TODAY'S NEWS - SATURDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2011

HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL WEEK 8

POTTSVILLE 34
READING 0

WYOMISSING 14
BLUE MOUNTAIN 7

NORTH SCHUYLKILL 38
MAHANOY AREA 37

MARIAN 35
SHENANDOAH VALLEY 21

TAMAQUA 39
PANTHER VALLEY 6

MINERSVILLE 33
TRI VALLEY 0

WILLIAMS VALLEY 54
NEWPORT 12

MT CARMEL 35
SHIKELLAMY 14

PINE GROVE 28
PEQUEA VALLEY 0

LOCAL NEWS

FREEDOM TOYOTA LAUNCHES COMMUNITY SERVICE PROGRAM TO BENEFIT LOCAL CAUSES

GOOD THINGS HAPPEN WHEN COMMUNITIES JOIN TOGETHER. THAT’S THE PHILOSOPHY OF ERIC SAVAGE, PRESIDENT OF FREEDOM AUTO GROUP WHICH IS LAUNCHING A NEW PUBLIC SERVICE PROGRAM TO BENEFIT A CROSS-SECTION OF LOCAL CAUSES. FROM OCTOBER 15 THROUGH NOVEMBER 5, FREEDOM TOYOTA CAR LOTS IN HARRISBURG AND HAMBURG, PA., WILL BE FILLED WITH AN ASSORTMENT OF CULINARY DELICACIES, HIGHWAY SAFETY DEMONSTRATIONS, A KNIGHT RIDER REPLICA CAR, MILITARY CEREMONIES AND ACTIVITIES ALL IN THE NAME OF A GOOD CAUSE. THE PUBLIC IS INVITED TO A SERIES OF SPECIAL EVENTS PRODUCED AS PART OF THE FREEDOM TOYOTA CARES PROGRAM. THERE WILL BE NO ADMISSION CHARGE. ALL ACTIVITIES ARE PROVIDED COURTESY OF FREEDOM TOYOTA, WHICH WILL JOIN WITH TOYOTA CORPORATION TO DONATE A TOTAL OF $40,000 TO DESIGNATED LOCAL CAUSES BEFORE THE END OF THE YEAR.

WHAT YOU CAN DO TO PREPARE FOR THE NEXT STORM OR FLOOD

HEAVY RAINS AND FLOODING CAN OCCUR ANYTIME. OFFICIALS RECOMMEND THAT PENNSYLVANIA RESIDENTS PREPARE NOW FOR THE NEXT STORM OR FLOOD. ACCORDING TO THE FEDERAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY (FEMA), SOME SIMPLE ACTIONS CAN BE TAKEN TO LOWER YOUR CHANCES OF FLOOD PROPERTY LOSSES AND TO MAKE SURE YOUR FAMILY IS SAFE. CREATE A FILE WITH YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION IN IT. KEEP THE INFORMATION IN A SAFE DEPOSIT BOX OR IN A WATERPROOF CONTAINER IN YOUR HOME.

THE FILE SHOULD CONTAIN:

• LIFE AND PROPERTY INSURANCE POLICIES AND YOUR AGENT'S CONTACT INFORMATION.
• A COPY OF YOUR DEED IF YOU OWN REAL ESTATE.
• FINANCIAL RECORDS AND BANK ACCOUNT NUMBERS.
• AN INVENTORY OF YOUR POSSESSIONS.
• PHOTOGRAPHS OF EACH ROOM AND ITS CONTENTS.
• CRITICAL DOCUMENTS SUCH AS WILLS, TRUSTS, AND MEDICAL DIRECTIVES.
• PREPARING YOUR HOME:
• KEEP YOUR SUMP PUMP IN GOOD WORKING ORDER.
• CLEAN OUT DEBRIS FROM GUTTERS AND DOWNSPOUTS REGULARLY SO RAIN WATER CAN FLOW THROUGH.
• KEEP FUEL TANKS ANCHORED TO PREVENT THEM FROM FLOATING AWAY AND POSSIBLY CAUSING HARM.
• RAISE ELECTRICAL ITEMS SUCH AS SWITCHES, CIRCUIT BREAKERS, AND WIRING AT LEAST 12 INCHES ABOVE THE POINT YOU THINK FLOODWATERS MIGHT REACH.
• IF POSSIBLE, RAISE THE FURNACE, WATER HEATER, WASHER, AND DRYER ONTO CEMENT BLOCKS AT LEAST 12 INCHES ABOVE THE POINT YOU EXPECT FLOOD WATER MIGHT REACH.

