ACROSS PHILADELPHIA, Muslims celebrated end of pilgrimage season with Eid al-

Adha. Here at Philadelphia Masjid in W. Phila., Imam Abdul Alim leads prayer this

morning, before feast and merriment began.

PhiladelphiaDaily Record

Vol. I No. 101 Keeping You Posted With The Politics Of Philadelphia November 16, 2010

Greeting Eid

‘Castle Doctrine’ Bill Triggers Cries Of Outraged Resistance

Despite No votes by State

Reps. W. Curtis Thomas,

Cherelle Parker, Ron Waters

and other members of the Philadelphia

Democrat House caucus against legis-

lation that would expand the use of

deadly force in Pennsylvania, the so-

called “castle Doctrine”, HB 1926

passed.

“Unfortunately, the Senate’s amend-

ments to this legislation gave me no

other option but to vote no,” Thomas

(D-N. Phila.) said. “This measure cre-

ates a Wild West mentality in Pennsyl-

vania, where people can shoot first

and ask questions later.”

When it was passed by the House, the

bill originally provided additional re-

quirements for the registration of sex

offenders who are homeless, transient,

or lose a permanent address during

their registration period. It also pro-

vided for registration of certain out-of-

state offenders who relocate to the

Commonwealth.

However, as amended by the Senate,

the bill extended the so-called “Castle

Doctrine.” It now allows people to use

deadly force without having to retreat

or move away from a would-be at-

tacker, even if they can do so safely. It

also expands the locations encom-

passed under the “Castle Doctrine” to

include the porch, yard, public loca-

tions and vehicles.

Thomas noted the Pennsylvania Dis-

trict Attorneys Association also op-

poses the expansion of the Castle

Doctrine. The association is concerned

that this bill would give people in-

volved in unjustified shootings an

open door for claims of self-defense.

District attorneys from across the

Commonwealth have warned the leg-

islation will make it much more diffi-

cult to try murder suspects.

Ed Marsico, president of the associa-

tion and the district attorney of

Dauphin Co., has called the Castle

Doctrine expansion a “defense attor-

ney’s dream.” He further stated it will

“change what happens in the street.

Someone can claim self-defense if

they shoot someone who looks at

them the wrong way. By eliminating a

duty to retreat, you are encouraging

someone to potentially take a life.”

“I wholeheartedly support strengthen-

ing the registration requirements for

sex offenders and was proud to join

my colleagues in sending HB 1926 to

the Senate in the first place; however,

I cannot overlook the harm expanding

(Cont. Page 8)

2 | THE PHILADELPHIA DAILY RECORD 16 NOVEMBER, 2010

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Roebuck: Override of Governor’sVeto Of Major Education Reforms

State Rep. James Roebuck (D-

W. Phila.), chairman of the

House Education Commit-

tee, said the State Senate should join

the House of Representatives in

overriding Gov. Rendell’s veto of a

set of significant education reforms.

The House voted yesterday to over-

ride the veto.

“There are so many positive things in

this bill for Pennsylvania students and

families, and if the Senate joins the

House in acting, it can still become

law,” Roebuck said.

“This legislation represents a collec-

tive, bipartisan effort to address vari-

ous education issues and is the

culmination of several years of deter-

mined work to build consensus and

achieve compromise. It includes a

total of 18 important education bills.

We worked with all stakeholders, in-

cluding the Governor. I have been

very supportive of the Governor for all

eight years he has served, and he has

been largely noncommunicative on

this. He had ample opportunity during

this process to work out an agreement.

“The Governor claimed one section is

unconstitutional, but that is very much

in doubt, and if a court had struck

down that one section, the rest of the

bill would have survived. A number of

people have told me the bill is in fact

constitutional and in this case, the

Governor should have let it be re-

solved in the courts rather than kill

these important educational reforms.

The House has voted a second time to

let these reforms become law, and the

Senate should return to session to do

the same for this well-vetted bill.”

The bill includes two of Roebuck’s

proposals. One is aimed at preventing

school dropouts. It would require the

Pennsylvania Dept. of Education to

implement a high-quality, detailed

data-collection and reporting system

for dropout and graduation rates in all

public-school districts.

Another Roebuck proposal included in

the bill would authorize the State to

help pay Pennsylvania teachers’ fees

for undergoing certification through

the National Board for Professional

Teaching Standards, subject to State

funding being available.

“While State funding has been pro-

vided on a year-to-year basis for sev-

eral years, this overall education bill

would provide permanent authoriza-

tion for the state to fund the national

board teacher certification and the Sci-

ence in Motion program, a public-pri-

vate partnership between 11 colleges

and universities and more than 200

school districts across Pennsylvania,”

Roebuck said.

Another provision of the bill would

reform Pennsylvania’s Safe Schools

Law by revising the state’s school vio-

lence reporting system and ensuring

cooperation between school officials

and local police in dealing with school

violence.

