Teaser trailer for independent horror Down the Road

Up-and-coming writer-director Jason Christopher (The Pendant) has just finished shooting his second feature, a throwback slasher entitled Down the Road that pays homage to iconic genre classics such as Friday the 13th and Halloween. Featuring veteran character actor Clint Howard (Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, Apollo 13, The Water Boy) and with script mentoring from Friday the 13th scribe Victor Miller, Down the Road is currently in post-production for a release later in the year.

Check out the synopsis and official teaser trailer...

"A father, Hunter Isth, is rocked by a tragic accident in his life. He flees town and is no longer seen. Partying teenagers fall victim to a town lunatic. Through out the years the stories become urban legends and more than likely, myths. In present day we meet Jenn, a tough and beautiful girl, who has just been released from an extensive stay at the hospital. When her parents bring her home she barely has time to rest as her friends come over and drag her out camping for the weekend. Seven friends venture out to the woods but as each friend starts dissapearing one by one they each try to survive the wrath of a true mad man."


You can check out an interview with Clint Howard over at FEARnet, who will also be interviewing director Jason Christopher and producer Deven Lobascio later this month for a feature entitled "Film Makers to Watch in 2011", hosted by Saw creators James Wan and Leigh Whannell.

Did Ceragon go KOBATA? (NASDAQ: CRNT)

Ceragon Networks (NASDAQ: CRNT), a wireless backhaul provider, reported earnings of 17 cents per share for Q4. Sales topped analyst estimates, and earnings smashed the predictions. The consensus estimate was 15 cents per share, which was beaten by 2 cents. Surprisingly the highest expectation from any analyst was just 16 cents per share, which Ceragon beat by 6.3%. The stock fell over 5% today as investor claimed their profits on the positive news.

To read the full report click here.

Could Jose Reyes end up on the Phillies?

If Derek Jeter wouldn't switch positions for Alex Rodriguez, he isn't likely to do so for Jose Reyes. But plenty of other teams could be in the market at the end of this year for an under-30, All-Star caliber shortstop. And one of those teams could be the Phillies.

Here's a quote from an NL East GM at the end of last season:

I think we'll probably let things, at this time, play out. There's some concern about his production the last couple of years. He's a much better player than he's played. We just have to make sure he's healthy.

Sounds like Mets GM Sandy Alderson talking about Reyes today. But it was Phillies GM Ruben Amaro talking about Jimmy Rollins, who is now entering the final year of his contract. Rollins just turned 32. Last season, he played in just 88 games, and had an OPS of only .694. In 2009, Rollins' OPS was just .719.

It's hard to imagine the Phillies replacing Rollins with a hated Met, especially Reyes. But a few years ago, it would have been even harder to imagine that the next regular Yankee centerfielder after Bernie Williams would be Red Sox "idiot" Johnny Damon.

Rollins will make $8.5 million this year. Raul Ibanez, whose contract also expires at the end of the season, makes $10.5 million. If the Phillies decide to part ways with Rollins, they will have money to spend at shortstop.

Today, Alderson claimed that the financial situation now facing Mets ownership won't affect whether or not the Mets re-sign Reyes:

I fully expect that decision will be made as it would have been, in the best interest of the team on the field, and the best interest of the overall sort of financial health as well as baseball future of the Mets -- as it would be with any other team.

But Alderson also said today that the Mets may not be plowing all the money that will come off the books after 2011 back into the team:

You may know recent Mets history better than I. I don't know if we've gotten this high in the past. One never wants to rest at one extreme or the other. My sense is that our payroll is a little higher this year than I would have liked to have been, but we are where we are. Whether that means we drop back in future years to some extent, I don't know. But we will continue to expend money at very high levels and I think be among the highest payrolls in baseball."

It's hard to believe that Alderson and his "dream team" are unaware of the Mets' payroll history. And if they don't know recent Mets history as well as they should, they should look back to 2005-8, when Reyes earned MVP votes four straight years and was the offensive catalyst when the team was a playoff contender.

If Reyes can't stay healthy yet again this season, the Mets have a difficult decision to make. But a healthy Reyes belongs on the Mets. Not on another team such as the Red Sox, which might also need a shortstop. And certainly not on the Phillies.

Web pitch to work from home is a real turkey

By Rich Mancuso

You receive this fantastic notice in your mailbox about a complimentary invitation for you and a guest. It says, “Learn how to make money on the internet by attending one of our free breakfast, lunch or dinner conferences near you.” The offer also includes a free MP3 Player for you and your guest.

Enticing, but beware! Another money making scheme gone wild and they are here in the Bronx. Storesonline.com is the culprit and you should know before accepting the bogus invitation.

Because it is free, at least the voice of wisdom coming from the lecturer can give some worthwhile tips. “We can make you money working from home,” she says at this particular conference that was held last Thursday evening at the Eastwood Manor on Boston Road.

Learn how to build and make money with your own website using search engines such as Google, Yahoo, Ebay and Bing to your advantage. Have to admit, at first the lecture from the company based in Orem Utah had our interest. You learn some new computer language terms, and get more knowledge about how powerful the internet is.  

But as the hours progress, you learn more about how companies like storesonline gain a profit by luring innocent people. You are capable of building your own website, except they have the answers as to how to make it profitable. How you can sit at home, work two hours a day, be your own boss, and take a vacation at your leisure after sitting in a conference that was scheduled for 90 minutes and surpassed the two- and a half hour mark?

The catch was bound to happen as a free conference on internet marketing strategies, was just too good to be true. Over 150 hard working or unemployed residents of the Bronx sat at rows of tables covered in an array of white, pitchers of water, napkin, plastic fork and knife, a pen, paper, and welcome message nearby.

We sat on chairs more suited for a wedding reception. The so-called pitch from these sales associates tell you to write down the following term SEO, (Search Engine Optimization) and to write down the definition, the term for making money on the internet. Some asked others, “How do you spell that?” 

“Do I get thrown out of here because I can’t spell the word?” said an individual sitting at a table nearby. The key words, knowledge and training, tools and support, take right action, all a part of getting the right web site and making money for financial security.

Then their catch and what we have been waiting for. In order to get this exciting web site off the ground all you have to do is attend an all day seminar up in White Plains New York on Super Bowl Sunday, February 6^th at one of the glamorous hotels where these executives eat and sleep well.

Free meals, free information packets and a face-to-face free consultation to get your web site up and running, plus a free notebook laptop after the conference. All for the cost of $99, that is if you qualify. Fill out the questionnaire to determine your qualifications that asks about personal goals, and if you have a checking account.

“Because the ballroom can’t accommodate so many people you have to qualify,” she said.

Time to call the people who qualify before the promised dinner arrives. There is a pensive mood in the room. She holds a batch of papers of those who qualified for the conference and those who don’t. And if you attend the conference and pay the fee it entitles an immediate web site, but it “drops” if you don’t pay the $29.99 monthly fee after a free three-month trial.

