jimblr.com

Editor’s note: Jeff Coy, of Shippensburg, Pa., left an 11-term career in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives to fulfill an appointment on the newly created Pennsylvania Gaming Board in 2004. Since then, the board has overseen the development and opening of the state’s first seven slots facilities. A total of 14 licenses went up for grabs through the Pennsylvania Race Horse Development and Gaming Act, otherwise known as Act 71 of 2004.
Herald-Mail reporter Jennifer Fitch recently sat down with Coy and Doug Harbach, a Chambersburg, Pa., resident and communications director for the Pennsylvania Gaming Board. The pair addressed several issues, including table games, casino locations and the penalties recently imposed on many fraternal, veterans and social clubs in Franklin County.
Property tax relief
Coy: Now, property tax rebates are starting to flow and people are getting them. More are going to senior citizens and people who are on fixed incomes who are senior citizens.
Eventually they’ll make their way down to other folks and they’ll be getting rebates on their school property taxes. The sooner we get the other casinos up and running - so we get to the total of 14, seven at racetracks and seven not at racetracks - these property tax rebates will certainly increase.
I think property tax relief is going to go up. To talk about jobs for a minute, what we’ve been able to determine so far is that more than 6,500 persons, 95 percent of them Pennsylvania residents, are now employed in the new positions created by the casino industry. That’s a pretty significant amount, and we expect to see some additional facilities come online and that figure will swell to about 15,000 jobs statewide. In addition, with the construction of the casinos, about 24,000 construction jobs are going to be included. These are big jobs that are very, very (good) jobs with carpenters, roofers, masons, electricians, jointers and everything that’s involved in construction. Most of these places are built pretty good, too. They’re not built with plywood.

herald-mail.com

The purse for the 50th annual Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament at Morehead City reached $1.79 million Sunday, topping last year’s record by $230,000.
Prospects for perfect offshore fishing conditions this week enticed “fence-sitting” crews to sign up, and the surge of late Saturday entries guaranteed the huge pot. Last year, 184 boats and crews battled for $1,568,950. As of 5:30 p.m. Sunday, 175 boats and crews had signed up to battle for $1,798,425.
“A lot of competitors set their calendars around this event,” Big Rock president Tom Bennett said. “They may cut back in other areas, but they find a way to fish the Big Rock.”
Competition starts at 9 a.m. today. Competitors on each boat fish four of the six days and will receive their winnings at Saturday’s awards ceremony. Follow the competition at www.thebigrock.com.

newsobserver.com

By FELICIA FRANK
For The Gazette
Speed and precision riding were what sent 21-year-old Eric Cherry over the top as the 2008 Big Sky Challenge Hillclimb champion.
The Laurel rider turned in a time of 8.645 seconds in the 701-Up class Sunday to capture the overall title in the two-day event at Billings Motorcycle Club.
C.R. Eisenzimer of Cascade finished a close second with a run of 8.786 seconds.
“When I went to the line I thought I’d throw out something like a nine-second run,” said Cherry, “but I went for it and almost landed on the timers at the top. I guess I didn’t let off on the throttle.”
In fact, not letting go of the throttle is part of Cherry’s motto. “You have to hold on and not let go. You have to pin it to win it.”
Even with his first- and sixth-place finishes in Saturday’s classes, Cherry was still humble going into Sunday’s event.
“I knew I had a chance going into it just because my dad always has my bikes so perfect,” he explained. “But everything came together and I posted the fast time.”
Cherry’s father, Dan, is his head mechanic and pitman.
“He’d rather me focus on the hill than focus on everything else,” Cherry said. “It definitely works.”
As for the significance of this win, Cherry says any championship is a big deal.
“This gives me a huge boost of confidence for the season,” Cherry said while standing next to the six-foot tall trophy he received last year as the Overall Points Champion in the Western States Professional Hillclimb Series. He also holds the crown in Canada as the winner of last year’s Rattlesnake Ridge Hillclimb held in Alberta.
Next up for Cherry in the three-part Western States Hillclimb Series is the Widowmaker event June 19-21 in Croydon, Utah. He will then focus on the third event in the series, the Great American Hillclimb at the Billings Motorcycle Club in July.

