Don’t miss it – the PA Gridiron is tonight! There just might be another Lt. Governor candidate and John Hanger speaks out against fracking. Good morning politicos, here’s the Buzz.

Rep. Davidson Considering Bid for Lt. Gov.: SEPA Dems say state Rep. Margo Davidson (D-Delaware) is expected to announce a run for Lieutenant Governor.

Hanger Releases New Web Video on Fracking: John Hanger touts “gasland” residents’ endorsement in latest ad for governor.

Statewide
State House Sound Bites: Pa. health exchanges off to a slow start
State House Sound Bites: Lawmaker seeks to scrub spud statute
PA Independent: Corbett, natural gas allies will square off against Democrats pushing to limit, tax fracking
State Impact: Drilling water wells a tactic to block fracking

Philadelphia
Philly.com: Amtrak posts ridership records
Philly.com: Where is Columbus Day a holiday?
Philly.com: Commonwealth Court to rule on Church of the Assumption
Philly.com: Good enough for government work? The contractors building Obamacare
Daily News: Council schools plan: Good for kids – and for pols?
Inquirer: Lower Merion schools plan recalls discrimination fight

SEPA
Pottstown Mercury: Dr. Ben Carson rails against Obamacare, lack of faith education in schools
Burlington County Times: Delanco voters to decide on new firetruck
Delco Daily Times: State Rep. Margo Davidson eyeing higher office
Delco Daily Times: Dems push for saving Beaver County property
Montgomery Media: Group protests government shutdown at Valley Forge National Historic Park

Pittsburgh
Post-Gazette: 4 candidates running for 2 Pittsburgh City Council seats
Post-Gazette: Thousands of young activists to attend ‘Power Shift’ environmental meeting in Pittsburgh
Early Returns: Peduto debates himself
Tribune-Review: Ravenstahl hints at trip to St. Louis, fails to show for Pirates finale
Tribune-Review: Mayoral candidates’ debate is decidedly one-sided
Tribune-Review: Many factors figure into what government operations continue during shutdown
Tribune-Review: Lawyers: Ex-Pittsburgh Chief Harper ‘depressed’ but ready to move on

NEPA
AP: Social Security raise to be among lowest in years
Times Leader: Number of registered voters down due to purge
Times-Tribune: Mulligan, Courtright promise harmony as Scranton’s next mayor
Citizens’ Voice: State legislators discuss unions, pensions
Standard Speaker: Legislators analyze Affordable Care Act
Standard Speaker: Governor tours Nesquehoning manufacturer
Pocono Record: Shutdown doesn’t stop everyone on Columbus Day
WNEP: Shutdown Reaction In Scranton
Republican Herald: Legislators, officials sound off on right to work

South Central
Patriot-News: Harrisburg teachers, students demand answers about plans for extra $11.5M
Patriot-News: Monaghan Township supervisors table vote on police contract
Patriot-News: Food fight: Harrisburg restaurant owners, street vendors still at odds
Patriot-News: Lower Allen Township commissioners take protective action to preserve their right to quit recreation commission
Lancaster Intelligencer: Amtrak ridership hits record high at Lancaster train station
Lancaster Intelligencer: State raises limit on property taxes school districts can impose on residents

Lehigh Valley
Morning Call: Is it too early to get ready for Obamacare’s Cadillac tax?
Morning Call: Daryl Metcalfe: Bluntly honest boat-rocker or power-hungry zealot
WFMZ: Spirited debate on proposal to raise speed limit on PA highways
Express Times: Two vie to become Tatamy mayor
Express Times: Parkland area, Salisbury Township voters face library ballot questions on Election Day

North by Northwest
Williamsport Sun Gazette: Council hikes water rates
Williamsport Sun Gazette: Clinton County schools miss the mark
Centre Daily Times: Bellefonte council considers solicitation ordinance changes

Opinions
Post-Gazette: Sensible budget: Fitzgerald’s plan is cautious and conservative
Post-Gazette: Survival skills: The state universities should follow their leader
Post-Gazette: Words of a statesman: Toomey talks sense at a time of nonsense
Tribune-Review: The ObamaCare treatment: Hold on to your wallets
Reading Eagle: Jim Kerr: A lesson in government inaction
Times-Tribune: Needless voter ID ads misleading
Citizens’ Voice: Instead of ‘show it,’ shelve it
Standard Speaker: Lawmakers manage to worsen school tax mess
Inquirer: Inquirer Editorial: Avoidable tragedies
Daily News: DN Editorial: $1 million a day
Pottstown Mercury: Pa. should stop wasting money on Voter ID ads
The Intelligencer: Is faster better?
Burlington County Times: Default antics playing with dynamite
Delco Daily Times: Voter ID ads annoying, wasteful, unnecessary

Blogs
Keystone Politics: ABC/WaPo Poll: Republicans Badly Losing Shutdown Fight
Keystone Politics: Scott Ott: “Are there no prisons? And the Union workhouses…are they still in operation?”
Bal’s Blog: Today’s Know Nothing Party
2 Political Junkies: So WHO could have stopped the shutdown BUT DIDN’T?