Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Brian F. Kelcey @stateofthecity.bsky.social · 5h

Big city mayor seeks demotion to lower office, in Lima, Peru

The Manila Times @themanilatimes.bsky.social · 6h

LIMA, Peru — Few people take kindly to being compared to a pig but the portly, balding ex-mayor of Peru's capital Lima, who resigned on Monday to run for president, has embraced his 'Porky' epithet.

'Porky,' the Peru presidential hopeful vowing 'war' on gangs

www.manilatimes.net

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Brian F. Kelcey @stateofthecity.bsky.social · 5h

New York City

Spectrum News NY1 @spectrumnewsny1.bsky.social · 7h

President Donald Trump renewed his threats against New York City on Tuesday, suggesting he would withhold funds and deploy federal troops if Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani is elected mayor.
Read more: http://specne.ws/ry26wJ

Trump renews his attacks on Mamdani and threats against the city

President Trump threatened to withhold funding and send troops to New York if Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani is elected mayor.

specne.ws

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Brian F. Kelcey @stateofthecity.bsky.social · 6h

Maybe related to the P3 structure? I mean, right off the bat, the closest thing to the EC P3 we have here in Winnipeg actually includes annual deposits for a capital maintenance fund (that is sometimes in surplus if work isn't needed), for example.

Brian F. Kelcey @stateofthecity.bsky.social · 6h

Now that tens of millions have been fucked by him, the details can't be nearly as interesting

Brian F. Kelcey @stateofthecity.bsky.social · 6h

I've spent a lot of time in the last decade or so tracking local govt declarations of a state of emergency across North America, and this one seems like an entirely new category of emergency.

Los Angeles County, CA (pop. 9.6 million)

abcnews.go.com/US/los-angel...

Los Angeles County declares state of emergency over immigration raids

Los Angeles County officials voted on Tuesday to declare a state of emergency over ongoing federal immigration raids.

abcnews.go.com

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Brian F. Kelcey @stateofthecity.bsky.social · 9h

Condo markets, in Las Vegas, NV

Las Vegas Review-Journal @reviewjournal.com · 9h

In August, there were 853 potential condo buyers in the Las Vegas Valley, compared with 2,449 sellers, for an 187% imbalance towards buyers, according to new data.

Why do Las Vegas condo sellers outnumber buyers?

The Las Vegas Valley’s condo market is the 13th most imbalanced among the biggest 50 metropolitan regions in the United States, according to Redfin.

www.reviewjournal.com

Brian F. Kelcey @stateofthecity.bsky.social · 14h

The Third World War is already underway, it's just that only one side knows it has been fighting it, Exhibit #851

Mark MacKinnon @markmackinnon.bsky.social · 14h

"An evolving and escalating campaign."

Drones over European airports, sabotage and electronic warfare. Is Russia conducting a "psyop" against the EU and NATO - or laying the groundwork for an expansion of the war in Ukraine?

My analysis

Russian drones over Europe could be a ‘psyop’ – or preparations for a wider war

Analysts say the Kremlin already sees itself as being in a low-intensity war with the West

www.theglobeandmail.com

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Brian F. Kelcey @stateofthecity.bsky.social · 14h

Vancouver, BC

Local BC News Headlines - Curated by CivicInfo BC @bcheadlines.bsky.social · 14h

#VancouverBC - Vancouver mayor wants part of B.C. government park board legislation removed globalnews.ca/news/1147751...

Vancouver mayor wants part of B.C. government park board legislation removed - BC | Globalnews.ca

Ken Sim says neither he nor the city council has ever formally requested that any provincial changes be exempt from the referendum for any parkland transfers to First Nations.

globalnews.ca

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Brian F. Kelcey @stateofthecity.bsky.social · 15h

Calgary, AB

Jason Markusoff @markusoff.bsky.social · 15h

Why zoning is a big deal in Calgary's election: www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

To these Calgarians, ‘repeal’ is more than an election slogan. Here’s why zoning is a big deal | CBC News

The debate is on and residents watch from the sidelines — some anxious a row house development will destroy the tranquility of their home, others because they dream of a postage stamp yard they can af...

www.cbc.ca

Brian F. Kelcey @stateofthecity.bsky.social · 16h

And who led the charge to close it? A New York City mayoral candidate by the name of Andrew Cuomo, while serving as the Governor of New York State.

City Nolan @ndhapple.bsky.social · 16h

Shutting down Indian Point was a massive, expensive mistake: "NY's electric grid operator warns of looming 'reliability shortfalls'" -- www.timesunion.com/capitol/arti...

NY's electric grid operator warns of looming 'reliability shortfalls'

“Taken together, these two reports show the grid is at a significant inflection point,” said Zach Smith, a senior vice president with the New York Independent System Operator.

www.timesunion.com

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Brian F. Kelcey @stateofthecity.bsky.social · 17h

Seattle transit

Jarrett Walker @humantransit.bsky.social · 17h

Seattle's transit agency is pivoting away from battery electric buses, and looking to reinvest in a well-tested technology: trolleybuses. www.theurbanist.org/2025/10/13/m...

Metro Plans Trolleybus Investments, with Long Implementation Timelines » The Urbanist

# After pivoting away from an aggressive schedule for battery-bus adoption, King County Metro plans to focus attention on the tried-and-true trolley network. But limited staff, delays obtaining materi...

www.theurbanist.org

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Brian F. Kelcey @stateofthecity.bsky.social · 17h

Municipal intergovernmental affairs and First Nations, in BC

www.prpeak.com/bc-news/bc-t...

