State News-Thursday, Dec. 14th

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Leaders of The Newspaper Guild of Greater Philadelphia have urged members of the union to ratify a proposed contract. The ratification vote on the pact with The Philadelphia Inquirer and Philadelphia Daily News is set for Monday night. Union leaders acknowledged at a meeting last night that there are serious setbacks in this deal. But they say things will only get worse if the membership rejects it. The Guild represents over 900 editorial, circulation, advertising and clerical workers at the two papers.

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Taco Bell's sales have taken a hit since more than 70 diners at its East Coast restaurants fell sick with E. coli poisoning. But executives for the chain say it's still too soon to determine the losses. Taco Bell President Greg Creed told reporters the chain has seen a sales decline, but it's too early to assess the financial impact. Creed also said the chain has taken precautionary measures by changing its suppliers of lettuce and cheese in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Delaware. Federal officials say the most likely source of the illnesses was lettuce. The outbreak apparently has run its course after 71 confirmed cases of the disease in five states.

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - Governor Rendell is urging a new Dog Law Advisory Board to push for tough enforcement of laws to combat the state's reputation as a haven for "puppy mills." Those are mass breeding operations where adverse conditions can lead to birth defects and disease among the pups. Some kennel owners at the board's first meeting yesterday complained that the cost of meeting the proposed requirements could drive them out of business. Rendell appointed the new board in October, created a new post of special deputy secretary for dog law enforcement. He named a special dog law prosecutor and created four kennel compliance specialist posts to assist state dog wardens with inspections of large kennels.

CRESSON, Pa. (AP) - The state Department of Environmental Protection has issued a permit to Amfire Mining Company to open a new underground coal mine in Cambria County. The D-E-P says the permit allows the Latrobe-based company to conduct mining in nearly three-thousand acres in Cresson Township. The site is estimated to contain coal deposits that could be mined for as long as 20 to 25 years. Officials have said it could create hundreds of jobs. Amfire started work on developing the Cresson mine two years ago but said in November it would postpone development because of low coal prices.

PITTSBURGH (AP) - A new public database in Allegheny County will track the age, gender, race and disability status of appointed county officials. That's according to an order signed by Allegheny County Executive Dan Onorato. Onorato says the database will be posted online and will help ensure and promote diversity among county officials. He also says it will provide the public a way to monitor appointments and keep future executives from allowing diversity to slip backward. The database is scheduled to be online within the next three months.

FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. (AP) - A soldier from Chambersburg accused of killing Iraqi civilians no longer faces the death penalty. The Army is dropping that possibility for Private First Class Jesse Spielman. Spielman is accused of raping and killing a teenage girl in a village south of Baghdad. He also allegedly killed three of her relatives. If convicted, he could face life in prison without parole. At an arraignment hearing at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, Spielman sat motionless as the charges were read. He is expected to go on trial in April. One soldier has already pleaded guilty to rape and murder for the March attack, and is serving 90 years. Two others also face charges, including one who could potentially be executed.

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - The reactor at Three Mile Island shut down automatically without any safety hazard after a turbine was tripped. Diane Screnci of the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission says the shutdown occurred before six p-m and was apparently caused by a disturbance on the electrical grid that tripped the turbine. The turbine is powered by steam inside the reactor to generate electricity.

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - State gambling regulators can begin deliberating on who should get slot-machine licenses in Pennsylvania. Next week, members of the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board hope to vote to award 11 permanent slots licenses to racetracks and standalone sites around the state. Yesterday, they wrapped up five weeks of licensing hearings with a plea from Allentown's mayor and an auditorium packed with people for and against a Gettysburg gambling hall.

KENNETT SQUARE, Pa. (AP) - Barbaro's long hospital stay in Chester County finally may be winding down. While refusing to give a timeline, the Kentucky Derby winner's surgeon says Barbaro is still making good progress in his recovery. Doctor Dean Richardson says Barbaron can leave the hospital in, as he puts it, "the not so distant future." He says the colt's appetite, vital signs and blood work are good and that the horse's coat "looks beautiful."

LANCASTER, Pa. (AP) - A Lancaster County man has been convicted of first-degree murder for killing his girlfriend and later setting her body on fire in a remote area. Twenty-one-year-old Micah Stewart faces life in prison without parole when he is sentenced in the July 2004 killing of 19-year-old Cortney Fry. Stewart did not react as the verdict was read, but courtroom spectators gasped and wept quietly. Stewart was in Lancaster County Prison awaiting trial on unrelated charges when he was charged in July 2005 with killing Fry in their Columbia apartment.