How about spending another $3,500 to get your web site placed at the top of the Google search engine page? As explained, Google is the top search engine on the internet.

More groans from those going for the initial sales pitch. The names are being called. “Congratulations,” she kept saying as they slowly went to a back table and were startled that they had to pay the conference registration fee immediately. We were not called and congratulated. Not qualified possibly because the last box on the questionnaire asked if you had a checking account and we answered, no.

Enough, where is the dinner now and the free MP3 Player?  The waiters dressed for a wedding suddenly wheel carts down the aisles. Ah, a welcomed hot dinner has finally arrived after two hours or so. Take off the silver cover tray and another surprise.

No hot meal, but turkey loaf on a stale croissant, half a spoon of potato salad, and a brownie, instead of a hot meal as the free dinner that enticed us to attend. But wait there’s more.

The people who had to go home after a long day at work and those who had to get to work never received their MP3 Player. “Sorry you have to stay for the entire conference,” they said. The yellow receipt gets collected and the MP Player is mailed to you.

That wasn’t the deal, neither was the punishment of listening to almost three hours of worthless propaganda. So next time you get one of those free seminar internet deals in your mailbox be sure to do the right thing.

Throw it in the nearest trash can!

e-mail Rich Mancuso: Ring786@aol.com

Let It Snow, Let It Snow, I-P-O

Watch out. Here it comes. Unless half the United States turns into an Otter Pop in the next 48 hours, a dozen companies could join the public markets this week, and seven of them are health-care related, says Renaissance Capital. Three of them are biopharma firms: Pacira Pharmaceuticals, AcelRx Pharmaceuticals, and Endocyte.

With the crazy discounts companies were forced to endure to cross the magic IPO bridge in 2010, we're curious to see what the new calendar year brings. (Other than tons of snow and ice.) As this blogger noted in the current issue of The Pink Sheet, the aforementioned AcelRx and Pacira, plus one more company a bit farther behind, Supernus Pharmaceuticals, are all reformulation/delivery plays. Pacira and Supernus are spinouts with technology already incorporated into commercial products at the time of the spinout. All are five years old or less, a relatively fast turnaround for a venture exit. That is, if their venture backers can exit when their post-IPO lockup ends.

Of the 14 biopharmas to debut since the IPO window re-opened in late 2009, only five have stock prices above their original IPO price (as of Jan. 26). The biggest gainer is Aveo Pharmaceuticals, up 64% from its March 11 debut at $9.

But looks can be deceiving. Some IPOs debuted only after drastic haircuts. Take the case of Zogenix, which is up 25% from its IPO. But it wanted to sell 6 million shares in the $12 to $14 per share range; it ended up on November 22 selling 14 million shares at $4 each.

The discounts have had palpable effects. Trius Therapeutics delayed its debut a few months as it reworked its Phase III plans with the FDA. In August the antibiotic developer sold 10 million shares at $5 each, a big step down from the 6 million shares at $12 to $14 each it hoped to sell. The extra $25 million or so was supposed to pay for a second Phase III trial comparing its lead compound torezolid to Pfizer's standard-of-care for skin infections, Zyvox (linezolid), according to president and CEO Jeffrey Stein. But Trius had to settle for $50 million and one trial, and it will now look to sell some ex-US rights or do a secondary offering to raise cash for a second trial. All of which means the two trials will be roughly in series, not parallel, and the data FDA requires to get an antibiotic approved -- requirements the agency has been overhauling for more than two years -- will be that much farther out.

Enter the delivery hopefuls. AcelRx is testing an oral form of the powerful painkiller sufentanil that a post-surgical patient self-administers in tab form under the tongue, meant as an alternative to press-a-button IV drips. Pacira is also in pain, with a non-opioid analgesic formulated in its Depofoam technology. Supernus is applying extended-release technology it spun out from Shire in 2005 to schizophrenia drugs.

Reformulation is unlikely to rescue beleaguered biotech investors, but if this week's crop of companies have successful debuts it will surely embolden VCs who've shifted their portfolios in recent years away from the long, tough slog of drug discovery and development. Joining AcelRx, Pacira and Endocyte in the chute are two health services companies, a dental implant maker, and a joint replacement maker.

Speaking of long lead times, look no further than the one company we've not really discussed here: Endocyte has a platform for small molecule drug conjugates, and it's got a folate receptor agonist in Phase II against ovarian and lung cancer. It was founded in 1995 and raised its first venture round in 1996.

Image courtesy of the Weather Channel.

Fender bender gunman convicted of murder

Bronx District Attorney Robert T. Johnson announced that a 62-year-old Bronx man is facing a life sentence in the shooting death of a 43-year-old man stemming from an ongoing dispute over a fender bender.

Eulogio Ocascio, of Hughes Avenue, was found guilty on one count of murder in the second degree for intentionally causing the death of Ricky Rodriguez by shooting him six times with a 

.357 Magnum revolver.

Acting State Supreme Court Justice Nicholas Iacovetta set sentencing for Tuesday, February 15, 2011 in Part T-29. The maximum sentence allowed by law is an indeterminate term of 25 years to life imprisonment.

The murder occurred on June 5, 2008 in front of a bodega at 640 East 180^th Street at the corner of Hughes Avenue where the deceased was drinking a cup of coffee. Witnesses testified that Ocascio approached Rodriguez and shot him twice. Although he was wounded, Rodriguez attempted to grab for the weapon. After both men had fallen to the ground during the struggle, Ocascio hit Rodriguez several times in the head with the gun and then stood up and shot Rodriguez four more times. The defendant got into his car and drove several blocks before flagging down an NYPD patrol car and surrendering to police. He told the officers that he had shot Rodriguez and that the weapon was on the front seat of his car.

The murder was the culmination of an ongoing dispute involving arguments and physical altercations over the course of several days following a minor car accident.

What a friend we had in Velella

Wakefield Area News

By Mary V. Lauro

"I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him. The evil that men do lives after them. The good is oft interred with their bones." That is Marc Antony speaking of the dead Caesar in Shakespeare's play, “Julius Caesar.”

Those words came to mind upon reading of Senator Guy Velella's death. According to the Daily News, he died of lung cancer at the age of 66 on January 26 at Calvary Hospital. He served in the legislature representing Wakefield and its sister communities for almost 30 years. In 2004 he pleaded guilty to a bribery charge for steering state contracts to the bribers. The  case also involved his father's law office. He cut a deal with DA Marganthau and spent a year in jail. Due to his conviction he lost his law license and, of course, his senate seat.

Very clearly, we do not condone bribery. “You do the crime, you do the time.” Even so, we want to pick at those bones. We want to mourn the death of a friend of Wakefield in the full knowledge that humankind is not angelic.

Even the ancient Egyptians in their death mythology weighed the good and the bad before condemning.

