SEPTA police strike made official
June 13, 2008
After a day of negotiations, SEPTA police officers have made good on their promise to strike.
The Fraternal Order of Transit Police has not been able to reach an agreement with SEPTA officials regarding the wages and benefits of FOTP members.
SEPTA released a statement earlier today, which says the tentative agreements monitored by the Pennsylvania Bureau of Mediation were approved by SEPTA officials, but not by the FOTP.
Since negotiations began yesterday, SEPTA, Mayor Michael Nutter and the Philadelphia Police Department have been assuring riders that security will not diminish due to the strike.
SEPTA officials hope to resume discussion with the FOTP soon, as they feel “this strike was totally avoidable.”
Photo courtesy of CBS3.
See this post on Broad & Cecil, the blog of The Temple News.
No TU-Alert a louder message after shooting
May 17, 2008
By Shannon McDonald | May 17, 2008 | The Temple News
Temple tested TU-Alert, its emergency alert system, on Friday, May 9. Students who have registered with the system received a text message, phone call and e-mail explaining that the message was only a test.
On Tuesday, May 13, shots were fired at 15th and Norris streets. No one got a TU-Alert message.
The shooting occurred around 11:30 p.m. A 19-year-old non-Temple female was shot in the chest, and the security kiosk on the corner has bullet holes in it. Marshall Thomas, the 19-year-old suspect, is still on the loose, as the Temple News reported [“Shots fired at 15th and Norris,” Chris Stover and LeAnne Matlach, May 13, 2008].
William Bergman, Temple’s vice president of operations, sent an e-mail to students on May 14 informing them that the incident was believed to be the result of a domestic disagreement and was not a random crime.
New Gen Ed classes need world affairs requirement
April 29, 2008
By Shannon McDonald | April 29, 2008 | The Temple News
When it comes to the improvement and expansion of Main Campus, students tend to focus on housing and technology. But academics – the real reason you’re paying tuition – often go ignored.
Journalist and professor Ted Gup addressed this in his April 11 article in The Chronicle of Higher Education.
“I find it profoundly discouraging to encounter such ignorance of critical issues,” Gup wrote. “I challenge [students’] right to tune out the world, and I question any system or society that can produce such students and call them educated.”
Gup finds it incomprehensible that students who have almost constant access to technology can know so little about current events and world affairs. He is right in this opinion.
SEPTA attacks bring security too late
April 15, 2008
By Shannon McDonald | April 15, 2008 | The Temple News
It took three attacks and a funeral to increase security on Philadelphia’s sole public transportation system.
The subway attacks of March 26, April 2 and April 4 occurred within blocks of each other – some in broad daylight – and have highlighted the need for increased security on SEPTA’s tracks.
“We’re taking special note of what’s going on,” Mayor Michael Nutter told 6 ABC recently.
Nutter and Philadelphia Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey have both promised SEPTA users more safety in the wake of the attacks.
SEPTA has also responded. Immediately following the attacks, the transit agency increased the number of officers on duty by 50 percent during after school hours – the time associated with the recent attacks. Between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m., 90 officers will now police the city’s subway system to deter crime. SEPTA also plans on installing security cameras over the next few years, an investment of more than $50 million.
“These senseless and tragic incidents are unrelated events that occurred in the public pedestrian areas adjacent to our stations. I want to assure you that our transit system is safe,” Joseph M. Casey, general manager of SEPTA, wrote in a message to users on the agency’s Web site.
Geraldine Ferraro isn’t the racist you think she is
March 27, 2008
By Shannon McDonald | March 27, 2008 | The Temple News
Geraldine Ferraro isn’t as racist as people may think. The 1984 Democratic vice presidential candidate made it back into the political spotlight recently with racially charged and controversial comments.
“If Obama was a white man, he would not be in this position, and if he was a woman of any color he would not be in this position,” she said. “He happens to be very lucky to be who he is, and the country is caught up in the concept.”
The now former Hillary Clinton adviser was right, to an extent. Though saying Obama is “lucky” to be black stretches the point, the presidential candidate’s race is unquestionably beneficial to his campaign.
