How judicial retentions work and why they’re important
At the end of your ballot for next week’s general election are a list of 20 names, with a yes/no question for each. They’re judges up for retention, and your answer will help determine the direction of the city’s and state’s courts for the next decade.
People almost never vote “no” on keeping a sitting judge on the bench — but it has happened. Asha Prihar explains how the system works and why it’s important, perhaps especially this year. Continue reading…
Center City’s Blade Runner-inspired ramen bar opens today
Ramen-loving replicants and humans alike get a new late-night go-to this week with the opening of Chika. A noodle bar from Glu Hospitality with a chef who trained in Japan, the subterranean space on Sansom Street in Center City is a glowing homage to cyberpunk classic movie “Blade Runner.”
Amid the neon are steaming bowls of soup, a variety of otsumami snacks, and appropriately themed cocktails. Ali Mohsen has a preview of what to expect. Continue reading…
RECAP: What else happened?
$ = paywalled
• Pennsylvania is implementing a money-back guarantee for permit, license, and certification applications if they’re not processed within the promised timeframe. Gov. Shapiro touts it as “first in the nation.” [PennLive/@governorshapiro]
• Who cleans up after shootings in Philadelphia? Finally, professionals will, as the city contracts with a bio waste removal company for a pilot program intended to launch this fall. [WHYY]
• Penn is creating a task force to combat “antisemitism and other forms of hate,” announced university president Liz Magill, who has faced criticism over the school’s response to threats to Jewish, Palestinian, Arab, and Muslim students. [Daily Pennsylvanian]
• Sales wound down nearly four years ago, but the time has come at last: SEPTA tokens will no longer be accepted on subways and trolleys as of Jan. 1. [BP 2018/PhillyVoice]
• Kensington bakery and pizzeria Eeva is closing for good after three years, and the space will become a ReAnimator cafe. Unionized staff is upset about the closure. [Billy Penn]
• Aaron Nola faces an uncertain future in Philadelphia, writes Hittin’ Season’s John Stolnis, as the longest-tenured Phillie could be headed out of town. [Billy Penn]
MAYOR WATCH
Mayor Kenney speaks at MANNA’s annual “Pie in the Sky” fundraiser at Lincoln Financial Field (1 p.m.).
ON THE CALENDAR
🍻 Billy Penn event: BP Quizzo lands in Germantown at Attic Brewing Co. for Philly news and history trivia, with happy hour specials and prizes. Free with RSVP. Join us! (6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 16)
🏘️ Get a peek into historic homes and architecture with the self-guided Spruce Hill House Tour. Tickets are $25-$40 per person. (10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 4)
🎭 Set in 1938 Long Island, Theatre Exile’s “Camp Siegfried” explores young love and the rise of fascism, with a post-show talkback about the Holocaust. Tickets are $40. (3 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 5)
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