National and State News-Tuesday, March 6th

BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - At least eight Shiite pilgrims in Iraq have been killed in a series of attacks today. They were targeted as they headed toward a shrine south of Baghdad ahead of a Muslim holiday. Yesterday was a deadly day for U-S troops. Nine died in two bombings.

CAPITOL HILL (AP) - Army officials will be peppered with more questions about Walter Reed Medical Center when they go before a Senate panel today. Yesterday, the officials accepted responsibility for the shoddy conditions uncovered at Walter Reed but said they were unaware of most of them.

TOKYO (AP) - U-S Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson said in Tokyo today that the global economy is as strong as he's ever seen. Wall Street was down again yesterday but Asian markets have rebounded after a weeklong sell-off.

FORT RUCKER, Ala. (AP) - More of the victims of last week's Alabama tornado will be buried today. At his funeral yesterday, one high school student was remembered as "a big guy with an even bigger heart." Eight students died when a twister tore apart Enterprise High School.

NEW YORK (AP) - Tonight's big Mega Millions lottery drawing will be done in New York instead of Atlanta. The jackpot for the multi-state game is 355 (m) million dollars, making it one of the largest ever.

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - A state House committee will hold a meeting today to discuss changes that are being proposed to state laws that regulate dog breeders and kennels. Critics of the current law say that Pennsylvania has become known as the puppy mill of the East Coast. Governor Ed Rendell has proposed several broad legislative and regulatory changes designed to strengthen the law. They include allowing dog wardens to seize distressed animals.

UNDATED (AP) - All over Pennsylvania, today is the deadline for candidates to turn in voters' signatures to be on the ballot for the May 15th primary. The number of signatures required depends on the office. Next come challenges to the petitions, which can knock candidates off the ballot. This only applies to those seeking the nomination of the Democratic and Republican parties. Independent and small-party candidates can't start gathering signatures until tomorrow. They have until August to get enough signatures.

PHOENIX (AP) - U-S Airways says it will continue to pull in additional ticket agents and ask passengers to use Web-based check-ins today. The airline is still fixing malfunctioning check-in kiosks that created long lines and delayed travelers. Problems with kiosks in Philadelphia and other cities began Sunday after the airline put a computerized reservation system in place. The computer system is a consolidation of the reservation
systems of U-S Airways and America West Airlines, which combined in 2005.

GREENSBURG, Pa. (AP) - The Westmoreland County district attorney says he believes a boy killed by a state senator's gun committed suicide. D-A John Peck says it looks like Senator Robert Regola disregarded known risks by letting his 16-year-old son keep the gun unsuperivsed. But Peck also says in court papers that there was no physical evidence to suggest the senator's son, Bobby, was present at the time of Louis Farrell's shooting death last July.

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - One more rejected applicant for a slot-machine gambling license challenged the decision of state regulators. Another group of Philadelphia residents appealed as well yesterday, bringing the number of appeals to at least eight. The group of Philadelphia residents who filed a challenge yesterday contend that the state's licensing process provided no meaningful opportunity for public input. Also, New Jersey developer Greg Matzel had hoped to build Pocono Manor Resort and Casino in northeast Pennsylvania. Matzel's group contends that the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board made its decision based on materials submitted by their competitors after deadlines to do so had passed.

ERIE, Pa. (AP) - An Erie woman accused of fracturing her baby's skull by swinging the baby to beat her boyfriend has backed out of an expected guilty plea. Twenty-seven-year-old Chytoria Graham pleaded guilty to endangering the welfare of a child, but then said she wouldn't plead guilty to a charge of aggravated assault. At Graham's preliminary hearing in December, a paramedic testified that Graham said she "swung him like a bat" when asked what happened to her son. Her defense lawyer maintained that she
had been lying to protect her boyfriend. The child has made a full recovery. He and Graham's four other children are in the custody of her parents.

FRIENDSVILLE, Md. (AP) - Police say they are investigating the apparent murder of a southwestern Pennsylvania man. The man's bloody body was found in a wooded area near Friendsville in far
western Maryland. Maryland state police say they are awaiting autopsy results before releasing the man's name. He worked for Phoenix Technologies in Accident, Maryland. Police say the man had suffered unspecified trauma to his upper body. His body was found by passersby who told police they saw his abandoned car, then followed a trail of blood through the snow.