No one who worked with Guy, gone to him with a problem, or sought his intercession in some affair ever left without feeling that "here was a gentleman.” Often, regarding a variety of issues we heard other legislators say they would rather work with Guy, a Republican, than with one of their own party.

It made no difference to Guy whether one was in his district or not. If what was needed was worthwhile, he would do what he could to assist the cause. Although 80 percent of the League lies in Senator Ruth Hassel-Thomson's district, it was Guy who responded to the League's requests and needs.

In the most Democratic county in the nation, he was frequently supported in his reelection bids by both parties.

During his time, Guy was the most powerful representative the Bronx had. He involved himself in most of its issues. Every other piece of legislation bore his name either because he introduced it or supported it. During his time in office, no other Bronx legislator was as successful in having legislation passed for the good not only of his constituents, but of the Bronx and the state as well.

He saw to it that DA Johnson's office was generously funded for programs aimed at stemming auto thefts. He was a great supporter of Civilian Patrols. He supplied the funds for the 47^th Precinct's mobile patrol station. For many years he was the prime source of funding for the 47^th Precinct Community Council. Memory fails us to list the many way's he has touched the northeast Bronx with thoughtfulness and funding. But two things will always remain with us. First is his constant support of the League in its decade long quest to move the OTB from E. 241^st Street and White Plains Road. When told the delays were probably due to a personal vendetta, he did not diagnose paranoia. He investigated and eventually asserted we were right. The second is his total support for the League's child safety program, SAFE/WAY/SAFE HOME. He was instrumental in making the McGruff Dog the State's official symbol for child safety programs.

We are left with Velella pleading guilty to Bribery which means he put the money in his pocket when he could have asked the vendors to make contributions to his campaign funds which is standard procedure for the many thieves in Albany. It is at this point that we remain puzzled by the fact that Guy struck a deal with DA Morgenthau to plead guilty on condition that his 90-year-old father, equally accused in the crime, would have the charges dropped against him! Cause for wonder. Cause for tears. 

Football: Dominion All-State Running Back Reaves Shifts Gears from West Virginia to Marshall for College Choice

Sterling (Jan. 31, 2011) - Deandre Reaves will be signing his National Letter of Intent this Wednesday in a ceremony in the Dominion High School media center at 3:45 p.m. but the Associated Press Group AA first team all-state running back will be playing at Marshall University next year and not West Virginia as previously announced in August.

Detailed article from HerdNation.com with Reaves'

Youth Sports - Gymnastics - APEX Girls Finish Third at Parkette National Invitational

(Jan. 31, 2011) - The APEX girls level 6 gymnastics team finished third at the highly-competitive Parkette Invitational which featured over 1,500 gymnasts competing this past weekend in a snowy Allentown, Pa.

APEX won 10 gold medals over the course of the weekend.

Individual event placements and top five finishers are listed below!
Level 6 – 3rd place team – Lauren Miller – 3rd floor, 5th all

This week's finalists...

Here are the finalists for the two states where we'll poll this weekend. Voting is open until Thursday morning. As with last week we'll take the top two vote getters- unless neither of them has a 2012 Senate race. In that case we'll do the top vote getter and the top one that has a 2012 Senate rate. And as always if we see the same person voting for one state hundreds of times we reserve the right to disqualify it from consideration. Here they are:

-Colorado. One of the three remaining Bush/Obama states that we haven't polled yet. Interested to see if Obama's holding on in the state but beyond that would definitely need your suggestions on what to ask there without a race for Senator or Governor in 2012.

-Connecticut. Not interesting at the Presidential level but we have about 42 million permutations for the Senate race there next year that we could look at.

-Georgia. This is one of the few states Obama didn't win in 2008 that he could conceivably pick up next year- although certainly only in a landslide. Particularly interested in seeing how Gingrich's home state reacts to a potential bid. Like Colorado would need suggestions on what else to ask without a marquee down ballot race in 2012.

-Missouri. We already polled Missouri in early December but we're willing to take a look at it again already because the nature of the Senate race has really changed with Jim Talent not running and a bunch of new Republican names on the table. Also interested in seeing if the nationwide resurgence in popularity Obama had over the course of January now has him in better shape for taking Missouri next year.

-New Hampshire. Main interest here, like last week, is seeing what impact Rudy Giuliani getting into the Presidential race would have in the state. And also if the huge Republican year in the state bodes poorly for Obama's reelection prospects next year or if that was just a blip on the radar.

-New Mexico. Another of the Bush/Obama states that we haven't made it to yet although given his 15 point victory in the state in 2008 I have a hard time thinking it's going to be competitive next year, even with Susana Martinez's strong performance for Governor last year. Also a potentially interesting Senate race, particularly if Jeff Bingaman decides to hang it up.

-Washington. Maria Cantwell and Debbie Stabenow both won extremely close races against incumbents in 2000, then cruised to reelection in the Democratic wave year of 2006. Barack Obama won both of their states by about the same margin. Stabenow looks like she might really be in trouble for reelection. Is Cantwell? BTW for the purpose of keeping the survey at a reasonable length we would skip the Governor's race for now and just stay focused on President and Senate.

Girls Soccer: Freedom's Sam Scolarici to Sign with NCAA Division I Hofstra on Wednesday

South Riding (Jan. 31, 2011) - Freedom High School senior Sam Scolarici will sign Wednesday afternoon her National Letter of Intent to play NCAA Division 1 college soccer at Hofstra University on a full athletic scholarship.

Scolarici's signing will take place at 4:15 p.m. in the school's library.

The forward will join former Stone Bridge standout, Kristi Rodriguez, a redshirt freshman this

Lapcevich brothers open 2011 racing season in spectacular fashion

January 31, 2010, GRIMSBY – Grimsby racers Cayden and Treyten Lapcevich have been unbeatable early in the 2011 racing season. In two weekends of competition in Columbus, Ohio’s Buckeye Nationals, Cayden has four victories while younger brother Treyten has a pair to his credit.
The Buckeye Nationals quarter midget series attracts racers from across North America. It is widely viewed as the most competitive quarter midget racing in the world.
Highlighting Cayden’s victories was his triumph in the Light A division where he made a daring three-wide pass late in the race to take the win. Treyten’s win this weekend in the Jr. Honda class is the first win by a six-year-old in many years.
“The boys have been exciting to watch this winter,” says father, crew chief, and successful NASCAR racer Jeff Lapcevich. “They get better every time they’re on the track, and these series races are the most competitive we’ll run in all year long.”
The competition is steeped with racing talent. Quarter midget racing has been a proving ground for talented drivers like Jeff Gordon and Joey Logano, and some of the drivers currently competing include the sons of NASCAR greats Jeff Burton and Ernie Irvan.
“It’s great to beat the best drivers in the country,” says Cayden. “I have to thank our sponsors Tim Hortons, Bullrider Race Cars, Hawkins Racing Engines, and R Motorworks. The cars have been really fast the last couple of races.”
Cayden is no stranger to victory. The youngster has numerous Grand National titles to his credit in quarter midgets, and he’s widely viewed as one of North America’s rising talents. Treyten is showing the same potential as his older brother.
“Treyten drove a patiently aggressive race,” says his proud father. “He got spun out in his qualifying race because something was wrong in the steering. It was great to see him start seventh in the main event and win.”
Cayden’s two victories this weekend were as different as they come. While he needed late race heroics to take the Light A victory, he dominated Light B leading every lap after starting on the pole position.
Racing runs deep in the Lapcevich family. Grandfather Joe Lapcevich was a local racer in the Hamilton area decades ago, and he passed his passion along to his sons who have competed in various classes throughout North America.
Jeff Lapcevich is the most accomplished of the Lapcevich brothers having won in various road racing series. In recent years he has focused on the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series where he is a threat to win every time on the track.
There’s no telling how far the next generation of racing Lapceviches will go in racing with corporate support from Tim Hortons.
For more information on the Lapcevich racing team, visit www.lapcevichracing.com .

