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IRS-POLITICAL GROUPS-RALLIES-PA

Protesters gather at IRS in Philly

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - About 15 people holding signs and "Don't Tread on Me" flags gathered outside of 1 of Philadelphia's Internal Revenue Service offices to protest what they say is unfair treatment of conservative groups.

Seventy-1-year-old Jerry Chiccarine of suburban Philadelphia says there's corruption at the IRS and much of the federal government. He says the government is too big and there needs to be more accountability.

Seventy-year-old Bill Rodebaugh of the Northeast Philadelphia Tea Party Patriots says tea party groups "were picked on by the IRS" and improperly targeted because of their political beliefs.

Tea party protests of the IRS also were happening in other cities across the country Tuesday.

An inspector general's report released this month found that IRS employees had inappropriately scrutinized conservative political groups seeking tax-exempt status.

PENNSYLVANIA PRIMARY

Pa. voters trickle into polling places for primary

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - Pennsylvania's primary election is under way, with turnout expected to be low because there are few high-profile races up for grabs.

The Tuesday election includes nomination battles for mayor in Pittsburgh and some other cities, two special elections for open seats in the state House and a contested statewide judicial primary.

York County government spokesman Carl Lindquist says by midafternoon the expected turnout of about 20% of registered voters seemed to be holding up.

York County recorded turnout of 68% in November's presidential election.

PENNSYLVANIA JUDGE-CORRUPTION

Melvin's attorneys file notice of Superior appeal

PITTSBURGH (AP) - Attorneys for former Pennsylvania Supreme Court Justice Joan Orie Melvin have filed a notice that they intend to appeal her campaign corruption conviction and sentence to the state Superior Court.

The 57-year-old former justice was convicted in February of theft of services and other charges for allegedly using her former Superior Court staff and the state-paid staffers of her sister, former state Sen. Jane Orie to work on 2003 and 2009 campaigns for Supreme Court.

Melvin is serving three years on house arrest and must pay $128,000 in various penalties including a $55,000 fine, restitution and court costs.

The notice of appeal filed Monday does not contain the reasons for the appeal, which her attorneys will spell out in legal papers in the coming weeks.

TODDLER INJURED-CHARGES

DA's new charge: Stepdad smothered Pa. toddler

BLAIRSVILLE, Pa. (AP) - A district attorney has added a charge of criminal homicide against a western Pennsylvania stepfather already charged with physically abusing the boy.

Indiana County District Attorney Patrick Daugherty says investigators believe 27-year-old Juan Campbell, of Burrell Township, Indiana County, used his hand to smother the boy to stop his crying.

Campbell has been in the Indiana County Jail since shortly after 20-month-old Malachi Patterson was flown to a Pittsburgh hospital on Friday with injuries, including bruises on his ear, cheek and nose.

State police say the Campbell's wife was still hospitalized after giving birth to another child when an ambulance was called to Campbell's apartment about 2:30 a.m. Friday, where the boy was found unresponsive.

Online records don't list an attorney for Campbell, who faces a preliminary hearing May 28.

COMMON CORE

Corbett seeks to clarify new academic standards

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - Gov. Tom Corbett is asking state education officials to clarify that a set of proposed academic achievement standards for Pennsylvania public school students are not uniform national standards.

A spokesman for Corbett's Department of Education said Tuesday that Corbett's request won't affect the substance of the proposed math and English standards called the Pennsylvania Common Core.

The State Board of Education approved them in March and approval from a government regulations board is necessary before they can take effect.

Corbett's request comes after lawmakers heard a groundswell of criticism last week over the effectiveness of the new standards and his move to tie them to course-specific student graduation tests.

The proposed standards are built partly on national uniform standards developed by non-government associations of governors and state education officials.

DEALER'S FAMILY SLAIN

US: Prison can't contain Pa. drug kingpin's rage

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Prosecutors seeking the death penalty for a drug kingpin convicted of killing 12 people say no prison can contain his rage.

Former boxer Kaboni Savage will otherwise spend his life in solitary confinement, according to defense lawyers trying to keep him off death row.

The sentencing hearing began Tuesday and is expected to last two weeks.

The 38-year-old Savage was convicted earlier this month of killing a dozen people during his reign atop a North Philadelphia drug empire.

The murder victims include two women and four children killed in a 2004 fire because they were related to an informant.

Assistant U.S. Attorney David Troyer says Savage ordered 7 of the slayings from prison.

Defense lawyers argue that Savage lost his father at age 13, and set out to support his family afterward.

TOWNSHIP EMBEZZLEMENT

Pa. couple charged in theft of $854K from township

ALLENTOWN, Pa. (AP) - A former municipal employee and her husband, a former police officer, have been charged with embezzling more than $850,000 from an eastern Pennsylvania township.

Lehigh County District Attorney James Martin announced charges Tuesday against the couple, 66-year-old Nancy Tonkin and 69-year-old William Tonkin IV of Emmaus.

Martin says the couple stole hundreds of thousands from the utilities account of the South Whitehall Township finance department between 1999 and last June. Nancy Tonkin was a township employee for 30 years and handled billing for residential and commercial water and sewer accounts.

Investigators say the couple lost more than $100,000 at casinos in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

A message left at the Tonkins' home was not immediately returned.

