"WITH THIS STORM, WE HAVE THE MOST PEOPLE IN THE FIELD THAT WE'VE EVER HAD FOLLOWING A STORM," PPL SPOKESMAN JOE NIXON SAYS THOSE CREWS ARE MAKING SLOW BUT STEADY PROGRESS IN RESTORING SERVICE TO THOSE LEFT WITHOUT POWER FOLLOWING HURRICANE SANDY.  ACROSS THE STATE, MORE THAN 120,000 PPL CUSTOMERS ARE STILL WITHOUT ELECTRICITY.  60,000 OF THOSE OUTAGES ARE IN LEHIGH AND NORTHAMPTON COUNTIES.  NIXON SAYS ABOUT 85 PERCENT OF THOSE CUSTOMERS SHOULD HAVE SERVICE RESTORED BY LATE TONIGHT.  THE REMAINING 15 PERCENT SHOULD BE UP AND RUNNING BY THE END OF THE WEEKEND AT THE LATEST.

  MET-ED SPOKESMAN SCOTT SURGEONER SAYS REAPIR CREWS HAVE MADE SIGNIFICANT PROGRESS IN RESTORING ELECTRICAL SERVICE AFTER HURRICANE SANDY.  HOWEVER, SURGEONER SAYS PLENTY MORE WORK NEEDS TO BE DONE, ESPECIALLY IN NORTHAMPTON COUNTY.  "WE HAD WELL OVER 60,000 CUSTOMERS OUT OF SERVICE.  WE'VE BE ABLE TO RESTORE ABOUT 35,000 OF THOSE CUSTOMERS.  WE STILL DO HAVE ABOUT 25,000 OF THOSE CUSTOMERS OUT, BUT BETWEEN NOW AND TOMORROW THE VAST MAJORITY OF THOSE CUSTOMERS WILL BE RESTORED TO SERVICE," SURGEONER SAYS.  THERE ARE ANOTHER 11,000 MONROE COUNTY CUSTOMERS WITHOUT SERVICE RIGHT NOW AND 10,000 MORE IN BERKS COUNTY. 

  EASTON MAYOR SAL PANTO SAYS MET-ED CREWS WERE ABLE TO RESTORE ELECTRICAL SERVICE TO TWO MAJOR PARTS OF HIS CITY ON THURSDAY.  "I BELIEVE ALL OF SOUTH SIDE IS NOW ON LINE AND THE AREA NEAR THE COURTHOUSE, WHICH INCLUDES OUR TWO SENIOR HIGH RISES, PLUS THE WHOLE DUTCHTOWN AREA OF DOWNTOWN ARE BACK," PANTO SAYS.  THE MAYOR SAYS A LOT OF EASTON'S WEST WARD AND THE AREA AROUND LAFAYETTE COLLEGE ARE STILL IN THE DARK TODAY.

  GOVERNOR TOM CORBETT HAS TOURED SOUTHEASTERN PENNSYLVANIA TO GET A FIRST HAND LOOK AT THE WORK BEING DONE TO RESTORE NORMALCY AFTER HURRICANE SANDY.  CORBETT APPLAUDS NOT ONLY THE POWER LINE WORKERS, BUT CITIZENS AS WELL.  "I'M PLEASED WITH THE RESPONSE OF THE PEOPLE OF PENNSYLVANIA WHO STAYED INDOORS AND DIDN'T PUT THEMSELVES IN HARM'S WAY DURING THE COURSE OF THE STORM," THE GOVERNOR SAYS.  CORBETT SAYS THE STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS HAVE DONE A GOOD JOB LEADING UP TO THE STORM, DURING THE STORM AND IN THE STORM'S AFTERMATH.  HE CREDITS LEARNING FROM PAST MISTAKES IS A BIG REASON WHY THE RESPONSE TO THIS STORM HAS BEEN GOOD.

  AS OF 8 O'CLOCK THIS MORNING, TWO LEHIGH VALLEY RED CROSS SHELTERS ARE CONSOLIDATED AT DIERUFF HIGH SCHOOL.  "WE'RE WORKING VERY CLOSELY WITH THE FOLKS THERE TO MAKE SURE THEY'VE GOT A WARM PLACE TO STAY, PLENTY TO EAT AND TAKING CARE OF THEIR ANIMALS," THE RED CROSS' JANICE OSBORNE SAYS.  THE SHELTERS ARE ALSO THERE FOR PEOPLE WHO DON'T WANT TO SPEND THE NIGHT, BUT JUST WANT A MEAL, TO WARM UP AND CHARGE UP THEIR ELECTRONICS.

  WILL POWER OUTAGES CAUSED BY HURRICANE SANDY THROW A MONKEY WRENCH IN NEXT WEEK'S ELECTIONS?  PPL SPOKESMAN JOE NIXON SAYS NO.  "IT'S EXTREMELY DOUBTFUL.  WE'RE LOOKING FOR THE LAST OF THE OUTAGES TO BE CLEANED UP BY THE END OF THE DAY SUNDAY," NIXON SAYS.  FIRST ENERGY SPOKESMAN SCOTT SURGEONER SAYS HIS COMPANY HAS REPS IN EACH COUNTY OPERATION CENTER AND IS WORKING CLOSELY WITH THEM AND WILL HAVE POWER RESTORED BEFORE TUESDAY ROLLS AROUND.

