Felons Get Pensions in Philadelphia
Philly Felons Still Receive City Pensions. Some former city workers who were convicted of felonies are still receiving their pensions. More than $1 million has been paid out to felons since 1999. Since Philly doesn’t have any budgetary concerns and the pension fund is in such good shape, the Scoop doesn’t really see the problem. Oh, wait—that’s right. [Daily News]
The Eagles are Interested in Brett Favre. Yes, really. Howard Eskin tossed Favre’s name out as a possible backup to Michael Vick if (when) Kevin Kolb gets traded. The Scoop thinks it might not be a bad idea for CSN’s Amy Fadool to call Verizon and cancel her data plan—you know, just in case. [The 700 Level]
Investigation Shows Suspicious Erasures at Roosevelt Middle School. One seventh grader erased the wrong answer and filled in the correct one 35 times on state standardized tests. The Scoop thinks some good old fashioned detention would be a suitable sentence for everyone involved. Please write, “I will not cheat on state exams. But—if I do—I will not use a lavish and statistically improbable number of erasures in doing so.” One hundred times on the blackboard. [Inquirer]
State Lottery Sets Sales Record. Between this and all the money raised by casinos this year, the Scoop would like to thank the state’s gamblers for picking up some of the slack in this year’s budget. [CBS 3]
Philly’s Schools Not Using Cameras to Full Potential. Last year the Philadelphia School District spent $7.5 million to install cameras in some of its most dangerous schools. Now, a report shows that many of those cameras are not monitored regularly and that layoffs of part-time employees could exacerbate the situation. If a fight breaks out in a hallway and is caught on camera—but there’s no one watching the monitor—does it make a sound? [FOX 29]
Philly’s Traffic Signals Are Out of Date. Synchronizing the city’s 3,000 intersections with traffic signals would have a positive effect on the speed of traffic. But, currently, 2,000 of those intersections have lights that cannot be changed electronically from a distance. The city is only converting about 50 to 100 of those per year. [Daily News]
