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NEW: EASTER BUNNY-BRUSH FIRES, LEGALIZING CHICKENS, TEACHER STRIKE-DANVILLE, MAYOR-24 RESTAURANTS
TOP STORIES:
VIEWING HARRISBURG — Slapping Pennsylvania's booming natural gas industry with a new tax has long been the currency of Democrats, and now an increasingly grim budget picture is turning Republican heads in the GOP-controlled state Legislature. Some Republicans in the Capitol are predicting that a tax on natural gas extraction could end up in whatever final budget legislation emerges, probably in late June. The multinational industry has been a lightning rod since it arrived in Pennsylvania five years ago and raising taxes on it would be preferable to cutting aid to schools or the poor, some Republicans say. By Marc Levy. 750 words.
WORLD'S FAIR-WARHOL
NEW YORK — Even for a 1964 New York World's Fair that celebrated "The World of Tomorrow," Andy Warhol may have been ahead of his time. His monumental piece commissioned specifically for the fair — a mural depicting mug shots of the New York Police Department's 13 most-wanted criminals — was deemed too edgy for the family friendly event and was painted over just before opening day. Now, 50 years later, the work is the focus of a museum exhibition being staged on the very fairgrounds where the pop-art provocateur was censored. By Ula Ilnytzky. SENT: 570 words. AP Photos.
MAYOR-24 RESTAURANTS
JENKINTOWN — The mayor of a small town in the Philadelphia suburbs spent Saturday eating at every one of its 24 food purveyors to draw attention to its burgeoning restaurant scene. About 400 words.
FROM AP MEMBERS:
MEMBER EXCHANGE-KEYSTONE EXTRA
PITTSBURGH — On a recent afternoon, Bill Powers perked up with excitement when his PixController Inc. webcam of the bald eagles' nest in Hays reached an impressive benchmark. "Wow, it hit a million," he called out in his Murrysville office. "This is great for Pittsburgh. We have a viral page." The PixController Inc. eagles' nest cam, broadcasting online since Dec. 20, and an osprey cam near Portland, Northampton County, are part of a pilot project involving the company and the Pennsylvania Game Commission in a public-private partnership. The goal is to use wildlife cams to advance research and education. But the popularity of the eagle cam has soared beyond expectations, capturing the public interest and imagination. By David Templeton, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. SENT: 1,200 words.
MEMBER EXCHANGE-LIVING
LANCASTER — When firefighters arrived to fight the fire at Ken Murry's Mountville home late last month, they couldn't open either of the front doors. Belongings — much of it related to his railroading passion — blocked doors. That was the first indication firefighters were dealing with a hoarder's home, according to Mountville Fire Co. Chief Dean Gantz Jr. Murry died in the fire. While his collecting wasn't to blame — his home lacked fire detectors and the first-floor fire blocked the staircase, his main escape route from the second floor — firefighters say such conditions are becoming an increasing problem. By Dan Nephin, Lancaster Newspapers. SENT: 1,000 words.
MEMBER EXCHANGE-PEOPLE
SOLEBURY — The gray Toyota Corolla that Abbie Hoffman drove in Mexico during his fugitive years still sits in upper Bucks County, parked on the old farm where he lived and took his own life 25 years ago. "I've been wondering what to do with it," Michael Waldron, Hoffman's former landlord and friend, said recently. "But I'm not sure who would take it." If the iconoclastic 1960s radical — branded as both a counterculture hero and a publicity-seeking clown — left a legacy in Bucks, perhaps it's undeveloped land. Tracy Carluccio, deputy director of the Delaware Riverkeeper Network, said Hoffman's help fighting a 1980s project to pump water from the river sparked a rebirth of local environmental activism. By Ben Finley, The Philadelphia Inquirer. SENT: 1,000 words.
MEMBER EXCHANGE-EDUCATION
PHILADELPHIA — Gionna Hawkins is 14, a smart young lady with serious goals and a detailed plan for pulling them off — class president, then internships, college and law school. She is accustomed to concerned looks when she tells people the school she attends: Bartram High, infamous for fights and chaos and a "conflict resolution specialist" lying face down on the floor, knocked out by a student. By Kristen A. Graham, The Philadelphia Inquirer. SENT: 1,200 words.
MEMBER EXCHANGE-BUSINESS
PITTSBURGH — Bella Donna wouldn't dare board a plane without a fresh haircut. Her name means "beautiful lady," after all, and the teacup Yorkshire terrier lives up to it. "We're leaving for California on Thursday, and I want to make sure she's groomed before we go," said owner Mary Cindrich, 64, who lives in Pittsburgh's downtown. "She has to look good on the plane." Dog grooming services are gaining popularity. Americans spent $4.41 billion on grooming, training, boarding and other pet services in 2013, up 6.1 percent over 2012 spending, according to a study by the American Pet Products Association, which tracks spending on pets. Overall spending increased from $53.3 billion in 2012 to $55.7 billion in 2013, and is expected to reach $58.5 billion this year. By Margaret Harding, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. SENT: 750 words.
IN BRIEF:
— TEXT ENDS SEARCH — The search for a 34-year-old woman in a western Pennsylvania park ended after she texted emergency responders to assure them she was fine.
— FALLING CONCRETE — A thin section of concrete that fell from the underside of an exit ramp is closing most parts of the Linden Street Garage in Scranton.
— PHILANTHROPIST-TUITION — A chance encounter with a customer who's a major Harrisburg philanthropist is paying for the education of a waitress who now works as nurse in a hospital facility that bears the man's name.
— CAR IN POND — Authorities in western Pennsylvania say a 16-year-old passenger needed medical treatment after being rescued from a vehicle that landed upside-down in a pond after a police chase.
— BIKE-TRACTOR CRASH — A bicyclist is being treated for significant injuries after crashing head-on into a tractor during a race on a country road in south-central Pennsylvania.
— EASTER BUNNY-BRUSH FIRES —
— TEACHER STRIKE-DANVILLE — Parents, students and others say they're hoping for a resolution of the teacher strike that began this week in the Danville Area School District.
— LEGALIZING CHICKENS — A group of York City residents is asking the local government to make it legal for them to raise chickens.
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