// Ticker startup
function startTicker() {
	// Define run time values
	theCurrentStory = 0;
	theCurrentLength = 0;
	// Locate base objects
	theAnchorObject = document.getElementById("newsticker");
	runTheTicker();   	
}
// Ticker main run loop
function runTheTicker() {
	var myTimeout;  
	// Go for the next story data block
	if (theCurrentLength==0) {
		theCurrentStory++;
		theCurrentStory = theCurrentStory % theItemCount;
		theStorySummary = theSummaries[theCurrentStory].replace(/"/g,'"');		
		if (theSiteLinks[theCurrentStory]!="") {
			theLeadString = "<a href=\""+theSiteLinks[theCurrentStory]+"\">"+theLeadString+"</a>";
		}
		//thePrefix = "<span class=\"tickls\">" + theLeadString + "</span>";
		thePrefix = theLeadString;
	}
	// Stuff the current ticker text into the anchor
	theAnchorObject.innerHTML = thePrefix + theStorySummary.substring(0,theCurrentLength) + whatWidget();
	// Modify the length for the substring and define the timer
	if (theCurrentLength != theStorySummary.length) {
		theCurrentLength++;
		myTimeout = theCharacterTimeout;
	} else {
		theCurrentLength = 0;
		myTimeout = theStoryTimeout;
	}
	// Call up the next cycle of the ticker
	setTimeout("runTheTicker()", myTimeout);
}
// Widget generator
function whatWidget() {
	if (theCurrentLength == theStorySummary.length) {
		return theWidgetNone;
	}
	if ((theCurrentLength%2)==1) {
		return theWidgetOne;
	} else {
		return theWidgetTwo;
	}
}

var theCharacterTimeout = 50;
var theStoryTimeout = 5000;
var theWidgetOne = "_";
var theWidgetTwo = "-";
var theWidgetNone = "";
var theLeadString = ""; // "LATEST:&nbsp;";