Wednesday news round-up

The Philly papers are sporting a new headline font (wheee!), and there's even some news (in no particular order):

• Round three of Ferrick v. Weldon has Ferrick uncovering some more uncomfortable facts about the Delaware County Congressman, despite his avowal that he's never getting into a tussle with Weldon again.
  
  
• Papers tout Mariano's "first public appearance since his conviction," which is a 20-yard dash from courthouse to taxi. He needs a shave, but has been given a clean bill of mental health.
  
  
• The Barnes Foundation hopes to move from its suburban home to the Franklin Parkway someday soon; $25 million from the state (to help build the collection's new quarters) should help smooth the trip. No timetable has been set, and much additional fundraising is going on.
  
  
• Gaming regulators seek to reassure Pennsylvanians that slots parlors won't lead to gambling addiction. Surprisingly, no evidence is cited for that claim.
  
  
• Ray Murphy is celebrating the success of Tony Payton in the 179th state legislative district. This progressive newcomer not only refused to step aside for the party's preferred candidate, he then went on to get his primary opponent disqualified from the ballot. Since this pretty much means he's a shoo-in for November, it should be quite a switch from the area's previous moribund Rep. Rieger (see here).
  
  
• Inga Saffron looks at a new major tower planned for the eastern part of Center City, not far from Independence Hall. Seems like a nice project, but not without the usual uproar from neighboring properties...
  
  
• Workers at the Philadelphia Tribune, a major black-oriented local paper, may go on strike today over salary and benefits. Interestingly, the union appears to represent only 16 out of 100+ employees, so it could lead to a bit of an odd situation...
  
  
• Keystone Politics presents an interview with Valerie McDonald Roberts, a Democratic candidate for Lieutenant Governor.
  (via PhillyFuture)
  
  
• And finally the Philadelphia Film Festival starts this weekend, and the Philadelphia Weekly offers a preview of the attractions. I anticipate that I will, as usual, have great ambitions for seeing a bunch of films, but then manage to see only a couple, at best. sigh.