Today's News-Tuesday, November 6th

All of the campaigning is over. Today, the political fate of candidates rests in the hands of the voters. Today's election, one year away from the Presidential contest, spotlights county row office and local council and school boards, among others. The polls are open from 7am till 8pm, and a partly sunny and blustery day may provide a positive backdrop for voter turnout. Among the races to be decide on the county level are the county’s chief executives, Commissioners, plus 7 other row offices. Two county Common Pleas Court Judges are up for retention. Statewide, there are three open seats on the state Superior Court and two on the state Supreme Court. There are seven statewide judges who are up for retention votes as well. Listen for election coverage this evening, after the polls close at 8pm.

A Minersville man faces the death penalty for the murder of a St. Clair woman. District Attorney Jim Goodman announced Monday that his office would seek the death penalty against 68-year-old Nevin Wetzel for killing 57-year-old Gloria Pauzer at her home in May. St. Clair police charged Wetzel with homicide, aggravated and simple assault. According to the Republican and Herald, if Wetzel decides to plead not guilty, a fact-finder will determine if he is guilty of first-degree murder. That entity could either be a jury, or decided by a judge alone.
If found not guilty of all charges, he could go free, or could face a possible life in prison if some of the charges remain in place. If found guilty of first degree murder, the panel or judge will decide the sentence.

A Minersville man faces the death penalty for the murder of a St. Clair woman. District Attorney Jim Goodman announced Monday that his office would seek the death penalty against 68-year-old Nevin Wetzel for killing 57-year-old Gloria Pauzer at her home in May. St. Clair police charged Wetzel with homicide, aggravated and simple assault. According to the Republican and Herald, if Wetzel decides to plead not guilty, a fact-finder will determine if he is guilty of first-degree murder. That entity could either be a jury, or decided by a judge alone.
If found not guilty of all charges, he could go free, or could face a possible life in prison if some of the charges remain in place. If found guilty of first degree murder, the panel or judge will decide the sentence.

Three men are facing charges for throwing trash in the woods after they cleaned a garage out.
The Republican and Herald reports that Norwegian Township police filed charges of scattering rubbish against 69 year old Russell Ridge, 31 year old Russell Ridge, and Charles Searles. The trio were cleaning out a garage in Shenandoah, and they allegedly dumped the garbage in the woods near Peach Mountain Road. Charges were filed in District Court.

A Connecticut man and his brother were involved in a crash on Interstate 81 yesterday morning. State police from Frackville report that Gregory Lau of North Branford, Connecticut fell asleep at the wheel when driving south near mile marker 128 in Ryan Township. The car hit the center guiderail, but Lau drove off without notifying police. Troopers were able to identify Lau and his vehicle and charged him with making false reports involving an accident, failure to notify police of an accident and careless driving. His brother David will also be charged with making false reports involving an accident. The crash happened around 3:30am Monday.

State and local police engaged in a motor carrier enforcement patrol for commercial vehicles recently. Cass-Foster Township officers and state police were checking commercial vehicles at random locations in the township. Fifteen trucks were detained, with 12 citations issued for a total of $23-hundred-75 dollars for safety and traffic violations. Eight warnings were issued during the sweep. One person was taken into custody on an outstanding warrant.

WILKES-BARRE, Pa. (AP) - The Wilkes-Barre brewery that makes Stegmaier and Pocono Lager beer is being sold. Wilkes-Barre Chamber of Business and Industry President Todd Vonderheid says he's been assured that the new owners of the Lion Brewery will keep it open. The Lion Brewery has been making beer in Wilkes-Barre for more than 100 years.

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - Pennsylvania officials are challenging the federal government's push to allow the construction of massive high-voltage power lines. At issue are the boundaries of a regional corridor where states could lose the ability to stop the power lines from being built. Governor Ed Rendell and state utility regulators say the U-S Department of Energy drew boundaries that are far broader than intended by Congress. They say those boundaries include parts of Pennsylvania that have no electric transmission problems. The Rendell administration and Public Utility Commission are asking the Department of Energy to reconsider the corridor's boundaries. The P-U-C is also suing in federal court in Harrisburg to stop the federal government from acting on the designated boundaries. Four massive power line projects spanning a combined 900 miles across mid-Atlantic states have already received approval from the region's electric grid operator.

