JEANNETTE — Eight parents of Western Pennsylvania students had theft charges dropped after paying off their children's outstanding cafeteria bills.

Theft of services charges were filed against 12 Jeannette School District parents last month after the school failed to recoup the money. The students owed a total of about $3,000, with one of the debts dating back to the 2006-07 school year.

Charges against eight parents were dropped at a preliminary hearing Thursday in Jeannette. Four other cases were rescheduled for July 15.

PITTSBURGH — The Mario Lemieux Foundation will benefit when table games get a test run at Pittsburgh's Rivers Casino next month.The eight-hour, invitation-only test run is set for July 6, two days before the casino on the city's North Shore hopes to offer table games.The foundation created by the Pittsburgh Penguins owner raises money for cancer and neonatal research, and funds sibling playrooms in medical facilities.Lemieux was diagnosed with Hodgkin's disease in 1993, in the midst of his Hall of Fame playing career, but survived and has been cancer-free since.Lemieux's foundation expanded its scope after his son, Austin, was born premature.

HARRISBURG — A central figure in Pennsylvania's legislative corruption case — Mike Veon — is being sentenced in Harrisburg.The former state House Democratic whip is to be sentenced today by Dauphin Court Judge Richard Lewis.Veon stands convicted of 14 counts of theft, conspiracy and conflict of interest, mostly involving the illegal use of public resources for political campaigning and other illegal purposes.The state attorney general's office is seeking a 12- to 17-year prison sentence for the former Beaver County lawmaker.His lawyer says he will recommend a sentence that includes probation but no prison time.Also being sentenced on similar charges is Annamarie Perretta-Rosepink, who ran Veon's district office in Beaver Falls.

WASHINGTON — A coroner's jury ruled the death of a Western Pennsylvania man days after police subdued him with a stun gun was accidental.The Washington County jurors ruled the death of 49-year-old Ronald Petruney was accidental because of the November confrontation with police, along with a seizure disorder and an underlying heart condition.Police in Washington, Pa., say they were trying to help Petruney when he had a seizure and wandered into traffic on Nov. 17.They say he swung at one officer and bit another. Officers used a stun gun on him twice and he lost consciousness and was taken to a hospital, where he died four days later.A forensic pathologist determined the cause of death was cardiac arrest due to a seizure disorder.

PITTSBURGH — Work on an underground tunnel and extension of Pittsburgh's light rail line is under budget and on track for its March 2012 opening.That's according to project manager Keith Wargo, who said construction of the North Shore Connector is about three-quarters completed. The 1.2 mile extension of the city's light rail line will take passengers under the Allegheny River to the city's North Shore, which is home to Heinz Field, PNC Park and other attractions.Wargo said the $528.8 million project is so far $1.9 million under budget. A recent wiring flaw upped the cost of the project by more than $1 million.In 2001, the project was originally estimated to cost $390 million.Opponents of the project say it is too costly and that cost overruns have been unacceptable.

PITTSBURGH — Police are searching for a Pittsburgh woman they say killed her two dogs and tried to pin their deaths on her son and another man.Pittsburgh police say 52-year-old Deborah Kyles bound, suffocated and injected a Chihuahua with antifreeze in April. Investigators say Kyles told them she found the dog in the back of her daughter's boyfriend's truck.A second dog was discovered May 4 in her backyard after a neighbor called police. The Pomeranian had been stabbed, its head covered in a plastic bag and its legs bound.Police say Kyles insisted her son and her daughter's boyfriend be arrested, but they say she killed the dogs herself.Investigators tried to arrest Kyles at her home on Thursday, but she wasn't there. She faces two charges of animal cruelty and one count of filing false police reports.

PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh police are investigating several attacks on bicyclists, but they are unsure if the incidents are related.The most recent attack happened Monday night in the city's East End neighborhood. Bicyclist Ryan Ference said he was attacked by a group of people while riding his bike home from work. No one has been arrested in the assault.Police say the attacks haven't had a pattern and there is no indication they are connected. However, authorities are urging bicyclists to take precautions and be aware of their surroundings.