within 14 minutes of Gonzalez parking her car on a city street, a private tow truck driver picks it up – and, she says, doing thousands of dollars of damage to the vehicle.

“They said, ‘You have pictures, you have surveillance. So just take us to court,’” Gonzalez said. And then, she said, they “hung up on me.”

“I mean, it’s really hazardous to park here even legally,” said Mike Williams.

Williams says his car was not just illegally towed, he says it was moved from his permitted spot in Center City Philadelphia.

“Basically they just lied about where we were parked, since we were in a convenient spot for towing. They just decided to tow us,” said Williams.

Action News obtained a list from the Philadelphia Parking Authority of the places where the most tickets are issued for towable offenses.

We’ve created this interactive map, to alert drivers about the hot spots for aggressive towing in the city.

Third on the list is the 1600 block of Market Street, where nearly 3,000 tickets were written for towable offenses in the last 14 months.

The corner of 13th and Walnut Street comes in second on our list for towing violations.

The top spot in the city is the 100 block of Chestnut Street in Old City, where nearly 5,500 towing tickets have been issued since January 2013.

While the majority of these tows may be legal, Councilman Kenney describes the entire towing system in Philadelphia as “the wild West. There’s an industry out there that thinks they have the ability to take advantage of people and steal their cars and hold them hostage for a ransom to get them back,” said Kenney.

The councilman says there are some important things drivers should know:

Only the Philadelphia Parking Authority can tow from a city street. The only place private companies can tow from is private property.

Your car DOES NOT have to be ticketed to be towed.

Towing companies can only charge you $175 for the tow, and $25 for each 24 hours of storage. It is illegal for them to charge any fees on top of that.

A private towing company has to take a picture of your car before they tow it, and provide a copy at no charge

“Unless the government is protecting them in some way by locking up the guys who stole their car, or by shutting the business that stole their car, nothing’s going to change,” Kenney said.

The biggest problem is there is really little recourse for drivers. Councilman Kenney says no one, not the police or L&I which regulates towing, is cracking down on illegal towing in Philadelphia. He is trying to change that.

Councilman Kenney says for now all a driver can do if his or her car is missing is call 9-1-1 and report the vehicle as stolen – or sue the towing company.

All the lads and lassies are invited to attend Glen Foerd on the Delaware’s Celtic Concert on Sunday, March 2, at 1:00 PM. The concert celebrating the estate’s Celtic roots, will feature a performance by the popular duo, Timlin and Kane. Since 1972 Gerry Timlin and Tom Kane have been playing traditional and contemporary Celtic music, and entertaining crowds with their offbeat humor at major music festivals and events across the east coast.

The Celtic Concert begins at 1:00 PM. Tickets are $15 per person. Limited seating is available, and at the door availability is not guaranteed, so advanced registration is strongly suggested. To make a reservation call 215-632-5330, or you can purchase tickets online at www.glenfoerd.org. Food and beverage will not be provided. Glen Foerd’s entrance is at the corner of Milnor Street and Grant Avenue in Philadelphia.

Glen Foerd, constructed in 1850, is Philadelphia’s last riverfront mansion open to the public. The estate was established as a summer residence by Charles Macalester, Jr., a respected businessman, broker and government director of the Second Bank of the US. The estate, now known as Glen Foerd, was originally named Glengarry, after the Macalester family’s Scottish ancestral home. Today, Glen Foerd on the Delaware’s mission is to connect visitors to the legacy of Glen Foerd through programs in the arts, nature and history and to preserve and protect the landscape, buildings and collections for the enjoyment and enrichment of the community and future generations.

(LANCASTER, PA) – February 17, 2014 – Lanark Records co-founders Frank Barrett and Quentin Jones are pleased to announce that The Hooters’ drummer and former founder of Moskeeto Records, David Uosikkinen has joined their team as General Manager. No stranger to making music and record company decisions, David Uosikkinen will join the team working on day to day operations of the record company. The job brings him back to something he is very familiar with, his former days of running his own label and also taps into his experience at MP3.com, a company on the forefront of the digital music revolution, where he worked as a content manager and music director, managing pop and rock genres.

