State News-Monday, Nov.13th

WASHINGTON (AP) - Nancy Pelosi, who's in line to become speaker of the House, is backing Representative Jack Murtha for majority leader. The Pennsylvania congressman is widely viewed as an underdog in a two-man race with Maryland Representative Steny Hoyer in this week's leadership elections. Hoyer has been second-ranking in the Democratic leadership behind Pelosi the past four years. He says he's confident he will win the race. One of Hoyer's supporters depicts Pelosi's letter to Murtha as good news for the Maryland lawmaker. He says Pelosi isn't asking anyone else to vote for Murtha.

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - Beginning today, executives, investors and entrepreneurs vying for the most competitive of Pennsylvania's slots licenses will haul out their expensive props for a series of public hearings. The pitches by 13 groups for five standalone slots licenses represent the best -- and last -- opportunities they will have to impress state gambling regulators. The seven days of hearings will stretch out over four weeks. When they finish on December Fifth, board members will have 15 days to make up their minds before they are scheduled to vote December 20th. The applicants' level of experience, the amount of minority involvement, and plans for dealing with gambling addiction are some the factors to be considered.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - The new leader of Philadelphia's embattled Department of Human Services plans to have caseworkers revisit all 26-thousand children under the city's care. Acting Commissioner Arthur Evans also plans to review the performance of dozens of contractors hired to watch over some children. Evans has announced the moves in the wake of public reports about mishandled cases and the deaths of children under the agency's watch. Evans says D-H-S will review the performance of contractors being paid to monitor thousands of children in some of the city's poorest neighborhoods. He says in-depth checks would start with agencies that had a recent child death on their caseload.

EVANS CITY, Pa. (AP) - Cranberry Township has agreed to pay 21-thousand dollars for a fish kill caused by untreated sewage that was accidentally discharged into a creek during a power outage in August. Township manager Jerry Andree says the Butler County municipality will pay 15-thousand dollars to the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, and six thousand dollars to the state Department of Environmental Protection. The payment to the Fish and Boat Commission is a settlement agreed to by the township. The six thousand dollars is a fine. Officials say raw sewage from the township's sewage treatment plant polluted the water and killed fish in Brush Creek on August 20th, when power fluctuations caused pumps to malfunction.

CULLMAN, Ala. (AP) - Two 21-year-old Marine reservists based at a Marine Reserve Center in Lehigh County face multiple charges in a comrade's death in Iraq. The victim's mother says she supports mercy for Lance Corporals Michael Fulcher and Sean Riley. She now knows that Lance Corporal Adam Fales wasn't murdered when he was shot in his sleep. His death was determined to be an accident. Under a plea deal, Fulcher and Riley would be given a few months in the brig and an honorable discharge. They could have gotten ten years imprisonment and dishonorable discharges.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Dozens of executives and companies in the Philadelphia region have been subpoenaed by a federal grand jury in Puerto Rico. It stems from a probe related to the U-S territory's governor. Governor Anibal Acevedo Vila has said that U-S authorities are investigating contributions to his 2000 campaign for Puerto Rico's nonvoting representative in Congress. But he's said he isn't a target of the probe. The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that the grand jury in San Juan has requested records relating to Acevedo from 30 Philadelphia-area firms owned by seven executives. They include developer Kenneth Goldenberg, the Parkway Corporation, and Hill International of Marlton, New Jersey.

FARMERS BRANCH, Texas (AP) - A suburb of Dallas, Texas, is considering a local law targeting illegal immigrants, similar to one in Hazleton. Farmers Branch is the first city in Texas to consider such a law. Unlike Pennsylvania, where Latinos tend to be recent arrivals, many Latinos in Texas have family roots there that predate statehood. The Farmers Branch debate over illegal immigration began in August and spawned demonstrations by both sides of the issue. A councilman has given city attorneys drafts of an ordinance that would make English the city's official language and proposals to fine companies and landlords who do business with illegal immigrants.

MISSISSAUGA, Ontario (AP) - A variety of Hershey products in Canada are being voluntarily recalled. It's because of fears of salmonella contamination at a factory in Ontario. Hershey says there have been no reported illnesses associated with the products. Hershey brand chocolate bars, chocolate chips, Oh Henry bars, Reese's peanut butter cups, and Cherry Blossom sweets were among the affected products. None of the recalled products were produced for Halloween or Christmas products. Canadian Food Inspection Agency officials say they were told by Hershey that it doesn't appear there was a widespread delivery of the affected products to stores.