PITTSBURGH — A Pittsburgh-area man is accused of stealing $200,000 from a trust fund established to pay for his daughter's medical care.
Investigators say 53-year-old Mark Piccolo admitted taking the money starting in 2009. He allegedly told a bank fraud investigator the family was living on the money.
Court records show the trust was created following a lawsuit involving a hospital and an obstetrics practice. That settlement is under seal.
A co-trustee became suspicious in October after discovering an invoice apparently from a Texas medical practice that was dated on a Sunday. The co-trustee contact the bank holding the trust after learning the Piccolos had never been billed for any services there.
Mark Piccolo, of Coraopolis, is jailed on $20,000 bail on charges of forgery and theft by deception. Court records don't list an attorney for him.
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Man, 21, killed by train in Bedford County
HYNDMAN — A 21-year-old man has been struck and killed by a train in Bedford County.
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that the Cumberland, Md., man was running across the tracks in Hyndman when he slipped and was hit by an oncoming train at around 6 p.m. Tuesday. He was pronounced dead at the scene, on CSX Railroad tracks.
It was not known if alcohol was a factor.
The victim was not identified.
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Penn St. trustees hold call before report
STATE COLLEGE — A spokesman for Penn State's board of trustees says members held an informational conference call as they prepare for the results of an investigation into the university's handling of convicted child molester Jerry Sandusky.
David La Torre declined further comment on Tuesday night's call. The call came a few hours after former FBI director Louis Freeh announced his report would be released Thursday.
The report will focus on the facts and circumstances surrounding molestation allegations against the longtime assistant to Joe Paterno.
The highly anticipated report will be posted on the Internet on Thursday. ESPN first reported the trustees' call.
Sandusky, a former assistant football coach, was convicted last month on 45 charges in the sexual abuse of 10 boys.
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Iraq vet accused of election fraud
WILLIAMSPORT — An Iraq war veteran and his wife are charged with forging dozens of names on nominating petitions in a bid for a seat in the Pennsylvania legislature.
Lycoming County detectives say Christopher Bain and his wife Misty faked 61 signatures on petitions he filed seeking a spot in April's 83rd district Republican primary.
Bain's name was removed from the ballot for insufficient valid signatures in March. A write-in campaign was unsuccessful.
The Williamsport couple faces charges including tampering with public records, forgery and obstruction. They were arraigned Monday and released on bail.
Defense attorney Michael Rudinski tells The Patriot-News of Harrisburg a plea deal is under discussion.
Bain was featured in a U.S. News & World Report story on disabled soldiers and Walter Reed Army Medical Center.
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State plans trial smoking ban in state parks
PITTSBURGH — State officials are planning a trial smoking ban next year in two Pennsylvania state parks as they deal with complaints about litter.
The Department of Conservation and Natural Resources says it's getting complaints about cigarette butts discarded in lakes and on beaches.
Department spokesman Terry Brady tells the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review the abundance of butts eats up time maintenance workers would otherwise put to good use. He says filtered cigarettes are particularly troublesome because they don't biodegrade quickly.
Officials haven't decided which of the state's 120 parks would be part of the trial ban but at least one would have a body of water.
Brady says the ban could be extended to all state parks if it's successful.
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Harrisburg financial custodian seeks tax vote
HARRISBURG — The state-appointed overseer for Pennsylvania's cash-strapped capital wants a judge to force city officials to vote on a plan that would double its earned income tax.
Financial receiver William Lynch asked Commonwealth Court on Tuesday to require the council to vote on the tax increase. Council members say they don't like the tax hike and favor instead a commuter tax or a sales tax that applies to the entire county.
Lynch's financial recovery plan calls for raising the earned income tax from 1 percent to 2 percent.
The Patriot-News of Harrisburg reports city council President Wanda Williams says officials won't be coerced into acting on a plan it doesn't support.
A hearing on Lynch's request is set for July 25.
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