SAY WHAT?: “State police in Clearfield County are investigating
reports of two gunmen in the woods that prompted a high school to
cancel a football game.

“Friday night’s West Branch-Moshannon Valley game was canceled
after someone reported two men in camouflage in a wooded area near
West Branch Area Elementary School about 2 p.m. that day.

“Police say they searched the area and determined it was secure,
but they were still trying to identify the men yesterday.”

This appeared in Sunday’s edition of the Pittsburgh
Post-Gazette. To which our Port Allegany correspondent George
Petrisek wondered “What in the world would men be carrying guns in
the woods for?”

Such sarcasm, George.

If you ever think there’s little distinction between urban and
rural areas – even within the borders of Pennsylvania – think
again. “Gunmen” has an entire different context in the two
locations.

What is cause for alarm in Pittsburgh is ho-hum in a region that
knows that muzzleloader season started last Saturday.

THOSE NAMES: Wayne Caskey of State College has a post script on
those sports nicknames dreamt up by former Era sports editor Johnny
Nelson:

“I agree that Johnny renamed Port Allegany High from Tigers to
Alligators. Johnny was tall and slim and wore glasses and looked a
bit owlish himself – always a gentleman.

“He loved his Bradford Owls and often praised the BHS band in
his stories and columns. I knew him personally. Students at area
high schools followed his sports writing faithfully.

“His classy sports columns had no equal. He would be delighted
with the present undefeated Bradford High football team,” he
said.

(Obviously, Wayne’s letter arrived before the Owls marked their
first defeat of the season.)

COMING SOON: Don’t look now, but we’re about to lose another
hour of daylight – but get an extra hour of sleep.

It’s that switch to Eastern Standard Time that arrives every
autumn but, if we’re not mistaken, will be a week later than normal
this year.

Daylight Savings Time ends Sunday, Nov. 4. Wasn’t it always the
last Sunday in October in past years? That’s our recollection.
We’re certainly that the spring-time change to DST was earlier than
in previous years, and we picked up a couple extra weeks of
daylight.

In any case, remember to change the batteries in your smoke
detector on the same day you turn your clock back an hour.
(Right?)