The Northern Mercer Conty Alligance is planning a meeting this thursday to watch the palin, Biden Debate as it happens. 

The  gathering will be held at Razzy’s Lounge, which is a part of Sghetti’s Italian Bistro located inside The Quality Inn, 3200 South Hermitage Road, in Hermitage (just off of Interstate 80 on Route 18N).  

The lounge has 5 televisions with surround sound.  If you have not experienced Razzy’s Lounge or Sghetti’s Italian Bistro, you will be in for a treat.  In addition to an inviting ambiance, the Italian food is some of the best in the area. 

Whhile no reservations are needed, it is advised you arrive early, to get a great ring side seat.

More than 1,750 gang members and associates were taken into custody in a nationwide “summer surge” of police operations aimed at reducing street violence, authorities announced Tuesday.

The arrests of members of MS-13, 18th Street and many other gangs between June 1 and September 30 compares with about 1,300 arrests in similar operations a year ago.

Details of the four-month law enforcement “surge operation” coordinated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) will be announced Wednesday at a press conference in Washington. ICE Assistant Secretary Julie Myers and local police officials from New Jersey, Georgia and Kansas will describe some of the operations, including the capture of dangerous MS-13 and other gang leaders re-arrested after they had been deported.

Yep, they’re really pulling out all the stops now. The Boss will perform an acoustic set Saturday at a rally on the Ben Franklin Parkway.

Here’s the full release:

For Immediate Release
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
SATURDAY: Springsteen to Join Rally for Obama in Philadelphia  

Free concert for Pennsylvanians will be huge opportunity to register voters and sign up volunteers; preferred tickets must be picked up at campaign offices

PHILADELPHIA — Bruce Springsteen is coming to Philadelphia this weekend to perform an acoustic set at a rally on the Ben Franklin Parkway in order to assist the Obama campaign’s voter registration and volunteer recruitment efforts.
 
The concert will take place on the Saturday before Pennsylvania’s voter registration deadline on Monday.
 
“Senator Obama is a great fan of Bruce Springsteen and is honored to have his support. This will be a great opportunity to gather tens of thousands of our supporters together in one place as we register new voters and bring new volunteers into this campaign for change,” said Craig Schirmer, the Pennsylvania State Director of the Obama-Biden campaign.

The campaign has already registered and mobilized an unprecedented number of voters in the state, and the makeup of the electorate will be fundamentally different than it was in 2004.  In that election, John Kerry beat George Bush by 144,000 votes at a time when Democrats outnumbered Republicans by 580,000 voters.  This year, that advantage will be about 1.2 million.  

The New Jersey native endorsed Senator Obama in April, writing that the Democratic nominee “speaks to the America I’ve envisioned in my music…a country that’s interested in its collective destiny and in the potential of its gathered spirit.”

The concert will take place on Saturday at Benjamin Franklin Parkway between 20th and 22nd Streets.

Gates open at 2:00 and the program will begin at 3:30.

For access to the best viewing area, preferred tickets will be distributed to those who sign up to volunteer.  This can be done beginning at 10:00 AM on Wednesday at the Obama-Biden campaign for change offices listed below.

General admission tickets can be secured at the following website: pa.barackobama.com/springsteen

The power outage in downtown Warren this afternoon has closed government buildings in the city and may be responsible for one traffic accident, according to police. According to Ohio Edison, power lines were damaged about 12:30 p.m. at the corner of U.S. Route 422 and Pine Avenue S.E. And as of 2:30 p.m., crews were still working to restore power, according to Luann Haddad, spokeswoman with the utility.

The Mahoning County Board of Elections unanimously agreed today to allow David Aey to run as a write-in candidate for county sheriff.The board rejected a protest against Aey’s candidacy filed by Sheriff Randall Wellington, the only candidate for the office whose name will appear on the ballot.

Wellington questions whether Aey has the education requirements needed to run for sheriff.

Aey’s attorneys provided a certified transcript last week showing their client had 60 credit hours, more than enough to qualify as a candidate.

J.B. Hadden, Wellington’s attorney, said after the hearing that the sheriff will file an appeal to the board’s decision with the Ohio Supreme Court as early as Wednesday.

A cow in the middle of Interstate 80 eastbound between Hubbard and the Pennsylvania line backed up traffic for a time this morning until the cow could be directed by troopers to a rest area, according to the Ohio State Highway Patrol Southington post. The cow went into woods near the rest stop and the owner of a nearby farm was contacted to retrieve the animal, the patrol said. The cow showed up on the roadway around 11:15 a.m. and it took about 15 minutes to direct it away from traffic, the patrol said.

The Northern Democratic Alligance of Mercer County has planned a Town Hall meeting in Farrell.

It will be held On Tuesday October 21, 6:00 p.m. at the Farrell City Council Chamber, there will be a Town Hall Meeting with Rep Mark Longietti, Mayor Olive McKeithan, and possibly Jason Altmire.

The meeting is open to anyone of any political beleif, and is free.

Congressman John P. Murtha, chairman of the House appropriations subcommittee on defense, announced Monday that the U.S. Department of Justice has released $1,964,730 in funding for law enforcement agencies in Allegheny, Armstrong, Cambria, Fayette, Greene, Indiana, Somerset, Washington and Westmoreland counties.

Murtha secured the funding in the fiscal year 2008 Commerce, Justice and Science annual appropriations bill.

The funding will be used to assist local law enforcement agencies within the 12th Congressional District with the purchase of equipment, training, and supplies that otherwise would be too costly for local communities to afford. This includes items like protective vests, police vehicles, computers, interoperable radios, firearms, and other needful equipment.

“Police departments throughout our area are hard-pressed to find the funds necessary to buy modern equipment that is essential to the effective management of emergencies, disasters or even routine calls,” Murtha said. “They work tirelessly to keep our communities safe, and I’m pleased to be able to support their efforts.”

Since 2004, the funding that Murtha has secured for this program has awarded over $3.3 million to local police departments, not including the funding announced today. This includes $25,000 for Allegheny County; $325,000 for Armstrong County; $889,506 for Cambria County; $495,000 for Fayette County; $125,000 for Greene County; $110,000 for Indiana County; $312,888 for Somerset County; $403,154 for Washington County; and $645,000 for Westmoreland County.Information relative to applying for this round of funding has been disseminated to law enforcement agencies throughout the 12th Congressional District.

Findlay retailer Dick’s Sporting Goods has tapped a new president.

Joseph M. Schmidt, 49, who has been executive vice president of operations and chief operating officer since February, will become president and COO in February 2009. Before becoming chief operating officer, he had been vice president of store operations.

As of the end of it’s 3rd quarter, the retailer operated more than 350 Dick’s Sporting Goods stores in 38 states, more than 80 Golf Galaxy stores in 30 states, and 15 Chick’s Sporting Goods, Inc. outlets in southern California.

The Pittsburgh Steelers Press Office today said Andre Frazier, the backup linebacker carted off the field on a stretcher last night, is doing fine and could play Sunday in Jacksonville.