ERIE — The National Weather Service says the cold weather might actually mean less snow for parts of northwestern Pennsylvania the rest of the winter.

Why? Because Lake Erie is largely frozen over and if it freezes entirely much of the fuel for lake-effect snow storms over Erie and other areas near the lake would vanish.

Meteorologist Karen Oudeman says the moisture source for lake-effect snows would be blocked by the ice.

If the lake ices over entirely in the next week or so, it could cause another problem, however: a delay in the Erie area's shipping industry.

WILKES-BARRE — Gov. Ed Rendell has nominated two attorneys to spots on the bench in Luzerne County where three former judges have been charged with corruption.Rendell spokesman Gary Tuma confirmed Tuesday the nominations of 63-year-old Joseph Van Jura and 67-year-old Lewis Wetzel.Van Jura, a Democrat, is the nominee to replace Judge Michael Toole, who resigned last month and pleaded guilty to honest services fraud and tax evasion. Wetzel, a Republican, is the nominee to replace Judge Peter Paul Olszewski Jr., who lost a retention vote.Both men must win approval from the state Senate.Two other former judges await trial on racketeering charges for allegedly taking millions of dollars in kickbacks to send juveniles to private detention facilities.

PITTSBURGH — A woman will spend three to six years in prison for killing a Pittsburgh pedestrian while she drove drunk during rush hour in 2006.Casandra Gatewood, 47, of McKeesport was sentenced Tuesday after pleading guilty in November to homicide by vehicle while driving drunk and speeding.Sixty-six-year-old Catherine Callahan was dragged in the crash and so badly injured her leg was severed and her family told the court she had to have a closed casket.Police say Gatewood's blood-alcohol content was nearly 0.2 percent though she claimed to have had only three drinks. The legal limit for drivers is 0.08 percent.

Lawsuit for copy fees OK'd against UPMCPITTSBURGH — An Allegheny County judge says a law firm can pursue a class-action lawsuit on behalf of patients who say the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center charges them too much for copies.Judge R. Stanton Wettick Jr. says UPMC can't charge $1.50 per page under a state law allowing hospitals to bill any "reasonable rate" for copies of records.Wettick says the Medical Records Act only lets hospital charge for "actual expenses" to ensure "costs are not padded."