State News-Tuesday, Feb. 20th

HERSHEY, Pa. (AP) - Milton Hershey's dream of providing a free education and a stable home life to orphaned boys got off to a humble start in the last century with just a handful of youngsters. Nearly a century later, the Milton Hershey School is the nation's largest private boarding school. And now, the school is aiming for its biggest growth spurt ever. Today, school officials are set to announce plans to recruit 500 new students in the next school year across all grade levels. That will push enrollment at the prekindergarten-to-12th grade
school to a record 17-hundred students.

LANSDALE, Pa. (AP) - A Lansdale native has written a book that's gathering a lot of buzz. The author is Jon Clinch, and the book is "Finn." The book is about one of the nastiest and scariest characters in Southern fiction: Huckleberry Finn's abusive father. Ahead of its release today by Random House, Clinch's
first published novel has garnered substantial praise including coveted starred reviews from Publisher's Weekly and Kirkus Reviews. A coast-to-coast book tour is upcoming.

PITTSBURGH (AP) - A Marine who grew up in Franklin Park, near Pittsburgh, has been killed in Iraq.
Family members say that 34-year-old Infantry Captain Todd Siebert was on patrol Friday near Anbar Province when a bomb detonated. Siebert served with the 3rd Battalion of the 6th Marines. Relatives say Siebert was deployed to Iraq in January after visiting his family at Christmas. Siebert graduated in 1990 from North Allegheny High School. He graduated from Penn State University in 1999. For the past decade, Siebert lived at Camp Lejune, North Carolina, with his wife, Darcy, and their nine-year-old daughter and six-year-old son. His parents live in Harmony, Butler County.

PITTSBURGH (AP) - A suspected drug dealer was cut in half in Pittsburgh. Police say he reached into a car that sped away and slammed him into a utility pole. Police say the unidentified man was selling crack cocaine
yesterday (Monday) to a driver in the city's Homewood neighborhood -- then the driver tried to leave without paying. The top half of the victim's body was inside the vehicle when the car slammed the victim's legs into a utility pole and sheared his body in half. Witnesses told police the car eventually went out of control and stopped before the male driver and two passengers fled on foot.

PITTSBURGH (AP) - Mercy Hospital of Pittsburgh has opened a new facility for patients with hearing and balance problems. The hospital says the Mercy Hearing and Balance Center will specialize in ear diseases, hearing loss, facial nerve and balance disorders, tinnitus, vertigo and other disorders. About 400 patients are expected to be tested, diagnosed and treated at the center each year.

PITTSBURGH (AP) - A garage fire in Clarion County has destroyed a collection of boats, classic cars and other vehicles. State police say fire marshals are investigating blaze, which occurred Friday morning blaze and caused 400-thousand dollars' worth of damage. The fire destroyed nine classic cars, two boats, two motorcycles and two forklifts at the garage on Bud Lane in Millcreek Township. Authorities have not yet determined the cause of the blaze.

McKEES ROCKS, Pa. (AP) - Robinson Township, which has the Pittsburgh area's largest mall and shopping center, wants its own ZIP code. The area is currently served by ZIP codes for eight neighboring communities. But local officials are urging the U-S Postal Service to recognize Robinson with a five-digit code of its own. Township officials say there are practical reasons for the area to have its own ZIP code and post office. It would help officials collect taxes from people who work in the area, for example. But the Postal Service says it is reluctant to change ZIP codes because they help ensure that mail is delivered efficiently,
regardless of municipal boundaries. They also say it would be costly to reconsider delivery routes and mail processing.