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The electronic voting machines have been tested, sealed and put away, ready for next Tuesday.

Absentee ballots continue to come into the Carbon County Election Bureau, but that will end Friday, when the deadline arrives for those ballots, used by people away for work or too sick to go to polling places.

And now the scanners used to count those absentee ballots are tested and ready to go.

Everything is falling in place for the election -- at least in Carbon County.

County Election Director Kenneth Leffler took one of the final steps to prepare for the primary election Monday when he ran a mandated test of the scanning machine that tallies the absentee ballots. Read more

BOB STEVENS Good things are happening in downtown Allentown. We who live or work here, who shop and eat in restaurants here, who worship and enjoy concerts and the museums, who regularly walk up and down ... via The Morning Call

Carbon County's last functioning covered bridge may soon be history -- at least as far as vehicular traffic goes.

The 128-year-old bridge is in the midst of getting emergency repairs to its rusted steel grates, over which vehicles cross Buckwha Creek in the Little Gap section of Lower Towamensing Township.

But an inspection by the county engineer during the repairs found even more, very costly, problems with the bridge.

Now county commissioners have to decide whether to spend $400,000 to $500,000 to fix the span -- which is on Covered Bridge Road just off Little Gap Road -- or close it to vehicles and leave it for the use of walkers and bicyclists. Read more

"You could make a lot of money, which is why the private sector would bid a large amount upfront, because there's large opportunities for cost-cutting"

The Reason Foundation, a libertarian think tank based in Los Angeles, said toll income should be designated to modernize the interstate and add truck-only lanes to let longer and heavier tractor-trailers use ... via Dailyitem.com

The April 6 report by The Morning Call's Tim Darragh on school bus safety illuminated a complex policy and budget debate. via The Morning Call

"Pennsylvania's manufacturers, like businesses in virtually every other industry, are struggling with higher energy costs"

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania expanded on its commitment to conserving natural resources and energy as Gov. via GantDaily.com

Like vultures circling above carrion, politicians look for new sources of revenue, most recently to maintain Pennsylvania 's transportation infrastructure. via The Morning Call

Two Pittsburgh-area companies received $508,238 in funding Tuesday through the Pennsylvania NanoMaterials Commercialization Center, a Pittsburgh-based organization founded to promote research into super-small ... via Pittsburgh Tribune

Winter is coming to an end on quite a soggy note. A FLOOD WATCH is now in effect for Carbon, Lehigh, Monroe, and Northampton counties in Pennsylvania and Warren County in New Jersey. via WFMZ

"We hope that firms will start looking at Northeast Pennsylvania as a place to expand their businesses so that they don't have all their eggs in one basket."

Since September 11 New York's financial district has wanted a back up site where operations can continue even during a disaster. via PAHomepage.com

Voters in four Carbon County townships will cast ballots for a new president in November in new polling places.

The county is restructuring precincts in East Penn, Lower Towamensing and Penn Forest townships and the south side of Towamensing township because the number of voters has grown.

On Thursday, county commissioners accepted the offers of organizations and officials in each municipality to provide polling places.

In East Penn, residents of both proposed precincts, Districts 7 and 8, will vote at the township Social Hall on Blue Mountain Road in Ashfield . Read more

Reported by: Amin Reporting Unit: Construction County: Carbon Municipality: Several ROAD NAME: +Interstate 80 BETWEEN: Exit 277 (PA 940/PA TPK) AND Exit 284 (PA 115) Type of Work: Guide Rail Repair Work being Done By: PENNDOT Contractor Type of Restriction: Daytime RESTRICTION: Single lane conditions. Crews will work eastbound first and then switch to westbound for emergency guide rail repairs. Expect delays and allow extra time to travel through the area. Work will be canceled tomorrow if there is inclement weather. Read more

"With high gas prices, it's almost natural that people are starting to make decisions about how to cope with that"

The transportation funding debate is headed for a showdown over how the state's massive needs should be funded--by adding tolls to Interstate 80 and increasing them on the Pennsylvania Turnpike, or by leasing ... via The York Daily Record

Panther Valley School officials are looking to fill an elementary school principal position, which was left vacant Monday when the former principal took a job as head of a statewide enrichment program. via The Morning Call

"We are issuing a civil penalty of $300. If, after 90 days, they still do not comply, we will issue another fine of $1,000"

Some Pocono restaurants have served food from filthy kitchens, according to state inspection reports. via Pocono Record

The National Weather Service has issued a snow advisory from 5 p.m. today to 9 a.m. Saturday. via Pocono Record

"We've got more and more kids going off to get college credit."

Vocational education, which once offered a route to a skilled trade, is looking instead to become a quick step to higher education. via Pocono Record

Carbon County commissioners this week will ask the county Industrial Development Authority for $30,000 to match federal funds that will pay for a marketing study on a 57-acre former railroad yard the county ... via The Morning Call

A Lehighton man died Sunday in a hospital after suffering injuries five days earlier when he lost control of a pickup truck and slammed into a commercial truck in Lower Towamensing Township, the Lehigh County ... via The Morning Call

A $20.5 million plan to expand the Carbon Career and Technical Institute may be one step closer to fruition after Panther Valley school directors narrowly voted in favor of the plan Tuesday. via The Morning Call