The Punjab Government will take a decision on three main demands of employees at a meeting of the Council of Ministers scheduled for August 10 . On that day, the council will also approve the setting up of the pay commission for the staff.

Sources said yesterday that the Chief Minister, Capt Amarinder Singh, had made up his mind to give the promotional scale to employees on the completion of four, nine and 14 years of service. However, the Finance Department and certain sections of the bureaucracy are not supporting this move.

As the Chief Minister has given his word to the employees in this connection, he will not go back on it, said a senior officer. The annual liability of giving the promotional scale from April this year will between Rs 180 crore and Rs 200 crore, it is learnt.

Back in town and readying for winter

We also went to Charlotte, North Carolina, to watch two NASCAR races at the Lowe's Motor Speedway.

Like most spectator sports, you can see more coverage, replays, etc. on television; but being at a race in person with over 120,000 spectators watching and partying, plus the noise of the race car engines at speeds nearing 200 mph, is indescribable. It was lots of fun!

Great to come home
As we were driving back to Truckee from the Sacramento airport, we began seeing the colors of fall as we began climbing into the foothills. And the colors of the turning leaves intensified as we climbed higher in elevation. The groves of aspens in the Cisco Grove area were particularly vibrant. However, the aspen trees on Highway 267, above Northstar, are still the best around in my mind!

Weve always enjoyed fall, when we distinctly have one, due to the beauty of our mountain environment, the changing of the weather, the crispness and clarity of the air, the reduced number of visitors, two-for-one dinners, Truckee Wolverine football and so much more.

Robbery of Super Bowl pool unsolved a year later

It was four days after last year's Super Bowl, and some of the regulars at Mike's Place were awaiting a payout.

They were among dozens of the Coram bar's patrons who collectively had bet some $150,000 on the big game - and they had won.

On the morning of Feb. 8, the day the winnings traditionally were handed out, Mike's co-owner Joseph Paprocky Jr. sat in an office just down Route 25 from the bar, counting out the winnings, he said.

The 'bucket list' of sports

By now most people have heard of the movie, "The Bucket List," about two older gentlemen assembling and completing a list of things to do before they kick the bucket. This "Bucket List" will be different for each fan according to their preferences, but here are my Top 10 must-witness events.
10) The legendary rivalry between Michigan and Ohio State football. The sheer importance of this game each year almost always determines the Big Ten Conference champion.
9) The Kentucky Derby in Churchill Downs. The stampeding of thoroughbred horses and the century old history will provide lasting memories.
8) The British Open in Scotland. One of the biggest golf tournaments in the world can be best viewed at the ancient St. Andrews golf course.
7) The greatest baseball rivalry between the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees is a must see.

WWE pins down distrib deal at Fox

It's similar to the pact comicbook giant Marvel Entertainment has with Paramount and Universal on the upcoming "Iron Man" and "The Incredible Hulk."

Going forward, though, WWE will focus on making movies across all genres that appeal to a broader audience and land a PG-13 rating, vs. the hard R it had been going after with its previous pics.

"We had to refocus where we wanted to go," said Michael Lake, prexy of WWE Films, a former Village Roadshow exec who took the post in October, and quickly began reworking the company's development slate. "There's a strong audience base that is ready for movies that star our guys. A lot of our audience is in the PG-13 area."

First pic out of the multi-year deal with Fox is "12 Rounds," an actioner toplined by John Cena that bows in 2009 and will be released under the Fox Atomic label.

October 2007 Archive

DELPHOS — Two-year-old Kierstyn Klaus learned a hard lesson last week. Sometimes people do things that hurt other people. One day last week, someone stole Continue » October 4th, 2007 Carey Shrine to host TatianaLocal News (44 words) Recording artist Tatiana will perform at 7 p.m. Oct. 12 at the Basilica and National Shrine of Our Lady of Consolation in Carey. Tatiana performed in Continue » Scholars of the DayLocal News (18 words) St. John's Scholar of the Day is Zach Reindel. Congratulations Zach! Jefferson's Scholar of the Day is Barry Friemoth. Congratulations Barry! For the Record (16 words) ST. RITA'S MEDICAL CENTER Twin boys were born Oct. 1 to Brian and Jennifer Best of Elida. District qualifiers in DelphosSports (55 words) The St. John's boys golf team, as well as Jefferson senior Dillon Klein, will be participating in the district competition Thursday at Stone Ridge in Continue » Calvelage 2nd in Allen County meetSports (967 words) LIMA — Tuesday afternoon was more reminiscent of a summer day than an October afternoon with its warm temperatures.