Judge declines to bar evidence from trial in motel slaying

Police: Pilot's gun taken at Philadelphia airport recovered

Good afternoon! 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. Ron Todt is on the desk. Editor Larry Rosenthal can be reached at 215-446-6631 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 A reminder this information is not for publication or broadcast, and these coverage plans are subject to change.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. Some TV and radio stations will receive shorter APNewsNow versions of the stories below, along with updates. TOP STORIES: HIGHWAY DOLLARS-FREE POLICE HARRISBURG — Call it highway robbery, Pennsylvania style. Money from a massive increase of fuel taxes and motorist fees under a 2013 law designed to shore up highways and bridges is not as massive anymore, now that a growing amount is getting diverted to an expanding state police budget. Lawmakers are taking notice, and 12-year Department of Transportation projections show a fattening state police budget consuming hundreds of millions more dollars for construction projects. That is fueling renewed criticism over one particular part of the state police budget: police service that's free to local taxpayers in municipalities that shutter their police departments. By Marc Levy. SENT: About 790 words. With: —BC-PA--HIGHWAY DOLLARS-POLICE SERVICES. —BC-PA--HIGHWAY DOLLARS-POLICE SERVICES-LIST. FOOD AND FARM-ANCIENT BEER SIOUX FALLS, S.D. — Fourteen years ago, University of South Dakota anthropology professor Matthew Sayre unearthed pepper tree seed from the southern tip of Peru, unaware he'd stumbled upon a spent ingredient from a small 1,000-year-old brewery. By Dirk Lammers. SENT: About 670 words. NJ TRANSIT-STRIKE AVERTED NEWARK, N.J. — New Jersey commuters won't have a New Jersey Transit strike as an excuse to miss work Monday, and Gov. Chris Christie says they won't have to worry about fare hikes for awhile to cover the cost of a tentative deal reached with rail workers. By David Porter. SENT: About 570 words. EXCHANGE: EXCHANGE-DEADLY FARMHOUSE FIRE-FIVE YEARS LATER BLAIN — The cruel tricks of time sneak up on the busy mother. It matters not that her hands are now full with five young children, another one on the way. When Janelle Clouse least expects it, the memories of the seven children she lost still manage to stop her breath and halt her heart. It happened this February, when it suddenly dawns on Janelle that her oldest daughter would be turning sweet 16. Only there will be no party. No friends over to the house. No teenage girls huddled together, giggling and probably talking about boys. Not at the Clouse household, just outside Blain in western Perry County. As filled up as it is with life - five beautiful children ages 10 months to 8 years old - so much more is missing. That absence begins with Christina, the February birthday girl who'd be having that milestone celebration. As hard as she tries, Janelle can't imagine her beautiful girl a day over 11. Christina is forever frozen in time. All because of the fire. Still, she and her husband have carried this heavy burden each day of the past five years. They have carried it, lived with it, and managed to move on from it, without ever letting go. John Luciew, PennLive.com. EXCHANGE-POLICE-SOCIAL MEDIA HANOVER — Not even the FBI could crack it. The blurry image of a logo on a Santander Bank robbery suspect's blue baseball cap stumped law enforcement in June 2014, said Sgt. Toby Wildasin of West Manheim Township Police Department. They even sought help from the FBI as they tried to pinpoint the hat's manufacturer, which could help them identify the man. On a whim, Wildasin posted a photo of the suspect on the police department's Facebook page. Maybe one of their followers would recognize the logo. Five people did, identifying the design as that of Lancaster Archery Supply.That information turned into a critical lead, Wildasin said, because the company had sold only eight similar hats nationwide. After serving a search warrant for the sales records, they easily determined the bank robber's identity and made an arrest. The story is one of several major successes West Manheim Township police have found in using social media in criminal investigations. As Facebook and Twitter continue to increase in popularity, law enforcement agencies are signing up for the social media channels to disseminate information, seek the public's help in solving crimes and interact with their communities. Nicole Chynoweth, The (Hanover) Evening Sun. EXCHANGE-TRANSGENDER CHILDREN-DELAYING PUBERTY NEW HOPE — For transgender children and their families, knowing if and when to begin the transitioning process can be an agonizing decision fraught with physical, social and psychological concerns. Until the past decade, transgender people had to wait until adulthood for surgery and/or hormone therapy to physically change their bodies to match their identifying gender. But today's transgender youth have new medical options that can allow them to start the process at a much younger age. Hoping to ease the emotional and psychological pain of kids who don't believe their birth sex fits who they are, some doctors have begun offering