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Imagine a company hiring a debt collector that sends armed representatives to customers’ homes and threatens to put them in cages if they don’t pay up. That’s not allowed in America, unless your company is the government. NBC Philadelphia reports on the latest instance of police brutality during petty law enforcement to make the news:

Two men who carjacked a woman and sexually assaulted her in her SUV before plowing into a family selling fruit on a street corner, killing three children, were charged with murder on Monday, police said. Jonathan Rosa and Cornelius Crawford were each charged with three counts of felony murder and other crimes, police announced at a news conference. Police said they believe Rosa, 19, and Crawford, 23, forced a real estate agent into her sport utility vehicle on Friday, then took off at high speed. The three children, killed by the SUV crash about 15 minutes later, were siblings who...

---SNIP-- Weeks after the disclosure that 68 bins of old mail from veterans had been found at the Philadelphia office - and after VA officials pledged immediate action - it has become clear that its problems surrounding document management run deep. Last week, at least 84 boxes of mail that had been returned to the Philadelphia VA when it didn't reach its intended recipient were piled up, one employee told The Inquirer. The center's director estimated that the facility's return-mail backlog was 18,000 envelopes deep and had been sitting since March 2012.

NOTHING WAS GOING to stop Richard Plotts from carrying a gun. Not the law, not his felony record, not his questionable mental health and certainly not a sign. "There's evidence that he took offense to the issue that there were signs posted at Mercy Fitzgerald Health System indicating that it was a gun-free zone," Whelan said. "That's the only motive we have been able to determine at this point in time . . . he was upset about that policy." And, if not for an armed doctor and two other brave staffers who subdued him, Plotts may have claimed many...

Three siblings who were helping their mother sell fruit along a North Philadelphia street are dead after carjackers ran them down, police say. Their mother, another woman and the carjacking victim are fighting for their lives as police search for the men responsible.

Rep. Jim Gerlach (R-Pa.) recently called on President Obama to support Ukrainian efforts to deter pro-Russian separatists with military aid, equipment and weaponry. Gerlach, a co-chairman of the Congressional Ukrainian Caucus, called for additional U.S. support after the downing of a Malaysia Airlines passenger jet claimed 300 civilian lives in eastern Ukraine, according to a press release. “The president’s response (on Friday) to this reckless act of violence was tepid, and it is clear to anyone paying attention that the White House’s attempt to hit the reset button with Russia has failed miserably,” Gerlach said. “(July 17) was a wake-up...

Philadelphia carjackers ram crowd, killing three, police say

After the macabre findings from notorious abortionist Kermit Gosnell’s Philadelphia charnel house were made public in 2011, lawmakers in Pennsylvania enacted legislation that ensures, among other things, that state inspectors will regularly visit abortion facilities in the state.Recently the results of inspections [PDF] conducted recently at the Philadelphia Women’s Center (PWC) abortion facility were released — and, like so many other abortion clinic inspections, they really throw a spanner in the works of the “pro-choice” movement’s claims that heightened oversight of abortion clinics is “onerous” and “unnecessary.”Photocopies of Doctor’s Signature on Consent Forms On October 9, 2013, state officials investigated...

Plotts had shot and killed a 53 year-old female case worker. He sustained several critical gun shot wounds himself from the gun of a hospital psychiatrist. The psychiatrist suffered a graze wound to his head. Plotts was taken into custody.

More than 500 children who crossed into the U.S. illegally are being housed in Pennsylvania as federal officials wrestle with a national crisis created by a flood of tens of thousands of unaccompanied minors across the southern border. State officials confirmed Wednesday that the federal government told them 120 children are in two temporary centers in Bethlehem and Womelsdorf, Berks County.

A gunman opened fire inside Mercy Fitzgerald Hospital in Delaware County on Thursday afternoon, killing a female caseworker and grazing a psychiatrist in the head, police said. Officials believe the doctor then drew his own weapon and shot the assailant, hitting him three times and critically injuring him, said Delaware County District Attorney Jack Whelan. The psychiatrist , 52, is expected to recover. Donald Molineux, chief of the nearby Yeadon Police Department, said the doctor "without a doubt saved lives" by firing back.

DARBY, Pa. - We are following breaking news in Darby, PA where multiple people have been shot at a wellness center inside Mercy Fitzgerald Hospital located on the 1500 Lansdowne Avenue.

