PENN STATE-ABUSE

Sandusky trial deliberations enter 2nd day

BELLEFONTE, Pa. (AP) Jurors spent more than eight hours deliberating on charges Jerry Sandusky sexually abused 10 boys over a 15-year period, as new accusations of abuse were leveled against him by a pair of accusers, including his adopted son.

During closing statements yesterday, defense attorneys said the ex-Penn State assistant football coach was himself the victim of young men seeking a financial payday. Prosecutors accused Sandusky of being a predatory pedophile.

While the jury began grappling with the case, 33-year-old Matt Sandusky said in a statement that he was abused by his adopted father.

Meanwhile, Travis Weaver, a man with a civil lawsuit pending against Jerry Sandusky, told NBC's "Rock Center with Brian Williams" that Sandusky allegedly abused him over four years starting in 1992, when he was 10.

PENN STATE-ABUSE-ACCUSERS

Sandusky accusers offer glimpse of lives now

UNDATED (AP) The young men who say they were molested by Jerry Sandusky have given the public a glimpse of who they are now and how their lives have turned out since the alleged abuse.

One man just graduated from Bible college. Another is an infantry sergeant in the Army National Guard and served in Iraq. A third spent time in state prison for robbery.

A central Pennsylvania jury is weighing charges that Sandusky, the former Penn State assistant football coach, sexually abused 10 boys over 15 years. Deliberations resume Friday.

Sandusky's attorney says his client has been wrongfully accused by overzealous police and prosecutors and by young men with a financial motive to lie.

Matt Casey, a lawyer representing two of the accusers, says the prosecution presented "overwhelming evidence" of Sandusky's guilt.

RAPE-EXPERT WITNESSES

Pa. lawmakers vote to allow rape expert testimony

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) A bill to allow expert witnesses to testify for the prosecution in rape cases is on its way to Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett.

The House approved the bill without debate last night, and Gov. Tom Corbett is expected to sign it ending what proponents said is Pennsylvania's stigma as the only state without such a law.

Sponsors of the bill said it will allow experts to explain the dynamics of sexual violence to jurors and for example offer possible explanations for why a victim did not immediately report the attack.

In an editorial yesterday, the Philadelphia Daily News urged passage of the bill and questioned whether how such a law might have affected the child sex-abuse trial of former Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky.

PENNSYLVANIA BUDGET-PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Education tax credit to expand in new Pa. budget

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) Substantially more money for private school scholarships and education nonprofits in Pennsylvania will be in a nearly $27.7 billion Republican-penned spending plan taking shape.

Senate Majority Leader Dominic Pileggi says as much as $75 million extra, or double the current amount, could go toward the Educational Improvement Tax Credit.

Pileggi says some of the extra money will go toward expanding the tax credit program to focus on students in the state's worst-performing schools.

It's generally worth up to 90 percent of the philanthropic contributions by businesses to eligible nonprofit groups that provide scholarships and grants to private or public schools.

PHILADELPHIA ARCHDIOCESE-JOB CUTS

Philly diocese cuts 45 jobs, cites $17M deficit

PHILADELPHIA (AP) The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia is cutting 45 jobs to address a $17 million deficit.

Archbishop Charles Chaput (SHAP'-yoo) says the budget gap is unrelated to the extraordinary legal costs incurred from criminal and civil priest-abuse cases.

The church will consolidate jobs in the Archdiocesan Pastoral Center, which now employs 244 people in more than 40 ministry programs and offices.

Chaput says the programs have run a deficit for years.

The archdiocese has also stopped publishing The Catholic Standard & Times, and moved news content to a website, http://telecomadvisors.biz/catholicphilly.com .

The June issue is the last for the newspaper after 117 years.

The church's legal bills this fiscal year top $10 million and are climbing, based on the ongoing criminal trial of Monsignor William Lynn, the former secretary for clergy.

ROPE IN BODY'S THROAT

Philly funeral home finds rope in woman's throat

(Information in the following story is from: The Philadelphia Inquirer, http://telecomadvisors.biz/www.philly.com )

PHILADELPHIA (AP) Authorities say a suspect is in custody after funeral home workers found 10 inches rope and a candy wrapper stuffed down the throat of a woman who initially was believed to have died of natural causes.

According to The Philadelphia Inquirer, police say it initially appeared 70-year-old Kathleen Mcewan had died of natural causes when they arrived at her apartment in Philadelphia's Roxborough section.

But authorities say workers at a suburban funeral home preparing her body for embalming found 10 inches of rope and the candy wrapper in her throat.

On Wednesday, police charged 49-year-old Geraldine Cherry with murder. They say she lived at the same apartment complex as the victim. Cherry is being held without bail. It isn't clear if she has an attorney.

DELTA AIR LINES-REFINERY

Delta gets approval for pipeline transfer

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) State regulators have approved a pipeline transfer that's part of Delta Air Lines' plan to buy a suburban Philadelphia oil refinery and produce its own jet fuel.

The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission has approved the transfer involving ConocoPhillips to Monroe Energy, LLC, the Delta subsidiary that will operate the facility in Trainer, Delaware County.

Delta Air Lines, Inc. hopes the $150 million deal could help saved $300 million in fuel costs annually.

The Philadelphia Inquirer reports PUC Chairman Robert Powelson called the approval "an excellent example of how government can aid in economic development while still protecting the public interest."

The transfer application says production is expected to restart at the shuttered refinery in September.

HYDRAULIC FRACTURING-OSHA

OSHA issues alert related to hydraulic fracturing

DENVER (AP) Federal officials have issued a hazard alert aimed at protecting workers at hydraulic fracturing operations from silica exposure.

Hydraulic fracturing involves blasting rock with water, sand and chemicals to extract oil and natural gas. Crystalline silica is part of sand.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health say workers who regularly breathe it are at greater risk of developing silicosis. They say silica also is linked to lung cancer and tuberculosis. A hazard alert they issued yesterday describes how engineering controls, work practices, protective equipment, worker training and product substitution can protect employees.

OSHA released statements from officials with the Association of Energy Service Companies and the AFL-CIO saying they support efforts to raise awareness of the hazard.

GAS DRILLING

NJ Assembly approves bill banning fracking waste

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) New Jersey lawmakers have approved legislation that bans hydraulic fracturing byproducts created in other states from entering New Jersey.

The Assembly voted 56-19 for the bill yesterday.

Hydraulic fracturing, commonly known as fracking, involves blasting chemical-laced water deep into the ground.

Some lawmakers and environmentalists say public health and natural resources would be endangered if waste from processes done in Pennsylvania enters New Jersey.

But, the head of the petroleum council in New Jersey, Jim Benton, told lawmakers last week that New Jersey is capable of addressing the issue through existing regulations. He also says fracking has brought down the cost of energy and provided economic benefits.

Data on the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection website show some fracking waste has already entered New Jersey.