- 30 -

North Siders on West Park

Dozens of North Siders went to City Council chambers on Monday morning for a hearing on uses for West Park.

West Park is commonly referred to as the communal front yard for the North Side residents who live around it. But 29 disgruntled residents recently signed a petition asking for a hearing before City Council because they were unhappy with the events held in the park during the summer months. They said are too large for the park, event-goers make too much noise, their dogs can’t access the dog park, the trees are potentially harmed, litter is left behind and street parking is scarce. Carol Malakoff said the events impact her life.

"There is no parking in front of my building, my house," she said.

Those that signed the petition were all white.

"The people who have signed this petition will tell you its about dogs, trash and noise. I disagree. It is about race and it is about control," said Jennifer Russell, a supporter of the The Unity Gathering, the largest event held in the park.

The largest event held in the park is The Unity Gathering organized by the Pittsburgh Old Timers, a mostly African-American group. Intended to unite families from the North Side to combat neighborhood violence, it draws a few thousand people from all over the country.

Allen Turner runs the Old Timers and said this was a sad day for him because all he wanted was peace and love.

Council Members told the North Siders they would continue working with them to come up with a solution that works for everyone and reminded them that when you live in an urban area, certain things just come with the territory.

Obama/Palin competitive in Nebraska

You can add Nebraska to the list of 'Sarah Palin swing states.' She leads Barack Obama there by only a single point at 45-44.

If the Republican candidate for President next year is any of the other current front runners the state should remain in the red column where it's been reliably for years. Newt Gingrich leads him by 8 in the state (48-40), Mitt Romney leads by 12 (49-37), and Mike Huckabee is ahead by 13 (51-38). Romney and Huckabee's advantages are pretty comparable to the 15 point margin John McCain won the state by in 2008.

Obama's not particularly popular in the state, with only 38% of voters approving of him and 56% disapproving. But with the exception of Huckabee voters aren't all that enamored with the leading Republicans either. 50% of voters have an unfavorable opinion of Palin to only 42% who see her in a positive light. Gingrich's numbers aren't much better with 43% rating him negatively to only 34% with a favorable opinion. Romney has net positive numbers by the slimmest of margins- 38% favorable and 35% unfavorable. Only Huckabee has real good personal numbers as 44% of voters have a positive opinion of him to 33% with a negative one.

Obama won an electoral vote in Nebraska in 2008 by taking the state's 2nd Congressional District and he would do so again if the election was today by a pretty healthy margin. His approval rating there is a positive 51/45 spread and he leads Romney by 9, Huckabee by 11, Gingrich by 19, and Palin by 24 there. The state may change the way it dispenses its electoral votes and there will probably be some changes in the district boundary lines but at least for now it looks like he would pick up a spare vote there just as he did the last time around.

Nebraska is certainly not going to be a swing state any time soon but it's a definite sign of weakness for the Republican field that voters don't think much of the leading potential candidates in one of the reddest states in the country. If Nebraskans don't like the GOP contenders you certainly can't expect that folks in Ohio or Florida or Virginia are going to. It will be interesting to see over the course of 2011 if anyone can emerge from the back of the pack with greater appeal to the voters- if that doesn't happen Obama could end up coasting to reelection.

Full results here

Cross Country: Broad Run Senior Zac Kish to Run XC and Track at New York University

(Jan. 31, 2011) - Broad Run High School senior Zac Kish will run cross country and compete for the indoor and outdoor track and field teams at NCAA Division III New York University next year.

Kish ran a 17:11 (10th place overall) at the Dulles District cross country meet in the fall to help Broad Run qualify for the Region II meet for the first time ever.

New York University posted its

Transparency Bill Gains Big Backers

A measure to create an online database of all state expenditures is gathering support from some big names in Pennsylvania government.

Governor Tom Corbett and the legislature’s top Republicans are backing Representative Jim Christiana’s PennWATCH legislation, a $150,000 effort to list all of Pennsylvania’s expenses in great detail.

Christiana says he thinks his legislation will have bipartisan support, because opponents may find it difficult to denounce a bill promoting transparency.

“They do it in a subtle way. The opposition talks about the cost of building this site, the fact that Pennsylvania I.T. infrastructure is so outdated and it’s going to cost several million dollars to fix,” says Christiana. “But that’s really to disguise that you just don’t want transparency.”

The Beaver County Republican says 26 other states have implemented online databases of expenditures. He says Pennsylvanians have the right to know how their taxes are being spent.

Christiana says the website would give information about specific contracts and contractors. He says he’s hopeful that with swift passage, the site can be active by January 2012.

Black Swan, The Fighter, The King's Speech and Boardwalk Empire rule the SAG Awards

With awards season it full swing it seems a day doesn't go by without another ceremony to honour the very best in film from the past twelve months, and this weekend was no different as the 17th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards were presented on Sunday night from the Los Angeles Shrine Exposition Centre. The King's Speech star Colin Firth was honoured with the award for Outstanding Performance for a Male Actor in a Leading Role, while Black Swan leading lady Natalie Portman took home the award for Female Actor. Christian Bale and Melissa Leo received both supporting actor gongs for David O. Russell's The Fighter, while The King's Speech received the award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture and Boardwalk Empire enjoyed success in the television field.

Check out the complete list of winners...