SAFEGUARDING YOUR FAMILY:

• MAKE A SAFETY KIT WITH A 3 DAY SUPPLY OF DRINKING WATER AND CANNED FOOD, A CAN OPENER, FIRST AID ITEMS, BLANKETS, A NATIONAL OCEANIC ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION (NOAA) RADIO, AND A FLASHLIGHT WITH BATTERIES.

• PUT EMERGENCY CONTACT TELEPHONE NUMBERS BY EACH PHONE, PROGRAM THEM INTO YOUR CELL PHONES, POST THEM ON THE REFRIGERATOR AND TEACH YOUR CHILDREN HOW TO DIAL 911.

• KNOW YOUR COMMUNITY'S EVACUATION PLAN AND PRACTICE THE FLOOD EVACUATION ROUTE WITH YOUR FAMILY. FIND SAFE ROUTES FROM HOME, WORK AND SCHOOL-THOSE ON HIGHER GROUND.

• ASK AN OUT-OF-STATE RELATIVE OR FRIEND TO BE THE CONTACT FOR YOUR FAMILY IN CASE OF AN EMERGENCY.

• MAKE PLANS TO PROTECT AND CARE FOR YOUR PETS.

• PURCHASE FLOOD INSURANCE. WHEN THE NEXT FLOOD COMES YOU WILL BE GLAD YOU HAVE AN INSURANCE SETTLEMENT TO HELP YOU RECOVER FROM ANY LOSSES YOU HAVE. TO FIND THE AGENT CLOSEST TO YOU, GO TO WWW.FLOODSMART.GOV

LOCAL ESTABLISHMENT BUSTED

THE PENNSYLVANIA STATE POLICE BUREAU OF LIQUOR CONTROL ENFORCEMENT CONDUCTED AN INVESTIGATION FROM 7 TO 10:30 P.M. WEDNESDAY AT THE ORWIN GUN CLUB FOR SELLING LIQUOR AND MALT OR BREWED BEVERAGES WITHOUT A LICENSE ISSUED BY THE PENNSYLVANIA LIQUOR CONTROL BOARD. AS A RESULT OF THE RAID, OFFICERS SEIZED 225 GALLONS OF BEER, 37 LITERS OF LIQUOR AND $215, POLICE SAID. THE INVESTIGATION IS ONGOING, POLICE SAID.

MAHANOY MAN VIOLATES PFA

A 61-YEAR-OLD MAHANOY CITY MAN WAS JAILED THURSDAY AFTER BEING CHARGED WITH VIOLATING A PROTECTION FROM ABUSE ORDER FOLLOWING AN INCIDENT ON LINE STREET IN WEST MAHANOY TOWNSHIP AT 2 P.M. THURSDAY. STATE POLICE AT FRACKVILLE SAID RONALD BULCAVAGE WAS TAKEN INTO CUSTODY, ARRAIGNED BY ON-CALL MAGISTERIAL DISTRICT JUDGE STEPHEN J. BAYER, TAMAQUA, AND COMMITTED TO SCHUYLKILL COUNTY PRISON UNABLE TO POST $1,500 STRAIGHT CASH BAIL. TROOPERS CHARGED BULCAVAGE WITH VIOLATING AN ACTIVE PFA AGAINST HIM BY ROXANNE HONER OF POTTSVILLE, BY HAVING CONTACT WITH THE WOMAN.

