Let's get right to things (and hope the rain clears up in time for the wedding I'm attending today):

• Mitrani at Home is hosting its annual potluck dinner (what?) tonight from 5-9 p.m. Bring a dish and get a discount on their furniture and home accessories.
• The Irish Comedy Tour continues tonight at The Comedy Zone, featuring Derek Richards, Mike McCarthy and Jim Paquette. This special event is $18. Call 717-920-JOKE for tickets.
• A new exhibit opens tonight at the ArtHouse Lounge. Support local art and stop in to see the work of nine local artists. Refreshments provided.
• Tomorrow is CPAA's WoofStock '08! Held on Riverfront Park from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., rain or shine. I'll be judging the pet costume contest at 3 p.m., but the events go all day.

Hey, park the dog … Lower Paxton officials recently got all warm and fuzzy over a proposed dog park, according to a piece by T.W. Burger in today’s Patriot-News. A commenter on PennLive’s LP forum is a bit dogged by the idea. (See thread #163.) It sounds like limited tax dollars would be needed to give our canine friends a place to hang out and compare notes on their masters. Dial up some TV … Gazette reader and contributor Jay Mumper, who is less than satisfied with the cost of Comcast cable TV, recently asked Lower Paxton Twp. manager George Wolfe about the status of Verizon getting a local franchise for its FiOS TV service. Here’s the response he received from Mr. Wolf:

Well over a year ago, the Township, through the Capital Region Council of Governments (COG), indicated to Verizon that it was willing to negotiate a franchise agreement for television services. However, franchise negotiations begin only when a provider is ready to provide service. Verizon began negotiations with COG municipalities in May of this year. I would expect that an agreement will be in place before the end of the year. After that, it will be up to Verizon when it actually rolls out service.

Tech talk … I’m digging the new Firefox browser that was released Tuesday. It seems to work significantly faster than Internet Explorer 7.

The dog that turned up missing from a Blue Meadows Farm home on June 2 was spotted and tracked down over the weekend. CLICK HERE for the story as told by Josh Barry, the dog’s owner. ____ – This post is courtesy of a Q-tip.

The back room of The Linglestown Chocolate Cafe was converted into an art gallery Wednesday to display the work of David Russell (pictured, right side of photo), a Lower Paxton Twp. resident who served as a combat artist for the Army National Guard. The event was organized by the Lower Paxton Township Arts Council. I attended the open house with my daughter and enjoyed the wide variety of subjects that David captured in his paintings. After getting home, I realized that I’d met David a few times at St. Thomas Roasters and a couple times at church – but I didn’t know his last name. If you didn’t attend, CLICK HERE to view a slide show of David’s work courtesy of WGAL TV-8. Koons Pool update … Gazette reader Gail Reece of Delectably Yours Home Interiors & Decor submitted an update on what's happening (or not happening) with the pool: Mixed bag of nuts … If you love dogs like I do, you may want to participate in a capital campaign planned by the Humane Society of Harrisburg. … Now, a brief civics lesson – CLICK HERE to learn what happens when local governments don’t get tax payments on a timely basis. This is a problem that Lower Paxton Twp. and CD schools have experienced with Capital Tax Collection Bureau, resulting in the bureau getting the boot. … Time for another Q-tip – Sutliff has closed its sales location that was located in front of the Gander Mountain sporting goods store. … CD East and CD high schools held graduation ceremonies this week. … The rain must have come down in buckets last night. I slept through the storm and awoke to the sound of my sump pump running.