THEATRICAL MOTION PICTURES

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role
Colin Firth (The King's Speech)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role
Natalie Portman (Black Swan)

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role
Christian Bale (The Fighter)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role
Melissa Leo (The Fighter)

Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
Anthony Andrews, Helena Bonham Carter, Jennifer Ehle, Colin Firth, Michael Gambon, Derek Jacobi, Guy Pearce, Geoffrey Rush and Timothy Spall (The King's Speech)

PRIMETIME TELEVISION

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries
Al Pacino (You Don't Know Jack)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries
Claire Danes (Temple Grandin)

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series
Steve Buscemi (Boardwalk Empire)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series
Julianna Marguiles (The Good Wife)

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series
Alec Baldwin (30 Rock)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series
Betty White (Hot in Cleveland)

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series
Greg Antonacci, Steve Buscemi, Dabney Coleman, Paz de la Heurta, Stephen Graham, Gretchen Mol, Aleksa Palladino, Vincent Piazza, Michael Pitt, Michael Shannon, Paul Sparks, Michael Stuhlbarg, Shea Whigham (Boardwalk Empire)

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series
Julie Bowen, Ty Burrell, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Nolan Gould, Sarah Hyland, Ed O'Neill, Rico Rodriguez, Eric Stonestreet, Sofia VErgara, Ariel Winter (Modern Family)

SAG HONORS FOR STUNT ENSEMBLES

Outstanding Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Motion Picture
Inception

Outstanding Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Television Series
True Blood

LIFE ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

Screen Actors Guild Awards 47th Annual Life Achievement Award
Ernest Borgnine

The Screen Actor's Guild Awards are known to have an Oscar prediction rate of around 75%, and in terms of the four big acting awards I think they'll be 100% spot on this year. We'll find out when the Academy Awards are presented on February 27th.

Like Crazy and How to Die in Oregon take Grand Jury Prizes at Sundance

2011 Sundance Film Festival Winners...

Long distance love story Like Crazy wins the grand jury prize for best drama on Saturday's penultimate day of the festival, with How to die in Oregon – which follows the real-life decisions of terminally ill women to end their lives, picking up the best documentary award.

Like Crazy stars Anton Yelchin and Felicity Jones and was directed by Drake Doremus. Jones is the British student who falls for Yelchin's American 'Jacob' but, after overstaying her visa, is kept apart from her new found love by beauracracy and they must strive to somehow find a way back to each other. Felicity Jones has also scooped the special jury prize for her work in the film.

Best documentary winner How to die in Oregon has been collecting praise for it's unflinching and sensitive capturing of a difficult, heartfelt subject. Beginning with a scene of a terminally ill cancer patient's last moments after a barbituate overdose (Oregon legalised assisted suicide in 1994 for those diagnosed with less than six months to live), the film has won over the audiences and judges at Sundance with it's gentle and understanding approach. Director Peter Richardson and his crew followed multiple women as they wrangled with the decision to end their own lives.

Winners of the main awards...

Grand Jury Prize Documentary: How to Die in Oregon, dir. Peter Richardson.
Grand Jury Prize Drama: Like Crazy, dir. Drake Doremus.
World Cinema Jury Prize Documentary: Hell and Back Again, dir. Danfung Dennis.
World Cinema Jury Prize Drama: Happy, Happy, dir. Anne Sewitsky.
Special Jury Prize Drama: Another Earth, dir Mike Cahill.
Special Jury Prize Documentary: Being Elmo: A Puppeteer’s Journey, dir. Constance Marks.
World Cinema Special Jury Prize Drama: Tyrannosaur, dir. Paddy Considine.
World Cinema Special Jury Prize Documentary: Position Among The Stars, dir. Leonard Retel Helmrich.

PNC Expands in Florida

Pittsburgh based PNC Bank has struck a deal with BankAtlantic Bancorp, Inc. to purchase BankAtlantic’s Tampa – St. Petersburg franchise. That includes 19 branches, two other facilities and the associated deposits of approximately $350 million. BankAtlantic put the properties on the block in 2010 as it looked concentrate its efforts in South Florida.

BankAtlantic says PNC has agreed to pay a premium for the deposits assumed in the transaction plus the net book value of the acquired real estate and fixed assets associated with the branches and facilities.

The deal is expected to be finalized some time in June. It must first get regulatory approval.

Not Treating Some Breast Cancer May Be Okay

Researchers at Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh are arguing that doctors may want to step away from testing and treating very small amounts of breast cancer. For decades, there has been a raging debate among oncologists as to what to do when a women who has had breast cancer treatments is found to have no cancer in her sentinel lymph nodes through normal testing but is found to have very small amounts of cancer known as micro metastases upon more intensive analysis. Sentinel nodes are normally the first lymph nodes to receive cancer cells from the breast tumor and can be removed with a surgical procedure. AGH Breast Care Center Associate Director Thomas Julian says their study found that women who had aggressive treatment for cancers under 2 millimeters have a survival rate after 5 years that is just 1.2 percent better than those who are not treated. “When you look at that one to one-and-a-half percent difference, it’s kind of hard to improve on that by giving more intense chemotherapy, so why go chasing for these teeny tiny amounts if you’re not going to treat the patient,” says Julian.

The study randomly assigned 5,611 breast cancer patients with clinically negative auxiliary lymph nodes to undergo either a sentinel node biopsy alone, or a sentinel node biopsy plus auxiliary dissection. Julian says studies done in the past used to argue for more treatment were riddled with poor testing procedures. They did a poor job of detecting the cancer in the first round of testing, says Julian. He says this shows the power of doing good, scientific based research.

While the debate may never be over, Julian says this study and another like it will swing the pendulum toward non-treatment. “For most [Doctors] it will give them satisfactory information so they can treat their patient adequately and not have to pursue things,” says Julian, “There will always be somebody who says, ‘you know, I’m really worried you have this teeny tiny little bit of cancer in there and
I think you should get more treatment.’” Julian says by not testing or treating, doctors will save women the negative side effects associated with such procedures. It could also save money. He says he expects the American Society of Clinical Oncology and the National Comprehensive Cancer Network to issue new treatment guidelines in the coming years reflecting the new information.

Shruti Hasan Calls Laxmi Prasanna “Aunty”

Lakshmi Prasanna Manchu sister who feels that he is still a teenager and he continues to call all "uncle, aunt," has been recalled his original age daughter Shruti Haasan Kamal Haasan. 

And 'well-known that the news Shruti acted film Anaganaga Dheerudu Oka, "which was Lakshmi as the villain.

In this perspective, Lakshmi recently hosted a dinner at his residence and called Shruti, who was in Hyderabad to promote the film. 

Talking about this in Twitter, Shruti spoken of "the party given by Lakshmi Prasanna aunt remembered for several days.

Currently, Lakshmi Prasanna makes the program Ramoji "Thaatayya" in the ETV channel called "Tho Mee Prema Lakshmi." So, since the call Shruti, remains to be seen if he is to change the title of "Tho Mee Prema Lakshmi Aunt '.

Bengaluru Confirmed As Venue For India v England Match

Today, the ICC has confirmed its decision to move the location of the India v England match at the Cricket World Cup 2011, which was originally planned for the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on February 27. It will now be held in Bangalore on the same date.

