It’s hard to build a playlist when people aren’t listening, guys — and as you’ll see, it was a week of not listening. City Council agreed to having 3D digital billboards despite plenty of complaints. Tommy Wolf says he’ll probably veto a liquor privatization bill even though most reasonable humans want easier ways to buy alcohol. And Penn board members left a meeting early so they wouldn’t have to face noisy protesters. Billy Penn recaps all these stories and more by pairing them with music in this week’s version of the #BillyPennPlaylist (scroll to bottom for Spotify).
“Larger Than Life,” Backstreet Boys
Philadelphia is getting 3D digital billboards. Even though residents have been complaining, City Council gave the thumbs up for three billboards that will be about 30-50 feet tall and will probably be by the Reading Terminal Market, the Convention Center and on the Bellevue on Broad Street.
“My Friends Over You,” New Found Glory
The House voted Thursday to privatize liquor sales in Pennsylvania, i.e. let us buy wine in grocery stores like pretty much everyone else. But don’t get too excited. If it passes the Senate, Tommy Wolf has already promised to veto the bill, siding with his largely Democrat friends who don’t want liquor privatization instead of the tons of us who want to buy wine in a much more convenient fashion.
“Bubble Butt,” Major Lazer
The Black Madam trial continued this week and what else came up as people testified about Padge-Victoria Windslowe? Uh, butt parties.
“First Date,” Blink 182
Five Democratic mayoral candidates met young Philadelphians at Fieldhouse on Tuesday, talked for a few minutes each and then hoped the young people would sign their mayoral petitions. It was basically speed dating.
“Pass Me the Mic,” Beastie Boys
You only get one first date, and Tony Williams probably made the best impression. Though Kenney appeared to get the most signatures, Williams dropped the mic after his speech, and the crowd loved it.
“AmeriKKKa’s Most Wanted,” Ice Cube
Did you see this man? He allegedly stole a purse Wednesday, and the police are looking for him. It helped that somebody took this really clear Instagram of him.
“Love is Greed,” Passion Pit
Tommy Wolf gave a big ol’ bear hug to corporations this week when he proposed cutting their tax rates in half.
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“Fireflies,” Owl City
Hey, rare snowy owls are back in our area for the second winter in a row!
“One Step Closer,” Linkin Park
University board meetings are reaching a breaking point at Penn. Protesters interrupted a meeting on Thursday to advocate for net neutrality. Later, protesters came back to suggest that Penn should pay taxes to the city.
“Ice Melts,” Matt and Kim
Dilworth Park Ice rink closed this week, and the RiverRink closes this weekend. Now if we could just get rid of all that ice everywhere else.
Philly, beyond the cheesesteak
We love a good steak — but that only scratches the surface of what Philly has to offer. Our nonprofit newsroom looks for stories that push past clichés to find those that are underexplored. Want to keep us around?