HIT-RUN DOUBLE-FATAL

NE Pa. man sentenced for role in fatal crash

PITTSTON, Pa. (AP) - A northeastern Pennsylvania man has been sentenced after authorities say he helped power-wash a vehicle his friend was driving when he was involved in a double-fatal crash.

Forty-6-year-old Wilkes-Barre resident Daniel Antonini was sentenced Monday to 17 days' time served to 12 months in prison and immediately paroled. He pleaded guilty in February to a single charge of tampering with evidence.

Antonini has said he didn't know his friend, Walter Raven, had been involved in the crash when he agreed to wash the car. The 60-year-old Raven pleaded guilty earlier this month to two counts of accidents involving death and other charges. He's scheduled to be sentenced next month.

Police say Raven drove into the path of a motorcycle in September, killing the driver and a passenger on the bike.

911 CALL FROM TRUNK

Police seek 2 after Pa. woman calls 911 from trunk

LANCASTER, Pa. (AP) - Police in Lancaster County are searching for two suspects after a woman called 911 from the trunk of a car to report that she had been abducted by strangers.

Lancaster police say the 33-year-old woman called 911 around 8:45 a.m. Tuesday and said she had been abducted in the city of Lancaster. Police Lt. Todd Umstead says that based on her communications with dispatchers, authorities were able to determine she was likely in Lancaster County Central Park.

Police then located the woman in the trunk of the car about 15 minutes later. She is being treated for minor injuries.

Dozens of police officers have been searching the park, using a helicopter and bloodhounds. Investigators say they are still trying to determine exactly where the abduction happened.

STATE PARK RESCUE

Ohio man rescued after fall at western Pa. park

PORTERSVILLE, Pa. (AP) - An Ohio man had to be rescued after he fell 15 to 20 feet while taking photographs near Kildoo Falls in McConnells Mill State Park.

Officials at the park about 35 miles northwest of Pittsburgh didn't immediately release the name of the man who is from the Youngstown area.

Assistant park manager Jake Weiland says the man left an area designated for visitors and was standing on a rock ledge when he fell into the water below on Monday afternoon.

The man has been flown to an unspecified Pittsburgh hospital for a head injury, but is expected to recover. The man was able to get up and walk around, but needed assistance in getting up from the area where he fell.

BALD EAGLE SHOT

Game officials: Bald eagle killed in central Pa.

LORETTO, Pa. (AP) - The Pennsylvania Game Commission is trying to determine who fatally shot a bald eagle in western Pennsylvania earlier this month.

Wildlife Conservation Officer Shawn Harshaw tells WJAC-TV that some people riding all-terrain vehicles spotted the wounded bird on May 10 in northern Cambria County, about 70 miles east of Pittsburgh.

The bird died before it could be treated and an examination determined it was killed by a single shot from a small-caliber gun.

Wounding or killing the birds is a state and federal crime. The birds are no longer on the endangered species list, but are still considered a threatened species in Pennsylvania.

Investigators believe the bird was likely shot near where it was found, in Allegheny Township, not far from Loretto. That's because the wound was too serious for the bird to have traveled far.

HAMOT-UNCOMPENSATED CARE

NW Pa. hospital expects to offer $49M in free care

ERIE, Pa. (AP) - A northwestern Pennsylvania hospital says it expects to offer $49 million in free care by the time the 2013 fiscal year ends, which has prompted a hiring freeze.

Officials at UPMC Hamot in Erie tell the Erie Times-News this year's uncompensated care figure is expected to be $13 million more than last year's.

The hospital, 1 of more than 20 facilities aligned with the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, is freezing hiring for nonclinical positions as a result. Steve Danch, the hospital's chief financial officer says the facility will avoid filling vacant positions whenever possible.

The uncompensated care includes bad debt and charity care.

UPMC's tax-exempt status is being challenged in a lawsuit by Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl. He contends the network operates too much like a for-profit enterprise, which UPMC denies citing charitable care and other contributions.

HERSHEY BAR-CHINA

Hershey launching candy bar in Chinese cities

HERSHEY, Pa. (AP) - The Hershey Company says it's launching a new "milk candy" bar in three Chinese cities next month, followed by a wider distribution next year.

The central Pennsylvania-based company says it will mark the first brand new brand it's launched outside the United States in its nearly 120-year history. The new candy brand will be called "Lancaster" and be launched in the cities of Wuhan, Hangzhou and Chengdu in June.

Company officials say it was created in the company's innovation labs and did very well in consumer testing.

Hershey says China is a priority market and that it will play a big role in the company's goal of reaching $10 billion in worldwide net sales by 2017.

LA SALLE-PRESIDENT

Head of La Salle University in Philly to step down

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - The longtime leader of La Salle University in Philadelphia will be leaving the institution.

President Michael McGinniss says he'll step down at the end of his third term in May 2014. By that time, he will have led the private Catholic school for 15 years.

McGinniss said in a statement Tuesday that while he is proud of his work at La Salle, it seems like the right time to leave.

University officials credit McGinniss with increasing the university's endowment from $42 million to more than $79 million.

In addition, enrollment has grown 14% over the past decade. La Salle now serves about 7,300 undergraduate and graduate students.

School officials say a search committee will begin working this summer to find a replacement.

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This Hour: Latest Pennsylvania news, sports, business and entertainment