Wake-Up Call: Thursday, July 31, 2008

With the PolitickerPA.com Wake-Up Call e-mailed to your inbox, phone, Blackberry or PDA first thing in the morning, you can get a rundown of Pennsylvania's top political headlines. Sign up to get the Wake-Up Call delivered every morning.

With the PolitickerPA.com Wake-Up Call e-mailed to your inbox, phone, Blackberry or PDA first thing in the morning, you can get a rundown of Pennslyvania's top political headlines. Sign up to get the Wake-Up Call delivered every morning.

Pollster says forget the Philly suburbs: Carney, Kanjorski and English are the races to watch

Despite loads of talk about competitive Congressional races in the Philadelphia suburbs, there are growing indications that the real races to watch are elsewhere in the state. Independent political reports have increasingly spotlighted the 3rd, 10th and 11th Congressional Districts as the most competitive, and G. Terry Madonna, a pollster and political science professor at Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster said that's where his polling resources are likely to be concentrated. (PolitickerPA.com, Dan Hirschorn)

Link: http://www.politickerpa.com/danh/1042/pollster-says-forget-philly-suburb...

Pa.'s Arlen Specter looks beyond cancer to next senate race

WASHINGTON - Sen. Arlen Specter says, "I've got to get my hair back."

This is yesterday. He is sitting in his private, hideaway office behind the U.S. Senate chamber, surrounded by four walls of mementos from his long, long career in politics. (Inquirer, Tom Infield)

Link: http://www.philly.com/inquirer/local/20080731_Pa__s_Arlen_Specter_looks_...

Pa. lawmaker seeks to legalize video poker in social clubs

HARRISBURG - Law enforcement has long turned a blind eye to illegal video poker machines, fixtures at many corner bars and social clubs across the state. (Inquirer, Amy Worden)

Link: http://www.philly.com/inquirer/local/20080731_Pa__lawmaker_seeks_to_lega...

Experts mull casino problems

The experts gathered yesterday, not to kill riverfront casinos but to make them better.

Brought together by PennPraxis at the request of Mayor Nutter, the architects and traffic engineers saw both problems and opportunities in the designs for the two casinos proposed for the banks of the Delaware River. (Philly Daily News, Chris Brennan)

Link: http://www.philly.com/dailynews/local/20080731_Experts_mull_casino_probl...

Campaign signs must go after election, Ross council says

Candidates will have 10 days after an election to remove campaign signs from street corners and other public property in Ross.

If they fail to do so, they will lose the $100 they now are required to post under an ordinance approved earlier this month by township commissioners. (Post Gazette, Len Barcousky)

Link: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08213/900555-181.stm?cmpid=elections.xml

Paisley gives himself 55 percent chance at earning ballot place

Independent candidate Jay Paisley's chance at earning a spot on November's ballot will likely come down to Friday's deadline.

The former Democrat, who is challenging Republican Elder Vogel and Democrat Sean Ramaley in the 47th Senatorial District, told PolitickerPA.com he has collected 1,000 signatures as of Wednesday afternoon -- half the number needed to be put on the ticket. About 60 of his volunteers will continue scouring for signatures until Friday morning if necessary, Paisley said. (PolitickerPA.com, Alex Roarty)

Link: http://www.politickerpa.com/alexroarty/1048/paisley-gives-himself-55-per...

Lawmakers push incentives to get, keep firefighters

Mike Crown has sold his share of lottery tickets and worked numerous carnivals and other fundraisers during his 21 years as a volunteer firefighter in Crafton.

Add in the drills and training -- and time fighting real fires -- and the drop in volunteer companies' ranks makes sense. (Tribune Review, Karen Zapf)

Link: http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/s_580182.html

O'hara voting districts to be reconfigured

About 280 O'Hara residents could be switched to a new voting district in the fall to help balance some recent and heavy development along the Allegheny River. (Tribune Review, Tawnya Panizzi)

Link: http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/s_580233.html

Penn Hills officials consider relaxing residency requirement

When Penn Hills Council hired former state Rep. Terry Van Horne as its municipal manager last summer, he became the fourth person in four years to take the job. (Tribune Review, Tony LaRussa)

Link: http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/s_580189.html

Pittsburgh council votes to sell court building

Pittsburgh City Council backed a plan today to sell the Municipal Courts Building to the state at a loss of $6.1 million.

"We're not in the courts business anymore, and we don't need the building," said City Council President Doug Shields, referring to a 2002 state Supreme Court decision that folded the city's Magistrates Court into the state court system. (Tribune Review, Jeremy Boren)

Link: http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/s_580199.html

With the PolitickerPA.com Wake-Up Call e-mailed to your inbox, phone, Blackberry or PDA first thing in the morning, you can get a rundown of Pennsylvania's top political headlines. Sign up to get the Wake-Up Call delivered every morning.