GOP fall dinner

GOP fall dinner
NEW CASTLE, Pa. -- The Lawrence County Republican Party's fall dinner is Oct. 23 at the New Englander banquet hall on Wilmington Road.
Pa. State Sen. Robert Robbins of Greenville, R-50th, will be the speaker. Social hour will start at 6 p.m. with dinner at 7:30. Tickets are $25 each. Call (724) 658-4895.
EMT courses offered
NEW CASTLE, Pa. -- In an effort to increase the number of emergency medical technicians in Lawrence County, new courses are being offered.
The Community College of Allegheny County has agreed to offer EMT courses at the Lawrence County Learning Center, 131 Columbus Inner Belt in New Castle.
Tina Marshall, coordinator of the EMS Lawrence County Council, said her group was concerned that there might be a shortage of EMTs if a program weren't established locally.
Call Marshall at (724) 658-0389.
Halloween Spooktacular
MONACA, Pa. -- Beaver Valley Mall will promote safe trick-or-treating during the annual Halloween Spooktacular on Oct. 24.
The event is open to children up to 12 wearing costumes and accompanied by a parent. Mallwide trick-or-treating is from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at participating stores.
Remark criticized
ERIE, Pa. (AP) -- An Erie city councilman is being criticized for calling a water authority chairman a "Palestinian" after a caller to a government affairs show complained about the city's fluoridated water.
Khalil Rabat was the target of the remarks made by Councilman Mario Bagnoni and an unidentified caller to "Taxpayer Hotline," a call-in show, Monday.
The Erie Times reported that the caller complained the water authority, run by somebody with a "funny" name he couldn't remember, was fluoridating the water and had the "right to put anything in the water."
Bagnoni and Council President James Thompson deduced the caller was talking about Rabat, prompting Bagnoni to say, "He's a Palestinian. He's from Palestine."
The caller responded: "Oh, that's lovely. You know, all this 9/11 problems, and this guy's telling me he can put anything in my water."
Thompson has apologized to Rabat, but Bagnoni refused.
"I don't know why he is upset. ... I don't care. Tell him to go get an attorney," Bagnoni said. "I didn't mean it in the intent that he took it, for God's sake."
Rabat has not threatened to sue. He also refuses to publicly identify his ethnic background.
Lawsuit over cookie
PITTSBURGH (AP) -- Eat'n Park Family Restaurants has filed a federal lawsuit saying Silver Lake Cookie Co. of Islip, N.Y., is infringing on the chain's trademarked "smiley face cookie."
The Pittsburgh-based chain, which has more than 75 restaurants in Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Ohio, including Boardman, says it came up with the cookie first. "That's debatable," a Silver Lake official said. "We've been selling that cookie for 20 to 25 years."
Eat'n Park officials say in the lawsuit they got a trademark on the cookie's design in 1993 and the chain has been selling the cookie since 1985.
Eat'n Park wants a federal judge to order Silver Lake to stop selling the cookies.