EPA will hold public hearings in four locations for the proposed Clean Power Plan the week of July 28, 2014. The hearings will provide interested parties the opportunity to present data, views or arguments concerning the proposed action. EPA is pleased by the tremendous public interest in the proposed Clean Power Plan. Already, we have received nearly 300,000 written comments on the proposal. We have found that there are some additional speaking slots still available in Pittsburgh on August 1st, and are reopening the registration for Pittsburgh ONLY. Register for the Pittsburgh hearing on August 1st. The other hearings in...

HARRISBURG — An influx of unaccompanied children crossing the U.S. border is spilling over into Pennsylvania, as state officials received word Monday that more than 500 are being housed in the commonwealth. Those include 120 children staying at two temporary centers and 386 others who have been placed in the care of relatives or religious groups that have agreed to house them, said Kathaleen Gillis, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Public Welfare. The federal government manages the care of the unaccompanied immigrant children. State officials received information about the children in Pennsylvania from the federal Department of Health...

In a stunning security breach, the giant American flags at the top of both sides of the Brooklyn Bridge were replaced by white flags overnight, cops said. The two new flags appear to be American flags that were painted over white — the traditional symbol for “surrender” — and were flying Tuesday morning from both towers. ... The NYPD’s Emergency Service Unit will is replacing the white flags with American flags as they set up a crime scene

CARRICK, Pa. — A deadly home invasion was reported in Carrick early Tuesday morning near the set of a Hollywood movie being filmed in the area. Police said the invasion happened around 2:20 a.m. on Merritt Avenue. Channel 11’s Brandon Hudson reported that the victim opened fire on the two men accused of breaking into his home, killing one and critically injuring the other. Detectives said the men demanded the victim’s belongings, but instead he pulled out a shotgun and opened fire. Investigators said one of the men tried to run away after he was shot, but fell as he...

A local home for children has been asked by the federal government to prepare itself to take in unaccompanied immigrant children from Central America who continue to cross over into the United States. The United Methodist Home for Children in Mechanicsburg has not taken in any children from Central America yet, and it continues to assist children sent to it from the local county courts systems, the group's Board of Trustees Chairwoman Karen Best said Monday. But the agency has been contacted to prepare itself to provide shelter and care for unaccompanied minors, she said. The home has been approved...

A local home for children has been asked by the federal government to prepare itself to take in unaccompanied immigrant children from Central America who continue to cross over into the United States. The United Methodist Home for Children in Mechanicsburg has not taken in any children from Central America yet, and it continues to assist children sent to it from the local county courts systems, the group's Board of Trustees Chairwoman Karen Best said Monday. But the agency has been contacted to prepare itself to provide shelter and care for unaccompanied minors, she said. The home has been approved...

(Reuters) - Two men described as leaders of a Philadelphia mosque were accused of trying to cut off the hand of a suspected thief, whose wrist was sliced so deeply it required hospital treatment, police said on Friday. The 46-year-old victim said two officials in the mosque accused him of stealing jars of money from the house of worship after morning prayers on Monday.

Immigration continues to be a hot topic in the U.S., including in non-border states like Pennsylvania. Friday, Gov. Tom Corbett addressed the issue and how it affects Pennsylvania, saying health is a major concern. “We feel for these children that they are fleeing their countries,” Corbett said. “We want to make sure they are taken care of and returned to their countries. But we also are concerned about their health and what they may cause as far as health issues in the state of Pennsylvania. F

MAYOR NUTTER'S dangerous coddle-a-criminal executive order is bearing fruit. --SNIP-- Here the story gets worse, much worse. In addition to the loopholes mentioned above, there is one more - and it is a killer catch-22. Before the city will hold the convicted foreign felon, the executive order demands ICE must present a "judicial warrant." ICE didn't present a judicial warrant. The last time I wrote about the city and ICE, I ignored the "judicial warrant" element. I thought it was just legal jabberwocky. I was wrong, very wrong. It is a deadly poison pill. Getting a criminal judicial warrant is...

As tensions grow between Russia and Ukraine, many question what role America will play. History experts we spoke with say first and foremost, pay attention to what’s happening. Congressman Scott Perry addressed the crisis at a Lower Windsor Township town hall meeting. Rep. Perry says, “This thing’s going to go further than it has and that Russia is backing the Separatists.” Perry says the United States is not doing its job aiding the Ukrainian Government and urging our coalition partners in Europe to work against Russia. Perry says, “One of things that we can do is start exporting liquid natural...