billingsgazette.net

Oklahoma State’s Cowgirl softball team tied Texas for fourth place in the Big 12 standings with an identical 9-9 record in league play. OSU will play the Longhorns on Saturday at 2 p.m. in the quarterfinal round of the Big 12 Championships at Don E. Porter/ASA Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City.
The Cowgirls have improved dramatically over last season, evidenced by the five-game improvement in their overall record from a year ago. OSU also went from 3-15 in league play last season to a 9-9 conference record this year, the biggest leap by any team in 2008 and the seventh-best improvement in the 13-year history of the Big 12 Conference.
Oklahoma State is led at the plate by senior Kim Kaye. The leftfielder from San Diego, Calif., has tied the school record for home runs in a season (14) and a career (27). She also leads the team with 37 runs batted in, 21 walks and a .626 slugging percentage.
A pair of infield freshman lead the offensive attack. Second baseman Alysia Hamilton, a Moore, Okla., product, leads the team with her .347 batting average and also leads the squad in runs scored with 33. Mariah Gearhart, the starting shortstop, has the most hits this season with 53, and her .435 on-base percentage also leads the team. She has also been successful on 24-of-27 stolen base attempts, leading the squad.
Three other Cowgirls are batting .300 or better and have helped in leading OSU to one of it’s most productive seasons offensively in school history. Junior centerfielder Breana Casaus is batting .313 and has 10 stolen bases this season. Sophomore designated player Megan Castle is batting .312 and is among the statistical leaders in RBIs with 25. Sophomore left fielder Katelyn Bright is batting .301 and leads the squad with 11 doubles.

okstate.com

The current season of CBS’s Big Brother entitled Big Brother 9 - Till Death Do You Part ends this Sunday when a jury of seven former housemates will choose between the two final residents of the Big Brother House to award $500,000 to the winner and $50,000 to the second place finisher.
The two finalists are 29 year-old former Cherry Hill, NJ resident Adam “Baller” Jasinski and 27 year-old Ohio resident Ryan Quicksall. Both have survived a three month residency inside the Big Brother House in Los Angeles, California where their every move is broadcast live over the Internet and shown three times a week on CBS TV and every night on Showtime.
CBS’s Big Brother reality series is never short on controversy. This season’s first, and biggest controversy, involved Jasinski and comments he made early on during the show’s three month run involving a job he held as public relations manager for the United Autism Foundation in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.
In a discussion with his designated “soul mate”, 1983 Penthouse Pet of the Year, Sheila Kennedy, Jasinski stated a future desire “to do a hair salon for kids with special needs so retards can get it together and get their hair done.” Not surprisingly, CBS was inundated with complaints and it is reported that Jasinski was fired from his job, although other reports show that the job was actually completed in January 2008.
Jasinski has been the subject of numerous Internet and tabloid rumors since the show first aired in February. Star Magazine reported in their February 28 issue that while attending Parson’s School of Design in New York City in 2004, Jasinski was arrested “after taking possession of an Airborne Express package containing more than 10 pounds of pot.”
Other unconfirmed reports indicate that Jasinski, who holds a master’s degree in fashion design/marketing may actually be independently wealthy and that he may have actually been recruited to appear on the CBS show.

philadelphia.about.com

(You can view TV Envy’s Post-Strike Television Schedule here.)
Bones (FOX, 8pm): New episode. “When a motorcycle racer’s remains are discovered in a national park, Brennan and Booth hunt for his killer.” I hear this is a great show. I just wish Angel wasn’t flirting with a new woman.
One Tree Hill (CW, 9pm): New episode. “Lucas tries to deal with being left at the altar.” He’ll find comfort in the arms of a young blonde thing later.
Rules of Engagement (CBS, 9:30pm): New episode. “Adam and Jennifer go on a vacation with Jeff and Audrey, but first they have to endure a time share sales pitch.” What do I get if I endure the show?
Medium (NBC, 10pm): “Kelly Preston guest stars as venture capitalist Meghan Doyle, who strikes up a professional and personal connection with Joe.” Anjelica Huston, Rosanna Arquette and now Kelly Preston. Is this the Lifetime channel?
American Idol (FOX, 8pm): The remaining contestants belt out their best Mariah Carey tonight. Do a shot every time Randy Jackson references his work with the diva.
Deadliest Catch (Discovery, 9pm): Season Four premiere. “The crab-fishing fleet prepares to sail into the Bering Sea after some crucial repairs are made on the Northwestern.” Hey - Jack on Men in Trees went into the Bering Sea too! Oh, this is real.
Law & Order: SVU (NBC, 10pm): New episode. “Benson poses as a prison inmate to expose a corrupt guard suspected of stealing evidence in a rape case.” Maybe Stabler should give her a few stories on how he survived Oz. Eh, maybe not.
Work Out (Bravo, 11pm): Season Three premiere. “Fitness maven Jackie Warner has a new girlfriend, which triggers Rebecca’s downward spin into jealousy.” A jealous and well-toned woman is a scary thing.

television.gearlive.com

The Big Green Help, which will have robust digital and gaming components to reach tech-savvy kids, 86% of whom regularly play games online, will launch next week with a nationwide event at retail giant Wal-Mart. Kids who walk into any of Wal-Mart’s 2,500 stores on Saturday, a few days ahead of Earth Day, will receive Nick- and SpongeBob SquarePants-branded seed cards that sprout wildflowers when planted. More than 1 million seed cards will be distributed.
Nick has flexed its muscles in pro-social programs before, with 383 million volunteer hours pledged by some 40 million kids during the original Big Help program. Kids planted trees, cleaned beaches and worked with animals, the homeless and the elderly. Since there was a large eco-focus, switching to The Big Green Help made sense, Smith said.