How company inaction led to two city slayings
February 25, 2008
By Shannon McDonald | February 25, 2008 | The Temple News
“Treating people right means we believe in respect for the individual and that we owe our teammates a clean, safe work environment.”
That’s one of the values that Loomis, a security company whose employees include guards who transfer cash between banks, boasts on its Web site. What a shame that those values aren’t being upheld.
On Oct. 4, 2007, two Loomis employees were murdered while on the job in Northeast Philadelphia. William Widmaier and Joseph Alullo were gunned down as their partner, Joseph Walczak, was forced to look on from inside the armored vehicle he was driving.
Phanatic praise and ‘Idol’ worship help
January 29, 2008
By Shannon McDonald | January 29, 2008 | The Temple News
After years of fighting a reputation of being dangerous, dirty and unattractive, Philadelphia is finally getting positive attention.
Recently, Forbes.com named the Phillie Phanatic as the top mascot in the country. The decision was based on the characters’ appeal, endorsement and trendsetting, among other things. Though there was never any question about this city’s love for the furry, scooter-riding Phanatic, national recognition isn’t something to shy away from. If the Phillies can’t win the World Series, at least local sports fans can be proud of the mascot.
If a loveable mascot wasn’t enough to bulk up Philly’s reputation, the city has also received tons of free publicity from its recent stint on American Idol. The national exposure Philly received as its residents sang their way to fame or shame was worth more than $2 million, as reported in the Philadelphia Inquirer.
Just a few months ago, Travel + Leisure magazine ranked Philadelphia as one of the most unattractive and unfriendly cities in the country. Our high murder rate also drew national attention.
By Shannon McDonald | December 4, 2007 | The Temple News
Temple announced last month that Philadelphia Mayor John F. Street will become an adjunct professor of political science on Main Campus for the Spring 2008 semester.
Despite being highly criticized during his two terms as mayor, Street is slated to instruct two sections of an urban politics and policy class. My initial reaction to this was one of outrage. Along with the other residents of Philadelphia, I watched Street make one poor decision after another. Now Temple students are supposed to learn about urban policies from him. Maybe his curriculum will include corrupting a city and giving jobs to unqualified friends.
Randall Miller, a political analyst and St. Joseph’s University professor, agrees that Street has made some mistakes along the way, but said the mayor has also done some beneficial things for Philadelphia as well.
“Street doesn’t stand in the way of progress,” Miller said. “But he hasn’t encouraged it.”
He suggested that although Street may have honorable intentions for the city, his lack of enthusiasm makes him appear weaker.
Green friendly should be ignored for Phila. Elections
November 6, 2007
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By Shannon McDonald | November 6, 2007 | The Temple News
The 2007 Philadelphia mayoral election is today, pinning the favored Democrat, Michael Nutter, against Republican Al Taubenberger. Both candidates have focused their campaigns primarily on green issues, often neglecting more pressing topics.
“That’s because they don’t know what the issues are,” said Albert Mills, an adjunct professor of political science and geography and urban studies.
He’s been active in politics for 40 years and considers himself “progressive.” Mills said the environment should be a national issue, not the city’s focus.
Nutter and Taubenberger have had a clean campaign; they haven’t attacked each other’s characters, and they’ve been in agreement on various issues, specifically environmental concerns.
Though the candidates have different ideas about how to make Philadelphia a greener city, they have both made the green issue a top priority in their campaigns.
Swingset homicides
October 16, 2007
By Shannon McDonald | Oct. 16, 2007| The Temple News
Seven shootings have occurred at Philadelphia recreation centers since January, leaving four dead and community members searching for answers.
“It’s senseless,” said Victor Richard. “It’s total disrespect for human life.” Richard is the commissioner of the Philadelphia Department of Recreation, and like everyone else, he is outraged that crime has penetrated the city’s safest havens. The four dead victims of these shootings are predictably young; three were only teenagers.
One of the surviving victims is 18-month-old Mehkee Gatewood, who suffered two gunshot wounds while at E.R. Tustin Playground in West Philadelphia in late September.
Something needs to be done.