Letter of yesterday, the BCCI, the ICC presented the work schedule, which should be made at Eden Gardens ground before the other devices to adjust the 15, 18 and 20 March. As such, the inspection team to visit Kolkata again on 7 February to assess progress in accordance with this timetable.

At the same time, the BCCI said the ICC has appointed an alternate member of Bengaluru as the primary place for meeting India v England ICC accepts the recommendation.

ICC CEO Haroon Lorgat said: "This decision should now clarify and give us clarity on the mounting, we can now work with our various partners and stakeholders to ensure that the match --- with the rest of the tournament --- that's all. it should be. "

North Carolinians on Repeal

North Carolinians have complex feelings about the health care bill passed last year that don't fall simply into either the 'repeal' or 'don't repeal' categories.

Only 33% of voters in the state support a full repeal of the bill. Another 21% are in favor of repealing certain parts of the bill, but not the entire thing. That's consistent with PPP findings during the debate about whether to pass it last year-while North Carolinians said they were opposed to the overall bill they were very supportive of several of its major provisions. The largest group of voters in the state, at 36%, actually wants the bill not just to stand but also to be strengthened. Only 7% want the bill to be kept intact exactly in its current form.

Legislative Republicans are in line with their party base by supporting a full repeal- that's the stance of 62% of GOP voters in the state. They are not, however, on the same page as independent voters whose overwhelming support of Republican legislative candidates gave the party its new majorities. There are more independents- 35%- who want to see the health care bill strengthened than there are- 33%- who would like the bill to be completely repealed.

This issue is a great example of where Republican could cause themselves trouble this year by over reading their mandate. Independents may have voted for them last year but that didn't mean they agreed with everything in the GOP agenda and this is a case where there's some tension between the priorities of the new majority and the voters who made it possible. Many more issues along these lines will crop up over the course of this year's session and how the Republicans handle them may determine whether their new power lasts only for two years, or for many more years to come.

Full results here

DVD Review - Brotherhood (2010)

Brotherhood, 2010.



Directed by Will Canon.

Starring Trevor Morgan, Jon Foster, Lou Taylor Pucci, Arlen Escarpeta, Jesse Steccato and Jennifer Sipes.





SYNOPSIS:



When an initiation prank goes horribly wrong the members of a college fraternity desperately try to suppress the truth and take ever more desperate steps to cover their tracks, forcing one pledge to make a stand in order to save the life of a friend.





Maybe I’ve seen National Lampoon’s Animal House too many times, but to me there’s always been something idiotic about American college fraternities. Grown men engaging in homoerotic initiation rituals that typically involve the paddling of bare bottoms and such like all seems a bit odd quite frankly. However, while my understanding of the ‘frat house’ concept has mainly been formed by the aforementioned comedy classic, I can now add another film to that list, Will Canon’s feature debut Brotherhood. Going against the usual comedy grain to deliver a straight-up thriller, Brotherhood revolves around a fraternity initiation gone bad and really confirms the moronic nature of the whole subculture.



The film begins as two pledges, Adam (Trevor Morgan) and Kevin (Lou Taylor Pucci), prepare to complete the final phase of their initiation. Spurred on by alpha male Frank (Jon Foster) they are to jump out from a van and hold up a nearby convenience store for the princely sum of $19.10, a tribute to the year of the fraternity’s establishment. Only this being a ‘hazing’, the idea isn’t to commit a crime, but rather to test their devotion to the ‘brotherhood’ of Sigma Zeta Chi; someone is waiting outside to prevent them from entering the store and while everything goes smoothly for Adam, a mix-up results in Kevin taking a bullet to the shoulder as he attempts to hold-up cashier Mike (Arlen Escarpeta), a former high-school classmate.



Bleeding profusely, Kevin is in desperate need of medical attention but rather than facing up to the consequences of their foolish actions, Frank and his jock buddies opt to take him back to the frat house where a party is in full swing. Despite protests from Adam and medical student Bean (Jesse Steccato), Frank refuses to take Kevin to a hospital and puts into action plans to cover up the robbery at any cost, with each action digging them further into the mire. In their desperation to avoid jail they abduct Mike and tie him up in the basement, and it soon becomes a race against time to prevent things spiralling completely beyond their control.



Discussing the influences on his debut feature, director Canon pointed to the work of Joe Carnahan and Michael Mann, while a review from Inside Pulse likened Brotherhood to “an extended episode of The Shield”, a description which I feel is entirely appropriate. Running at just under 80 minutes, Brotherhood moves at a blistering, breakneck pace; from opening scene we are thrust right into the action and not a moment is wasted as each passing scene cranks up the tension, which is further enhanced by effective use of ‘shakycam’ and strong, believable performances from its cast (particularly Morgan, who has enjoyed quite an impressive career to date with roles in the likes of The Sixth Sense, Jurassic Park III and Mean Creek).



Brotherhood had quite a successful run on the festival circuit last year, picking up Audience Awards at SXSW and the Dallas International Film Festival, along with a Gotham Award nomination, losing out to eventual winner Waiting for Superman. Having enjoyed a limited theatrical run here in the UK earlier this month, Brotherhood now arrives on DVD (complete with filmmaker’s commentary, making of documentary and Roslyn, Canon’s 8-minute student short that inspired the feature) and is certainly worth checking out. It’s not earth-shattering by any means, but a capable debut from a promising talent.

Brotherhood is released on DVD in the UK today and will receive a limited theatrical run in the US from February 18th.



Gary Collinson



Movie Review Archive

Another Attempt for the Castle Doctrine

A new legislative session means renewed hope for state lawmakers whose pet projects still haven’t become law.
Every two years, the General Assembly hits reset. So in the early weeks of the new session, a lot of familiar proposals are resurfacing.
That includes the so-called “Castle Doctrine” measure, which would expand a person’s right to deadly self-defense.
Senate sponsor Richard Alloway, a Republican, says last year’s debate focused too much on the criminal aspect of the argument, and not enough on its implications in lawsuits filed against people who defend themselves.

"What’s happening is, maybe you’re not getting charged with a crime, but the person who was the attacker ends up either suing you or his family sues you for some type of wrongful injury. And then they get a settlement. So they benefit from their wrongdoing."

Alloway was asked whether the Tucson shootings this month will impact this year’s Castle Doctrine debate.

"I think some of the anti-gun politicians in Pennsylvania will probably bring that up. I think it’s absolutely absurd. When you’re talking about guns, anything could be a weapon. What about knives? What about clubs, baseball bats?"

The Castle Doctrine passed the House and Senate by wide margins, but then Governor Ed Rendell vetoed it.
Other old but new proposals include a ban on texting or talking on a cell phone while driving, a push to mandate more medical treatment for high school football players who suffer concussions, and a call for a constitutional convention.

