State News-Wednesday, Oct. 4th

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - Officials are marking the Pennsylvania Capitol's 100th birthday with a redidication ceremony today. The celebration concludes five days of events marketing the
Capitol's centennial. The current Capitol is the third one to house the General Assembly since Harrisburg was chosen as the state capital in 1810. The first building, completed in 1822, burned down in 1897. Another building was quickly erected the following year on a strict budget, and critics said it looked like a barn or a factory. Construction began on the current building, which combines ornate French, English and Italian Renaissance designs, in 1903. President Theodore Roosevelt said it was the "handsomest" state capitol he had ever seen when he attended the October 4th, 1906 dedication ceremony.

WASHINGTON (AP) - The White House says first lady Laura Bush will be speaking at a breakfast today for Representative Curt Weldon, a 10-term Republican. Weldon is the vice chairman of the House Armed Services Committee who is running against Democrat Joe Sestak, a former Navy vice admiral.

GEORGETOWN, Pa. (AP) - Amish and non-Amish alike sought comfort in churches and in each other in prayer services last night as the region struggled to come to grips with the deadly shooting at a one-room Amish schoolhouse. At least three services were held, attracting more than 16-hundred people, who observed moments of silence, sang mournful hymns and listened to Bible readings. About 120 people, including a half-dozen Amish, attended the nondenominational service. At The Worship Center, about 15-hundred people filled a community prayer service featuring contemporary Christian singer-songwriter Michael W-Smith. About 45 people attended a third service at Hershey Mennonite Church in nearby Kinzers.

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - Funerals for four of the Amish girls shot to death by an outsider at their Pennsylvania school are to be held tomorrow, with the last one on Friday. The Amish do not have church buildings, but Christian faith pervades their culture. Their funerals, conducted entirely in German, focus on praising God rather than the deceased. There's no singing at Amish funerals, but the ministers read Bible passages, hymns and prayers. After being carried in a horse-drawn carriage to the cemetery, the coffin is lowered into a rough wooden box in a hand-dug grave. A bishop then reads a hymn as dirt is shoveled over it. Religious scholar Donald Kraybill says grieving women will then dress in black for months.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - One of the three girls taken to Children's Hospital in Philadelphia on Monday after being shot by a gunman who barracaded himself in a one-room Amish schoolroom has been upgraded to serious condition. A hospital official says an eight-year-old with neck and arm injuries, and ten-year-old with a head injury are in critical condition. The 12-year-old suffering from arm and leg injuries was upgraded to serious last night. At Penn State Children's Hospital in Hershey, a six-year-old is in critical condition and a 13-year-old is listed as serious. Police identified those slain by Charles Roberts as Naomi Rose Ebersole, 7; Anna Mae Stoltzfus, 12; Marian Fisher, 13; Mary Liz Miller, 8; and her sister Lena Miller, 7. Stoltzfus' sister was among the wounded.