Pennsylvania Sen. Bob Casey, who ran as a pro-life advocate when he won a Senate term in 2006 and 2012, but who has disappointed pro-life advocates with repeated pro-abortion votes, continues to abandon his pro-life views.A couple years ago, he voted against a measure to revoke taxpayer funding from the Planned Parenthood abortion business. Today, Casey voted for a bill to “overturn� the Supreme Court decision protecting Hobby Lobby from being forced to pay for drugs that may cause abortions.Michael Ciccocioppo, Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation, told LifeNews he is disappointed that Casey continues to abandon is publicly-stated...

Holy Family Institute in Emsworth wants to provide temporary shelter to children who have entered the United States illegally without parents or guardians, generating concerns among some residents. “We believe this is the right thing to do for our ministry and for children who are in need,” said Sister Linda Yankoski, Holy Family CEO. Emsworth Mayor Dee Quinn said she was “stunned” to learn of Holy Family's plans. “I feel like we should have been notified, and we could've had a public meeting on it,” she said. “I think it's very important for everyone to know what's going on.” Robert...

KENSINGTON (WPVI) -- Philadelphia police are investigating the discovery of a young woman's body inside a duffel bag in Kensington. Police say a mam picking through the trash discovered the body of a young woman in a duffle bag next to a vacant home on North 3rd Street near Susquehanna Avenue. Investigators say the call came in around 5:00 a.m. Monday. The body of the Hispanic woman, believed to be 23 years old, was in a trash bag inside the duffle bag. Her arms were bound in the front with duct tape. "Within the next 24 hours we will find...

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — The boyfriend of one of the stars from the popular show “Glee” was found dead in a Center City Philadelphia hotel room. Matt Bendik, the boyfriend of Becca Tobin, was found in the Hotel Monaco on Chestnut Street Thursday afternoon. The Philadelphia Medical Examiner says an autopsy attempting to determine what caused the death of 31-year-old nightclub owner Matt Bendik inside a hotel room on Independence Mall Thursday is inconclusive and additional tests will be required. “The autopsy did not immediately establish a clear cause of death,” the statement read, in part, “There was no evidence of...

Police are investigating battery claims made from a South Florida man who alleges twin brothers and NFL Pro Bowl centers, Mike and Maurkice Pouncey, assaulted him during their annual birthday party. No police report is available yet for the alleged incident, which took place at Cameo Night club around 4:20 a.m. on Saturday. But according to Miami Beach Police Sgt. Bobby Hernandez, the department's detectives have taken a statement from the alleged victim, Ricky Vasquez, and are gathering all the facts involving the battery claims centering around the pair.

FEASTERVILLE, Pa. – A dead body on a gurney fell out of a coroner's van when a door malfunctioned, sending the corpse into the middle of a busy roadway in Pennsylvania. The Bucks County Courier Times reports the accident happened around noon on Friday near a shopping center in Feasterville, Pennsylvania.

Immediately after he ousted the York County Republican Committee's incumbent chairman Saturday, Alex Shorb vowed to ensure that Tea Party supporters are heard in the party's political deliberations. Yet Shorb, a financial services firm owner from York, said he did not regard his election as chairman as some sort of conservative coup. "I don't see it as a tea party takeover at all," he said. "I'm not a tea party member." Shorb's election and the tandem victory of his running mate, Lower Windsor Township Committeewoman Allison Blew, who is the party's new vice chairwoman, followed a push by conservative opponents...

Are you a man born in Pennsylvania between 1893 and 1897? If so, a government agency may have just reminded you to register for the draft. The Selective Service System, which keeps a roster of potential men who can be enlisted in the military, inadvertently sent out mailings to more than 14,000 Pennsylvania men born in those years, reminding them to register. These letters were sent due to a computer error, the agency said in a message posted online, and the Selective Service has apologized to the families who have received these letters. The problem occurred following an automated data...

