Today's News-Monday, October 6, 2008

Last day to register

Election officials are pulling out all of the stops to make sure that people register to vote in November's general election. Today is the deadline. The Schuylkill County Voter Registration bureau will remain open until 8pm for last minute filers. Applications can be obtained online at www.co.schuylkill.pa.us or in person at the office. The general election is November 4th.

Specter to visit Schuylkill today

US Senator Arlen Specter is slated to visit our area today for several town hall meetings. At 1:45 pm, an open meeting to discuss issues important to the region at Penn State Schuylkill. He's scheduled to make brief remarks, then take questions from the audience. Later today...Specter will meet with residents and officials to discuss the polycythemia vera issue at Genetti's in Hazleton. Studies have found that an unusually high number of people have been sickened by the rare blood cancer. Officials from the PA Department of Health will also be on hand.

Attempted homicide in Berks

A Texas man is recovering from gunshot wounds and his attacker is at large following a shooting yesterday morning. A 30 to 40 year old man with a dark complexion entered the camper of 38-year-old Richard Evans, Rockdale, Texas, at Pine Hill Campground in Greenwich Township. The attacker grabbed a gun, believed to be owned by Evans, and demanded money from him. When Evans refused to give up the keys to his truck, a struggle ensued and Evans was shot twice, once in the knee and once in the shoulder. The suspect fled. Evans was taken to Lehigh Valley Hospital. Hamburg state police are investigating.

Monday is Pa. voter registration deadline

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - Monday is the deadline for Pennsylvanians to register to vote in the Nov. 4 election. Prospective voters can register at county registration offices, PennDOT photo-license centers and certain other state government offices. They also can download registration applications from the Internet or obtain them from government offices or other sources and mail the completed forms to county registration offices in time for them to be postmarked by Monday. Once Pennsylvanians register to vote, they are not required to register again unless they change their name, residence or party affiliation.

Older voters key bloc in swing states like Pa.

GLEN MILLS, Pa. (AP) - There's been a lot of talk about young voters rockin' the vote for Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama. But since older voters have had a much higher turnout in elections past, they could be a more decisive voting bloc in the Nov. 4 election.
And, overall, polling has shown them backing 72-year-old Republican nominee Sen. John McCain, a Vietnam POW. That's created an organizational challenge for Obama in key
battleground states such as Pennsylvania and Florida, where the percentage of residents 65 and older is among the highest in the country. But Obama appears to be gaining some ground among those 65 and older. In a recent AP-GfK Poll, the two were in a statistical tie. Obama's campaign in recent weeks has been organizing phone banks with seniors calling other seniors in swing areas like Delaware County in suburban Philadelphia.

Biden cancels events after mother-in-law's death

WASHINGTON (AP) - Democratic vice presidential nominee Joe Biden has canceled his campaign appearances Monday and Tuesday following the death of his mother-in-law in Pennsylvania over the weekend. Biden spokesman David Wade says Bonny Jean Jacobs, the mother of Biden's wife, Jill, died Sunday after a long illness. Jacobs was 78 and lived in Willow Grove. Wade described her as a "homemaker and avid gardener with a lifelong love of reading."
Wade said "We appreciate everyone's respect for the family's privacy during this difficult time.

Pa. auto dealer faces tough times as economy sours

ALLENTOWN, Pa. (AP) - One by one, Pennsylvania auto dealer Bill Rosado ticks off the mistakes he made this year. Employed too many people. Stocked too much inventory. Spent too
freely on advertising. Rosado says business at his Rosado Auto Group is down at least 40 percent from last year, forcing him to slice his work force from 380 employees to 230. The recent closures left him with seven dealerships in northeastern Pennsylvania. Despite his problems, Rosado says he believes the $700 billion bailout will help the auto business in relatively short order. He says he'll survive. And he says there's no better time to buy
a car than now.

Feds investigate Title IX claim against Pa. school

BRISTOL, Pa. (AP) - The federal government is investigating an allegation that a high school discriminated against female athletes when using funds from a recently formed football booster club. The U.S. Department of Education has declined to say who initiated the Title IX claim against the Bristol Borough School District. The complaint alleges that the suburban Philadelphia district is discriminating against female athletes by using funds from booster
clubs to provide boys with benefits that are greater than those the district provides for girls. That's according to a letter sent to the school by the department. Title IX mandates equality between men's and women's sports. School officials say they are gathering the requested
information.

Man critical, 8-year-old daughter unhurt after shots fired at SUV on Philadelphia freeway

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Philadelphia police are investigating a possible road rage shooting on Interstate 76 that sent a man to the hospital in critical condition but left his 8-year-old daughter
unharmed. Police say they were called at 8:48 p.m. Sunday to investigate a reported accident in the westbound lanes of I-76 at Passyunk Avenue near the Walt Whitman bridge that connects Philadelphia with New Jersey. When authorities arrived, they found that at least four shots had been fired at the man's SUV. Police say the man was struck in the head and taken to the
Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania in critical condition. They say his 8-year-old daughter was unhurt. Police are asking for witnesses who may have seen another vehicle and are also checking to see whether the SUV may have come over the bridge from New Jersey.

Family of missing Harrisburg woman seeking public's help

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - The family and friends of Michelle McMullen are seeking the help of anyone who may have seen her since she left Harrisburg a week ago on her way back to college.
The 27-year-old Harrisburg woman had driven back from Grambling State University in Louisiana to her parents' home with her 6-year-old son, so her parents could watch him while she earned her business degree. Since then, she has had no contact with friends or family. Her
father says she has not used her cell phone or debit card, even though she would have needed it to buy gas during the drive to Louisiana. She did not go to classes Tuesday and has not showed up at work. Harrisburg police say they've sent a flier with her information to police departments, hospitals, newspapers and television stations from Pennsylvania to Louisiana.
McMullen's family says she didn't seem depressed and they don't know of anyone who would want to hurt her.

SINGAPORE (AP) - Oil prices have fallen below $90 a barrel on worries that the spreading financial crisis will exacerbate a global economic slowdown and cut demand for crude oil. Despite a new financial rescue plan in the U.S., turmoil in Europe has sent Asian markets plummeting. All of them were in the red.

NEW YORK (AP) - The battle for control of Wachovia has tilted toward Wells Fargo, after a New York state appeals court blocked a lower court ruling that favored rival bidder Citigroup. Citigroup says it'll appeal. The legal fight pits two of the largest remaining financial institutions against one another.

WILLIAMS, Calif. (AP) - At least 10 people are dead after a charter bus headed to a California casino overturned last night. It happened 60 miles north of Sacramento. Police say emergency
responders were having trouble communicating with passengers because many of them are of Laotian descent.

WASHINGTON (AP) - Alaska Senator Ted Stevens' lawyers have renewed their push for a mistrial, accusing government prosecutors of manipulating the story of their star witness to undermine the defense. A hearing will be held this morning.

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Republican National Committee plans to file a fundraising complaint against Barack Obama's presidential campaign. They want the Federal Elections Commission to audit Obama's campaign fund, to see if it's accepted donations exceeding federal limits as well as illegal contributions from foreigners. The complaint is based largely on media reports.