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Man convicted of driving into fundraiser crowd, killing mother sentenced to life

BLOOMSBURG, (AP) — A man convicted of driving into a fundraiser crowd in Pennsylvania last summer, killing one and injuring 19 others, then going home and bludgeoning his mother to death has been sentenced to life in prison without possibility of parole. President Judge Gary Norton told Adrian Oswaldo Sura Reyes, 25, in Columbia County Court on Tuesday that his crimes “were the result of pure evil” as he sentenced him to two life terms in the two deaths. He also imposed an additional 123 to 380 years on 19 counts of attempted homicide. Authorities said Sura Reyes told ...

Ex-police officer charged with more sex crimes in 19 new cases

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A retired Philadelphia police officer already in custody on child sex assault charges is now charged with dozens more sex crimes that stem from his time on duty. Former patrol officer Patrick Heron was previously charged with posing as an officer after he retired in 2019 to lure young girls into meeting him or soliciting intimate photos, allegations that District Attorney Larry Krasner has called alarming. Heron is now charged with sexual misconduct against girls and women in 19 new cases stemming from 2005 to 2019, while he was on the police force. He is also ...

Pa. senators vote to require all high school seniors to fill out financial aid form

HARRISBURG (AP) — High school seniors in Pennsylvania would be required to fill out a form that determines eligibility for financial aid for postsecondary programs under a bill passed by the state Senate on Wednesday. The bill was approved 46-4 and was sent to the state House for its consideration. The measure would mandate that high school seniors across the state complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. The FAFSA determines a student’s financial need and eligibility for federal, state and school financial aid to enroll in higher education, career, and technical ...

Pa. budget talks heated as deadline nears

HARRISBURG (AP) — Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro is trying to wrap up his first budget by Saturday’s start of the new fiscal year, as he works to balance Pennsylvania’s politically divided Legislature in perhaps the biggest test yet of his political skills under the Capitol dome. The last few days have become particularly contentious, as a constellation of public school advocates have organized to oppose an emerging agreement between Shapiro and Republicans who control the Senate majority. The contention is primarily around what Republicans call “lifeline scholarships,” using ...

HOLLIDAYSBURG, Pa. (AP) — The last of several teenagers charged in the shooting death of a classmate in a drug-related robbery more than three years ago in Pennsylvania has been sentenced to prison following a plea deal. Damien Green, now 19, was sentenced Friday to 15 to 30 years after pleading guilty to third-degree murder in Blair County Court, The (Altoona) Mirror reported. Prosecutors agreed to reduce the charge from second-degree murder, and Green also pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit robbery, robbery and illegal use of a communication facility. Prosecutors said Green and ...

Cabrini University to close after ‘23-24 school year, Villanova will acquire campus

RADNOR, Pa. (AP) — Cabrini University has announced that it will close at the end of the 2023-24 school year, with Villanova University assuming ownership of the nearby land in the Philadelphia suburbs where the fellow Roman Catholic university is located. Cabrini’s interim president Helen Drinan called it “difficult news” in a video statement Friday, saying the 66-year-old institution would graduate “it’s final class” in 2024. “Faced with significant financial challenges, exacerbated by declining enrollment and the COVID-19 pandemic,” Drinan said, officials ...