STATE NEWS
PHILADELPHIA (AP) - The parents of a mentally disabled woman
held captive in a Philadelphia basement as part of what police
believe was a Social Security fraud scheme are seeking custody of
her two young children.
Wilbert and Peggy Wanamaker are the parents of 29-year-old
Tamara Breeden, among four people freed from the basement.
Four people have been arrested in the case. Police say the
suspects locked up disabled people and cashed their Social Security
checks.
Eight children and four young adults linked to the defendants
are now in protective custody.
Attorney Steven Wigrizer represents the Wanamakers. He says they
want temporary custody of two children believed to be ages 2 and 7
who they say are Breeden's.
A social services spokeswoman says the identities of the
children haven't been determined.


PRIEST ABUSE-CHARGES
Pa. priest gets prison time on sex assault charges

MONTROSE, Pa. (AP) - A cloistered priest has been sentenced to
six to 24 months in state prison on charges of inappropriate sexual
contact with an eastern Pennsylvania teen.
The Rev. Phillip Ferrara pleaded no contest in September to
indecent assault of a minor.
The 49-year-old Eastern Rite Catholic priest was sentenced
Thursday in Susquehanna County Court.
A 14-year-old boy told police Ferrara forced him into having
sexual contact on several occasions at the Our Lady of Solitude
Retreat in Little Meadows
Public defender Linda LaBarbera said her client has a medical
condition that causes severe pain, which impaired his judgment.
She said Ferrara is still a priest but lives in a supervised
facility in Kansas and no longer participates in church rituals or
has contact with children.


TOW TRUCK-WOMAN KILLED
Pa. tow-truck driver charged in woman's death

WILKES-BARRE, Pa. (AP) - A tow truck driver has been charged
with vehicular homicide after prosecutors say he struck and killed
a stranded motorist he was sent to help.
Fifty-five-year-old Robert Wickham of Dallas, Pa., appeared
before a magistrate Thursday to face charges of vehicular homicide,
driving under the influence and related counts from the March 7
crash.
Police said 55-year-old Denise Polinchak of Wilkes-Barre called
the tow truck because she had car trouble.
Investigators said Wickham was backing up to tow the vehicle
away when the driver's side door of Polinchak's car opened,
knocking her to the pavement and killing her.
Wickham said he wasn't drunk but had several beers earlier in
the day because he didn't think he'd be working.
Magisterial District Judge Diana Malast scheduled a preliminary
hearing for Oct. 28.


FOILED MURDER PLOT
3 in eastern Pa. charged in attempted murder plot

LANSFORD, Pa. (AP) - Authorities say an eastern Pennsylvania man
survived an attempted murder plot in which he was tied up, struck
numerous times in the face and stabbed four times in the back.
State police in Carbon County say a woman who lived with
27-year-old Christopher Herman concocted a plan to kill him with
two other men.
Troopers say 34-year-old Jennifer Steigerwalt left a door
unlocked so 24-year-old Kevin Brandwein and 26-year-old Steve Walck
could get inside Thursday night.
Police say Herman was attacked, bound, forced into the basement
and stabbed but escaped. He was hospitalized Friday in stable
condition.
The three suspects were each charged with attempted homicide,
aggravated assault and conspiracy. They were sent to the Carbon
County prison on $250,000 bail. It wasn't clear if they had
attorneys.


BODIES UNEARTHED
DA: Pa. man in buried bodies case had prison key

STROUDSBURG, Pa. (AP) - Prosecutors say a northeastern
Pennsylvania man whose property had as many as 12 bodies buried on
it had a master key to the county prison.
District Attorney Jackie Musto Carroll said at a hearing Friday
that Hugo Selenski kept a key to the Luzerne County Correctional
Facility in his then-girlfriend's Kingston Township home.
The prosecutor said investigators found it in June 2003 while
investigating the deaths of several people buried in Selenski's
yard.
That October, Selenski escaped from the prison for three days by
tying together bedsheets and climbing out a window.
The revelation came as prosecutors argued against him returning
to the same prison until his November murder trial.
He is charged in the 2002 deaths of Michael Kerkowski and Tammy
Fassett, whose bodies were recovered from his property.