One of Uosikkinen’s goals as GM is to bring more artists to the Lanark label. “I’m looking forward to getting back into the label side of things. I’m excited to have a hand in resurrecting older artists and launching new ones,” explains Uosikkinen.

The news comes just days after the latest release of Uosikkinen’s own single “A Woman’s Got The Power” featuring 80s sweetheart, Patty Smyth of Scandal, on David Uosikkinen’s In The Pocket

“The music industry has changed tremendously in the last 20 years,” explains co-founder Frank Barrett. “We want to expand the breadth of the label and David’s experience as both an artist and a label executive, brings a lot of value to the table.”

Adds Quentin Jones, “David brings his love of technology and interactive marketing to the label. His network of contacts includes some of the brightest in the technology sector.”

Frank Barrett, Chairman-CEO and Quentin Jones, President founded Lanark Records just 18 months ago in August of 2012. Based in Lancaster, PA, Lanark is an independently owned label that specializes in pure rock n’ roll, rockabilly and roots music. In 2013 Lanark Records released critically acclaimed albums by The Rockats (Rockin’ Together), Gas House Gorillas (Punk Americana) and The Reach Around Rodeo Clowns (Rockabilly Deluxe).

In April of 2014 Lanark Records will host a stage at the annual Viva Las Vegas Rockabilly Show, where their acts Robert Gordon, The Rockats and The Reach Around Rodeo Clowns will perform. Also on tap for 2014 will be a new EP from The Rockats, a new Reach Around Rodeo Clowns CD and a new studio recording featuring the legendary Robert Gordon.

“2014 is going to be a very big year for Lanark Records,” said guitarist/producer, Quentin Jones. “I am looking forward to working with David Uosikkinen and bringing our label to another level! And we are off to a rockin’ start!”

1601 Vine Street project to include residential, retail, and LDS Church meetinghouse

PHILADELPHIA, PA – Mayor Michael A. Nutter was joined by representatives of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints today as they unveiled plans for a major new development at 1601 Vine Street. The development – designed by Robert A.M. Stern Architects – will include a high-rise apartment tower, retail space, and a meetinghouse for local Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter-Day Saints congregations. The project is expected to generate an estimated 1,500 to 1,800 jobs over the course of the construction process.

“This new development continues the revitalization of Vine Street and adds to an approach to the Benjamin Franklin Parkway which already includes the world-class Free Library, the Family Court building, soon to be developed into a new hotel, and the Temple, slated for completion in 2016,” said Mayor Nutter. “This project joins a list of almost 50 major projects under construction across Philadelphia representing billions of dollars of investment. Philadelphia is on the rise as our skyline is re-shaped; new businesses start here, existing businesses grow here; and we continue to attract new residents and visitors.”

The proposed 1601 Vine Street mixed-use development includes a 32-story residential tower with 258 rental apartments, 13 rental townhomes, and retail space along 16th Street. The adjacent meetinghouse will provide a place of worship and community gathering for the Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter-Day Saints in Philadelphia and will consist of a chapel, a family history center, a cultural center, and an outdoor courtyard. The planned development is subject to approval by the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority and other departments and agencies of the City of Philadelphia.

“The Church’s ecclesiastical commitment to the City of Philadelphia continues,” said Michael Marcheschi, of the LDS Church’s Special Projects Department. “The Church will separately construct a meetinghouse across 17th St. from our Temple now under construction. This meetinghouse will be open to the entire community and will serve as a place of gathering, recreation and worship.”

The project team includes the Corporation of the Presiding Bishop of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Robert A.M. Stern Architects, BLT Architects, and Property Reserve Inc.

“This apartment tower project reflects our confidence in both this City’s increasingly attractive market opportunity and its leadership at various levels,” said Tom King, a Director of Property Reserve Inc., a real estate investment affiliate of the LDS Church. “The tower will be perfectly situated to meet the expanding rental and retail opportunity in this beautiful area of Center City. And City leaders and agencies have been most responsive and sophisticated in properly supporting this investment.”

