State News-Tuesday, Dec.5th

NEW YORK (AP) - Chipmaker L-S-I Logic and Agere Systems have a four billion dollar stock swap merger agreement. Agere is an Allentown, Pennsylvania-based maker of integrated circuits and communications software. The combined company will retain the L-S-I Logic name. L-S-I Logic is based in Milpitas, California. Agere shares are valued at 22 dollars, 81 cents under the deal. They closed at 17 dollars, 79 cents on Friday. The deal is subject to approval of shareholders and regulators. The two companies see the deal closing in the first quarter of next year.

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - A top Republican party official is dropping out of a group seeking a license to open a slot-machine gambling parlor in Philadelphia. A petition for withdrawal was filed Monday with the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board by Renee Amoore, the deputy chair of the Republican State Committee. Her petition cites the passage of legislation in October that bans political party officials from owning a stake in a slots parlor. Amoore was one of more than 30 primarily politically connected and minority investors who joined executives from Planet Hollywood International in the ownership of the proposed Riverwalk Casino. Riverwalk is competing with four other groups, including Donald Trump's casino company, for two slots licenses in Philadelphia. The gaming board hopes to award slots licenses on December 20th.


HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - The authority of Pennsylvania sheriffs' deputies to investigate crimes is expected to return before the state Supreme Court today. The justices are scheduled to hear oral arguments in the appeal of a Bradford County man whose home was searched in 2003 by deputies in a drug investigation. Thirty-two-year-old Cory Dobbins of Troy asked a judge to dismiss the charges because deputies conducted the search. The county judge said no and the Superior Court agreed in a 2-to-1 decision in July 2005.

ERIE, Pa. (AP) - A paramedic says an Erie woman told her she picked up her infant son and "swung him like a bat" at her boyfriend during an argument. That's from testimony in a preliminary hearing for 27-year-old Chytoria Graham. She was ordered to stand trial on assault and other charges. The baby had a fractured skull from the October incident but has since recovered. A defense lawyer argued that Graham never used her son as a weapon. He says the 20-year-old boyfriend, Deangelo Troop, is the one who should be on trial. A police lieutenant testified today that Troop wasn't charged with assaulting Graham because she didn't want to press charges that night.

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - A suburban Philadelphia developer and his investor group are being fined 200-thousand dollars. Peter DePaul made political donations while seeking a slot-machine license. His lawyer says at the time, DePaul didn't know that was illegal. DePaul must pay 100-thousand dollars. The DePaul Group, which is seeking a license for a slots parlor along South Philadelphia's riverfront, also must pay 100-thousand dollars. The fines were meted out by the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board.

PITTSBURGH (AP) - Pittsburgh will lose another major corporate headquarters when Bank of New York takes over Mellon Financial Corporation. Mellon officials tried to smooth ruffled feathers by announcing plans to add at least a thousand jobs in Pittsburgh as part of the merger. They're also boosting the endowment of Mellon's local charitable foundation by 60 million dollars. Still, government officials and business experts expressed regret that the combined company will be based in New York. Losing Mellon will leave Pittsburgh with five Fortune 500 companies. It is currently tied with San Francisco and Milwaukee for seventh place among U.S. cities with six Fortune 500 companies each. But as recently as the 1970s, Pittsburgh was ranked third behind New York and Chicago.