NORRISTOWN MURDER
14-28 years in Philly-area boyfriend's murder

(Information in the following story is from: KYW-AM,
http://www.kyw1060.com )

NORRISTOWN, Pa. (AP) - A transgender woman from southeastern
Pennsylvania has been sentenced to 14 to 28 years in prison for
fatally stabbing her boyfriend during an argument in August 2010.
Forty-one-year-old Asia Santana, whose legal name is Tyrone
Crawley, pleaded guilty in April to third-degree murder in the
stabbing death of 28-year-old Eric Nevith.
Santana said in Montgomery County Court on Friday that she loved
Nevith but their five-year relationship became strained because he
gave her HIV. Santana told the judge she was sorry for her actions
and she never meant to hurt Nevith.
Prosecutor Cara McMenamin said the defendant has had a difficult
life but it's not an excuse for taking another life.
Defense attorney Greg Nester said his client bears as much pain
and sadness as anyone else in this case.


1973 SHOOTING
Jury acquits man of murder charges in '73 Pa. case

(Information in the following story is from: The Philadelphia
Inquirer, http://www.philly.com )

DOYLESTOWN, Pa. (AP) - A jury has acquitted a man of murder
charges stemming from a suburban Philadelphia shooting almost four
decades ago.
Fifty-eight-year-old Domingo Lopez Negron of Philadelphia was
convicted of assault and served time in the 1973 shooting in
Warminster that paralyzed Joseph Kwiatkowski.
But murder charges were filed after the victim's 2009 death,
which authorities attributed to the bullet.
Jurors in Bucks County deliberated for two days before finding
Negron not guilty Friday of first-degree murder, third-degree
murder and involuntary manslaughter.
Defense attorney Craig Penglase has compared the case to the
1966 shooting of a Philadelphia police officer prosecuted as a
murder after the victim's 2007 death, a case that also ended in an
acquittal.


BODY IN VAN
20-40 years in woman's 2007 slaying near Pa. club

ALLENTOWN, Pa. (AP) - An eastern Pennsylvania man has been
sentenced to serve 20 to 40 years in prison for his role in a
September 2007 robbery-turned-murder outside a nightclub.
Twenty-eight-year-old Dennis Velez said Friday in Lehigh County
Court that he didn't kill or rob Debra Robberson, but he did hit
her with the barrel of a shotgun and stood by as Christian Bueno
shot and killed her.
The 45-year-old Berks County woman was found in her van outside
Diamonz nightclub in Bethlehem. Nearly three years passed before
arrests were made.
Velez pleaded guilty last month to third-degree murder and
conspiracy to commit robbery.
Bueno is serving life without parole for Robberson's murder.


GAS DRILLING-FRACKING CHEMICALS
Pa. industry group to disclose drilling chemicals

PITTSBURGH (AP) - The largest Marcellus Shale industry group in
Pennsylvania says its members will voluntarily disclose chemicals
used in each natural gas well as of Jan. 1.
The Marcellus Shale Coalition says in a statement issued
Thursday that its members want to go beyond state requirements and
reassure people who have questions. Members will list the chemicals
used in each well on the website FracFocus.org. The group says many
companies are already doing so.
The environmental group PennFuture says it applauds the move,
but that the state still needs to pass a law making disclosure
mandatory for all companies, not just members of the coalition.
The drillers use water, sand and a small amount of chemicals to
break apart shale rock formations deep underground. That frees the
gas trapped in the rocks.