brandweek.com

[NOTE: The following article is a press release issued by the aforementioned network and/or company. Any errors, typos, etc. are attributed to the original author. The release is reproduced solely for the dissemination of the enclosed information.]
NBC LIGHTS UP SUMMER WITH A BURST OF ORIGINAL PROGRAM PREMIERES AS PART OF ‘NBC’S ALL-AMERICAN SUMMER’
BURBANK - March 5, 2008 - NBC to celebrate America, its communities, athletes, songs, heroes, talent and Gladiators all summer long as part of “NBC’s All-American Summer” - the network’s run-up to its exclusive coverage of the Summer Olympic Games in Beijing. The network will ignite a late spring and summer of original programming paced by the premieres of series favorites “American Gladiators” (Monday, May 12, 8-10 p.m. ET), “America’s Got Talent” (Tuesday, June 24, 9-11 p.m. ET), “Last Comic Standing” (Thursday, May 22, 9:30-11 p.m. ET) and the network debut of “Nashville Star” with new host Billy Ray Cyrus (Monday, June 9, 9:30-11 p.m. ET).
In addition, NBC will unveil the new suspense and horror anthology series “Fear Itself” on Thursday, May 29, 10-11 p.m. ET, as well as two new alternative series “Celebrity Circus” (Wednesday, June 11, 9-11 p.m. ET) and “The Baby Borrowers” (Wednesday, June 25, 8-9 p.m. ET).
The announcements were made today by Ben Silverman, Co-Chairman, NBC Entertainment and Universal Media Studios.
“NBC’s All-American Summer” will kick off with the return of the high-octane hit “American Gladiators” which will follow its May 12 premiere by settling into its regular day and time on Monday, May 19 (8-9:30 p.m. ET). Likewise, “America’s Got Talent” will follow its June 24 debut with another two-hour episode on Tuesday, July 1 (9-11 p.m. ET) and then subsequently follow with hour-long episodes beginning July 8 (9-10 p.m. ET). The series will take a brief hiatus during the Summer Olympics and return August 26 (performance episodes) and “results shows” will begin starting August 27 (8-9 p.m. ET).

thefutoncritic.com

Productivity is overrated. When I think of the vast sea of to-do lists I’ve written over the past 20 years, thousands of little slips of paper with items crossed off and added and circled and rewritten on new lists, I’m struck by the utter futility of this incessant compulsion to accomplish stuff.
Surely the gods find such a relentless pursuit of trivial goals utterly pathetic! As they gaze down at us from their leisurely perches in the clouds, they must laugh heartily, to see how we scamper to and fro, telling ourselves that we’re almost done. But we’re never done! There’s always more laundry, more dishes, more deadlines, more errands, more phone calls, more e-mails, more projects, more, more, more!
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TV Daily Thursday: Watch the has-beens duke it out on “Celebrity Apprentice.” Plus: What did you think of “Peter and the Wolf ” on Wednesday?
A thorny indie spring-ucopia! A mythic yet intimate yarn of Southern violence and vengeance, a haunting Russian war film, an epic saga of ’60s Italy and more.
Pretty heads will roll Showtime’s “The Tudors” transforms King Henry VIII’s power grab into beautifully costumed soft porn.
By Heather Havrilesky
TV Daily Wednesday: PBS airs the Oscar-winning stop-motion short “Peter and the Wolf.” Plus: What did you think of “Autism: The Musical” on Tuesday?

salon.com

Florida’s first-round exit from the Southeastern Conference tournament left the Gators with a four-game losing streak, shaky NCAA Tournament credentials, and a gloomy prediction from their coach.
Mykal Riley and Alabama built a big first-half lead and beat the Gators, 80-69, last night to end Florida’s three-year run as SEC tournament champions.
The fall from the top of the SEC seemed to be the least of Florida coach Billy Donovan’s worries. The two-time defending national champion Gators (21-11) may be left out of this year’s NCAA field, and Donovan says changes must come if his young team can return to prominence.
Florida started two freshmen and two sophomores, and three of the team’s top four reserves are freshmen. Donovan didn’t sound encouraged by what normally would be an encouraging sign for the future.
“It’s hard for me to be excited going forward because I don’t see things getting fixed,” Donovan said. “It’s in front of our guys, what it takes to win. For whatever reason, I haven’t brought it out in them. They’re not committed to it . . . I’m not really excited about seeing this group of guys being sophomores.”
The Crimson Tide (17-15) had a 28-point lead shrink to 6 before recovering to beat Florida.

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