A possible recount of the Pennsylvania Superior Court election ballots could cost state taxpayers as much as $1.3 million if the six million votes from the Nov. 3 elections are indeed recounted.

While Republican candidates Judy Olson, Sallie Mundy and Paula Ott won three of the four available seats on the Court, the remaining open seat was labeled too close to call. Harrisburg's Patriot-News is reporting that the unofficial returns from the voting placed Anne Lazarus, a Democratic candidate and judge from Philadelphia County, as the winner of the fourth seat. She was separated from three other candidates by less than half of one percent. This situation, according to state law, mandates an automatic recount unless all trailing candidates give up their rights to a recount.

As of Tuesday night, two of the three candidates - Democrats Robert Colville and Kevin Francis, both of Allegheny County - had waived the recount, provided the other candidates would choose to do so as well.

However, the Patriot-News has reported that the third candidate, Republican Temp Smith of Pittsburgh, said in a telephone interview that he was still undecided as to whether or not he would have the ballots be recounted.

If her lead continues to hold up, Lazarus will win the fourth seat in the Superior Court with a lead of about 2,000 ballots over Colville, who said he thought a recount would be an unnecessary expense for taxpayers and would not change the results of the election.

--Brittany

The Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD) and Wisconsin's Office of Justice Assistance have been named joint recipients of an award for an "innovative and comprehensive Web-based program" that has helped the process of handling grants, according to a Nov. 10 press release on Pennsylvania's state Web site.

Given by the Council of State Governments, the two states use the "E-grants system" to announce funding opportunities, submit applications, manage awards and report activities, according to the release.

PCCD first developed the program using federal money and made it available to other states at no cost, allowing Wisconsin to adapt its E-grants system from PCCD's version, it said.

"PCCD's staff worked very hard in developing E-grants to streamline our application process, enhance program and fiscal monitoring capabilities, and make our grantee reporting easier," said PCCD Executive Director Michael J. Kane. "The result was a state-of-the-art system that has increased efficiency and accountability and made significant improvements in customer service."

PCCD and Wisconsin's Office of Justice Assistance will be recognized Nov. 12-15 with the 2009 Innovations Award at the Council of State Governments' 2009 conference.

-Jacquie

As Centre County residents were selecting their next mayor and district attorney at the polls on Tuesday, Harrisburg citizens were voting Democratic mayoral candidate Linda Thompson into Pennsylvania history.

Thompson emerged the winner of the Harrisburg general election by 10 p.m. Tuesday evening, beating Republican candidate Nevin Mindlin by a margin of 842 votes. Thompson will take her place in the capital's history in three categories - the city's first female mayor, the first African-American mayor and the first to succeed current mayor Stephen Reed, who has spent the last 28 years holding the position.

"We face enormous challenges here in Harrisburg and none of you are strangers to these challenges," Thompson said while addressing her supporters Tuesday night. "They require strong leadership and enormous courage. We owe it to our community and our children to work for safe streets, smart students and good government. Tonight, we begin anew."

Harrisburg's Patriot-News reported that Thompson received a total of 4,869 votes, including one from mayor Reed himself, who lost to Thompson in the primary elections. Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell also endorsed Thompson on Oct. 21, saying she cares about the people of Harrisburg and knows what needs to be done.

When she takes office, Thompson will face a number of important issues in the city, including rising crime rates and schools that are failing to meet statewide testing standards.

Mayor Reed has offered to help Thompson's administration in several ways, including by starting to work with her transition team immediately.

"I have no doubt that Mayor-elect Thompson wants to do good," Reed said in a post-election interview Tuesday night. "People of positive purpose usually accomplish good things. That is our hope."

--Brittany

Ever wonder why lawmakers selected the first Tuesday in November to hold presidential -- and local, off-year -- elections?

When it was decided, the United States was mainly an agrarian society, and November was most likely the best month for farmers and residents of the mostly rural original 13 states, according to AccuWeather.com. But the day stuck even as the nation grew.

For local elections Tuesday in State College, it was partly cloudy with a high in the 50s. Based on history, the weather should favor Democratic candidates -- a 2005 study published in the June 2007 edition of the Journal of Politics concluded that poor weather, such as rain and snow on Election Day, favors the Republican party.

The study examined the effect of weather on voter turnout in 14 U.S. presidential elections, AccuWeather reports. It determined that Democrats are less likely to vote in inclement weather, and rain is a bigger deterrent for many voters than chilly temperatures, co-author and University of Pittsburgh political science professor George Krause said.

"Many voters are more willing to stand in line on a cold, clear day. That is not the case if it is raining," Krause told AccuWeather. He added that many peripheral voters tending to vote Democrat are "less dependable" and less likely to turn out on Election Day if the weather is less than ideal.

Will the sunshine this Nov. 3 prove beneficial to Democratic candidates? State College will have to wait and see.

-- Jacquie

Texas Republican U.S. Representative Ron Paul questioned the efficiency of the U.S. dollar bill, in a column on CNN.com.

