The Philadelphia Inquirer from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania • Page B01

Jury deliberating subway death: Three accused of beating Starbucks manager. B2. SECTION Philadelphia the Region WWW.PHILLY.COM Wk iPfnlaMpftia ilnquirer TUESDAY, AUGUST 25, 2009 Gaming commission summons Foxwoods investors Regulators want to know where they plan to put the casino and when. move the project from Columbus Boulevard in South Philadelphia to the Straw-bridge site. Regulators asked for details and have been waiting ever since.

The board could grant or deny an extension, or grant one with conditions, said Richard McGarvey, a gaming board spokesman. According to sources, one condition could be to require the casino to stay on See FOXWOODS on B4 By Jennifer Lin INQUIRER STAFF WRITER It's the guessing game of the summer: What is happening with Foxwoods Casino? Is it headed for the old Strawbridge Clothier department store in Center City, or back to the South Philadelphia waterfront? Is it going anywhere at all? State gaming regulators want to know the investors' intentions and have summoned them to Harrisburg Friday for a hearing to determine whether they will keep their gaming license. "Enough time has passed for us to hear from Foxwoods," said Cyrus Pitre, chief enforcement counsel for the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board. City officials, too, are frustrated by the silence. The Foxwoods investors have said nothing publicly about their plans since June, when they persuaded City Council to zone the Strawbridge site for a slots parlor.

'We don't know what's going on," said Alan Greenberger, executive director of the City Planning Commission. "We've not seen progress, nor do we have any clear explanation about why we haven't." At the gaming board's monthly meeting Friday, the seven directors will consider whether to extend Foxwoods' license. Issued May 29, 2008, it stipulated that 1,500 slots be operating by now. This past May 22, the investors requested a two-year extension in order to The life of the party Jog with a buddy, police tell women Pa. Senate panel OKs city's plan for budget It will allow Phila.

to raise the sales tax, delay pension contributions. By Tom Infield, Patrick Kerkstra and Jeff Shields INQUIRER STAFF WRITERS HARRISBURG The Republican-controlled state Senate took a major step last night toward giving Mayor Nutter the tools he says he needs to avert financial "doomsday" at City Hall permission to raise the sales tax and delay contributions to the workers' pension plan. Nutter watched from the back of a crowded hearing room on the fourth floor of the Capitol as the Finance Committee voted unanimously to approve a bill he has been asking for all summer. He has warned that without it, he'll have to lay off 3,000 workers, shut courts and health centers, and cut back on trash collection. The measure still must go before the full Senate likely tomorrow and then must be reconciled with a different version passed by the Democratic-run House.

A provision introduced by the Senate would stop a practice that some elected officials have used to enrich their retirements. It removes elected officials from eligibility for the deferred retirement option plan (DROP). Ever cautious when dealing with Harrisburg, Nutter declined to predict when a final bill might be signed by Gov. Rendell. But with Democrats voting in lockstep with Republicans last night, it appeared Nutter will get at least most of what he wants, soon.

Last night, Nutter said his concern was See TAX on B3 The second rape in two weeks in Fairmount Park was reported. No link seen, caution urged. By Allison Steele INQUIRER STAFF WRITER With two rapes reported in Fairmount Park in the last two weeks, police yesterday asked women not to go jogging alone. "We encourage people to use the park areas," said Capt. John Darby of the Special Victims Unit.

"But we're asking folks to use a buddy system." Darby said there was no evidence linking Sunday's rape to an attack on Aug. 11, or to the so-called Fairmount Park rapist who attacked four women in city parks between 2003 and 2007. That person has never been caught. Yesterday's warning came after a 21-year-old woman told police she was raped about 7:30 a.m. Sunday on the 3800 block of Edgely Drive, near the East Park Reservoir.

The woman, who police said grew up in the area but does not live here, left a friend's house on the 3200 block of York Street and was headed to the park for a jog when she heard a man call to her from behind, Darby said, as though he knew her. The woman turned, saw that she did not recognize the man, and continued into the park. The man apparently followed her, Darby said, then grabbed her from behind, forced her into a wooded area off the path, and assaulted her. Afterward, he fled, and the woman went to a friend's house to call the police. The man was described as See RAPES on B6 -mm Rendell says he's open to expanding the sales tax to end the budget crisis.

B6. DAVID WARREN Staff Photographer Bob Brady has been city Democratic chairman since 1986 and a congressman since 1998. "He understands that politics is about personal relationships," consultant Neil Oxman said. How Bob Brady survives, thrives Coatesville signs Marriott hotel deal pending since 2004 Inside 40 are arrested in multi-county meth bust Outlaws motorcycle gang is dealt a blow, authorities say. B2.

Orchestra's free concert now a police fund-raiser Event at the Mann Center will benefit survivors' fund. B4. Karen Heller's column does not appear today. him." As soon he could, of course, Brady called the president and apologized. Clinton later told the story with amusement.

He cited it as a lesson that all politics is local. Brady's knack for dealing with people and his recognition that "everybody's problem is important to him" helps explain how he continues to survive, even thrive, in the shark-infested world of Philadelphia politics after nearly a quarter-century as the city's Democratic chairman. "He understands the fundamental rule of politics, which is that politics is about personal relationships," said Neil Oxman, a longtime Democratic consultant. Brady, 64, faces two important elections next year one for the party leadership See BRADY on Bll By Tom Infield INQUIRER STAFF WRITER Bob Brady likes to tell the story of the time he refused a call from the president. Brady was at his office on Haverford Avenue one night hearing the problems and desires of constituents not as a member of the U.S.

House, but as Democratic leader of the 34th Ward. Before him sat a widow in tears. She was having a nasty problem with her toilet. Brady was about to tell her that he'd send over a couple of guys when a committeeman stuck his head in and said President Bill Clinton this was back in the '90s was on the line. Brady said he'd have to call him back.

He recalls: "Mrs. Martucci's toilet was as important to her as Clinton's problem was to By Kathleen Brady Shea INQUIRER STAFF WRITER A Marriott hotel has moved closer to becoming a reality in struggling Coatesville, city officials said yesterday. Coatesville's Redevelopment Authority signed an agreement Aug. 13 with Oliver Tyrone Pulver which plans to construct a 125-room Courtyard by Marriott Hotel on a 22-acre site at the southwest corner of Route 82 and the Route 30 Bypass, the city said in a news release. "Those who are familiar with our story in Coatesville know the historic significance of this event.

This deal has been in the works for a long time," City Manager Harry G. Walker 3d said in the statement. "Therefore, I See COATESVILLE on B7 ADVERTISEMENT DISPLAY THE "KEEP IT LOCAL" STICKER APPEARING ON THE FRONT PAGE OF LOCAL! TODAY PAPER. The statements and information contained herein are for educational and information purposes only and should not be construed as legal advice. The statements and information are not intended to solicit and are not provided for the purpose of soliciting or otherwise obtaining approval of a plan of reorganization..