State News-Thursday, Dec. 7th

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - A spokesman for the state Health Department says he expects to have more information today on the E-coli outbreak. Yesterday, the state confirmed two cases of E-coli poisoning that may or may not be linked to Taco Bell. They are the cases of an eight-year-old girl in Berks County and a 24-year-old woman in Delaware County. Also, all Taco Bell restaurants in Philadelphia and neighboring Montgomery County are closed. The city restaurants closed yesterday voluntarily on the advice of the Philadelphia Department of Public Health. City health officials were worried that a Montgomery County restaurant linked to the outbreak was so close to the city limits.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - The Philadelphia Inquirer and the Philadelphia Daily News could face a strike as soon as today. The Newspaper Guild of Greater Philadelphia told its members last night to take their personal items from work and "await instructions on other actions." Each side is blaming the other for the lack of progress in talks between the newspapers' owners and the Guild. The pension plan is the major issue. The other nine unions at the newspapers have reached tentative agreements on their contracts. Leaders of those unions haven't promised to honor Guild picket lines. A Guild spokesman says he expects the members of those unions will stay away from work in the event of a strike.

LITTLE ROCK (AP) - Pennsylvania is 19th in a national ranking of states by how much they spend on tobacco prevention programs. The annual report issued yesterday, "A Broken Promise to Our Children," was compiled by the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, the American Heart Association, the American Cancer Society and the American Lung Association. The report says Maine topped the list, followed by Delaware, Colorado, Arizona and New York. The report says the U-S Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that states spend at least 17-point-nine million dollars every year.

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - A spokesman for the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board says board member Chip Marshall the Third is leaving no later than January 16th. Marhsall is being replaced by a former state legislator who has been a consistent opponent of slot-machine gambling. He is Mark McNaughton, a Repbulican from Harrisburg. The board spokesman says Marshall will remain on the board through an expected December 20th vote to award up to eleven permanent casino licenses. Four other board members' terms also expire January 16th. Chairman Tad Decker says as far as he knows, Marshall is the only one who's not being appointed to a new term.

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - Backers of a sprawling project to breathe life back into Bethlehem Steel's now-shuttered flagship plant say slot machines could be the key. They say slot machines could draw enough revenue to the 124-acre site in Bethlehem to finance a wider spread of shopping, entertainment and loft apartments. The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board has listened to testimony from 11 groups competing for five slots licenses and will hear testimony next week from two more. Voting on the licenses is scheduled December 20th.