BANK ROBBERY
Md. couple charged in 4 central Pa. bank robberies

CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. (AP) - Federal authorities have indicted a
Maryland couple in connection with a string of bank robberies in
central Pennsylvania.
The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Middle District of
Pennsylvania says 44-year-old Jason Dixon and 43-year-old Shawnette
Fleet, both of Essex, Md., are both charged with four counts of
robbery.
Authorities say they robbed two credit unions in Chambersburg,
one in York and one in Camp Hill spanning from March until August.
Prosecutors say they were apprehended while fleeing the Camp Hill
robbery on Aug. 10.
If convicted both could face 20 years in prison and a $250,000
fine for each robbery count.

PARTY FLIER-LAWSUIT
Judge: Pa. district can't bar church party fliers

SCRANTON, Pa. (AP) - A federal judge has granted a conservative
Christian group's request to bar a northeastern Pennsylvania school
district from banning a fifth-grader from handing out fliers for a
church Christmas party.
The Alliance Defense Fund sued the Pocono Mountain School
District in March, claiming the student's free speech rights were
violated.
The suit claims the district permits students to hand out fliers
for Halloween parties, Valentine's dances and other events. But it
says the girl was stopped from handing out Christmas party
invitations last year at her school, Barrett Elementary Center.
U.S. District Judge Richard Caputo on Thursday issued a
preliminary injunction in the student's favor. Caputo ruled that
the school regulations were too vague.
A call to the school district for comment was not immediately
returned.

BROTHERS-STOLEN BRIDGE
2 Pa. brothers headed to court over stolen bridge

(Information in the following story is from: New Castle News,
http://www.ncnewsonline.com )

NEW CASTLE, Pa. (AP) - Two unemployed brothers are headed to
trial on charges they stole a western Pennsylvania bridge and cut
it up for scrap.
Twenty-four-year-old Benjamin Arthur Jones and 25-year-old
Alexander William Jones, of New Castle, are accused of using a
blowtorch to dismantle the 50-foot-long and 20-foot-wide Covert's
Crossing Bridge between Sept. 27 and Oct. 5.
The New Castle News reported Friday the brothers waived a
preliminary hearing on charges including theft so a district judge
would lower their bond. Benjamin Jones' attorney says the brothers
did that to get out of jail.
The brothers are accused of selling 31,000 pounds of steel from
the privately owned and rarely used bridge in a wooded area about
50 miles northwest of Pittsburgh. They were arrested last week
after the scrap company that paid them nearly $5,200 notified
police.

NATIONAL NEWS
LIBYA
UPDATE: Libyan council to declare liberation Sunday
TRIPOLI, Libya (AP) - A military spokesman says Libya's
transitional government will declare liberation tomorrow after
months of bloodshed that culminated in the death of longtime leader
Moammar Gadhafi.
Officials from the governing National Transitional Council had
said the announcement would be made today in the eastern city of
Benghazi, the revolution's birthplace.
But a spokesman says preparations are under way for a Sunday
ceremony. He didn't give an explanation for the delay. The
declaration will allow Libya's new rulers to move forward with
efforts to transform the oil-rich nation into a democracy.
Libyan authorities are facing questions about how Gadhafi was
killed after images emerged showing he was found alive and taunted
and beaten by his captors.

US-IRAQ
Obama: Troops can leave Iraq proud of their success
WASHINGTON (AP) - The final exit date has been sealed for U.S.
troops in Iraq, signaling an end to a deeply unpopular, eight-year
war.
President Barack Obama says all U.S. troops "will definitely be
home for the holidays."
Some troops attached to the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad will remain,
as will thousands of contractors to provide security for diplomats
there and at U.S. consulates in two other Iraqi cities.
The war resulted in more than 4,400 members of the military
killed. The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have cost the U.S. more
than $1.3 trillion.
Obama says U.S. troops who'll be leaving Iraq will leave "with
their heads held high" and "proud of their success."
The decision ends months of wrangling over whether the U.S.
would maintain a force there to help train Iraqis. There are
currently almost 40,000 American service personnel in Iraq.
Their departure allows Obama to keep a campaign promise to end
the war. And it allows Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to
restore his country's sovereignty.

