State
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Vilsack touts PSU research, stumps for farm bill
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) — U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack hopes to raise the profile of agricultural research at universities like Penn State as Congress begins the arduous task of renewing the federal farm bill. The USDA says Penn State leads more than 65 federal research grants totaling more than $30 million. Vilsack visited one project Wednesday after touring a
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Bill would push Pa. turnpike speed limit to 70 mph
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — The speed limit on the Pennsylvania Turnpike would increase to 70 mph if a Pittsburgh lawmaker gets his way. The Patriot-News reported Wednesday (http://bit.ly/J862IH ) that the House Transportation Committee endorsed the bill last week by a vote of 18-4, but it's unclear whether it will be debated on the House floor. Leaders of the House
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Jamaican man pleads guilty to lottery scam
PITTSBURGH (AP) — A Jamaican man has pleaded guilty to a nationwide lottery scam that targeted elderly people. Authorities say 23-year-old Jeffery Augustus Bernard pleaded guilty Tuesday to charges of mail fraud and money laundering. Investigators say Bernard was one of four men who targeted elderly citizens throughout the U.S., telling them they'd won the "Mega Millions Lottery." The men
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Former youth minister sentenced for sex assaults, child porn
GETTYSBURG, Pa. (AP) — A former central Pennsylvania youth minister has been sentenced to 12 to 40 years in prison for sexual assaults on two teenage boys and possession of child pornography. Thirty-six-year-old Jeffrey Crosley of Littlestown pleaded guilty Monday in Adams County Court to two counts of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse and four child porn counts. Prosecutors dropped charges
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'Antiquated' Pa. funeral home law struck down
ALLENTOWN, Pa. (AP) — A federal judge has struck down vast swaths of a 60-year-old law that governs Pennsylvania's funeral home industry. U.S. District Judge John Jones III says the state board that regulates funeral homes has relied on antiquated rules to help a cartel of funeral directors and their families maintain a grip on the industry. Ruling in a
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Philly sending officers to Chicago for NATO summit
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The Philadelphia Police Department is sending 67 officers to assist with the NATO summit in Chicago. The summit is being held Sunday and Monday and is expected to draw protesters. The Chicago Police Department says it's getting out-of-state help from departments in Milwaukee, Philadelphia and Charlotte-Mecklenburg, N.C. A Philadelphia police spokeswoman says the department is sending 67
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Mayor declares state of emergency after alleged use of a stun gun on an underage suspect.
COLWYN, Pa. (AP) — The mayor of a small Philadelphia-area borough has declared a state of emergency for the second time this month amid an investigation into the alleged use of a stun gun on an underage suspect. Colwyn Mayor Daniel Rutland declared a state of emergency on Saturday and put a lieutenant in charge of the borough's police department.
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Eastern Pa. woman walking dog bitten by rabid fox
ALLENTOWN, Pa. (AP) — Authorities in eastern Pennsylvania say a woman walking her dog was bitten by a rabid fox last week. Officials said the woman was attacked Tuesday near an apartment complex on the east side of Allentown. The fox bit her ankle and then her hand when she tried to get it off. City officials said authorities killed
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Sandusky shower date change may aid PSU officials
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Two Penn State administrators trying to get their charges thrown out may be helped by a decision from the judge in Jerry Sandusky's child sexual-abuse case to change the date of an alleged attack on a boy in the Penn State football team showers. Attorneys for Gary Schultz and Tim Curley argue the new date of
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Dead Sea Scrolls come to life in Philly exhibit
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A new exhibit at The Franklin Institute in Philadelphia is providing a rare chance to see some of the world's oldest and most delicate artifacts: the Dead Sea Scrolls. "Dead Sea Scrolls: Life and Faith in Ancient Times" opens Saturday and runs through Oct. 14. Before visitors ever get to see the 2,000-year-old scrolls, there's a painstaking