Two Weird Stories Get Weirder

Earlier today, I wrote about the two break-ins at City Hall and the man shot by police on Sunday morning. But never did I think the two stories would intersect!

No, really, I didn’t. I mean, who would think they’d cross paths? That’d be a pretty wild guess. Well, anyway, they are connected. The Inquirer’s Patrick Kerkstra reports that 26-year-old Charles Kelly — shot by police Sunday morning at 9th and Market streets after lunging at them with a steak knife and shouting “Kill me!” — is the same man who broke into City Hall and took Anna Verna’s Bible and trashed the Pennsylvania Supreme Court offices. The knife he wielded at police was the same one he took from Verna’s office.

Officials say Verna is well-known for ordering 16-pound steaks to her office, hence the steak knife.

Okay, I made that last part up. But somehow everything else is actually true. I guess if you’re going to go out, might as well break into City Hall beforehand.

Man killed by police had broken into City Hall [Inquirer]
Photo courtesy of Brad Maule of Phillyskyline

Oh Snap!

Courtesy of KYW 1060, the following conversation in City Council over a land transfer:

BLACKWELL: You want to wait for an elected official to come in whom you support. That’s not the law, Madame President.

VERNA: That is not my position and you know it.

BLACKWELL: Absolutely it is. Apparently it is.

VERNA: We are not going to argue the point…

BLACKWELL: But I am going to argue the point!

Well… that wasn’t very good. Where’s the near fight of a few weeks ago? Come on, ladies, you can do better than this.

Angry Words Over a City Council Land Transfer [KYW 1060]
Sept. 22: Blackwell Nearly Uses Gold-Glove Pedigree On Tasco

Quickies: Gay Bar

• In legal news, the Philadelphia Bar Association has come out against the PIMP Act — that’s the “Pennsylvania Marriage Protection Act” — which would ban same-sex marriages in the commonwealth. Good for them. It’s hard out here for a PIMP Act, &c. [KYW 1060]

• So why did the cops shut down a party at Transit two hours early? Nobody seems to know. [fiftyone:fiftyone]

• The New York Sun — kind of the Evening Bulletin of New York — reports that Scooter Libby testified President Bush okayed a leak to the New York Times, putting Bush directly in the chain of events that led to the leaking of Valerie Plame’s name. Like, whoa. [Gawker (the Sun website is down)]

• Can someone (seriously) explain this anti-Jeopardy! piece? I’m totally baffled. [Early Word]

• In honor of Jimmy Rollins’ 38-game hitting streak, here’s a statheaded look at both his and Joe DiMaggio’s streaks. Very good piece. [Sportszilla]

• City Council President Anna Verna is the first person to get angry at Rick Mariano! Of course, she’s just mad that he sent a letter home saying his office would be “fully staffed.” Guess the councilwoman doesn’t want people to know that you can do her job from prison. [KYW 1060]