This new proposed development will join the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Temple currently under construction at 17th and Vine Street as an additional major investment in Philadelphia.

More Philadelphia Real Estate

PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia region has been experiencing a record breaking winter. The number and size of the snowfalls have set several records. There has also been a wide variety of storms: snow storms, ice storms, and thundersnow. The ice storm in early February was a record breaker for people that lost electricity. Some people also experienced the longest length of time without power.

Storm on February 13, 2014

Mon Feb 10, 6:00pm Act-UP Weekly Meeting – St Luke’s Church Basement – 330 S. 13th St Between Pine and Spruce

Tue Feb 11, 7:30pm Books Through Bars Packing Cafe – The A-Space 4722 Baltimore Ave

Sun Feb 16, 5:00pm Long Term Organizing MDU working group – Ethical Humanist Society, Rittenhouse Square

Tuesday, February 11, All day, The Day We Fight Back

On February 11th 2014 thousands of websites and tens of thousands of people will come together for a day of online protest mass surveillance.

Sign up to take part here: https://thedaywefightback.org/

What will happen on February 11th: If you’re in the US: Thousands of websites will host banners urging people to call/email Congress. Plans may change, but we intend to ask legislators to oppose the FISA Improvements Act, support the USA Freedom Act, and enact protections for non-Americans.

If you’re not in the US: Visitors will be asked to urge appropriate targets to institute privacy protections.

How to get involved

- RSVP and invite everyone you know to join.

- Go to https://thedaywefightback.org/ and sign up to take part.

- Scroll down and sign up to add the banner to your website.

- Join the discussion at http://www.reddit.com/r/thedaywefightback/

- Be creative, help spread the word however you can!

The People’s Hearing on Prison Expansion has been postponed due to unsafe driving conditions. The People’s Hearing on Prison Expansion is rescheduled for 1:00 pm on Wednesday, February 12th. This is the date of the Appropriations Hearing for the Department of Corrections, who, according to Corbett’s budget proposal, will receive an additional $78 million in the 2014-2015 budget. It is the first time that Pennsylvania has ever spent over $2 billion on the DOC budget with state funds. This will be a great time for us to come to Harrisburg with our own message that PA should build communities, not prisons. Pennsylvania is currently embarking on the second-largest construction project in state history by building two new prisons in Montgomery County.

The Hearing will still be in the Rotunda at the Capitol Building in Harrisburg, and buses will be leaving at 10am sharp from the Youth United for Change offices at 1910 N. Front Street (Berks Station on Broad Street Line).

If you registered for the free buses to the People’s Hearing, please let us know if you can still make it on February 12th by emailing us at decarceratepa@gmail.com or calling (267) 217-3372.

If you have not registered for buses, please do so at the link below as soon as possible. Space is limited! http://decarceratepa.info/peoples-hearing-registration

Wednesday, February 12, 6:00pm – 8:00pm, ItAG Kickoff Event, Science Leadership Academy, 55 N. 22nd Street

Join TAG for the start of our annual Inquiry to Action Group series! Sign up for an ItAG in advance — some may fill up before the event!

Thursday, February 13, 6:00pm, May Day 2014 Planning Meeting, PhilaPOSH Office, 5th Floor of AFSCME DC 33 Bldg., 30th & Walnut Streets, Philadelphia

Cosponsored by PhilaPOSH and the Pennsylvania Labor History Society to o honor U.S. Labor’s “hidden history” of “May Day” – the Life and Death Struggle for human rights and the eight hour day – celebrated throughout the World.. ALL ARE WELCOME!

