Pennsylvania News-Thursday

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - It's taking a long time to restore power in many Philadelphia suburbs following storms that knocked down treelimbs and power lines. Peco Energy has already restored power to nearly half the 365-thousand customers who were left without electric service Tuesday night. But despite working around the clock in 16-hour shifts, many thousands of people still face hot days without air conditioning or refrigeration while crews work to restore power. Peco has set up some distribution points where people can obtain dry ice to help preserve food as the outages drag on.

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - A hearing is scheduled today on the attorney general's request for a court order putting a prosthetic eye maker out of business. The attorney general is suing the Philadelphia man, Francis Connelly Junior. The lawsuit says Connelly took money for prosthetic eyes that were never delivered, fit improperly or were so poorly made they embarrassed the customer. Today's hearing is about whether a court will order Connelly to stop doing business while the lawsuit is in progress. The lawsuit says Connelly does business in offices in Philadelphia, Carlisle, Lancaster, Scranton, Williamsport and Wilkes-Barre, as well as in New Jersey and New York.

STROUDSBURG, Pa. (AP) - A 13-year-old boy who admitted setting a fire that killed his 11-year-old cousin is being sent to secure treatment center after walking away from a youth center. Monroe County Judge Jon Mark ruled yesterday that Djinn Buckingham should be sent to the Cornell Abraxas Youth Center in South Mountain, near Gettysburg. He set the December ninth fire that killed Sierra Carranza at their Polk Township home. Buckingham was initially sent to the Laurel Youth Center inTioga County for an evaluation. Unlike that facility, Cornell Abraxas is a secure center. The boy's mother says her son left Laurel Youth because he was worried about her.