<p>Time and taxes have finally forced the owner of Lynnewood Hall, a grand Horace Trumbauer estate in Elkins Park, to put the property up for sale.</p> <p>The listing appeared Monday on the real estate website Zillow.com for $20 million.</p> <p>The sales pitch is short and sweet: "A true neoclassical revival masterpiece. ... Main house 110 rooms. 70,000 sq. ft. of living space & 33.85 gated acres."</p>

<p>A U.S. Supreme Court justice has rejected a county official's bid to suspend a ruling that overturned Pennsylvania's gay marriage ban.</p> <p>Justice Samuel Alito rejected an appeal by Schuylkill County Orphans' Court Clerk Theresa Santai-Gaffney's appeal without comment Wednesday. Santai-Gaffney can appeal to another justice.</p>

The Supreme Court declined Monday to review a ruling that overturned a Pennsylvania town’s effort to fight illegal immigration, leaving the legal situation muddled for communities. Justices declined without comment to hear an appeal from Hazleton, Pa., which saw an appeals court strike down its ordinances prohibiting illegal immigrants from renting rooms and barring businesses from employing them. But a different appeals court last year upheld a similar ordinance from Fremont, Neb., and backers said the Supreme Court should have stepped in to provide a final answer. (Continued)

He could become the Willie Horton of the immigration crisis. Milton Mateo Garcia, 28, was caught one year ago entering the U.S. illegally across the Mexican border and was deported back to his native Honduras. But Mr. Garcia soon re-entered the U.S. illegally — federal authorities either don’t know how, or they won’t say. He settled with relatives in Philadelphia, where Mayor Michael Nutter had signed an executive order in April declaring it a “sanctuary city” for illegal immigrants. Living and working in sanctuary, Mr. Garcia last month, according to police, approached a 26-year-old Philadelphia doctor who was walking to...

New research takes a look at decades of corruption convictions to find the crookedest states in the union. When we think of government corruption (as one tends to do), our biased minds often gravitate to thoughts of military juntas and third world governments. But, of course, corruption is everywhere, in one form or another. And it’s costing U.S. citizens big time. A new study from researchers at the University of Hong Kong and Indiana University estimates that corruption on the state level is costing Americans in the 10 most corrupt states an average of $1,308 per year, or 5.2% of...

Richard Mellon Scaife, the Pittsburgh philanthropist and reclusive heir to the Mellon banking fortune, whose support for right-wing causes laid the foundations for America’s modern conservative movement and fueled the 1998 impeachment of President Bill Clinton, died on Friday. He was 82. Mr. Scaife’s death was reported by the The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, a newspaper he owned. He had announced recently that he had cancer. Decades before David and Charles Koch bankrolled right-wing causes, Mr. Scaife and Joseph Coors, the beer magnate, were the leading financiers of the conservative crusade of the 1970s and ’80s, seeking to reverse the liberal traditions...

HAZLETON — The crisis of unaccompanied children streaming across the nation’s southern border from Mexico and Central America has gone from 2,000 miles away to downtown Hazleton, U.S. Rep. Lou Barletta said during a press conference Monday morning. Mr. Barletta, R-11, Hazleton, will be traveling to McAllen, Texas, to see the problem firsthand and seek answers to questions regarding the children’s status, medical conditions and where they will be housed when released by U.S. border patrol agents. “We’re not talking about housing unaccompanied children at some military installation in Texas,” he said. “There are people looking into housing them right...

Bethlehem’s police chief took a pre-emptive shot at the possibility of the city ever issuing identification cards to illegal immigrants. On Tuesday night, Chief Mark DiLuzio told Bethlehem City Council: “I’m a police officer for 34 years and took an oath to uphold the law. I cannot condone the issuing of any state or local identification cards to individuals who are here illegally in this country.”

PHILADELPHIA – A propane tank on a food truck exploded in north Philadelphia Tuesday, sending a huge fireball into the sky and injuring at least 11 people, including two who suffered serious burns, police said. The explosion outside an auto body shop in the city's Feltonville neighborhood caused serious burns to a 27-year-old woman and teenage girl, said Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector Scott Small. He said that four others were listed in stable condition at area hospitals and at least five others were treated and released.

HARRISBURG -- With an hour left in Pennsylvania’s fiscal year, Gov. Tom Corbett said in a statement last night he would withhold his signature from a $29.1 billion budget sent to him by the Republican General Assembly while he considers its effect on the state. Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/news/state/2014/07/01/Gov-Tom-Corbett-refuses-to-sign-state-budget/stories/201407010110#ixzz36DljvJMq

By Ted Taylor Columnist Here’s breaking news! The editor of the student newspaper at Springfield Township High School has just announced that they will no longer use the school nickname, Spartans, in any story so as not to offend any ancient Greeks. OK, I’m kidding. But is that any more off the charts than the Indian-named student newspaper staff at Neshaminy High School nixing the nickname Redskins (origin of which goes back to the 1600s) so as not to offend anyone? To compound the nonsense going on at Neshaminy, the region’s daily newspaper chain (of three) has also decided to...