Please RSVP your attendance to Jimmoran2008@verizon.net

Thursday, February 13, 3:00pm, Rally to Raise The Minimum Wage in Pennsylvania, 200 South Broad St. Philadelphia, PA

195,000 Pennsylvanian workers suffer earning wages at or below $7.25/hour.
In fact, 140,000 of these workers earn wages below the Federal minimum wage and almost all of them are restaurant workers who live primarily off of tips. They earn only $2.83/hour in Pennsylvania.
These are economy harming jobs. Despite the best effort of these workers, many of them have to seek state or federal help for healthcare, food, housing and child care. In other words, your taxes are subsidizing the profits of corporations such as Taco Bell, McDonald’s, Olive Garden and Pizza Hut.
We need to turn these jobs into economy building jobs. That is why the Restaurant Opportunities Center is calling on Governor Corbett to abolish the tipped minimum wage.
Sign this petition- http://www.change.org/petitions/tom-corbett-raise-the-minimum-wage

Friday, February 14, 4:00pm Phila. PM Rush Hour Leafleting w/banners and signs at Bellevue Hotel, (SE PA Office of PA Gov. Corbett, head of PA Air Guard), 200 S. Broad Street, Broad & Walnut Streets, Phila., PA 19102/

YO Gov! Pull the Plug on Drone War Command Center…Not In Our Backyard (or anyone else’s). Bring whistles, noisemakers, and big hearts. Broad Street Subway Stop: Walnut & Locust.

Saturday, February 15, 10:00am – 9:00pm, KXL Pledge of Resistance Direct Action Training feat. Hands Off Appalachia Reportback! The MAAS Building 1325 Randolph Street Philadelphia, PA

Tens of thousands of people across the country have signed the CREDO KXL Pledge of Resistance. They will use civil disobedience to protest at the State Department if the Keystone XL pipeline is approved by the Obama Administration. But what happens after that? And what happens if Obama doesn’t approve the last portion of the KXL pipeline? Tar sands extraction will continue in Canada. Fracking will continue along the Marcellus Shale. The Mariner Pipeline is coming through our area, and vulnerable neighborhoods and the Schuykill River are still threatened by the Bakken Shale oil being transported across Philadelphia by rail.

This training will present tactics that go beyond those that are part of the planned action at the Federal Building as organized by CREDO and Rainforest Action Network, and trained by Earth Quaker Action Team. With trainers we will explore forming an affinity group for direct action, security culture and group roles, and fun with technical skills for extraction resistance.

But wait, that’s not all! In the evening, friends and comrades on the from UBS: Hands Off Appalachia Campaign will be giving a report back from their action in Stamford, CT in November. Folks from Hands Off Appalachia challenged UBS’s funding of mountain top removal coal mining with several actions targeting the UBS headquarters.

Saturday, February 15, 2:00pm, Lets Build $15 Now in Philly!, 112 N. Broad St. Philadelphia

Philadelphia is one the poorest large cities in the US. We have endured decades of cuts in public services, our neighborhoods left to rot, schools and firehouses are closed and our children thrown onto the street while the state spends hundreds of millions to build more and more prisons.

They tell us the city and schools are broke and we must all share the pain while billion dollar corporations like Verizon and Comcast use legal loopholes to avoid paying taxes. Walmart and McDonalds reap massive profits, but their employees are forced to work two or 3 part time low wage jobs and rely on public assistance to make ends meet.

But across the country low-wage workers are rising up, protesting, and striking for a $15/hour minimum wage! Lets get together to build a campaign in Philadelphia!! We’ve had enough – it’s time to fight!!

Saturday, February 15, 3:00pm, The Way Forward: Huey P. Newton Seminar 2014, Peace Spot, 1652 Ridge Avenue

A conversation with our Brother Comrade Tommy Joshua, leader of the Revolutionary Assembly.

With Special Guests: Brother Mujahid Abd Azeez, Chairman, Jr. LIFERs Committee and Brother Chaplain Mahdi El, Chief-Magistrate, International Interfaith Court

Special Performance by Iam Victorious, Pili X Music, The Radicans, Skurban Vintro Music

Donations Welcome. Sponsored by Dr. Huey P. Newton Ideological Institute , Revolutionary Assembly of Philadelphia and the Hip-hop The Hip Hop Party for the People

Wednesday, February 19, 5:00pm, Know Your RIGHTS – Know The LAW, OIC of America, Inc. 1415 North Broad Street, Suite 227

FLASH (Future Leaders Advancing Self Help) teams up with UATL! Come join us for a Know Your Rights/StopSnitching on Yourself (KYR/SSOY) training with Up Against the Law Legal Collective on Wednesday February 19, 2014 at 5 pm.

