State News-Wednesday, Jan. 10th

NEW YORK (AP) - New York City police plan to search two Pennsylvania landfills today hoping to find a newborn baby who was allegedly smothered, then thrown in the trash. The baby's mother told authorities that the baby was the product of a rape in Mexico, and will now "sleep forever." The woman called police Monday, saying a man in black abducted the baby at gunpoint. Authorities say details kept changing, and she eventually confessed. The woman, who also has a three-year-old daughter, is charged with murder and other offenses. She could get up to 25 years to life in prison. Police haven't said where in Pennsylvania the two landfills are -- but say they're both places where New York City trash is taken routinely.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Engineers hired by the city of Philadelphia plan to conduct a thorough inspection today of a pedestrian ramp at Lincoln Financial Field. The ramp swayed when a big crowd was walking on in Sunday night after the Philadelphia Eagles beat the New York Giants. Engineers looked at it Monday and concluded it was safe but plan to check again today.

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - The lawyer for a man charged in the fatal fall of his girlfriend from the window of his 23rd-floor apartment last February says the woman shares responsiblity for her death. William Costopoulos represents 26-year-old Kevin Eckenrode. He told jurors in a Harrisburg courtroom that Rachel Kozlusky loved to drink and loved to party. The lawyer said his client planned to marry the 23-year-old Kozlusky and did not murder her. Earlier, the prosecutor said Eckenrode must bear responsibility for Kozlusky's death, even if both of them were drunk at the time. Eckenrode faces up to 40 years in prison if convicted of third-degree murder. Eckenrode told the police he removed a screen to accommodate Kozlusky's request to sit on a ledge. He said he was dangling her by the wrists in an episode of horseplay when she fell.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - University of Pennsylvania professor Rafael Robb is an expert in game theory. That's a complex melding of psychology, human behavior and economics - all aimed at determining what one's adversary will do next. With that background, authorities say, Robb may have thought he could outsmart them. Robb was charged with murder this week -- accused of bludgeoning his wife to death after what police said was a bungled attempt to make it look like a burglary. Police say the professor killed his wife in their suburban home December 22nd because he feared a ruinous divorce. But Robb's lawyer says police still have no physical evidence to tie Robb to the crime -- and he notes that they've searched his home, office and car, and taken blood and fingerprint samples.

NEW CASTLE, Pa. (AP) - The Pennsylvania Supreme Court has reversed itself and now says a school district can appeal a lower court's ruling involving a newspaper's bid for information. In November, a Commonwealth Court panel found the New Castle Area School District engaged in "wanton and willful disregard" for the right of the New Castle News to find out how much money three students received in a legal settlement over the school dress code. The Supreme Court rejected the district's appeal last month, saying it was filed four days late. But the district's attorney insisted the document was mailed on time and, after further investigation, the court confirmed that and has allowed the appeal.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - The chief executive of Comcast Corporation says the Philadelphia-based company plans to target small and medium-sized businesses. Brian Roberts says right now, a small business has little choice but to deal with the local phone company. Roberts says Comcast will go after businesses with fewer than 20 employees. There are three (m) million of them within or near the company's service area. These companies could yield 12 (b) billion dollars to 15 (b) billion dollars a year in additional business. While Roberts expects to sell mostly Internet and phone service to businesses, he does see some taking cable T-V, as well. Also, Comcast says it's planning to hire 28-hundred people due to growth in residential service.