It would also create an Economic Edu-

cation & Personal Financial Literacy

Program. It would require the Dept. of

Education to develop and maintain a

clearinghouse of personal finance and

economic-literacy education re-

sources, and to provide it to teachers,

schools and organizations across the

state.

It would help middle-school and high-

school students to learn about the dan-

gers and signs of dating violence. This

provision would require the State to

develop a model dating-violence pol-

icy and would also authorize school

districts to develop a dating violence

policy, conduct dating-violence train-

ing for staff and provide dating-vio-

lence education to all students in

grades 7 through 12. The bill also

would require the State to conduct a

study of whether dating-violence edu-

cation should be mandatory in all

(Cont. Page 8)

16 NOVEMBER, 2010 THE PHILADELPHIA DAILY RECORD | 3

Will We Lose EvansIn Appropriations?

We should know by 4 p.m.

today. That’s when the De-

mocrat caucus is expected to

include its voting on leadership changes

in the State House.

The fear is it is possible State Rep.

Dwight Evans (D-N. Phila.) is facing

stiff opposition – so much so, that Coun-

cilman Curtis Jones, Jr. released the fol-

lowing statement.

“Everything new does not glitter or turn

State policy into gold. State Rep. Dwight

Evans has been a powerhouse for De-

mocrats as the Appropriations Demo-

cratic leader throughout the last two

decades and this is not a time for

‘Change.’ Rep. Evans has brought ag-

gressive funding for education, trans-

portation, the arts and his legislative

flagship of economic development to all

of Pennsylvania.

“This is a critical time for Philadelphia.

As our State battles over a budget,

Philadelphia ‘s City budget receives an

estimate of 15% from the State for agen-

cies such as the Dept. of Human Serv-

ices, Septa, Public School District, etc.,

we need our proven, capable negotiator

Dwight Evans at the table. Rep. Evans is

a proven champion of economic devel-

opment for the State. In particular, take a

close examination of his 2009 ‘Fresh

Food Financing Initiative’ that has

brought 85 markets to Pennsylvania and

over 5,000 jobs. This Pennsylvania ini-

tiative was a partnership of public and

private funding in order to bring markets

to undeserved neighborhoods.

From the State supporting the modest

benchmarks of Smith’s Family play-

ground to the larger picture of recruiting

large private enterprises that support

neighborhood concerns to Pennsylvania,

it is all a direct reflection of Rep. Dwight

Evans’ body of work. It is not always out

with old and in with the new. Simply

stated, Rep. Evans gets things done!”

4 | THE PHILADELPHIA DAILY RECORD 16 NOVEMBER, 2010

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Call (267) 580-5318

Nov. 17-

Memorial Service & portrait un-

veiling for late Judge Joseph A

Dych at City Hall, Courtrm. 653,

4:30 p.m.

Nov. 18-

Friends of Councilwoman

Blondell Reynolds Brown host re-

ception at Sande Webster Gallery,

2006 Walnut St., 6 p.m. For info

(215) 847-5264.

Nov. 19-

Mayor to raise 20 more nations’

flags on Parkway and swear in 20

new citizens between 20th and

21st streets, 11 a.m. If rain,

Mayor’s Reception Rm., Rm. 215,

City Hall.

Nov. 20-

UNICO, Italian American Charita-

ble Association, will be stuffing

175 turkey baskets at parking lot

on west side of Turf Club, 700

Packer Ave., 9 a.m.-12 m. Presi-

dent Guy Ciabattoni invites every-

one interested to join and help. For

info Guy (215) 774-9866, ext. 11.

Dec. 3- Phila. FIGHT marks 20th

anniversary gala at Ritz Carlton.

For ticket and other info (215)

525-8628.

Dec. 5-

73rd Annual Rev. George Feider

Memorial Communication Break-

fast hosted by Millay Club alumni

of Gorretti-Neumann HS, at Hyatt

Regency at Penn’s Landing, 201

S,. Columbus Blvd., 9 a.m. Hon-

ored will be Penna. State Secretary

Basil Merenda and others. Tickets

$30. For info (215) 389-0925.

SMILING at ease with which Eagles beat Redskins were these attendees of State Rep. John Taylor (R-Kensing-

ton)’s Monday Night Football gala at Romano’s. From left were Dr. Joseph Toland, State Rep. John Perzel (R-

Northeast), Mike Kenney and Ward Leader Chris Vogler.

JOINING festivities were SEPTA’s Fran Kelly, PPA’s Carl Ciglar and Ward Leader Matt Wolfe.