Up Against the Law Legal Collective is a collective of activists, organizers, law students, legal workers and lawyers. We have knowledge of the legal system, its value and limits, and how it can be used for and against us.

Up Against the Law Legal Collective feels there is a need for legal resources offered from an activist perspective. To this end, they provide legal and jail support, facilitate trainings on rights and legal issues, and make sure that the concerns and goals of activists/grassroots groups are heard in the legal community.

This training will consists of 6 parts: KYR in the streets, in your home, in your car, when you are in custody, online/internet/FB, and how to safely/effectively CopWatch (film the police).

This will be an interactive, role-playing, getting down to the dirty details of how to protect yourself legally during interactions with the police.

Please join us and bring friends! Please RSVP so we have a sense of size.

Wednesday, February 19, 6:00pm, DVLF Wonder Women Film Screening – Mountains that Take Wing,

First Unitarian Church of Philadelphia, 2125 Chestnut St, Philadelphia, PA 19103

Doors open at 6:00pm, Film Begins at 6:30pm. Donations accepted at the door. There are no ticket sales; we believe in giving as you can and helping how you can.

Wonder Women is a DVLF Committee focused on developing programming for LGBT Women and philanthropy. We are connecting and promoting women and facilitating opportunities for emerging leaders. Join us as we launch our film screening program with ‘Mountains That Take Wing’ (Featuring Angela Davis and Yuri Kochiyama), a 97 Minute feature with Community Discussion to Follow.

Thursday, February 20th, 6:00pm, Grassroots mobilizing and Electoral Campaigns, TBA

Ty Moore, Occupy Homes Minneapolis activist and Socialist Alternative candidate for Minneapolis City Council, will speak on building grassroots movements and independent electoral campaigns to fight the 1%.
At the national level, both the Democratic and Republican parties are controlled by big business. Working people will remain locked out of political power, left to protest on the sidelines, until we create our own political voice. one that refuses corporate donations, has genuine democratic structures, and is held accountable to our social movements.

Wednesday, February 26, Actions to Remember Trayvon Martin.

4:30pm, LOVE Park, 15th and JFK, This event honors the second anniversary of Trayvon Martin’s killing. It will involve a reflection, reading, single, and candle lighting, and a silent march for Trayvon and all the young people harmed by police officers, security guards, and vigilantes and fueled by a system of racially coded violence against people of color.

5:30pm, Malcolm X Park on 52nd and Pine Street, West Philadelphia. If you remember the tragic death of our brother Trayvon Benjamin Martin and are still sickened by the widespread acceptance of the Zimmerman verdict, please join PURP to rally against discriminatory violence against our generation!

PHILADELPHIA — Philadelphia’s Office of the City Treasurer led the sale of $154.275 million on general obligation refunding bonds. The refunding refinanced higher cost bonds issued in 2008, saving more than $1.375 million annually for the next 24 years.

The refunding was made possible by the City’s recent bond rating agency upgrades, including a two-notch rating upgrade by Standard & Poor’s Rating Services to A+ with a stable outlook in December 2013. For the first time since the 1970s, the City’s bond rating is in the A category by all of the major rating agencies.

“The success of this bond refunding is further proof that the City of Philadelphia is on the right track. We are focused on ensuring the current and future financial stability of the City,” said Mayor Nutter. “While our improved rating and the interest in our bonds clearly indicate the progress we have made, there is still more work to do. I want to thank City Treasurer Nancy Winkler and her team for their efforts.”

The City sought to refinance the bonds during the summer of 2013 when it was selling bonds for the capital program but chose to delay the refinancing due to insufficient savings.

“We know that January is often a very good time to sell municipal bonds. So, we decided to prepare in December and early January and to be ready to sell if the savings were substantial,” said Nancy Winkler. “The bond upgrades were important for the refinancing because we were able to increase investor participation. Taxpayers benefit when there is more demand for the City’s bonds.”