FBI Probing Philadelphia Parking Authority
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Philly.com- The Philadelphia Parking Authority has caught the attention of the FBI, According to three former PPA employees who say they were interviewed by federal agents in the past months.
The three said the investigators asked about the authority’s red-light camera program, finances and management.
“It was about a wide variety of things,” said former PPA employee Nick Marrandino, referring to his interview with agents in October. “They’re just looking at a lot of different aspects there.”
Two other former PPA employees also said they had been approached by investigators. Neither was willing to discuss their conversation with agents publicly.
The variety of topics discussed suggests that agents are casting a wide net, though it remains unclear just how far the inquiry has developed.
News of Philadelphia’s Parking Authority’s investigation comes after Auditor General Eugene DePasquale issued a scathing condemnation of PPA management under the watch of its former executive director, Vincent Fenerty Jr.
Eagles Win NFC East, But Lose Carson Wentz
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Philly.com – The Eagles clinched the NFC East title and a postseason bid, yet those accomplishments paled compared to significance of Carson Wentz’s injury in the third quarter of the Eagles’ 43-35 win over the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday.
Wentz suffered a knee injury that could be season ending if it’s determined to be a torn ACL. The team is now 11-2, owners of the best record in the NFL, but they could be without their franchise player for the rest of the year.
Wentz was in the third quarter of perhaps his finest game with the Eagles when he tried rushing for a touchdown and took a big hit while diving for points. A penalty flag nullified the play, and Wentz’s gait appeared abnormal or the remaining four plays. He couldn’t move like he normally does, and even though he remained in the game to throw a clutch a fourth-down touchdown pass to Alshon Jeffery, he did not celebrate as he normally does. Wentz walked gingerly to the sideline, where he was greeted by the medical staff. They quickly evaluated him in a makeshift blue tent, and then brought him into the locker room. It was quickly determined that he would not return to the game.
The long-term ramifications of Wentz’s injury will be the story that matters most in Philadelphia
Stop N Go Need To Stop And Go
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By: Solomon Jones
I’m angry that the Stop N Go issue has been reduced to a debate about bulletproof glass, when in reality, it’s about so-called businesses that have been allowed to routinely break the law in black communities.
The state liquor license these stores operate under requires they provide seating for 30 people and onsite bathroom facilities. They routinely do not, and that is against the law.
But the problem with Stop N Go’s is more than a legal issue. It’s an ethical issue. The owners of these stores operate with predatory intent, providing everything necessary for the demise of their customers while at the same time refusing to give anything back. As a lifelong Philadelphian who has lived in the neighborhoods where these stores thrive, I need our city’s leaders to know this: It’s time for Stop N Go’s to stop and go.
“What we have is businesses that sell beer, which is supposed to be consumed offsite but it’s consumed onsite,” Councilwoman Cindy Bass, who proposed the Stop N Go bill, told me in an interview. “You have shots of alcohol being consumed onsite. You have cold medicines that are used to be converted to illegal drugs, crack pipes and candy for children, which in my opinion is grooming the next generation of customers for this type of business. Anything you need to get high you can get at a Stop N Go. If they were selling hypodermic needles, there’d be a call to shut them down, but because they’re selling crack pipes and alcohol there’s not the same sense of urgency.”
Bass is right. Unfortunately, that message has been lost in the uproar over bulletproof glass. In reality, the bill, if passed, requires the City’s Department of Licenses and Inspections (L&I) to make a decision on the bulletproof glass by 2021. L&I could very well decide that the bulletproof glass can stay in the stores. But by pretending this is a safety issue rather than a legal issue, Stop N Go owners can continue to operate outside the law without being forced to change their predatory business model.