NEW YORK (AP) - Figures released Monday show that circulation fell 2.6 percent at major U.S. daily newspapers in the six months ending in September. It's the latest decline as readers continue to migrate to the Internet for news, information and entertainment. The Audit Bureau of Circulations reports that USA Today kept its place as the nation's largest daily paper, with a circulation of nearly 2.3 million. The Philadelphia Inquirer was one of the few larger papers to
report a daily circulation gain. It notched a 2.3 percent increase, to more than 338,000 -- making it the 16th largest paper in the country by circulation. The Inquirer and the Philadelphia Daily News were bought last year by a group led by former advertising executive Brian Tierney.

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - Pennsylvania's student loan agency spent more than 2 million dollars over a recent five-year period on such promotional giveaways as logo-inscribed golf balls, pencils, clothing and reusable glowing ice cubes. The Patriot-News of Harrisburg says that in the five years ending June 30th, PHEAA's purchases included 150 brass clocks, L.L. Bean jackets, 3,000 peppermint candies with its logo on the wrapper and $3,400 worth of gummy brains candy. PHEAA says such spending has ended since its lawmaker-dominated board directed the agency to purchase only "ordinary and necessary" items. The newspaper says the promotional items' cost since 2002 would have funded 553 of the $4,000 grants available to students attending state universities, or 885 of the $2,500 community college grants.

ALLENTOWN, Pa. (AP) - The city of Allentown has gone to court to try to shut down Hary's Bar at the Hotel Traylor. Officials say the hotel and bar is a magnet for criminal activity. Mayor Ed Pawlowski filed a civil lawsuit Monday against the Lehigh Development Corporation, which owns the hotel and rents hotel rooms and leases office space and apartments. Since January 2006, officials say, police have been called to the hotel 530 times and the fire department has been called 80 times. Neighbors say there are frequent fights, shootings, stabbings and drug deals. Built in 1917, the Hotel Traylor was once a stop for celebrities. The Lehigh Development Corporation has not returned phone calls for comment.

ALLENTOWN, Pa. (AP) - Fire has forced the temporary closing of a popular diner in Whitehall Township, just outside of Allentown. Flames were discovered Monday morning at the Lehigh Valley Diner on MacArthur Road. Officials say the fire is believed to have started in the basement. At one point, flames were blowing out of the back door of the building. The diner was closed at the time, but those inside the building escaped safely and no injuries were reported.
Owner Nick Paxos says the kitchen and basement were heavily damaged. The dining area and front suffered smoke damage. Paxos says he plans to rebuild. The cause of the fire was not immediately determined.

BAGHDAD (AP) - This year is now the deadliest for U.S. troops in Iraq, according to figures kept by The Associated Press. At least 852 American personnel have been killed this year, including five who were killed in roadside bomb attacks yesterday.

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AP) - Pakistani opposition leader Benazir Bhutto is headed to Islamabad to meet with other opposition parties. She says they'll discuss how to best assert demands to revive the constitution and see that the president "keeps his promise to retire as army chief."

UNDATED (AP) - As Election Days go, this one is fairly quiet. There are contests for governor in Mississippi and Kentucky. Voters will choose mayors in San Francisco, Houston, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. Utah has a proposal that would create the nation's first statewide school voucher program open to all families.

WASHINGTON (AP) - An advisory commission is set to make recommendations to President Bush today regarding product recalls. The panel says the Food and Drug Administration should be empowered to order mandatory recalls, and that there should be more American inspectors in countries that are major exporters to the U.S.

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Writers in Hollywood vow to continue their strike every day until they reach a new deal with producers. Writers say it's up to studios to make the next move. Producers say they've made every effort they could.