16 NOVEMBER, 2010 THE PHILADELPHIA DAILY RECORD | 5

Happy Eagles Night

6 | THE PHILADELPHIA DAILY RECORD 16 NOVEMBER, 2010

THEY CAME from all over America, including Southeastern Penna., to celebrate their victories in the Nov. 2 Gen-

eral Election. The following weekend saw local leaders, from left, Bernadette Bachich Repisky of Loyal Opposition

with David Adamski and Diane Canney of Valley Forge Patriots assembling before Capitol. Photo by Adam Taxin

President Barack Obama’s job-

approval rating continues to

slip among Democrats and re-

mains stagnant among all voters at

42%, tied with previous all-time low

figures, a new Zogby Interactive sur-

vey finds.

The President’s approval rating among

Democrats fell to 78%, its lowest

point in Zogby interactive polling

since Aug. 31, 2009, when it was

75%. His overall approval remains un-

changed from last week, and is tied

with the lowest overall approval rating

recorded in the Aug. 31, 2009 survey.

Delaware Valley Tea Partisans Rallied In D.C.

Zogby Poll: Obama Holds At 42%

16 NOVEMBER, 2010 THE PHILADELPHIA DAILY RECORD | 7

Hardy Williams Fund Holds Successful Funder

LYNETTE BROWN-

SOW addresses the

first Hardy Williams

Scholarship Reception

at Convention Center

last evening. She is VP

of marketing & gov-

ernment relations at

Community College.

LEADING

PHILADELPHIANS

including State Sen.

Anthony Williams (D-

W. Phila.) and Council-

man Frank Rizzo (R)

turned out for inaugu-

ral fundraiser for this

scholarship fund, which

has already raised

$100,000.

JUST ARRIV-

ING, State Sen.

Vincent Hughes

(D-W. Phila.)

greets Lee Tol-

bert, head of W.

Phila. Coalition

of Neighborhoods

& Businesses.

8 | THE PHILADELPHIA DAILY RECORD 16 NOVEMBER, 2010

The Philadelphia Regional Port

Authority has received signif-

icant State funding to fix rail

infrastructure at Tioga Marine Termi-

nal in Port Richmond, State Sen. Mike

Stack announced yesterday.

The $420,000 grant will be used to re-

habilitate a portion of rail at the termi-

nal, including removing paving and

replacing ties, and correct the reverse

curve at the Westway Terminal located

at Delaware and East Allegheny av-

enues.

“Tioga Marine Terminal is a major

global port, but it is currently at a

competitive disadvantage due to the

conditions of the rail infrastructure,”

Stack said. “This project will allow

the terminal to accommodate various

types of cargo that are being handled

by competing ports in Newark and

Baltimore, as well as make the termi-

nal more attractive for development.”

In 2009, the facility handled 94 ves-

sels, 30 of which were from a shipping

line that focuses on “project cargo,”

which is an over dimensional ship-

ment that requires specialized han-

dling and transport. Project cargo

requires rail access that is not limited

by either turning radiuses or vertical

and horizontal clearance restrictions.

Currently, Tioga Marine Terminal has

turning radius and clearance limita-

tions that prevent access by six-axle

rail locomotives.

“These clearance limitations are pre-

venting the terminal from providing

customers with the access they may

need,” Stack said. “By making struc-

tural improvements, we are inviting

more shipments, which will subse-

quently retain and grow jobs at Tioga

Marine Terminal.”

The funding for this project is part of a

$32.5 millionSstate investment in 38

rail projects in 28 counties to upgrade

and add capacity, stimulate local

economies and provide as many as

2,500 jobs across Pennsylvania.

CASTLE DOCTINE(Cont. From Page 2)

the Castle Doctrine will

cause,” Thomas said. “I

stand with our district attor-

neys and have voted against

an amended bill that will

give violent criminals a

built-in defense for attor-

neys to exploit.”

State Rep. Vanessa Lowery

Brown (D-W. Phila.) urged

Gov. Ed Rendell to veto the

bill because she said it

would encourage more gun

violence by expanding a

person’s right to shoot

someone else.

“The self-defense laws al-

ready on the books give our

citizens the right to protect

themselves and their fami-

lies,” Lowery Brown said.

“We need to work on legis-

lation that saves our citi-

zens from gun violence

instead of passing legisla-

tion that encourages it.”

ROEBUCK(Cont. From Page 3)

school districts.

The bill aims to increase

affordability, accountability

and accessibility in col-

lege-textbook pricing. In

addition to requiring text-

book publishers to disclose

pricing information up-

front to faculty and provide

unbundled versions of text-

books, the bill also would

require institutions to pro-

vide the prices and Interna-

tional Standard Book

Numbers of required and

recommended textbooks

when students register for

classes, outline faculty re-

sponsibilities when consid-

ering textbook selection

while also explicitly pre-

serving academic freedom

and autonomy in textbook

selection, provide general

guidance for college-text-

book rental programs, call

for making electronic ver-

sions of textbooks avail-

able by 2020, encourage

institutions to adopt col-

lege-textbook adoption

policies and create a

statewide college-textbook

adoption policies advisory

committee.

Stack Announces Tioga Marine Terminal Upgrade