Thursday round-up

Tight day, so will keep it brief (in theory, at least):

• More on ties between Weldon's daughter and Serbian bigwig crooks.
  
  
• Gerlach-Murphy race another nail-biter. (Still.)
  
  
• The latest in electoral desperation: ads from GOP wives.
  
  
• Less original, Lynn Swann plays the race card.
  
  
• Voters under the microscope:
  1. Can they handle being redirected to new polling places?
     
  2. Will they remember the pay hikes?
     
  3. Heavy turnout expected, with absentee ballot requests soaring.
     
  4. Young voters appear to share the views of older voters this year.
     
  5. Here's some info you might need.
  
  
• Apparently Pennsylvania is the country's second-most gerrymandered state, which news will come as no surprise to anyone living in Northeast Philadelphia.
  
  
• I'm totally bored by the Kerry kerfluffle, especially since his actual intent (with his mangled joke) was clear in the advance transcript of his speech. I'll skip the "news" coverage, in favor of appreciating the pithy take of D-Mac at Philadelphia Will Do.
  
  
• Ben Waxman (from YPP) makes waves: (1) he elicits a phone call from Johnny Doc, defending union backing of Santorum, and (2) publishes a DN opinion piece laying out suggested priorities (framed for youth but good for everyone) for Democrats should they take control of Congress next week.
  
  
• Anti-casino activists also continue to get attention: (1) a CityPaper story profiles their recent seeming success on the local zoning rights front, and (2) a coalition of groups has filed a suit challenging the overall Gaming Board regulations (and particularly the lack of standards for awarding competitive licenses).