Obama, Biden starting bus tour in Beaver on Friday

[RamboLiberal]

Western Pennsylvania will be the first stop for Sen. Barack Obama, the presumptive Democratic nominee for president, on his "On the Road to Change" bus tour of battleground states immediately following the Democratic National Convention in Denver.

Mr. Obama, running mate Sen. Joe Biden and both candidates' wives -- Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden -- will attend a Friday evening event in Beaver, the Obama campaign announced today.

The "On the Road to Change" event will be held in Irvine Park, Beaver, with gates opening at 6 p.m. The program begins at 7:30 p.m.

The event is open to the public but tickets are required, available from Obama campaign field offices in Butler, New Castle, Beaver and Downtown Pittsburgh, all listed on the Obama Web site.

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08240/907304-100.stm

[breathedeeply]

1. today in Pennsylvania mining history

September 10, 1897 - A sheriff and deputies in Lattimer, Pennsylvania, gunned down 19 striking miners and wounded 40 others during a peaceful protest. Mining was difficult, dangerous work. Hundreds were killed in accidents each year because mine owners refused to spend the money to install sound scaffolding, pumps, ventilation or emergency exits. Men labored from dawn to dusk in the mines for only a few dollars a week. Thousands of children also were employed. These "breaker boys" separated slate from the coal as it poured down the chutes in the breakers. Their lives were often shortened by accidents and exposure to coal dust.