  THERE ARE NOW THREE FORMER PENN STATE ADMINISTRATORS CHARGED IN THE JERRY SANDUSKY CHILD MOLESTATION CASE.  "FORMER PENN STATE UNIVERSITY PRESIDENT GRAHAM SPANIER, TO WHOM GARY SCHULTZ AND TIM CURLEY REPORTED TO BACK THEN, IS ALSO CHARGED WITH FIVE COUNTS IN CONNECTION WITH HIS ROLE IN THE SANDUSKY INVESTIGATION," ATTORNEY GENERAL LINDA KELLY SAYS.  SHE HAS ADDED CHARGES TO EX-PENN STATE VP GARY SCHULTZ AND ATHLETIC DIRECTOR TIM CURLEY.  SPANIER, CURLEY AND SCHULTZ ALL ARE CHARGED WITH THREE COUNTS OF CONSPIRACY, TWO COUNTS OF ENDANGERING THE WELFARE OF CHILDREN AND ONE COUNT OF OBSTRUCTION.  CURLEY AND SCHULTZ ALSO FACE PERJURY AND FAILURE TO REPORT SUSPECTED CHILD ABUSE CHARGES.

  REPUBLICAN MITT ROMNEY AND RUNNING MATE PAUL RYAN ARE PLANNING CAMPAIGN VISITS TO PENNSYLVANIA THIS WEEKEND JUST AS THE REPUBLICAN NATIONAL COMMITTEE SAYS IT'S SPENDING AN EYE-POPPING $3 MILLION ON TV ADS IN THE STATE.  THE NEWS CAME YESTERDAY WITH FIVE DAYS LEFT IN A PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN THAT'S SEEN THE TRADITIONAL BATTLEGROUND STATE GO FROM A RELATIVE BACKWATER TO FRONT-AND-CENTER IN AN 11TH-HOUR BLITZ BY ROMNEY AND HIS CONSERVATIVE ALLIES.  LAST-MINUTE AD BUYS BY ROMNEY AND PRO-ROMNEY GROUPS COULD BRING THEIR COMBINED SPENDING TO $12 MILLION IN THE CAMPAIGN'S FINAL DAYS.  PENNSYLVANIA HAS SUPPORTED DEMOCRATS IN THE LAST FIVE ELECTIONS AND WINNING ITS 20 ELECTORAL VOTES IS CRUCIAL TO PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA'S RE-ELECTION BID.  JILL BIDEN, THE WIFE OF VICE PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN, WILL VISIT PENNSYLVANIA TODAY AND TOMORROW.

  DEMOCRATIC SEN. BOB CASEY AND HIS REPUBLICAN CHALLENGER TOM SMITH ARE HITTING THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL AFTER TAKING SEVERAL DAYS OFF FOR THE STORM.  SMITH VISITED REPUBLICAN PARTY OFFICES IN LANCASTER AND YORK YESTERDAY WITH CASEY'S SENATE COLLEAGUE, WISCONSIN SEN. RON JOHNSON, WHILE CASEY DROPPED BY A STATE COLLEGE RESTAURANT. 

  THE U.S. CHAMBER OF COMMERCE IS BACKING UP ITS ENDORSEMENT OF REPUBLICAN TOM SMITH IN PENNSYLVANIA WITH ADS CRITICIZING DEMOCRATIC SEN. BOB CASEY.  THE CHAMBER IS LAUNCHING ADS IN THE CAMPAIGN'S FINAL DAYS THAT CALL CASEY THE DECIDING VOTE FOR PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA'S HEALTH CARE LAW AND ASSAIL HIS RECORD ON ENERGY.  THE NATIONAL REPUBLICAN SENATORIAL COMMITTEE ANNOUNCED LAST FRIDAY THAT IT WOULD SPEND $500,000 ON THE RACE.  MAJORITY PAC, A DEMOCRATIC POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE, BEGAN RUNNING TV ADS IN PITTSBURGH LAST WEEK TO HELP CASEY.

  REPUBLICAN CANDIDATE DAVID FREED HAS LAUNCHED THE FIRST ATTACK AD OF HIS CAMPAIGN FOR PENNSYLVANIA ATTORNEY GENERAL, SUGGESTING VOTERS CANNOT TRUST DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATE KATHLEEN KANE.  FREED'S 30-SECOND SPOT TAKES KANE TO TASK FOR ERRONEOUSLY CLAIMING SHE WAS ENDORSED BY THE PENNSYLVANIA STATE TROOPERS ASSOCIATION AND FOR ACCEPTING CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTIONS FROM SPECIAL INTERESTS AFTER CRITICIZING THE PRACTICE DURING THE PRIMARY CAMPAIGN LAST SPRING.  A FEMALE NARRATOR CONCLUDES THE AD BY SAYING "WE JUST CAN'T TRUST KATHLEEN KANE."  KANE HAS SAID THE FALSE CLAIM OF A STATE TROOPERS ENDORSEMENT RESULTED FROM A MISTAKE BY A CAMPAIGN INTERN.  HER CAMPAIGN SPOKESMAN, JOSH MORROW, SAYS FREED'S AD IS A SIGN OF "DESPERATE CAMPAIGNING" BY GOV. TOM CORBETT'S HAND-PICKED CHOICE FOR ATTORNEY GENERAL.

  A JUDGE HAS DENIED A REQUEST BY OPPONENTS OF PENNSYLVANIA'S VOTER ID LAW WHO WANTED HIM TO ORDER THE STATE TO BE CLEARER ABOUT VOTERS NOT NEEDING PHOTO ID AT THE POLLS TUESDAY.  COMMONWEALTH JUDGE ROBERT SIMPSON RULED THE OPPONENTS DID NOT PROVIDE ANY PROOF THE STATE'S MESSAGE ABOUT PHOTO ID BEING REQUESTED BUT NOT REQUIRED WOULD LEAD TO DISENFRANCHISEMENT.  LAST MONTH, SIMPSON ORDERED THE VOTER ID LAW PUT ON HOLD FOR THE UPCOMING ELECTION. BUT HE SAID THE STATE SHOULD CONTINUE EDUCATING VOTERS ABOUT THE LAW, WHICH WILL APPLY IN FUTURE ELECTIONS.