Facebook post about Boston attacks goes viral

(CNN) – Comedian-actor Patton Oswalt may not seem the most likely person to soothe the wounded national psyche after the deadly bombs that struck the Boston Marathon. Oswalt has no obvious ties to Boston, and he makes a living telling jokes, not comforting the afflicted.

But Oswalt's eloquent thoughts about the attacks, which he posted Monday afternoon to his Facebook page, have been widely passed around the Internet as an inspiring testament to humankind's inherent goodness in the face of evil. (Warning: he uses strong language.)

“I remember, when 9/11 went down, my reaction was, 'Well, I've had it with humanity.' But I was wrong,' ” wrote Oswalt, best known as the voice of Remy the rat from “Ratatouille” and for playing Spencer on TV's “The King of Queens.”

“This is a giant planet and we're lucky to live on it but there are prices and penalties incurred for the daily miracle of existence. One of them is, every once in awhile, the wiring of a tiny sliver of the species gets snarled and they're pointed towards darkness,” he wrote.

“But the vast majority stands against that darkness and, like white blood cells attacking a virus, they dilute and weaken and eventually wash away the evil doers and, more importantly, the damage they wreak. This is beyond religion or creed or nation. We would not be here if humanity were inherently evil. We'd have eaten ourselves alive long ago.

“So when you spot violence, or bigotry, or intolerance or fear or just garden-variety misogyny, hatred or ignorance, just look it in the eye and think, 'The good outnumber you, and we always will.' “

MORE HERE:
http://www.cnn.com/2013/04/16/tech/social-media/patton-oswalt-facebook-boston/

Pa. taxpayers given one more day to file state income tax |

PENNLIVE.COM
Pennsylvania taxpayers have been given a one day reprieve to file their 2012 commonwealth tax returns after a computer problem prevented many from accessing the state's online tax filing resources Monday.

“Since Pennsylvanians were unexpectedly unable to access padirectfile, tax forms and our Online Customer Service Center on our website for a few hours today, in the interest of customer service, we won’t penalize anyone who files a return by midnight, Tuesday, April 16,” Revenue Secretary Dan Meuser said in a statement.

MORE HERE:
http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2013/04/pa_taxpayers_given_one_more_da.html#incart_river_default

Explosions Reported at Site of Boston Marathon

NEW YORK TIMES
A series of explosions were reported near the finish line at the Boston Marathon on Monday, according to several media outlets. One report quoted “some sort of incident” on Boylston Street, near the finish line.
Competitors and race organizers were crying as they fled the chaos, The Associated Press reported. Bloody spectators were being carried to the medical tent that had been set up to care for fatigued runners.
“There are a lot of people down,” said one man, according to The A.P., whose bib No. 17528 identified him as Frank Deruyter of North Carolina. He was not injured, but marathon workers were carrying one woman, who did not appear to be a runner, to the medical area as blood gushed from her leg. A Boston police officer was wheeled from the course with a leg injury that was bleeding, The A.P. said.
The Boston Police Department confirmed that they were looking into an explosion, but had no further comment.
Local television also showed ambulances at the scene.
The headquarters for the organizers of the marathon, one of the world’s oldest, was reportedly locked down while authorities investigate.
http://mobile.nytimes.com/2013/04/16/us/explosions-reported-at-site-of-boston-marathon.xml

Wright's Ferry Bridge lane to be closed Monday morning

LANCASTERONLINE
Motorists headed to York County on U.S. 30 will encounter single-lane restrictions on the Wright's Ferry Bridge Monday morning.

The lane closure, between 9 a.m. and noon, will allow state Transportation Department inspectors to examine expansion joints on the bridge which spans the Susquehanna River between Lancaster and York counties.

MORE HERE:
http://lancasteronline.com/article/local/838002_Wright-s-Ferry-Bridge-lane-to-be-closed-Monday-morning.html

Crew Prepares for Bridge Burning Celebration

On Sunday morning, a work crew loaded several stacks of cut wood at Columbia River Park and placed them in metal braziers atop piers from a Civil War era bridge that once spanned the Susquehanna between Columbia and Wrightsville.  The work is being done in preparation for the 150th anniversary of the burning of the bridge on June 28.  The original event precipitated the pivotal Battle of Gettysburg in 1863.
More on the upcoming celebration HERE.