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Pa. man among 4 soldiers dead in IED attack

CARLISLE, Pa. (AP) -- An Army Ranger from Carlisle who tried to aid a wounded comrade was among four soldiers killed last week in Afghanistan, military officials said Tuesday. Sgt. Patrick C. Hawkins was killed Oct. 6 when enemy forces attacked his unit with an improvised explosive in the Zhari District of Kandahar Province. Hawkins, 25, was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment at Fort Benning, Ga.

Gov. says he's done discussing gay marriage remark

YORK, Pa. (AP) -- Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett says he's said all he's going to say about his statement comparing gay marriage to sibling marriage. The Republican was asked repeatedly about his comments Tuesday during an impromptu news conference after touring a Caterpillar Inc. facility in the York suburbs. In a TV interview last week, he said sibling marriage was a better analogy to gay marriage than two children marrying. Corbett says he has publicly apologized and that his apology was heartfelt. He says he can't control whether people accept it or not.

The PE Sneak Peek: Oct. 8, 2013

Here's a look at the stories that are keeping our reporters busy: * An embattled police chief resigns in the midst of court fights with an ex-girlfriend, officials reveal. * A driver who hit a pedestrian and fled does the right thing by his victim. Learn what happened in the courtroom today. * This man scared workers in a local insurance office. Now's he's going to prison. Find out how long a stretch he gets. * Charged with abusing horses, a woman gets her chance to defend herself this afternoon. * Plus, there's another chapter in the story of the white powder that dusted a local town.

U.S. adults score sub-par in test

WASHINGTON (AP) -- It's long been known that America's school kids haven't measured well compared with international peers. Now, there's a new twist: Adults don't either. In math, reading and problem-solving using technology -- all skills considered critical for global competitiveness and economic strength -- American adults scored below the international average on a global test, according to results released Tuesday.

Pa. jogger cited for running at closed national park

VALLEY FORGE, Pa. (AP) -- A marathon runner says he was fined $100 for running in Valley Forge National Historical Park during the government shutdown. John Bell says he parked his car Sunday in a remote parking lot, not one blocked by a barrier. The 56-year-old Bell, of Chadds Ford, says two rangers were waiting with their car lights flashing when he returned. Bell plans to fight the ticket in federal court. He says he saw many other runners and bikers in the park. A National Park Service spokesman in Washington, D.C., did not immediately return a call Monday.

Pa. ranked 14th in number of drug overdose deaths

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) -- Pennsylvania ranks 14th in the rate of drug overdose deaths, according to a national study released Monday that also gave the state a low score on implementing strategies to curb prescription drug abuse. The Washington-based Trust for America's Health said Pennsylvania had 15.3 overdose deaths per 100,000 residents in 2010, mostly involving prescription drugs that the group says now kill more people than heroin and cocaine combined. That represents an increase of 89 percent from 1999, when there were 8.1 drug deaths per 100,000 people.

The PE Sneak Peek: Oct. 7

Here's a look at the stories that are keeping our reporters busy Monday: * A suspended police chief does not seek a hearing on charges he injured a former girlfriend. See what we have on the story so far. * A teacher gets to keep salary and benefits from a sabbatical, even though she quit her job. Find out how much it adds up to. * A local high school student remains in critical condition after crashing a pickup truck over the weekend.

Suspected Pa. bank robber stops to bum cigarette

AMBRIDGE, Pa. (AP) -- Police say a bank robbery suspect was nervous when a construction worker saw the suspect throw his shirt in a trash container -- but not so harried that he didn't stop to bum a cigarette first. Acting Ambridge police Chief Sgt. James Mann tells the Beaver County Times (http://bit.ly/GIDJSi ) that 36-year-old Paul Carman gave a Huntingdon Bank teller a note saying, "This is a robbery. No dye packs. No alarms," about 1:30 p.m. Friday.

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