Quick Monday round-up

A bit of a slow regional news day, to judge by the random smatter of articles...

• New Jersey's Senate race is centering on the immigration issue, and especially as highlighted by recent events in Riverside. A Daily News opinion piece looks at the motivations and repurcussions of attempts by local regions to handle immigration issues in the absence of better federal guidelines.
  
  
• Also across the river, NJ farmers are switching from beef to more exotic stock, like ostriches and llamas, for everything from alternative meats to petting zoos.
  
  
• Mayor Street is taking his executive team on power-walks through Fairmont and other areas, at 6am on Sundays. Sounds like a deal-breaker to me, heh.
  
  
• The Daily News has a profile of Eileen DiFranco, the female priest ordained in the Philadelphia region a few weeks ago.
  
  
• DN columnist Earnie Smith reports on another zoning/development debacle, this time one where the developer made peace with the neighbors but then hit opposition from the neighborhood civic association. Of course it's important that abutting neighbors not be "bought off" at the expense of the larger neighborhood. But this points up the general problems developers have with Philadelphia's piecemeal approval process.
  
  
• An Inquirer editorial looks at FEMA in the aftermath of Katrina, and what it has and hasn't made better about its preparations for handling disaster.
  
  
• State Rep. (and mayoral hopeful) Dwight Evans writes the DN about recent proposals on gun regulations and violence.
  
  
• AAJane notes that State Rep. candidate Brian Lentz just won a popularity contest that will bring his race some additional support from the state party.
  
  
• Albert wanders by the local Democratic headquarters and notices a couple of significant ommissions from the promo banners in their windows. ahem!
  
  
• The blogger at Phillyville offers some guidelines for mayoral hopefuls on what the city really needs in a leader. Food for thought, anyway.
  
  
• Pennsyltucky Politics notices a novel play for publicity by Jim Gerlach. (the linked article is at the top of the frame when loaded...)
  (via PoliticsPhilly)