Linc to Help Host Copa América Tournament

Good morning, Philadelphia. Here’s what you need to know today:

Are you ready for some futbol? Philly is one of 10 American cities chosen to host the Copa América tournament next summer.

And that’s kind of a big deal. “The Copa América, the world’s oldest international soccer championship, doubles as the South American championship and has always been held on that continent,” the New York Times reports. “But in 2014, officials from the Americas’ two soccer confederations — Conmebol in South America and Concacaf, which governs North and Central America and the Caribbean — joined U.S. Soccer in announcing a special Centenario tournament to mark the event’s 100th anniversary.” The United States won’t just host the tournament: The men’s national team will also participate. If all goes well, the U.S. will use the experience to launch a bid to host the World Cup in 2026. In Philly, the games will be played at Lincoln Financial Field.

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court’s only current female justice is a little embarrassed by all this corruption and Porngate stuff.

“It breaks my heart that the public’s view of our court is based on what happens in isolated cases,” Justice Debra Todd, a Democrat from Cranberry, told the Tribune-Review (She’ll be soon joined on the court by Christine Donahue.) “It bothers me greatly. It has been a troubled time for the court.” Justice Michael Eakin is facing investigation for his participation in the Porngate scandal; Justice Seamus McCaffery retired a year ago after his participation was revealed. And that came on the heels of Justice Joan Orie Melvin being forced from office over unrelated corruption charges. Basically: It’s not been a good year for the court. Says one observer: “Having more than one-third of the justices in legal or ethical problems is pretty damning.”

But Porngate may be taking a worse toll on Philadelphia D.A. Seth Williams.

He’s been “politically weakened” by the scandal, the Daily News’ Wendy Ruderman writes, even though he never sent or received the naughty emails. But he continues to employ lawyers who did, and that’s costing him support. “I’ve known him a long time,” City Councilwoman Jannie Blackwell told the paper. “It’s just rough because we’ve supported Seth in the past, but certainly you have to stand for what’s right and so we stand and we feel very sad for the women and the children.”

Remember last week, when the long-overdue state budget was almost finished and lawmakers said it might be done by Thanksgiving? About that….

“I don’t think that’s going to happen,” State Senator John Eichelberger said Thursday at a town hall meeting, adding: “That would be impossible at this point.” Gov. Wolf and lawmakers are still haggling over the details of proposed property tax relief, and the process of passing a budget takes time even when you start the wheels turning in the Legislature. ABC27 reports: “Even if a final agreement were reached by next Thursday, which included the new property tax relief package from the Senate, Eichelberger says it would take ‘one to two weeks’ from that point to pass the entire package through the legislature, abiding by various waiting periods required by law.” Meanwhile, the delayed budget is causing some observers to ask questions about the process.

But legislators are able to finish some tasks: They just approved liquor privatization for the second time this year.

“House Bill 1690 would give beer distributors the first opportunity to obtain permits to sell wine and liquor following the closing of the state stores before opening them up to public bid. It would also allow grocery stores to sell wine and provide a wine and liquor-to-go license for restaurants and hotels,” PennLive reports. Wolf vetoed a similar bill earlier this year, countering with a proposal to have a private company manage the stores for the state instead. Wolf’s spokesman said the governor will work with legislators to “iron out the details” of any privatization effort.”

Other Philadelphia headlines today:

Couple Takes 3-Mile Cab Ride And Gets Charged $1,800

After three generations, Marmelstein’s closing on Fabric Row

Philadelphia teams haven’t won a home game in November

Veteran Jumps to His Death at V.A. Hospital