SOMERSET — A southwestern Pennsylvania woman has been ordered to stand trial on charges she offered to bribe a police officer to avoid having her father's car towed and impounded after she was stopped and found to have a suspended license.

The Daily American of Somerset reports 29-year-old Lindsay Burrows, of Somerset, waived her right to a preliminary hearing Tuesday on charges stemming from the incident April 24 in Somerset.

Somerset Officer Christopher Pile says he stopped Burrows because he mistakenly believed she had some outstanding arrest warrants. In the process, however, he learned her license was suspended and told her he had to impound the car.

Burrows wanted to avoid that because the car belongs to her father. She was calling her mother for assistance when she allegedly asked Pile, "Do you take bribes? I've got money."

MCKEESPORT — Humane officials now says the number of suspected dog poisonings in one Pittsburgh suburb has risen to five, including one dog who had to be euthanized as a result..

Officials with Animal Friends in McKeesport said earlier this week that three dogs on the same street are being treated for liver failure and other symptoms that suggest they've been poisoned in recent days. Now, the owners of two more dogs say their animals appear to have been poisoned, too.

One of the first dogs reported ill, a boxer named Vader, was put down Tuesday after he lost about 20 pounds since becoming ill around Memorial Day.

Blood tests have confirmed the dogs were likely poisoned, though the tests have not pinpointed what substance was used.

McKeesport is about 10 miles southeast of Pittsburgh.

PITTSBURGH — The Securities and Exchange Commission has sued three former executives of western Pennsylvania's Consol Energy, charging they profited or avoided stock losses by using insider information about Consol's acquisition of a natural gas and oil exploration business.

The 15-page lawsuit contends the executives either sold their stock in advance or bought put option contracts involving their Consol stock just days before Consol announced a $3.74 billion deal to buy the Appalachian exploration business of Dominion Resources Inc.

The deal caused Consol's stock to drop 10 percent when it was announced in March 2010, so the SEC says the executives either made money or avoided losses because of the alleged insider trades.

The SEC says Consol terminated all three men when the company learned of the deals months later.

None of the men immediately returned calls to their homes Friday.

PITTSBURGH — A federal judge in Pittsburgh has signed an order closing a lawsuit brought by a southwestern Pennsylvania girl who claimed she was disciplined for refusing to stand during the Pledge of Allegiance.

The Herald-Standard of Uniontown reports Wednesday that U.S. District Judge Mark Hornak ordered the case closed, though he'll remain jurisdiction to ensure the settlement between the Brownsville Area School District and the girl is enforced.

The settlement not only allows the 13-year-old student to sit during the pledge, it required the school board to announce that other students have that same right under the First Amendment.

The school board's solicitor tells the newspaper that the school board last week approved a $16,000 settlement, that will be paid by the district's insurance carrier.

WILKES-BARRE — Repairs are set to begin next month for the northeastern Pennsylvania levee system damaged by last fall's flooding brought on by the remnants of Tropical Storm Lee.

The Luzerne County Flood Protection Authority said Tuesday workers will begin more than $2 million in repairs and reinforcements to the Wyoming Valley Levee system in a couple weeks. The federal government is footing the bill.

The largest phase of repairs won't begin until October. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers says the levee is strong enough to withstand flooding if water levels rise before the work is finished.

The 15-mile levee system protects Wilkes-Barre and other communities along the Susquehanna River. The levee was damaged in September after the massive storm brought record flooding to the area.

HARRISBURG — A central Pennsylvania teen has been convicted of robbery in the attempted mugging of a Pittsburgh-area state senator almost two years ago.

Eighteen-year-old Sharief Hand remains behind bars awaiting a July 24 sentencing for the September 2010 mugging of state Sen. Tim Solobay.

Prosecutors say Hand was one of four teens who approached the Washington County Democrat outside his Harrisburg apartment and demanded money. One was armed with a gun.

Hand was arrested nearby after Solobay, a volunteer firefighter, fought back and activated the sirens on his vehicle. Hand was 16 at the time of his arrest but charged as an adult.

Another teen suspected in the heist was acquitted last year.

Solobay thanked police and prosecutors for their handling of the case.

PHILADELPHIA — The Federal Highway Administration has given final approval for a plan to install a toll bridge on Interstate 95 between Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

Officials gave final approval Tuesday to wrap up design work on the proposed $328 million bridge. The Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission still needs to finalize design work, which could take another 18 months.

The new bridge would replace the currently free Scudder Falls Bridge that links Bucks County on the Pennsylvania side to Mercer County, New Jersey.

The Philadelphia Inquirer reports the replacement bridge would be an all-electronic toll system, with most drivers using the E-ZPass system. Drivers who don't use E-ZPass will get a bill in the mail.

Construction could start in September 2014 and take three to four years.

EASTON — Actor Gary Sinise will bring his band to a fundraiser for a Pennsylvania soldier who lost both legs and a hand while fighting in Afghanistan.

Sinise and his Lt. Dan Band will play at a benefit show in August for Adam Keys. The Army corporal from Whitehall Township, Northampton County was wounded in an insurgent attack in July 2010 that also killed four soldiers.

Sinise runs a foundation that builds custom homes for wounded veterans. One of Sinise's memorable roles was Lt. Dan Taylor, the amputee veteran in "Forrest Gump."

Keys says he's had more than 120 surgeries but he's "still here to bother everybody."

The show is scheduled for August 17 at the State Theatre in Easton.