Capital City

It looks like Bill Clinton's honeymoon is over; I saw an "Impeach Clinton" bumper sticker the other day. I don't know if it belonged to a sore- loser Republican or an impatient Democrat, but I suspect the latter. Washington is a tough town. A town, however, that did respond warmly to the Arkansas governor's boyish charm this week as he made his courtesy call on the city. Particularly successful was his walk through a grim stretch of the city more accustomed to the sounds of gunfire and sirens in the night than presidential visits.

My friend gave me good advice because she had been there, done that: Skip the lush landscape and beautiful beaches in Barbados - every Caribbean island has those - and instead visit two fascinating and historically important attractions in Barbados' capital city, Bridgetown. A week later, during its Exotic Southern Caribbean itinerary, my cruise ship (Celebrity Constellation) made port in Bridgetown, located in the parish of St. Michael on Barbados' southwest coast. With 80,000 people, this is the most densely populated of Barbados' 11 parishes, and it oozes with British history.

GREEN BAY QUIZ TIME 1. Wisconsin is one of 10 states that border the Mississippi River, and one of eight states that border the Great Lakes. Name the three states, and their capitals, that border BOTH the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River. a. ---------------, --------------- b. ---------------, --------------- c. ---------------, --------------- 2. Green Bay plays in the NFC Central Division of the NFL. All five teams in this division play in cities located on major water bodies.

Pennsylvania's capital city is trying to figure out how it will meet $1.2 million in payroll expenses next week. The city is negotiating with lenders for financing necessary for next week's payroll obligations, a spokesman for Harrisburg Mayor Linda Thompson said. Harrisburg had about $492,000 in cash on hand Thursday, well short of the amount needed to pay city workers next week. City treasury workers say the money will have to be available Tuesday to get checks out on time. Leaders of the unions representing police, firefighters, and other employees have told the Patriot-News of Harrisburg that workers will remain on the job. But union lawyers say they would file complaints under the Fair Labor Standards Act if workers were not paid.

TRENTON - The chief of staff to the mayor of New Jersey's capital city has been suspended without pay following his arrest on drug charges. Paul Sigmund IV has been relieved of his duties "indefinitely" after allegedly trying to buy heroin Sunday night, Mayor Tony Mack said yesterday. Sigmund also was charged with aggravated assault on a police officer. Sigmund, 46, couldn't be reached for comment. He joined Mack's administration in March after state officials urged Mack to hire a chief of staff.

READING - Tonayne Brown hit a three-run home run in the ninth inning yesterday to help the Trenton Thunder ice a 10-5 win over the Reading Phillies in the Eastern League. Derrin Ebert got the win for the Thunder, going 6 2/3 innings and giving up three earned runs on nine hits while striking out four. After allowing four runs in the first two innings, Phillies starter Jason Kershner retired 10 of the next 13 batters but gave up a solo shot to Luis Rodriguez in the fourth and a two-run homer to Mark Fischer in the sixth.

HARRISBURG, Pa. - Gov. Corbett will move swiftly to find another financial custodian to restore stability to Pennsylvania's debt-laden capital city after his first appointee said Friday he was resigning, a Corbett spokesman said. The custodian, municipal bond lawyer David Unkovic, had been confirmed to the post in December by a state Commonwealth Court judge. Corbett spokesman Kevin Harley called his resignation "unexpected and unfortunate," but said he did not know his reasons for resigning.

THERE IS NOTHING wrong with Ilya Bryzgalov that a slick interpreter can't cure. Never mind the goalie's early-season lament that he was lost in the woods. What he is, is lost in translation. Too often, the quirky statements he makes are misinterpreted. Take the latest cry for help, that he hopes to "find peace in his soul to play in this city. " That is the way it was reported and it sounded gloomier than a Stalingrad winter. Listen closely and the anguished moaning can be explained in other ways.

TRENTON - New Jersey's capital city laid off nearly one-third of its police force yesterday, becoming the fourth cash-strapped major city in the state to lay off at least 10 percent of its police force in the past year. The layoffs of 105 officers - which follows the recent retirements of three officers, who will not be replaced - will help the city close a budget deficit that grew partly out of slashed aid from the state government. But the layoffs, based on seniority, leave a department trying to figure out how to fight crime.

My friend gave me good advice because she had been there, done that: Skip the lush landscape and beautiful beaches in Barbados - every Caribbean island has those - and instead visit two fascinating and historically important attractions in Barbados' capital city, Bridgetown. A week later, during its Exotic Southern Caribbean itinerary, my cruise ship (Celebrity Constellation) made port in Bridgetown, located in the parish of St. Michael on Barbados' southwest coast. With 80,000 people, this is the most densely populated of Barbados' 11 parishes, and it oozes with British history.

SEOUL, South Korea - I have made it a general rule in life to avoid eating anything that fights back. Nonetheless, here at Noryangjin fish market, the dish before me - fully alive only moments before - is still squirming. "Chew vigorously," my friend Nick advises me, as I seize a particularly ambitious piece of sannakji - a freshly dismembered bit of raw octopus tentacle - between the metal blades of my chopsticks, dredge it through a small dish of sesame oil, and pop it, writhing, into my mouth.

TRENTON - The chief of staff to the mayor of New Jersey's capital city has been suspended without pay following his arrest on drug charges. Paul Sigmund IV has been relieved of his duties "indefinitely" after allegedly trying to buy heroin Sunday night, Mayor Tony Mack said yesterday. Sigmund also was charged with aggravated assault on a police officer. Sigmund, 46, couldn't be reached for comment. He joined Mack's administration in March after state officials urged Mack to hire a chief of staff.

OK, YOU COULD say that Philadelphia still trails Phoenix - in endless strip shopping malls, cactuses, tea-party rallies, Olive Gardens, drought alerts, golf courses and assault rifles. But not when it comes to peeps. The numbers-crunchers from the U.S. Census Bureau, who'd estimated - to much fanfare - in 2007 that Phoenix had passed Philly to become America's fifth largest city, said yesterday that the actual count from 2010 revealed either a) that that never happened or b)

Pennsylvania's capital city is trying to figure out how it will meet $1.2 million in payroll expenses next week. The city is negotiating with lenders for financing necessary for next week's payroll obligations, a spokesman for Harrisburg Mayor Linda Thompson said. Harrisburg had about $492,000 in cash on hand Thursday, well short of the amount needed to pay city workers next week. City treasury workers say the money will have to be available Tuesday to get checks out on time. Leaders of the unions representing police, firefighters, and other employees have told the Patriot-News of Harrisburg that workers will remain on the job. But union lawyers say they would file complaints under the Fair Labor Standards Act if workers were not paid.

HARRISBURG - Unable to emerge from the depths of its financial problems, Pennsylvania's capital city seeks to enter a state program for distressed municipalities that would give it access to loans, grants, and long-term financial planning. Standing next to Gov. Rendell on Friday, Harrisburg Mayor Linda Thompson announced she was requesting protection for Harrisburg under the state's distressed-city program, otherwise known as Act 47, to avoid the looming cash shortfall that threatens the city's ability to cover its payroll.

HARRISBURG - Only a few years ago, it seemed unthinkable that Pennsylvania's capital city could be teetering on the brink of bankruptcy. A renaissance of restaurants and shops was gently transforming its downtown, and after years of neglect, Harrisburg had become a surprising and unexpected destination in central Pennsylvania. Now that newfound image has faded like the morning mists on the Susquehanna River. Harrisburg is reaping the fruits of a string of bad spending decisions and a catfight among the city's political leaders - a mix that with each passing day seems more likely to land the city in the definition of municipal embarrassment: bankruptcy court.