Paul, who made a bid for the 2008 presidential nomination, said the Federal Reserve has a monopoly over the creation of money and it needs to end. He explained it is "imperative the American people know what the [Federal Reserve] is up to."

He also offered a plan that would break down three barriers of competition of currency, ending the Federal Reserve's "stranglehold on money," he said in the column.

The first barrier is legal tender laws that "force citizens to accept debased or devalued currency, he said. The second is laws that prohibit private mint operations. The third and final barrier that needs to be broken down is laws that give capital gain and sale tax for silver and gold. Paul explained that as the value of the dollar decreases, tax on gold and silver increases, thus taking away more money from Americans that own them.

By leaving these barriers up, "the long-term strength of the dollar will only be weakened by maintaining the Fed's monopoly on our monetary system," Paul said in the column.

If having Howard Dean come to Penn State to debate health care wasn't enough to rally the democratic students in attendance, the shout out the former governor gave may have done the trick.
Dean visited Eisenhower Auditorium last night to discuss the issues of health care in America with former Bush adviser Karl Rove. During the event, Dean announced he supported mayoral candidate Elizabeth Goreham as well as defense attorney Stacy Parks Miller for the Nov. 3 election.
Goreham, who has met Dean in the past, said she was "delighted and very pleased" to hear the news.
"I'm sure this was the result of the support from the college Democrats," Goreham said. "I really welcome Howard Dean's support. It really made my evening."
Goreham is running for mayor on the Democratic ballot against Republican Joe Wakeley. Parks Miller is a Democrat running for district attorney against current Centre County District Attorney Michael Madeira.

President Barack Obama declared the H1N1 virus, also known as Swine Flu, a national emergency Friday after people around the nation hurried to get the H1N1 vaccine.

The declaration allows hospitals to speed up the process of setting up triage and care centers if there is an influx of flu patients. Hospitals could transfer flu patients to a suitable treatment space outside the hospital, such as an armory or other hospital. Because it is a national health emergency, some hospitals have set up triage tents outside of hospitals to screen flu patients.

The presidential declaration waives certain federal laws in cases of emergency. It protects hospitals from the federal law that says if patients are sent off site the hospitals may not be reimbursed for transporting them.

For people seeking the swine flu vaccine, about 30 million vaccines should be available at the end of the month, according the the New York Times.

--Katie

At the end of Election Day on Nov. 3, the 2009 Municipal Primary results will rest on more than just the campaigns and political speeches the candidates have been making - the election ballots will have the final say.

In an attempt to make the voting process easier for local residents, the Centre County Government has once again uploaded sample ballots with instructions and candidate names to their Web site for voters to peruse.

"It's a way of helping people prepare for the election," said Jon Eich, Centre County Board of Commissioners chairman.

Jodi Neidig, Assistant Director of the Centre County Election Office, said the office has been posting sample ballots online for at least the past five years before every election with the intentions of informing voters what candidates are running for election, and helping the voting process run smoothly and efficiently on election day. She said giving Centre County residents the opportunity to see the candidates that will appear on their ballot also gives voters the chance to do research on their platforms and ask any questions they may have.

Eich said the ballots will give voters the opportunity to see what specific races they'll be voting on before going to the polls, as races may vary between townships.

Centre County has more than 98,000 voters and 89 different voting precincts. Visit the Centre County Government Web site to look at the sample ballots

--Brittany

Harrisburg mayoral candidates met this week to debate a variety of issues including the state of the capital's public schools, the rising crime rates and racial tensions.

Democratic candidate Linda Thompson and Republican candidate Nevin Mindlin participated in the town hall style debate on Tuesday for an hour and a half in the new Midtown Scholar Bookstore in Harrisburg. The local television station WGAL reported that this was the first time in nearly 30 years that candidates for mayor debated and Steven Reed was not one of them. Reed lost to Thompson in the primary election and has not yet officially endorsed either of the candidates.

If elected, Thompson would be the first African American mayor of Harrisburg. She addressed the issue of racial attacks during the debate, saying "It's high time for people to stop labeling me anti-white." Thompson also promised to offer more help to ethnic groups including Latinos and African Americans.

Harrisburg's Patriot-News reported that Mindlin, who is white, responded to a question about Harrisburg being "racially polarized" by saying it is more an issue of poverty.

"We need to start having economic activity occur in all of our neighborhoods," Mindlin said.

The two candidates also commented on how they would fight rising crime rates, with Thompson saying she would start police foot patrols and Mindlin saying he would consider changing police chiefs as one possible solution.

Another prominent issue was the state of the city's schools. Mindlin said he would sit down with the city's school superintendent, Gerald Kohn, to discuss how they could make a transition, while Thompson advocates replacing Kohn, saying it is necessary to "let the current superintendent go and bring in a superintendent who has tried and proven experience in running urban schools."

The mayoral election will take place Tuesday, Nov. 3.

