Wednesday, April 14, 2010

On A Prosecutor (Or Lack Of One), Downtown Failures (And Plenty), And Justice (To Come)

Several items are stacking up -- such as Ben Roethlisberger's innocent-as-O.J. exoneration (and his sincere-as-a-pump-fake public statement), a strange internal memorandum from a gubernatorial campaign, and a substantial update of the Propositions Board (far right column) -- so, to relieve pressure, a few quick chugs:

1) Something bizarre seems to be developing with respect to installation of a United States Attorney for the Western District of Pennsylvania (to replace the blessedly departed Chong-Hunter, Mary Beth Buchanan). One short-list candidate has begun the process of resigning his current position -- and that candidate is not Dave Hickton, the person widely identified as having been chosen. After an indication that all three Pennsylvania districts would have nominees this week, today's announcement omitted the Western District. This delay appears to be affecting at least two important investigations and/or prosecutions, and appears to be unrelated to the senatorial prerogative-wrestling contest focused on the Eastern District. The entire situation has become puzzling.

2) You won't find a less satisfactory assessment of Pittsburgh's five- to twenty-year-old public affairs than this one (unless, perhaps, you get stuck next to Tom Murphy or an Allegheny Conference member on an airport shuttle). Exemplar: Are the (former) Lord & Taylor and Lazarus stores/subsidies properly seen as seeds for success?

3) Anyone who intends to comment, or competently ruminate, on the process to replace Associate Justice John Paul Stevens should read this.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Where did you get that photo? Too much. The more I think about Big Ben and his posse throwing their weight around in a small college town, the more f'ed up it seems. It would be one thing if they were in the Strip buying shots and kickin' it in the VIP room, but coming on to 20-year-olds in rural Georgia? Sick.

And you just have to look at the author of the Pop City dreck to understand where it's coming from.

Infinonymous said...

Doesn't everyone who spends any time on the North Side or along Carson Street, carrying a cell phone camera, have a similar photograph by now?

Pop City never gets the scorn and derision it deserves. Probably never will, unless someone starts to pay attention to it.

Anonymous said...

Potter thinks he scooped your guv memo. It was pretty weak. Hope you got more.

Chris Potter said...

Just to clarify: I don't think I "scooped" anything. I don't actually know what memo Infinonymous has, and even if we DID have the same memo, its contents were reported a couple weeks ago by the Philadelphia papers. Seeing Infi's post just reminded me that I had it lurking in the in box, and had meant to do something with it earlier. It ain't the Pentagon Papers, to be sure.

MH said...

Probably just as well since I'm guessing the CP doesn't have Sulzberger-type litigation money.

Chris Potter said...

CP can barely cover the cost of my hair plugs.

MH said...

Apparently, the NYT can't do that anymore. Have you seen Frank Rich's photo lately?