School District’s road to dissolution | Norris Square duel continues | Fairmount Fish Ladder | paying Water Works’ utilities

How did the Philadelphia School District reach this decidedly desperate and low moment? City Paper’s Daniel Denvir revisits the years of mismanagement and financial crisis, the rise of charters, and the erosion of public education as we know it.

Norris Square’s St. Boniface Church was razed but it’s not clear what will be built in its stead.  Will Norris Square Civic Association, a developer/civic/CDC, build 15 affordable co-op units or will Councilwoman Quiñones-Sánchez, a Norris Square neighbor, succeed in her neighborhood rezoning? The rezoning could jeopardize the project’s funding, which is just fine by the Councilwoman who says she’d prefer NSCA to do more rehab work elsewhere in the neighborhood. PlanPhilly’s Jared Brey reports that the murky fight is hardly over.

Thousands of shad are making their way up the Schuylkill River to spawn, and the redesigned Fairmount Fish Ladder is making their journey a lot easier. NewsWorks visited the fish ladder to watch the process.

Taxpayers have paid the utilities at the Water Works Restaurant since 2006, ‘Its Our Money’ reports. The problem? Billing errors by the city. Now that it knows, will the city turn off the tap?

The Buzz is Eyes on the Street’s morning news digest. Have a tip? Send it along.