AP POLL-WALL STREET PROTESTS
AP-GfK Poll: 37 percent of public back protests
WASHINGTON (AP) - The "Occupy Wall Street" movement appears to
be gaining support.
The latest Associated Press-GfK poll shows about 37 percent of
those surveyed support the protests. And some 58 percent say they
are angry with American politics. In January, it was 49 percent.
The poll also finds that most of those who support the protests
don't blame President Barack Obama for the economic crisis. More
than two-thirds of them say George W. Bush deserves either "a
lot" or "almost all" of the blame.

OCCUPY WALL STREET
Oakland protesters defy city order to leave
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) - Hundreds of anti-Wall Street protesters
defiantly remained at their campsite outside Oakland's City Hall
early Saturday, despite a city order to vacate.
As the 10 p.m. time of the city's ultimatum passed Friday night,
Occupy Oakland demonstrators showed no signs of departing as music
blasted from the plaza. More protesters arrived with tents as
midnight approached.
Earlier, city spokeswoman Karen Boyd said that Oakland gave
official notice that the protesters do not have permission to
remain overnight. Boyd says that protesters can legally demonstrate
at the plaza from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.
In New York, 92-year-old Folk music legend Pete Seeger and '60s
folk singer Arlo Guthrie joined demonstrators while neighbors say
they'd like a little peace and quiet.
Some residents complain of protesters urinating in the streets
and beating drums in the middle of the night.

AUSTRALIA-SHARK ATTACK
Shark kills American diver off western Australia
CANBERRA, Australia (AP) - A great white shark has killed an
American diver in the second fatal shark attack off Western
Australia in 12 days.
Police Sgt. Gerry Cassidy says the man was below water Saturday
when a witness on the dive boat "saw a large amount of bubbles."
The body soon surfaced with fatal injuries. The shark was described
as a 10-foot (3-meter) great white.
Cassidy said it happened off the tourist spot of Rottnest Island
in overcast conditions. Sharks attack more often in cloudy weather.
Police said the 32-year-old American was living in Australia on
a work visa. His identity and hometown weren't available.
Rottnest Island is 11 miles (18 kilometers) from a popular Perth
city beach where a man was believed taken by a great white Oct. 10.

IRAN-SHIP SINKING
Iran team hopes to reach divers trapped underwater
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) - An Iranian official says a rescue team hopes
to soon reach 13 divers trapped underwater after their support ship
sank two days ago in the Persian Gulf.
Pirouz Mousavi, head of the Pars Energy Zone in southern Iran,
told the official IRNA news agency on Friday that the divers are
believed to still be alive despite a dwindling oxygen supply.
The divers - seven Indians, five Iranians and one Ukrainian -
were part of a team installing an underwater oil pipeline and were
inside a pressurized diving chamber when their Koosha-1 ship sank
in the Persian Gulf on Thursday afternoon in stormy seas.
Out of 73 people on board, 60 had been rescued earlier. The
pressurized chamber is about 180 feet (60 meters) underwater and
can hold 72-hours worth of oxygen.

CLINTON
Clinton highlights Afghan security, human rights
DUSHANBE, Tajikistan (AP) - Secretary of State Hillary Rodham
Clinton is urging Afghanistan's Central Asian neighbors to play a
role in securing and rebuilding the war-torn nation. She's also
pressing authorities in the region on human rights.
Clinton told an audience in Tajikistan (tah-JEEK'-ih-stahn)
today that Afghanistan's reintegration into the regional economy
would be critical to its recovery as well as improving conditions
in surrounding countries.
She says that historically Afghanistan has been a place where
many different nations have vied for power and influence.
Clinton also says she will raise the issue of human rights when
she meets with leaders in the region.
Clinton is visiting Tajikistan and Uzbekistan
(ooz-behk-ih-STAHN') this weekend as she wraps up a South and
Central Asia tour focused on securing and stabilizing Afghanistan.