President Obama has a lot going on. He has health care, Afghanistan and the economy all on his plate, not to mention he just won the Nobel Peace Prize.

But what about gay rights?

President Obama is tackling that issue too, according to CNN.

He promised to end the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy of the military, but hasn't said when or how. And he is calling on Congress to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act, which ensures other states do not have to recognize same-sex marriages, the Web site says.

But things get tricky when President Obama doesn't support same-sex marriage. He thinks marriage is between a man and a woman. But he does support civil unions that offer similar rights to gay couples; and this past weekend asked for a law to extend benefits to domestic partners, according to the report.

Still, some activists of same-sex unions are getting impatient, saying they've heard his promises before and now want a timeline.

Is there room on President Obama's plate? Activists certainly hope so.

--Jacquie

Two days after President Barack Obama won the Nobel Peace Prize, he met with military adviser to discuss plans for the war in Afghanistan. One adviser said more U.S. troops are needed to advance the war in Afghanistan, according to CNN.

David Kilcullen, an adviser to top military officials in Afghanistan and Iraq, said at least 25,000 more troops would be necessary for the United States to squelch the growing problems and protect the citizens of the war torn country. Kilcullen said the lack of legitimacy for the government, lack of military resources and safe holds for terrorists right across the boarder in Pakistan are escalating a troublesome situation. More U.S. troops will help keep corruption and the Taliban out of the Afghan government, Kilcullen said.

Gen. Stanley McChrystal reportedly asked for 40,000-60,000 additional troops in the area, which would more than double the amount of armed forces in the country.

--Katie

President Barack Obama said he was "humbled" Friday after being awarded the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize by the Norwegian Nobel Committee, according to CNN.

The president, who received the news early in the morning via his daughter, said he did not feel he deserved to "be in the company of so many of the transformative figures who've been honored by this prize," he said in a speech outside the White House.

"Let me be clear, I do not view it as a recognition of my own accomplishments," he said. "But rather as an affirmation of American leadership on behalf of aspirations held by people in all nations."

According to an article on CNN.com, the committee chose Obama because of his "extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples."

In his speech outside of the White House, Obama said he accepts the award as a "call to action" for all nations "to take responsibility for the world we seek" and address the issues of war, climate change, and acceptance of all people.

"This award is not simply about the efforts of my administration," he said. "It's about the courageous efforts of people around the world."

--Greg

Residents of Centre and Clearfield Counties will have the chance to win 300 gallons of heating oil for this winter through a raffle being held by the Central Pennsylvania Community Action (CPCA).

CPCA's Deputy Director Stacy LoCastro said this is the fourth year the organization has had a heating oil raffle.

"Depending on how much the cost of heating oil is at the time, it can be quite valuable," LoCastro said. She said heating oil is in high demands and many residents in the Centre and Clearfield County areas need heating oil for their homes.

Raffle tickets cost $3 a piece and can be purchased at the CPCA office. The drawing will be held on Friday, Dec. 18. A $50 gift card to Snappy's will also be awarded as a second prize.

Proceeds from ticket sales will benefit Group Work Camp 2010, a week long religious-based camp for members of youth groups from all over the nation.

This is the third time CPCA has helped to sponsor the Group Work Camp, and this year will be partnering with the Clearfield Ministerium group. Youth will come for a week in June to work on people's homes in the Centre and Clearfield County areas and will help with everything from painting to installing small wheelchair ramps, LoCastro said. She estimated that they need to raise $19,000 to match what the youth pay to join the camp.

--Brittany

Top House Democrats today rejected insurers who claim that domestic violence is a pre-existing condition that can be used to deny coverage to battered women, according to a CNN report.

The Dems hope to stitch in a ban on the practice in the health care reform legislation working through Congress, the report said.

Forty-two states - including Pennsylvania - have passed such a prohibition, according to a recent National Women's Law Center report.

"Think of this," House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said. "You've survived domestic violence, and now you are discriminated [against] in the insurance market because you have a pre-existing medical condition. Well, that will all be gone."

The ban would be part of a broader prohibition against the use of pre-existing conditions to deny care, a component of all the reform bills now under consideration in the nation's capital, according to the report.

--Jacquie

Earlier today, U.S. Congressman Joe Sestak, D-Pa., announced plans to introduce a bill that will help returning military veterans receive a college education. Among the added benefits for veterans will be the ability to receive university credit for training courses in the military.
To earn the credits, the Community College of the Air Force will be opened up to members of all military branches to earn transferable credits through classes.
"It is important to remember that we are in an economic crisis and these courageous young people have gone to war for us," Sestak, a retired Navy admiral, wrote in a press release. "If they cannot get their training and education, they cannot get a job. Without an education and a job they will lose hope."
The representative visited Penn State for a question-and-answer session last month and will be speaking again about the proposal tomorrow at the University of Pittsburgh.
Sestak, who is from the Philadelphia area, is challenging Sen. Arlen Specter for the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate in next year's race.

--Evan