B.C. tables new law on closed meetings between First Nations and municipalities

VICTORIA — The president of the group representing local governments in British Columbia says she welcomes proposed changes that would make it easier for First Nations and municipalities to meet behin...

www.prpeak.com

Brian F. Kelcey @stateofthecity.bsky.social · 18h

Intergovernmental Affairs, in Philadelphia, PA

Jake Blumgart @jblumgart.bsky.social · 18h

Philly's Mayor Parker has taken a Jurassic Park approach to President Trump: If we don't move, he won't see us. www.inquirer.com/politics/phi...

Mayor Parker’s restraint with Trump is both calculation and gamble as the president escalates against blue cities

Mayor Cherelle L. Parker has avoided overtly criticizing Trump, even as the president has sought to deploy troops to other American cities against the will of their Democratic mayors.

www.inquirer.com

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Brian F. Kelcey @stateofthecity.bsky.social · 18h

Interesting take. I don't want to tar everyone with a broad brush but I've certainly seen a little of both claims in action...

Brian F. Kelcey @stateofthecity.bsky.social · 18h

San Francisco, CA. Puts my quarter-chapter on Fiscal Crisis era NYC health benefits (where Mayor Wagner started doling out 100% employer paid, pick-your-plan benefits in a deficit year) in perspective. :)

Mike Ege @mikeege.bsky.social · 18h

SF teachers pay up to 48% of their Kaiser health premiums, while most city workers pay no more than 17%. Is this fair? San Francisco can do better for its public servants. Full breakdown here: thevoicesf.org/open-enrollm...

Open enrollment for dummies - The Voice of San Francisco

October is open enrollment period for public sector workers in San Francisco — a hair-ripping, garment-rending season of crashing websites, contradictory instructions, and widespread questioning of li...

thevoicesf.org

Brian F. Kelcey @stateofthecity.bsky.social · 18h

New Jersey, and housing policy

Jake Blumgart @jblumgart.bsky.social · 18h

"New Jersey’s problem isn’t that it’s building too little housing, Ciattarelli says: It’s that it’s building too much." www.governing.com/urban/why-ho...

Why Housing Density Has Become a Key Issue in the New Jersey Governor's Race

A new law in New Jersey requires cities to plan for a share of the state’s housing needs. The Republican candidate for governor is tapping into local frustration about it.

www.governing.com

Brian F. Kelcey @stateofthecity.bsky.social · 18h

Once, I was a subscriber
Now, I am not
Golly, it's hard to guess why

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Brian F. Kelcey @stateofthecity.bsky.social · 18h

More than I've seen elsewhere so far (in Spanish, but it should auto translate for those who can't limp through like I do) on New Orleans Mayor-elect Helena Moreno.

elpais.com/us/actualida...

Nueva Orleans elige a una inmigrante mexicana y demócrata como su nueva alcaldesa

La exconcejala Helena Moreno ganó la elección con el 55% de los votos

elpais.com

Brian F. Kelcey @stateofthecity.bsky.social · 18h

a cartoon of homer simpson standing in front of a crowd of people with monorail written on the bottom

ALT: a cartoon of homer simpson standing in front of a crowd of people with monorail written on the bottom

media.tenor.com

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Brian F. Kelcey @stateofthecity.bsky.social · 18h

And the thing with media polls is, we have no idea who bought the original question.

Brian F. Kelcey @stateofthecity.bsky.social · 18h

No idea... Possible. But in this case, my own gut is, a little too little experience in asking policy questions on polls. It's an art as much as it is a "science."

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Brian F. Kelcey @stateofthecity.bsky.social · 19h

It's not yet clear that they *can* burrow underground... I'm seeing a lot of 'wouldn't it be brilliant' so far but nothing yet that resembles a path to finance it.

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Brian F. Kelcey @stateofthecity.bsky.social · 19h

Yeah, that was one of the tells for me; it's as if they asked only half of the right question and in the process, ended up framing the story in a peculiar way.

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Brian F. Kelcey @stateofthecity.bsky.social · 19h

/2 The idea that a new fund would leave out defence tech is also odd; it's the one area where Ukraine has an indisputable international advantage, and a sector from which it is often possible to pivot into other sectors, historically. That said, great to see someone investing in Ukraine.

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Brian F. Kelcey @stateofthecity.bsky.social · 19h

Feels odd to comment on EcDev policy for a city under nightly aerial attack, but: Kyiv won't be Silicon Valley. It could be - Kyiv! Cities need to pick lanes and own them, instead of recycling the cliche that they can all be a region with a multi-trillion dollar, seventy-five year head start. 1/2

The Kyiv Independent @kyivindependent.com · 20h

If most investors have opted to watch Ukraine from a distance during Russia’s ongoing invasion, Charles Whitehead and Dominique Piotet are undeterred, launching a 50 million euro venture capital fund to boost local talent and help put Ukrainian startups on the global map.

'Kyiv could be Silicon Valley' — New 50-million-euro startup fund will develop Ukraine’s tech-ecosystem

If most investors have opted to watch Ukraine from a distance during Russia’s ongoing invasion, Charles Whitehead and Dominique Piotet are undeterred, launching a 50 million euro venture capital fund ...

kyivindependent.com

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