DEFICIT-MILITARY BENEFITS
Lawmakers open to changes in military benefits
WASHINGTON (AP) - The government's promise of lifetime health
care for the military's men and women is suddenly a little less
sacrosanct as Congress looks for ways to slash trillion-dollar-plus
deficits.
Republicans and Democrats are signaling a willingness to make
military retirees pay more for coverage. It's a reflection of
Washington's fiscal austerity and the Pentagon's push to cut health
care costs that have skyrocketed from $19 billion in 2001 to $53
billion.
Defense Secretary Leon Panetta says personnel costs have put the
Pentagon, in his words, "on an unsustainable course."
Veterans groups are mobilizing to fight any changes. They argue
that Americans who were willing to die for their country should be
treated differently than the average worker. Lawmakers are
sympathetic to that argument but many are unmoved by it.

EUROPE-FINANCIAL CRISIS
Euro chief: agreed on sizable cut to Greek debt
BRUSSELS (AP) - The chairman of the Eurogroup says eurozone
finance ministers have agreed that banks need to take substantial
losses on their Greek bondholdings.
Jean-Claude Juncker says "yesterday we agreed that we need a
substantial increase in the contribution from the banks."
Juncker, who is also the prime minister of Luxembourg, did not
say how big the cuts would have to be.
In July, banks had tentatively agreed to take a loss of about 21
percent on Greek bonds, but it has since become clear that that is
not enough to make Greece's massive debts sustainable.
Austria's Finance Minister Maria Fekter said the chief
negotiator for the eurozone has been asked to restart negotiations
with banks. That suggests that the eurozone is still aiming for a
voluntary deal.

PRIMARY SCRAMBLE
Nevada Republicans to vote on caucus date change
LAS VEGAS (AP) - Nevada Republicans are debating whether to bow
to national pressure and delay the state's presidential nomination
contest.
More than 200 of the party's top volunteers and leaders are
meeting in Las Vegas Saturday to decide when Nevada's caucuses
should be held.
New Hampshire Secretary of State Bill Gardner has threatened to
hold that state's primary in early December to avoid wedging it
between the Jan. 3 Iowa caucuses and Nevada's Jan. 14 contest.
Several Republican presidential candidates have said they will
boycott Nevada's contest if it isn't pushed back, prompting the
Republican National Committee to suggest Thursday that Nevada move
to Feb. 4.
Nevada GOP leaders have signaled that they support the change,
but it's unclear whether rank-and-file members will agree to it.

OBAMA-POLITICS-PROMISES
Obama's foreign successes may not help much in 2012
WASHINGTON (AP) - President Barack Obama's allies say he scored
a fourth big foreign policy success this year by ending the Iraq
war on schedule.
But those events might play a small role in a 2012 election
dominated by jobs and the economy.
Obama's supporters are seeking ways to make the most of his
foreign accomplishments. They include the killings of Osama bin
Laden and Moammar Gadhafi.
One approach is to contrast them with Congress' partisan-driven
gridlock on key issues such as the deficit.
Democratic activist Karen Finney points to what she calls the
progress Obama can make when he doesn't have Republicans
obstructing him.
Finney says a president must show that he keeps his promises.

MACY'S PARADE-TIM BURTON BALLOON
Tim Burton's Franken-balloon to debut at NY parade
NEW YORK (AP) - Filmmaker Tim Burton has designed a floating
freak show of a balloon for this year's family-friendly Macy's
Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City.
With pointed teeth and jagged stitching across his face, B. is
the Frankenstein of balloons.
A Burton-created backstory distributed by Macy's says the
balloon boy was "stitched together from rejects of old birthday
party balloons." The parties were thrown for children at a London
hospital. But B. wasn't allowed to join in the fun. Instead he
watched the French short film "The Red Balloon" repeatedly.
B.'s only dream was to fly and make a child happy - just like in
that movie.
Now B. will get his chance at November's parade through
Manhattan.
Burton has directed several films, including "Edward
Scissorhands," ''Alice in Wonderland" and "The Nightmare Before
Christmas."