Thursday news deluge

My window in Firefox has 18 tabs of articles and posts I thought worth reading and probably blogging today. Um, I have to leave in about 2-3 hours, so I'm never going to get to read them all. Thus, a rarity: I'm giving you the links, unread and thus largely unfiltered. You'll have to figure out their merits for yourselves...

• Harrisburg legislators think Philadelphia politicians can't be trusted to have a say in the placement of the city's casinos. This one may be too good not to snark more about.
  
  
• Rendell has set up lobbying rules for the executive branch of Pennsylvania.
  
  
• Stand-off over dredging continues -- mayors not meeting, DRPA's hands tied.
  
  
• Rendell pushes legislators to make progress on tax cuts. I'm sure that's all they were waiting for.
  
  
• Bucks county picked out its voting machines, and they're free of any pesky paper trail.
  
  
• Election petitions are being challenged for 80 candidates for state or national office. That'll teach those newcomers!
  
  
• Featherman's withdrawel from Senate primary officially noted.
  
  
• A Philadelphia Big Dog from a previous era, union boss Earl Stout passed away this week.
  
  
• Electrician's union tries to patch up Dougherty-Brady spat by asking some candidates to withdraw.
  
  
• Over in New Jersey, Governor Corzine is asking for a higher sales tax, which apparently has an Inquirer columnist outraged.
  
  
• The City Paper looks a whether a local sludge pile is an environmental hazard.
  
  
• Apparently Swarthmore's branch of the College Democrats is really trying to make a difference.
  
  
• The Daily News editors note that Milton Street doesn't live in the district he wants to represent (or even in Pennsylvania).
  
  
• Above Average Jane welcomes the choice of the PA Senate to make their business available online.
  
  
• Marc Stier is against the proposed "defense of marriage" change to the state constitution and urges action.
  
  
• Albert has nice things to say about Paul Lang in the 6th State Senate race.
  
  
• The Inquirer offers some micro-editorials on matters from Rendell v. Penguins to Swarthmore students v. Darfur. This "Lightning round" seems to be a new editorial feature of late...

I'd love to get back to some of these and say more, but I may not even get to read them until late this evening. So, fend for yourselves til then...