hormone blockers to families who chose to interrupt puberty for their transgender children. Freda R. Savana, The (Doylestown) Intelligencer. EXCHANGE-DEAF CHEERLEADERS PITTSBURGH — Cheerleaders for the Western Pennsylvania School for the Deaf may not be yelling, but that doesn't mean their messages aren't being heard. Members of the cheerleading squad use hand signals and facial expressions to promote their team spirit. They cheer for the Lions boys and girls basketball teams at the Edgewood school in front of a crowd of deaf and hearing fans. They are part of the Eastern Schools for the Deaf Athletic Association Division I, which includes schools in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Maryland and Pennsylvania. "Deaf cheerleaders sign the cheers, and they aren't always quiet — some will use their voices," says Roberta Gage, cheerleading coach at Gallaudet University in Washington D.C. "They just can't hear. The physical activities and movements and routines are the same as hearing cheerleaders." JoAnne Klimovich Harrop, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. EXCHANGE-MODERN FALONRY DANVILLE — High in the air, Houdini pauses. She sees something. The 9-year-old peregrine falcon drops hundreds of feet in seconds. She closes in on her target, each turn narrowing the gap. Her prey, a small bird called a chukar, tries to escape. Houdini gets closer. Then, she runs out of room. The ground rises up. Her claws aren't close enough to snatch, and the chukar is getting closer to brush. Houdini is out of her domain as the chukar flees to a thicket of trees and hides. Some feathers remain, but the bird is gone. "She couldn't get it," said Lynn Appelman, Houdini's trainer. Another quarry has escaped. Luckily for Houdini, she would still eat that night. Appelman already has a snack ready for her. On another day, they'll try again. Appelman is one of the few dedicated falconers in Pennsylvania. The sport is rare and requires a special dedication to an ancient form of hunting. Bill Wellock, The (Wilkes-Barre) Citizens Voice. IN BRIEF: FATAL FIRE-INVESTIGATION — More tests are planned to confirm the cause of death of a man found badly burned at the scene of a fire in southwestern Pennsylvania. TRIPLE SHOOTING — Authorities have arrested a man wanted in a triple shooting in north Philadelphia three days into the new year that killed two men and critically injured a teenager. DEAD BODY IN MOTEL — A judge has declined to bar prosecutors from using evidence found in the home of the mother of a man accused of having killed a man at an eastern Pennsylvania motel a year ago. SPORTS: CAMPAIGNING COACHES NEW YORK — The campaigning. The stump speeches. The last-ditch pitches from the contenders, insisting they aren't paying attention to the pundits and prognosticators. No, not presidential hopefuls. At this time of year, some college basketball coaches sound like political candidates searching for votes as they tout their teams' NCAA Tournament worthiness. The selection committee is hard at work putting the bracket together in New York this weekend. The big reveal is Sunday, and it is not as if a coach's plea will sway the panel. By Ralph D. Russo. SENT: About 840 words. BKC--AAC-TEMPLE-UCONN ORLANDO, Fla. — There's no rest for Connecticut after a four-overtime victory over Cincinnati in the American Athletic Conference tournament. The fifth-seeded Huskies face top seed Temple for a berth in the league's title game. By Fred Goodall. UPCOMING: 600 words, photos. Game starts at 3 p.m. EST. BKC--T25-BEAST-SETON HALL-VILLANOVA NEW YORK — Third-ranked and top-seeded Villanova seeks its second consecutive Big East Tournament title when it faces third-seeded Seton Hall, which has reached the championship game at Madison Square Garden for the first time in 23 years. By Basketball Writer Jim O'Connell. UPCOMING: 700 words, photos. Game starts 5:30 p.m. EST. BKC--A10-ST. JOSEPH'S-DAYTON NEW YORK — Top-seed Dayton faces No. 4 St. Joseph's in the semifinals of the Atlantic 10 Tournament. The Flyers are trying to get back to the finals for a second straight season. Game starts at 1:30 p.m. EST. By Larry Fleisher. BKW--CAA-JAMES MADISON-DREXEL UPPER MARLBORO, Md. — Top-seeded James Madison faces Drexel in the Colonial Athletic Association women's basketball title game. The winner earns an automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament. By David Ginsburg. UPCOMING: 550 words, photos. Game starts at 4 p.m. EST. BKN--PISTONS-76ERS PHILADELPHIA -- The Detroit Pistons play the Philadelphia 76ers. UPCOMING. 650 words. Game starts at 7 p.m. EST. AP Photos. HKN--FLYERS-PANTHERS SUNRISE, Fla. — The Philadelphia Flyers conclude a two-night, two-game Florida swing when they play the Panthers on Saturday. By Paul Gereffi. UPCOMING: 600 words. Game starts 7 p.m. EST. Photos. BBO--BLUE JAYS-PHILLIES CLEARWATER, Fla. — The Phillies host the Blue Jays in Grapefruit League action. Stringer Ryan Lawrence. 500 words. Starts 1:05 p.m. EST. BBO--PIRATES-TIGERS DETROIT — Mike Pelfrey takes the mound for the Tigers against Jeff Locke of the Pirates. UPCOMING: 500 words, photos. Game starts at 1 p.m. EST. ___ 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.

AP-PA--Pennsylvania News Digest, PA