Another Push For Constitutional Convention in PA

A lot of politicians voiced their support for a constitutional convention during last year’s campaign.
Now, government reform advocates want the legislators to follow through on their promises.
A bill starting the process of overhauling state government has been introduced in the House.
Eric Epstein of reform group Rock The Capital voices some changes he’d want the convention to consider.

"Where we acquire a waiting period of at least 72 hours – preferably two weeks – between final amendment and final passage of legislation in each chamber. Obviously the perks, I think we can all agree, need to go or be curtailed."

Epstein says he’s encouraged by meetings he’s had with House leaders about their support for a convention, though Majority Leader Mike Turzai, a Republican from Allegheny County, isn’t backing the idea.

"I’m not sure that we’re going to need it. I think it obviates the need because I think we’re going to move forward with the governor on a lot of the things we think will improve Pennsylvania."

Senate Majority Leader Dominic Pileggi and Governor Tom Corbett have both voiced support for a limited constitutional convention.

United Way Offers Tax Preparation

Families earning up to $40,000 and individuals making up to $20,000 are entitled to free tax preparation. United Way and The Money In Your Pocket Coalition have launched their third Free Tax Preparation Campaign to help workers claim maximum tax refunds.

Julie DeSeyn, a Program Manager for the United Way, says that volunteers come from various backgrounds. "We do get a number from major corporations in the area, people are students majoring in accounting, or people who are involved in finance some way but not directly in tax preparation. Or people that just, and I was amazed at the number of people out there that just really enjoy doing taxes."

She says that United Way held three weekend sessions for volunteers, each going through 18 hours of training in tax law and software.

The United Way and Money In Your Pocket Coalition have opened six locations in Pittsburgh. Taxpayers looking for help can call the United Way Helpline at 412-225-1155 to get information on the nearest tax location to them and appointment times.

R.I.P. John Barry (1933-2011)

Academy Award winning composer John Barry has passed away after suffering a fatal heart attack, aged 77. Born in York in 1933, Barry began performing as a musician during his National Service and formed The John Barry Seven before going on to work for the BBC on the likes of Juke Box Jury and Drumbeat. Barry made the step into motion pictures when he composed the soundtrack to the British youth drama Beat Girl (1960) starring Adam Faith and Christopher Lee, which became the first soundtrack album to be released on LP in the UK, and after working for EMI between 1959-1962 Barry was hired by the producers of Dr. No (1962) to rework a theme tune by Monty Norman, which led to the creation of the signature 'James Bond Theme'.

With Dr. No giving Barry his breakthrough, he went on to become one of film's most recognised composers, scoring a further eleven Bond movies (From Russia with Love, Goldfinger, Thunderball, You Only Live Twice, On Her Majesty's Secret Service, Diamonds Are Forever, The Man With The Golden Gun, Moonraker, Octopussy, A View to a Kill and The Living Daylights), while his extensive work outside of the Bond franchise led to five Academy Award wins (two for Born Free, and one each for The Lion in Winter, Out of Africa and Dances with Wolves). Barry's other notable film credits include The Ipcress File, Midnight Cowboy, Mary, Queen of Scots, King Kong, The Deep, Body Heat, The Cotton Club, Howard the Duck, Peggy Sue Got Married, Chaplin, Indecent Proposal and Enigma.

Artist Profile

Kim Beck is interested in the urban details that are so obvious and mundane, they’re practically hidden in plain sight. DUQ's Larkin Page-Jacobs reports. Click here to listen to the story.

Bronx remembers ‘Our Guy’ Velella

(Former State Sen. Guy Velella in one of his last public appearances was at the Bronx 9/11 memorial at Jacobi Hospital commemorating the ninth anniversary of the attack. - Photo by David Greene)

By Dan Gesslein

Bronxites mourned the passing of former State Senator Guy Velella as a man who fought to make his community a better place.

Velella, 66, passed away last week and community leaders and constituents have been paying tribute to the long-time Republican and not the figure who resigned his post and served time on Rikers Island in connection with a bribery probe.  

Unknown to the public Velella suffered from inoperative lung cancer. Despite the grim prognosis Velella was still seen at community events. The News photographed the gaunt Velella when he attended the ceremony honoring the 9th anniversary of 9/11 at Jacobi Hospital. Four months later he spent his final days in Calvary Hospital. 

“I am saddened to hear about the passing of Guy Velella, who served the Bronx for many years in both the State Senate and the State Assembly,” said Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr. “My thoughts and prayers are with his family during their time of grief.”

Velella served 28 years in the legislature first as Assemblyman and then as State Senator of the 34th District. Velella was also known as the lone Republican in the Democrat-dominated Bronx. This coupled with his long tenure made him an influential force in Albany which translated well for the funds and programs he brought back to his district.

City Councilman James Vacca first met Velella in 1972 when he was local community activist and Velella became an Assemblyman, a post the Republican would hold for a decade.

“I thought Guy Velella was very involved. He was very visible in his district. He did a lot in his community,” said the district manager turned city councilman. “He fought very hard to bring home resources.”

Vacca said Velella will be remembered in his own community based on the good he did for his district where he remains popular till this day for funding such things anti-graffiti, senior citizens and crime victim assistance programs

“I hope that Guy Velella will be remembered for all the great things had did in the Bronx,” said Rev. Richard Gorman, district manager of Community Board 12.

On several times during his tenure as senator, Velella fought off challenges by candidates who won the support of Manhattan based organizations and media organizations who wanted to see a Democrat in his seat. Despite these partisan attempts, Velella was seen as non-partisan. He supported politicians and causes he deemed would be beneficial to the Bronx and fight those he saw would be detrimental.

“Senator Velella will be remembered in my district for his dedication and service to the community,” said Sen. Jeff Klein who has held the seat after winning the election when Velella vacated it. “I’m a Democrat and he was a Republican. But, when it came to our mutual constituents, we worked together and never let partisanship trump people. My thoughts and prayers are with Senator Velella’s family during this difficult time.”

Following his imprisonment in 2005 constituents expressed anger at Velella’s time in prison not at what he had pled guilty to. Many expressed their own stories of how Velella and his staff would help in everything from getting someone to clean up graffiti to help fund crime victims programs. 

One choice Velella made was to take on the Koch administration in closing down the Pelham Bay Landfill. Velella, Vacca and then Sen. John Calandra had filed a lawsuit against the city for opening the landfill on park land without the proper permits. The landfill was subsequently closed. To this day families have been trying to proceed with a lawsuit to sue the city over allegedly creating a cancer cluster when the landfill was open.

Velella fought another toxic nightmare in another part of his district. When Hexagon Laboratories slipped out of their plant on Boston Road, they left behind drums of underground chemicals that leaked into the soil. Gorman saw that neither state nor city officials would take the lead in cleaning up the site because no one wanted to be stuck with the cost and responsibility of the massive cleanup. After the abandoned site became a hangout for the homeless and the site where thieves would strip their stolen cars, Gorman reached out to Velella. The senator forced the state to cleanup the toxic soil and keep the property free of vagrants and criminals.

