AltWeeklies Wire
Philadelphia's Soda Fee is Not as Taxing as we Thinknew
To say that Mayor Nutter’s proposed “Healthy Philadelphia Initiative” (the two-cents-per-ounce junk-drink tax) is in disarray would be charitable. City Council grows increasingly hostile toward the plan. A loophole might negate its stated health goals.
Philadelphia Weekly |
Jacob Lambert |
03-29-2010 |
Economy
Homeless and Hungry: Portraits by Michael Northrupnew
"I think what interested me was their blatant exposure," the writer says of the men and women who use small squares of cardboard, or even just a plain Styrofoam cup, to make a very public appeal of need. To him, "they just screamed, hey, somebody take a picture."
Baltimore City Paper |
Michael Northrup |
03-16-2010 |
Economy
Still the Promised Land: Poverty, Policy and Hope in the Rust Beltnew
Out west in gigantic, thriving Chicago, there’s a debate underway between a journalist and an IT consultant over whether regionalism can help the hollowing-out cities of the Rust Belt.
Montreal Real Estate May have Saved the Lower Main, but Cleopatra Isn’t Feeling Any Lovenew
Did capitalistic excess spare the lower Main? Maybe so. Christian Yaccarini’s Société de développement Angus had big plans to remake St-Laurent between René-Lévesque and de Maisonneuve that are, as of last week, dashed... or at least drastically scaled back.
Montreal Mirror |
Patrick Lejtenyi |
02-26-2010 |
Economy
After Layoffs, City Bus Drivers are Being Taxed on Money They Never Receivednew
"It's not right, what's being done. It's bad enough to shut down the careers of so many people that they've put decades into, but then not to pay the money that they have coming — that's really a slap."
Colorado Springs Independent |
J. Adrian Stanley |
02-18-2010 |
Economy
If Community Centers Close, the Fallout Could Be Immeasurablenew
It seems the community centers need a miracle. But the people who love them aren't waiting for one. In the last month, moms, dads, grandparents and high schoolers have come together with great joy, enthusiasm and imagination and put up one hell of a fight.
Colorado Springs Independent |
J. Adrian Stanley |
02-18-2010 |
Economy
San Francisco's Employment Rate is Relatively Good, but Leaders Can Create More Jobsnew
Last month, Mayor Gavin Newsom held a press conference at the upscale hot-dog restaurant Show Dogs, packed it with press and midlevel bureaucrats, showed up late, and then led an endless platitude-fest about his plans to promote jobs in San Francisco.
When Life Takes You Out of Your House and Into Your Carnew
Maybe one has even parked on your street: a conversion van, curtains drawn, or a camper with signs of everyday life. They are so ubiquitous in Venice, Calif. that some have been trying to turn the onetime hippie enclave into a parking-permit-only town as a way to ward off "undesirables."
L.A. Weekly |
Linda Immediato |
02-05-2010 |
Economy
Petty's Island, a Fin-Shaped Slice of Strange in the Delaware Rivernew
Never heard of Petty's Island? It's littered with colorful characters — Pennsylvania founder William Penn, Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez, a man who declared himself the island's king, and even the pirate's pirate himself, Ol' Blackbeard.
Philadelphia City Paper |
Holly Otterbein |
02-02-2010 |
Economy
A Statewide Sales Tax Hike For the Arts, In This Economy?new
One hundred million dollars. That's how much money the Metro Phoenix Partnership for Arts and Culture hopes to generate from a new tax hike proposal quietly being prepared for voters. One hundred million freakin' dollars, each year.
Phoenix New Times |
Sarah Fenske |
01-26-2010 |
Economy
How Craig Cunningham Gets Bill Collectors Off His Back: He Sues Themnew
While most Americans with unpaid bills dread the collector's call, Craig Cunningham sees them as opportunities. Many collection and credit card companies violate little-known consumer rights laws, and Cunningham's favorite pastime is catching them doing so and suing them.
Dallas Observer |
Kimberly Thorpe |
01-25-2010 |
Economy
An Hour at Gamblers Anonymous Lets You In on Years Sufferingnew
To be admitted to this stark room, with its vinyl floor, harsh lighting and a chill that says this place isn't supposed to be a comfort zone, one must be ready to admit failure. You show up at a Gamblers Anonymous meeting because you need help.
Colorado Springs Independent |
Pam Zubeck |
01-21-2010 |
Economy
Coloradans Have Long Supported the Lottery. Maybe It's Time For a Role Reversalnew
People who can't stop playing incur an inestimable social cost in broken relationships, lost jobs, prison, even suicide. The Lottery pays a pittance to help. It pays nothing for the impact of gaming addictions on cities and counties. And if and when problem gamblers finally reach out, they find appropriately trained counselors in woefully short supply.
Colorado Springs Independent |
Pam Zubeck |
01-21-2010 |
Economy
LAPD Audit: New Chief Releases a Report Showing Broad Mismanagementnew
The city may not be as safe as the 1950s like Bill Bratton often boasted, but apparently the bookkeeping by the Los Angeles Police Department is “stuck” in that decade, and a new and embarrassing audit is roiling City Hall—by explaining how bad things really are.
L.A. Weekly |
Patrick Range McDonald and Christine Pelisek |
12-18-2009 |
Economy
