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Archive for “Liberty Bell” news
New Report: Here’s How Much Tourism Impacted Philly Last Year
By Simon van Zuylen-Wood 5/10/2013
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Eds, meds, and...tourism. That basically sums up Philly's 21st century economy. But how many tourists really show up? How much do they bring in? And who are they all? Well, the Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation has answers, courtesy of its annual report.
Since 1997, Philly's experienced a 45% growth in visitation. 38 million American tourists showed up last year, 12 million more than in '97.
89,000 regional jobs are supported by tourist dollars.
7 new hotels are currently being built.
$410 in annual taxes are saved by region households thanks to tourist dollars.
And here's the profile of Mr. Average Philadelphia tourist: He's 44,
Watch a Bunch of Pot Smokers Commit a Federal Crime on Independence Mall
By Simon van Zuylen-Wood 3/20/2013
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On Sunday, a large group of pot activists assembled on Independence Mall to give a middle-finger to an apparently apathetic U.S. federal government. A video was posted today documenting the collective joint hit, which went unpunished by the National Park Service. Philly's got relatively lenient pot laws, but the U.S. government doesn't, and they were protesting on federal property. And yet, after they had lit up, and the cloud of smoke had dissipated, no one had been arrested. One activist with a video camera even marched over to confront the park ranger, and seemed disappointed to get indifference. No word
Philly’s Feeling the Sequester Pinch: Liberty Bell Reducing Hours
By Simon van Zuylen-Wood 3/20/2013
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At a protest that took place today on Independence Mall, City Paper caught up with three federal workers already feeling the automatic spending cuts that went into effect earlier this month, AKA the sequester. And no more iconic embled of Philadelphia than the Liberty Bell will be affected.
Adam Duncan, who works with the National Park Service and is vice president of AFGE Local 2038, says forget about extended July 4 hours for the Liberty Bell. That will be closing at 5 p.m. daily thanks to the sequester, and eight other buildings could see hours cut back to a few days a week
Liberty Bell Bombing Suspect, Still in Jail, Ordered to Stand Trial
By Simon van Zuylen-Wood 3/08/2013
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The man charged with threatening to blow up the Liberty Bell more than a month ago was ordered to stand trial today. Portuguese native Carlos Balsas, a former assistant professor at Arizona State, has been in prison on $250,000 bail since the January 26th incident, which took place while he was visiting Philly. The incident in question:
A security screener testified today that Balsas entered the Liberty Bell Center, on Independence Mall, with a messenger bag and backpack. The screener says he was about to check them but Balsas refused to hand over the backpack, saying, “There’s explosives in there.” The
That Other Liberty Bell No One Cares About Locked Away in Closet Today
By Simon van Zuylen-Wood 1/31/2013
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In 1976, the Queen of England brought over a replica of our old pal Liberty Bell, to commemorate the Bicentennial. How sweet and thoughtful--our new friend was even molded in the same foundry as the original!
But when the six-ton bell arrived, no one could bear to look at him and his hideous uncracked facade. So he was banished to the red brick tower on Chestnut and 3rd, where no one could see him. For 25 years, until the dawn of the 21st century, the poor bell rang twice a day, wailing out in solitude. Finally, one day, the clapper broke,
