'Pac Man' for cash? States weigh rules for new kind of slots

Southwest adds nonstop flight from Pittsburgh to Los Angeles

Good morning! Here's a look at AP's general news coverage today in Pennsylvania. For questions about the state report, contact the Philadelphia bureau at 215-561-1133. Editor Larry Rosenthal can be reached at 215-561-1133 or lrosenthal@ap.org. A reminder this information is not for publication or broadcast, and these coverage plans are subject to change. Expected stories may not develop, or late-breaking and more newsworthy events may take precedence. Advisories, digests and digest advisories will keep you up to date. TOP STORIES: BOARDING HOUSE FIRE PITTSBURGH — Police say a 42-year-old woman told them a Pittsburgh boarding house was "filled with demons" before she set it on fire, killing the owner and two other residents. By Joe Mandak. SENT 600 words. May be updated if developments warrant. K-9 OFFICER KILLED PITTSBURGH — Bond has been reduced for Bruce Kelley Sr., whose son was fatally shot by transit police while stabbing a police K-9. But Kelley's hearing on charges that he assaulted police during the incident has been postponed until next month. UPCOMING: 130 words, followed by 300 words by 3 p.m. UPCOMING: AMBER ALERT ARREST PITTSTON, Pa. — Hearing for Pennsylvania woman who sparked an Amber Alert when she drove her 2-month-old son to Boston for medical treatment. Police have said they plan to drop all charges. Timing uncertain ELSEWHERE: MASSACHUSETTS GAMBLING-MILLENNIALS BOSTON — It's like "Guitar Hero" that pays you back, if you're any good. At least, that's the pitch gambling regulators across the country are hearing as they consider whether to allow casinos to offer slot machines that mimic video and arcade games in an effort to attract younger gamblers. By Philip Marcelo. NEW JERSEY CASINO EXPANSION EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — If New Jersey follows through on its plans to allow two new casinos in the New York City suburbs, analysts and gambling industry officials agree they could be among the most successful in the country. But some also caution that the casinos, intended to recapture gamblers who have been abandoning Atlantic City for neighboring states, could face their own difficulties if — as widely expected — New York allows a casino across the Hudson River in Manhattan. The New Jersey casinos in turn could wreak havoc on older casinos in New York, Pennsylvania and Connecticut, all of which are now drawing gamblers away from New Jersey. By Wayne Parry. With NEW JERSEY CASINO EXPANSION-DETAILS —A brief look at the proposal. IN BRIEF: APP TRACKS VICTIM — Police say they were able to rescue a Pennsylvania woman kidnapped by her ex-boyfriend thanks to her mother's iPhone tracking app. Police say the 18-year-old man met the woman Tuesday in East Stroudsburg to discuss custody of a young child. They say he bound her hands, feet and mouth with duct tape and forced her into the trunk of a vehicle. POLICE BARRACKS SHOOTING — A lawyer for the man charged in a deadly ambush outside a Pennsylvania State Police barracks wants statements he made during interrogation suppressed. Attorney William Ruzzo is also challenging a prosecutor's decision to seek the death penalty against Eric Frein. ANTIQUE FIREARMS STOLEN — Three antique guns stolen from a Pennsylvania Civil War museum were part of a National Rifle Association-sponsored exhibit that had drawn protests. National Civil War Museum CEO Wayne Motts tells Pennlive.com one of the weapons was a Henry repeating rifle once owned by Simon Cameron, Secretary of War during the Civil War. CAITLYN JENNER-UPENN — Olympic gold medalist Caitlyn Jenner says not telling her father the truth about her gender identity "will always haunt me." The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that Jenner says she also was unsure how her mother would react to her transition from a man to a woman. But she says her mother has since become her "best ally" even if she sometimes calls her Bruce. ERIE DIOCESE CATHOLIC SCHOOLS — The Roman Catholic Diocese of Erie is closing three grade schools and one high school, but will retain a PreK-8 format at the grade schools which remain open. The diocese had considered assigning students in prekindergarten through fifth grade to some buildings, and turning others into middle schools for grades six through eight. SCHOOL BUS REAR-ENDED — Two parochial students have been treated at the scene after their school bus was rear-ended. Scott Koter is the assistant superintendent for the Kiski Area School District, where the crash happened about 8 a.m. Thursday. MOTHER FATALLY STABBED — A Pittsburgh woman was in custody on a charge that she fatally stabbed her mother during an argument. Thirty-seven-year-old Sommer Bernard was arrested shortly after fleeing the scene of a domestic dispute call about 7:20 p.m. Wednesday. SHOOTING HOAX — State police say a man who mistakenly reported a triple murder in southwestern Pennsylvania won't be charged with a crime. State police Cpl. Scott Zigo says the caller, who isn't being identified, "Believed he was calling in a legitimate thing." ILLEGAL POULTRY — A Laotian immigrant faces sentencing for transporting uninspected poultry from what federal agents say are slaughterhouses in his Pittsburgh-area homes. Eighty-four-year-old Xia Xue Vue (SHEE' zoo vyoo) faces sentencing before a federal judge in Pittsburgh Thursday. He pleaded guilty in October. TEEN SHOT-SCHOOL BUS — Police say a high school student shot a fellow student in the buttocks as students were getting off a crowded school bus in eastern Pennsylvania. Police say a 16-year-old Chester High School student shot a fellow 16-year-old Wednesday morning in Chester, about 10 miles southwest of Philadelphia. ALLEGHENY WOODRAT — Researchers at Frostburg State University are leading a multistate effort to help save the Allegheny woodrat. Biology Professor Tom Serfass announced a nearly $100,000 federal grant Wednesday to help fund the two-year project involving researchers in Maryland, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. SPORTS: RED WINGS-PENGUINS PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Penguins and the Detroiot Red Wings meet on Thursday night. The Penguins are 7-2-1 in their last 10 games. Game begins at 7 p.m. By Will Graves. UPCOMING: 700 words, photos. ___ If you have stories of regional or statewide interest, please email them to phillyap@ap.org. If you have photos of regional or statewide interest, please send them to the AP state photo center in New York, 888-273-6867. For access to AP Exchange and other technical issues, contact AP Customer Support at apcustomersupport@ap.org or 877-836-9477. MARKETPLACE: Calling your attention to the Marketplace in AP Exchange, where you can find member-contributed content from Pennsylvania and other states. The Marketplace is accessible on the left navigational pane of the AP Exchange home page, near the bottom. For both national and state, you can click "All" or search for content by topics such as education, politics and business.

BC-PA--Pennsylvania News Digest, PA