Wednesday Links

Early Returns has Doug Shields taking heat for some good reasons and some silly reasons, and also has Bill Peduto making use of his political capital.

The P-G as a team has Mayor Luke Ravenstahl conducting "focus group meetings" concerning the Hill and replacing the Civic Arena. We wonder how that input will mesh with that of One Hill CBA Coalition.

The P-G ed board says Luke & Dan-O should find a way to work it out. (Matt H has a good discussion going on consolidation.)

The Allegheny Institute notices a possible lack of diligence at the Sports and Exhibition Authority. (And while we're on the subject, did we all decide to give Mary Contruro a pass?)

The P-G's Diana Nelson Jones has Old Timers getting fed up with the up-tick in violence on the North Side.

The P-G's Mark Belko reports on the "new Downtown grocery store", by the people who brought you Metropol and Bossa Nova:

To meet the needs of such residents, the new 3,100-square-foot grocery store will offer fresh produce, fresh and frozen seafood from Wholey's, prime cut meats and poultry, Boars Head deli meats and cheeses, baked goods and prepared foods. It also will sell flowers, magazines, pet food, coffee and other grocery items.

This sounds like the kind of grocery from which we might make a couple of monthly novelty purchases -- that is, if we have not already done so in the Strip.