Zack Snyder to make you believe Henry Cavill can fly in Superman: Man of Steel

Rising British actor Henry Cavill has been cast as Superman in Zack Snyder's upcoming reboot Man of Steel, with the director releasing a statement today to confirm the news. Cavill is best known for his work on the television period drama The Tudors, while his feature credits include The Count of Monte Cristo (2002, dir. Kevin Reynolds), Hellraiser: Hellworld (2005, dir. Rick Bota), Tristan + Isolde (2006, dir. Kevin Reynolds), Stardust (2007, dir. Matthew Vaughn), Blood Creek (2009, dir. Joel Schumacher), Whatever Works (2009, dir. Woody Allen) and the upcoming action fantasy Immortals (2011, dir. Tarsem Singh). Cavill has a prior history with Superman; he was under consideration for the role when McG and Brett Ratner were attached to Superman Returns (2006), losing out to Brandon Routh when Bryan Singer came on board, while he was also a contender for franchise reboots Batman Begins (2005) and Casino Royale (2006).

In his statement, Snyder said: "In the pantheon of superheroes, Superman is the most recognized and revered character of all time, and I am honored to be a part of his return to the big screen. I also join Warner Bros., Legendary and the producers in saying how excited we are about the casting of Henry. He is the perfect choice to don the cape and S shield.” The film is gearing up for production in Vancouver, Canada with a likely summer start date and a hefty budget of $175m. Christopher Nolan produces from a screenplay by Jonathan Nolan and David S. Goyer, all of whom are set to have a busy couple of years with Snyder's Superman: Man of Steel and The Dark Kight Rises occupying their slate.

Superman is set to hit the skies once again when Man of Steel arrives in December 2012. Meanwhile /Film have already received a rather impressive mock-up of Cavill in the red and blue which you can check out here.

Girls Soccer: Stone Bridge Keeper Julia Harmison to Play at Carnegie Mellon

(Jan. 30, 2011) - Stone Bridge High School senior keeper Julia Harmison, who helped the Bulldogs win a VHSL AAA state title last spring, will play next year at NCAA Division III Carnegie Mellon.

Carnegie Mellon finish with an 8-8 overall record and a 2-5 record in University Athletic Association play in the fall.

She helped Stone Bridge go unbeaten in last year' state title run, running up a

Football: Briar Woods Coach Charlie Pierce is AP AA Coach of the Year, Falcons Place Five on All-State Team

(Jan. 30, 2011) - Charlie Pierce, who led the Briar Woods High School football team to the school's first ever state title in December, has been named by the Associated Press as the AA Coach of the Year. The Falcons placed five players on the all-state squads including center Patrick Derrickson, running back Michael Brownlee and defensive back Scott Rolin on the first team.

Dominion's Deandre

Photo Gallery: Boys Basketball - Potomac Falls vs. Tuscarora

(Jan. 30, 2011) - Click on any photo to view the entire photo gallery by Nick Lutkins from the Potomac Falls vs. Tuscarora boys basketball game Saturday night.

Football: Stone Bridge Places Five Players on the AP AAA All-State Team

(Jan. 30, 2011) - The Stone Bridge High School football team, which went 14-1 and fell only to Phoebus in the Division 5 state finals, placed five players on the Associated Press AAA All-State team including offensive tackle Alex Mokhiber, running back Marcus Harris and defensive lineman Jonathan Allen on the first team.

Allen, a sophomore, is the only non-senior among the five Bulldogs honored.

DJ KENNINGTON CLAIMS SECOND AT ALL STAR SHOWDOWN

January 30, 2011. Reigning NASCAR Canadian Tire Series Champion DJ Kennington of St. Thomas, ON capped off a busy January of activity with an amazing run at the NASCAR All Star Showdown this past Saturday night In Irwindale, California. In a car provided by Bill McAnally Racing, Kennington piloted his #17 Castrol Edge machine to a second place finish in the race referred to as the Daytona 500 of short track racing.

As the 2010 NASCAR Canadian Tire Series Champion Kennington was guaranteed a starting spot in the 225 lap feature race but he and his Canadian Crew were anything but complacent. “We didn’t just come here to run around we wanted to show how good this team is” said Kennington.

The team worked to get Kennington comfortable in the car he hadn’t even seen until Thursday last week and their efforts were rewarded. Kennington would qualify the Castrol Edge car 15^th for the Saturday night race.

The format for the NASCAR All Star Challenge is unique and makes for a challenging race on the half-mile oval at Irwindale. The first 200 laps are raced in 100 lap segments and then it’s a 25 lap shoot out to the finish. “With 40 cars in the race the first goal was surviving until the end” explained Kennington.

As the green flag waved to begin the race Kennington was cautious in the Castrol Edge car and looked to avoid the potential hazards. “There were a lot of aggressive moves right from the beginning and just wanted to look after the car” he stated. “Right from the first practice I could tell we had a good race car and I wanted to have something left for the end of the race” he added.

Kennington would move the Castrol Edge entry forward several positions avoiding incident after incident. During a long green flag run in the second 100 lap segment Kennington solidified his position in the top-ten with his sight set on the top-five. “I don’t think we had a mark on the car until almost lap 200” said the driver. “There was a yellow for contact at that point and I got a little tap but avoided the big incident and actually gained a couple of spots” he stated.

In the final 25 laps the aggressiveness of all remaining competitors heated up but Kennington maintained his composure in the #17 Castrol Edge car. “In that last segment guys were really trying to make something happen and we benefited” said the driver. “For the last re-start after a yellow we lined up third and then quickly moved to second with a few laps to go” he said excitedly.

Despite his best efforts Kennington was unable to pass the #75 car in the remaining few laps but did take the checkered flag for a sensational second place finish. “I really tried to get up there for the win but the car was just a little bit tight at the end” said Kennington “I have to congratulate Jason Bowles on the win”.

Putting this program together for the NASCAR All Star Showdown was a complicated endeavor that required a lot of cooperation and support for which DJ Kennington is extremely thankful. “I’m so proud of this whole effort” said the appreciative driver. “I have to thank so many people for making this possible. Castrol Edge, they’ll be back with me for an 18^th year this season. Dwight Kennedy and Northern Provincial Pipeline have been great supporters for such a long time. Bill McAnally Racing gave me a great car to drive for this race I knew we’d be good right away. And I really have to thank all my guys who came down from Canada with me, they do such a great job and I can’t thank them enough” he said.

Race fans are encouraged to keep up to date with the latest team news in several ways. Race fans should bookmark the team website www.djkracing.ca and follow them on twitter, www.twitter.com/djkracing Fans are also suggested to join the Facebook Group DJK Racing.

Photo: The #17 Castrol Edge Race Car at Irwindale California

Photo Credit: Sam Putnam