KEYSTONE CLIPS Be a sweetheart and hit the road

Pennsylvania Sen. Robert Robbins of Greenville, R-50th, spent Valentine's Day on the road, traveling across his district to announce his re-election plans.
He said he had promised his wife, Cindy, that he would take her out for Valentine's Day, and she and a group of Robbins' supporters, traveled with him on a bus. He presented her with a red rose at each of five stops, with the last one coming at the Hermitage city building.
"I might even get a good meal tonight," Robbins quipped after handing her the last rose. "I made it. It's called 'reservations'," his wife replied.
Congressional pages: Northwestern Pennsylvania teen-agers interested in serving as a congressional page can get an application for the post from Rep. Phil English of Erie, R-21st. The congressman said he is accepting applications for the summer 2002 and the 2002-03 school year Republican Page Program now through March 15. Pages assist members of Congress in their day-to-day activities and spend time on the House and Senate floors. They live in a dormitory with other pages.
Applicants must be at least 16 and have a B grade point average in five major subjects. Summer pages can serve only before or after their junior year in high schoo school; session pages can serve only during their junior year.
To secure an application, call English's office at (814) 456-2038.
Pets attend: It was a lesson in good government for some four-legged observers last week at the New Castle Municipal Building. Promises for Pets, a nonprofit group dedicated to helping animals in Lawrence County brought five dogs, and one cat, to Tuesday's caucus.
Promises volunteers asked council to pass a resolution supporting National Spay Day on Feb. 26, which is set aside to make all people aware they should spay and neuter their pets. Before the meeting, Mayor Timothy Fulkerson gave the dogs a lesson on council etiquette.
"Now when I'm talking, you guys just sit there and listen. But when council starts talking, you guys just bark, bark, bark because that's what I do during the meeting to council," he said with a smile.
Fortunately for council, the four-legged visitors didn't take the mayor's advice. Not even a whimper was heard from the dogs during the meeting.
Mosquito grant: Lawrence County is getting a grant to help monitor mosquitoes for the West Nile virus, said state Rep. Chris Sainato of New Castle, D-9th.
Sainato said the $63,120 grant from DEP's Mosquito Surveillance Program will enable the county to continue its routine monitoring and surveillance activities.
The West Nile virus causes a brain infection. It infects birds, which are bitten by mosquitoes, which in turn bite people and animals.
Previously found only in Africa, Eastern Europe and West Asia, bird and mosquitoes in nearby states have tested positive for the virus in recent years.
XCONTRIBUTORS: Harold Gwin, Vindicator Sharon Bureau, and Laure Cioffi, New Castle Bureau.