100 years ago - 1912

J.K. Jones, a graduate of the local high school and well known as a local amateur wireless operator and electrician, has left for New York City, where he will enter an electrical school to further increase his knowledge and fit him for his life work.

75 years ago - 1937

The Pottsville shops of the P&R C&I Co. are busy with orders constantly accumulating. In addition to work entailed in parts of new machinery and providing for general repairs, satisfaction is afforded by the increase of community work and orders from various parts of the region throughout Schuylkill and adjacent counties.

50 years ago - 1962

Bose's Whirlwind, a pedigreed bassett hound owned by Arthur Schaeffer of Tremont, won the American Bassett Hound Championship at Lebanon over the weekend. The 10-year-old male outclassed 66 females and 56 males (including 22 champions) at the final rabbit run.

25 years ago - 1987

Charles Putlock Jr., 33, of North Manheim Township, was charged with attempted murder after he barricaded himself in his house for four hours and fired shots at police officers, state police said. Identified as the victims of attempted murder were Troopers Eugene Taylor and Joseph Staivek of the Reedsville barracks, and Schuylkill Haven police Officer Kurt Montz.

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Days Gone By

Donald H. Broadsword, 80, of Litchfield, passed away Thursday, October 18, 2012, at his home. He was born in Litchfield on August 22, 1932, to the late Jay and Donna Broadsword. Don has resided in Litchfield for most of his life.

He served in the U.S. Army from 1952 to 1954, where he was an electrician, mechanic and medic. Don had worked 32 years for General Motors, Parma. He was instrumental in organizing the start up of Litchfield Youth Baseball. He worked for Litchfield Township and served as Sexton for several years. Don served on the Litchfield Fire Department and was a Boy Scout Leader for many years. Don had done custom hay baling and animal hauling years back. He enjoyed going to Litchfield flea market and buying and trading garden tractors. Family and friends could often find Don tinkering on repairs for him and others.

He is survived by his longtime companion of 30 years, Shirley Bomboris; children, Sherry (John) Lance, Bobby (Deena) Broadsword, Richie (Chandra) Bomboris, Danny Bomboris, Larry (Vonda) Bomboris and Bernie (Missy) Sickle; 14 grandchildren; and 13 great grandchildren.

Funeral Service will be held Monday, October 22, 2012 at 1 P.M., at the Bauer Funeral Home, 2089 Columbia Road, Valley City, with Reverend Bert Ambrose, officiating. Calling hours will be Sunday, October 21, 2012 from 2 to 4 P.M. and 7 to 9 P.M. in the funeral home. Burial will be at Litchfield Township Cemetery, Litchfield.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the family to help defray expenses.

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Donald H. Broadsword

(Reuters) - In today's highly polarized political environment it is somewhat surprising to find voters who backed John McCain in 2008 and now support President Barack Obama, but they exist.

Roughly 5 percent of respondents in Reuters/Ipsos polls said they chose the Republican contender in 2008 and will switch to Obama in 2012. This number peaked at around 9 percent two separate times over the summer, according to data collected since January.

Who are these defectors?

Jeff Waltrip, 56, is a retired electrician and retail worker who has voted Republican all his life. But in his view Obama "has done a good job with what he was left with, and I truly believe that allowing Mitt Romney in there is going to make the world a whole lot worse than it is now." Waltrip said he liked the Republican ticket in 2008 because McCain is a veteran and because Sarah Palin "made me laugh."

The McCain-to-Obama switchers are 55 percent male, and 34 percent of them are 55 or older. (Overall, Obama trails Romney 34 percent to 52 percent among white men over 50.) About 72 percent of them are white.

They are largely from the East Coast; nearly 4 in 10 live in the mid- or South Atlantic. Nearly 3 in 10 finished their education after high school, and nearly 2 in 10 have a bachelor's degree.

Two-thirds say they are absolutely going to vote, choosing "10" on a 1-10 scale for likelihood of voting.

Even though 38 percent of all voters believe the economy is the election's most prominent issue, just one-third of the McCain defectors agree. Character matters more.

"Right now if I had to choose it would be Obama, because he's more personable," said William Holliday, a 58-year-old retiree from Convis Township, Michigan. "Romney has changed his position so many damn times, you don't know what he thinks at all. But they're both liars."

Holliday said that in general he leans Republican. "I did vote for McCain four years ago in spite of the fact he picked Palin. Because I thought that was a cheap trick he pulled there." He worries that if Romney is elected he will put "Cheney and Rumsfeld back in there to run the show."

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McCain voters defecting to Obama are older white males