This is a list of articles regarding Pennsylvania in this past week's Wall Street Journal. Chances are I missed something, but these are the articles that caught my eye.
It should be noted that I routinely do not read the editorials in the WSJ. So any discussions of the state, its elected officials, businesses, or citizens, in editorials will not be mentioned here.
PA Politicians
Not a politician per se but a court case involving Media. “President who?” by Peter Lattman (7/25) gives an overview of the town’s lawyer asking that President Bush’s name not be used in court when a man is tried for displaying an antiwar sign in 2003, due to the president’s poor approval ratings.
Rep. John Murtha is featured in “House Democrats seek new options on Iraq policy,” by David Rogers (7/26)
Hazelton mayor Lou Barletta gets some press (good or bad, depending) in “Judge in Pennsylvania overturns town’s immigration law,” by Miriam Jordan (7/27)
PA Businesses
The Bristol-based company is the focus of “Fate of Jones Apparel Could Hinge on Barneys Deal,” by Rachel Dodes (7/28)
Other PA
From Herrick, Thaddeus "States aim to stem tide of home foreclosures with funds for refinancing" (7/23):
"Hoping so slow the quickening pace of home foreclosures, about a half-dozen states are setting up funds to help homeowners with high-risk subprime mortgages refinance to more-affordable loans. The states -- which include Maryland, Massachusetts, NJ, NY Ohio, and PA -- are expected to invest a total of more than $500 million in the effort."
More on housing in the state in “Bucking a trend, sales of rental units climb,” by Maura Webber Sadovi (7/25):
Many buyers are also betting that Philadelpia rentals are better positioned going forwards than in some other markets that have drawn investors buying condominiums they don’t plan on living in. As such, Philadelphia’s apartment market is steadier than markets where some fear unsold condominiums will be repositioned as rentals, analysts say.
Even more on housing in “The State of the slump,” by James R. Hagerty and Ruth Simon (7/26). Mark Zandi of Economy.com in West Chester is quoted. In a comparative chart of 28 housing markets, Philadelphia is listed with a downward price trend, an 11% increasing in housing inventory, a weak employment outlook, and 2.7% of loan payments 30 or more days delinquent. That last statistic was among the lowest on the chart.
As part of what appears to be a continuing series on the subject we find “Schools beat back demands for special-ed services,” by Daniel Golden (7/24). Pennsylvania is mentioned a number of time and Perry Zirkel of Lehigh University is quoted. The most informative and lengthy PA section is this:
After hearing reviewers in Pennsylvania were accused of bias, the state overhauled its system for choosing them. Until recently, Pennsylvania had four appeals panels, each with a fixed roster of three administrative judges, to review initial rulings. In a federal lawsuit filed in 2005, lawyer Dennis McAndrews accused one of the four panels of bias, saying it decided 45 of 47 appeals for districts between August 2003 and August 2005.
In “Robert A. Heinlein’s legacy,” by Taylor Dinerman (7/26) we learn that the city once hosted a triumvirate of science fiction literary lions: “He [Heinlein] ended the war at the Philadelphia Naval Yard Aircraft Factory, working with fellow writers L. Sprague DeCamp and Isaac Asimov.”
Other Interesting Tidbits
Old media is not dead, according to “Political ads stage a comeback in newspapers,” by Kevin Helliker (7/26). Jordan Lieberman of Campaigns & Elections magazine is quoted as saying that newspapers are “highly effective and highly cost-effective.” So, candidates, please buy lots of newspaper ads so the Inky can hire back some of those reporters they laid off.
A perfect example of why people get so ticked off at the government can be found in “Why Texas firms are keeping cattle on the back forty,” by Jennifer Levitz (7/28) . Texas gives a property tax exemption for agricultural work and the rules have been loosened in recent years. Some examples: Fidelity Investments reduced its property tax bill from $319,417 to $714.57 by housing 24 cattle on its grounds. Samsung cut its taxes from $21,080 to $135.68 by hanging 10 birdhouses and spraying for fire ants. Several others are mentioned. Consider what that has done to local services and school funding in the state.
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2 comments:
From a former responsible renter, the last thing Philadelphia needs are more residences owned by out-of-state ,out-of-neighborhood or out-of-county absentee landlords looking to make a killing on rent. Responsible tenants and landlords exist, but IMO they are the minority and the city does not have enough L&I inspectors to ensure
the units are at first fit for tenants and are keep that way. I believe most of the state of rental housing falls on irresponsible landlords and not the renters.
As I'm also discovering in my new home, absentee landlords are a problem everywhere as well as being a significant contributor to the deterioration of housing stock and loss of community in many of the old mill towns here in western PA.
PD, I agree that absentee landlords are often a problem and even those living nearby can be neglectful (even those who also earn a salary as judges, as the Inky reported earlier this year).
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