11:30 a.m.: Police have charged an illegal immigrant from Mexico with homicide by vehicle and other charges in connection with a fatal crash Saturday in West Manheim Township, according to a news release. Steven Miller, 64, of Westminster, Maryland, was killed in the crash, according to the York County Coroner's Office. Police said Carlos Bastida-Martinez, 25, was traveling south on Baltimore Pike when he crossed over the center lines and struck a motorcycle operated by Miller. Miller had fatal injuries at the scene, the release states, Bastida-Martinez suffered moderate injuries and was taken to Hanover Hospital. The 1995 Ford Windstar...

For Norman Hahn, the conservative Mennonite founder of Conestoga Wood Specialties, an anxious wait is almost over. The Supreme Court is expected to rule Monday on the Hahn family's religious challenge to an Affordable Care Act requirement that employee health plans cover emergency contraception. At stake is the Hahn family's ability to continue running their 50-year-old company according to the principles of their faith. If the Hahns lose the appeal, 1,053-employee Conestoga Wood faces a fine of $100 per worker for every day it doesn't cover emergency contraception. The Hahns, owners of the East Earl-based cabinet door manufacturer, object to...

Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden has proposed a three-month transportation bill. Three more months, he says, will give Congress a chance to figure out a long-term solution. The only problem is that Congress had three months three months ago and did nothing. Meanwhile, Sens. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., and Bob Corker, R-Tenn., have proposed to increase gas taxes by 12 cents a gallon. Considering that the gas tax hasn’t been increased in more than 20 inflation-filled years, this would seem to make sense.It doesn’t, however, because a gas tax increase assumes there is a shortage of funds for transportation. Instead, the real...

On Tuesday, police in Philadelphia arrested Milton Mateo Garcia, 28, after he reportedly raped a woman last weekend. Immigrationand Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials have conformed that the Honduran national was deported in June 2013, though the agency has declined to say what criminal activity led to his removal. The victim, a 26-year-old doctor at the University of Pennsylvania Hospital, left the Ladder 15 bar on Sansom Street, after spending Friday evening with friends. Garcia grabbed her as she was about to enter her apartment building near Rittenhouse Square, according to police. The illegal alien was captured on surveillance footage following the woman....

PHILADELPHIA, PA – On Thursday, the Kermit Gosnell legal saga finally came to an end as the last two employees of his “house of horrors� abortion facility faced justice. Former Gosnell associates Lynda Williams and Tina Baldwin became the final defendants to be sentenced in the most publicized abortion case in decades. Common Pleas Court Judge Benjamin Lerner sentenced Williams, 45, to serve five to 10 years in prison for two counts of third-degree murder. Baldwin, 48, received 30 months of probation after pleading guilty to sustaining a corrupt organization, conspiracy, and corrupting a minor. Williams entered a guilty plea...

--snip-- Investigators say 27-year-old Milton Garcia, also known as Milton Garcia-Vazquez, is facing rape and related charges for the assault late Friday night (see related story). Garcia was taken into custody Monday night and was charged sometime overnight. And federal authorities say he is an illegal immigrant who had been kicked out of the US a year ago (see below).

Sharon Doyle forgot to bring her gun to work on Monday. Her decision to go home to retrieve it may have ultimately saved her life. The 46-year-old store owner returned to Stan’s Health Foods in the Mayfair section of the city later that day. As she continued to work alone, police say a 47-year-old man entered the store with a knife in hand, immediately announcing a robbery. The man went behind the counter, grabbed the register and threw it to the ground, forcing it open, according to investigators. After grabbing some cash, he allegedly stood up and put his knife...

Sharon Doyle may be petite but the 46-year-old store owner is anything but defenseless, as one alleged robber learned on Monday. Police say the unidentified 47-year-old man likely believed Doyle was an easy target when he entered the Stan's Health Foods Store on the 7100 block of Frankford Avenue shortly after 5 p.m. But little did he know, there's more to Doyle than meets the eye. "She was a Philadelphia Police officer and she also was in the Secret Service," said Doyle's mother, Rita Perrell. Investigators say Doyle's law enforcement training was put to the test as the man held...

A former Philadelphia police officer shot and killed a knife-wielding man who tried to rob her vitamin store Monday evening, police said. Police did not release the 46-year-old shopkeeper's name, but online business records identified her as Sharon Doyle, who worked as a police officer in Philadelphia as well as Lower Makefield and Warminster Townships. She also served as a Secret Service agent from 2002 to 2004, according to a resumé posted online.