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Officials say cigarette sparked fatal fire in Pa.

SHAMOKIN, Pa. (AP) -- Investigators in northeastern Pennsylvania believe that a cigarette thrown in a trash can is to blame for sparking a three-alarm fire that destroyed five homes and killed a 13-year-old girl. Northumberland County investigators say the fire started on the second floor of the Shamokin home on Tuesday before spreading to four more houses on the block. Firefighters found the body of 13-year-old Melissa Pangburn in her attic bedroom on the third floor. The seventh-grade honor roll student died from carbon monoxide poisoning.

Fake signer at Mandela event says he hallucinated 


JOHANNESBURG (AP) -- The sign language interpreter at Nelson Mandela's memorial says he suffers from schizophrenia and hallucinated and saw angels while gesturing incoherently just 3 feet away from President Barack Obama and other world leaders, outraging deaf people worldwide who said his signs amounted to gibberish. South African officials scrambled Thursday to explain how they came to hire the man and said they were investigating what vetting process, if any, he underwent for his security clearance.

Newlywed pleads guilty to second-degree murder 


MISSOULA, Mont. (AP) -- A Montana newlywed pleaded guilty Thursday to killing her husband of eight days by pushing him from a cliff in Glacier National Park while they argued about her second thoughts about the marriage. The surprise plea agreement with prosecutors came just before closing arguments were set to begin in the trial of Jordan Graham, 22. In exchange for the guilty plea to second-degree murder, prosecutors agreed to drop a first-degree murder charge and a count of making a false statement to authorities.

Burglars pose as water company, ransack house

BERWICK - A pair of men dressed in phony water company uniforms tricked a woman into letting them into her house, where one ransacked her second floor while the other kept her busy on the first floor. Police say one man was a Hispanic male, approximately 5 feet tall. The second man was a roughly 6-foot white male. Here's what police say happened: The two went to the rear door of a residence on Washington Street on Tuesday afternoon and told the woman who lived there that they were water company workers. They said they needed to come inside to check the pipes.

The PE Sneak Peek: Dec. 11, 2013

Here's a look at the stories that are keeping our reporters busy Wednesday: * Police say a 77-year-old man was trespassing at school athletic fields, watching girls play field hockey. Our reporter is in the courtroom as a judge hears the case. * Trying to hide drug evidence, a woman tossed a needle out the bathroom window, police contend. * Not one, not two -- a man shot three deer out of season, officers allege. * A driver refused to answer his door when police came to investigate an accident, charges say. Today, he has to answer the charges in court.

Mandela ceremony interpreter called a 'fake'

JOHANNESBURG (AP) -- The sign-language interpreter on stage at Nelson Mandela's globally broadcast memorial service was a faker who was just waving his arms around meaninglessly, advocates for the deaf said Wednesday. The unidentified man seen around the world on television next to leaders including United States President Barack Obama "was moving his hands around but there was no meaning in what he used his hands for," Bruno Druchen, the federation's national director, told The Associated Press.

Suit: Marine's body sent home to Pa. missing heart 


PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- The parents of a Marine sergeant who died while stationed in Greece say that they discovered weeks after his funeral that his body had been sent home without a heart -- and that the Department of Defense later gave them somebody else's heart in its place. Craig and Beverly LaLoup, who are suing the department, said Tuesday that authorities told them 21-year-old Brian LaLoup had shot himself in the head during a party at the U.S. Embassy compound in Athens, where he worked a security detail.

Automaker GM names first female CEO

DETROIT (AP) -- Mary Barra has spent the past three years as General Motors' product chief, making cars that drive better, last longer and look good in showrooms. Now she will take on an even bigger job. On Tuesday, the board named the 33-year company veteran CEO, making her the first woman to lead a U.S. car company. Barra replaces Dan Akerson, who moved up retirement plans by several months to help his wife, Karin, battle advanced cancer.

The PE Sneak Peek: Dec. 10, 2013

Here's a look at the stories that are keeping our reporters busy Tuesday: * His home was broken into by thieves last night, and a Press Enterprise reporter writes about how it feels to be a victim. * A bomb scare empties Walmart overnight, and police are seeking the culprit. See our online report. * A 7-foot cutout figure advertising "The Lego Movie" is stolen from a local theater, but police are building a case.

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