KING OF PRUSSIA — Authorities in suburban Philadelphia have issued an amber alert for a baby girl reported abducted during a homicide.
Officials said 10-month-old Saavni Venna was last seen at the Marquis Apartments in King of Prussia in Montgomery County between 8 a.m. and 1 p.m. Monday.
The Upper Merion Township police department says the child "has been reported abducted" by an unknown subject or subjects "during a homicide."
Police issued no further information about the reported homicide, and there was no immediate description of a suspect or vehicle.
Authorities described the child as an Asian Indian female, 10 months old and 21 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes and wearing a white dress with pink flowers.
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Fatal Philly high-rise fire blamed on gas stove
PHILADELPHIA — Authorities say a gas stove that had been left on started a fire in a west Philadelphia public housing high-rise that killed a 4-year-old boy last week.
Fire department officials told The Philadelphia Inquirer on Monday that two boys were playing in the kitchen of the sixth-floor unit of the West Park Apartments on Oct. 16.
Deputy Chief Derrick Sawyer said the boys were playing with a cloth or towel which ignited, and the blaze spread. Four-year-old Tymear Rose was later found hiding under a bed, and he was pronounced dead at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.
Four other people in the 19-story Philadelphia Housing Authority building were injured.
Sawyer said he didn't believe anyone would be charged.
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Life term in slaying of man shot through door
YORK — A central Pennsylvania man has been sentenced to life in prison without possibility of parole in the murder of a man said by authorities to have been shot through a door after a botched robbery.
Jurors in York County earlier this month convicted 22-year-old Anthony Paul White of second-degree murder and burglary in the Dec. 10 slaying of 30-year-old Christopher Armagost of York.
Prosecutors said White followed one of the victim's roommates home and kicked in the door in an attempt to rob her, and fired through the door after Armagost pushed him outside.
Michael Armagost said Monday that his son "stood up to the evil that threatened his son and his mother."
White declined comment. His grandmother, Evelyn Koger, said he was innocent and wasn't "a monster."
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Judge dismisses suit over horse owner's ejection
HARRISBURG — A federal judge is dismissing a lawsuit filed by a race horse owner and trainer over their ejection from Penn National Race Course more than two years ago.
The Patriot-News reported Monday that U.S. District Judge Sylvia Rambo rejected the suit by horse owner Michael Gill and trainer Anthony Adamo.
The pair sued officials from the state Horse Racing Commission, claiming the officials violated their civil rights in ejecting them without allowing them to defend themselves. The judge ruled that commission officials are legally immune from such suits.
The men were ejected after several breakdowns involving Gill's horses and a boycott by Penn National jockeys who said Gill used shady practices that endangered riders and animals.
Alan Pincus, the attorney for Gill and Adamo, says he's considering an appeal.
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New public corruption hotline announced in Philly
PHILADELPHIA — Federal and local officials are setting up a new hotline as part of an attempt to get more residents to come forward and report public corruption by government officials and law enforcement.
George Venizelos, special agent in charge of the FBI's Philadelphia field division, announced the hotline at a news conference Monday, part of a coordinated effort with the U.S. attorney's office, the state attorney general's office, Philadelphia city government, police and others. The federal government has been making public corruption a priority in recent years, he said, and investigators need residents to report it when they see possible corruption.
"The public is one of the most effective tools in the battle against public corruption," said Venizelos, adding that it's critical to stopping problems such as the "pay-to-play" culture in city government.
The toll-free hotline number is 855-FBI-TIPS (855-324-8477).
Venizelos said his office doubled staffing in its public corruption unit from 12 to 24 people last year. With the new hotline, he said, the FBI will evaluate tips and share information with the other agencies as they look into them. Authorities say there's no particular reason for the timing of the announcement, but that tips from the public are valuable in corruption probes.
The hotline will focus on Philadelphia, but authorities say they will follow the tips wherever they lead.
Pennsylvania Attorney General Linda Kelly said that, while public corruption is not new, authorities know that they need all the tools they can get as they attempt to root it out in all its forms.
"We need help from the public," Kelly said. "No one is above the law."
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Meningitis outbreak toll: 297 cases
An outbreak of fungal meningitis has been linked to steroid shots for back pain. The medication, made by a specialty pharmacy in Massachusetts, has been recalled.
Latest numbers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:
Illnesses: 297, including three joint infections.
Deaths: 23
States: 16; Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia.
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