ERIE — Erie County announced a swine flu fatality, but health officials said the outbreak is subsiding.

Erie County Health Department Director Andy Glass and Erie Schools Superintendent Jim Barker said Friday that retired teacher Marcia Grode, 64, died Nov. 10 from complications of swine flu. The cancer patient is believed to be the county's first death from swine flu.

Erie County has gotten only 18 reported cases of the virus in the past two weeks. In October and early November, the county was getting hundreds of cases.

But Glass said this time of year is when the flu traditionally begins to spread, so vigilance is important.

HARRISBURG — A lawyer was nominated to replace a judge accused of taking kickbacks to send juveniles to private detention facilities.Gov. Ed Rendell nominated Joseph Matthias Cosgrove on Friday to fill the vacancy created when Luzerne County Judge Mark Ciavarella resigned in March. If confirmed by the state Senate, Cosgrove will serve the remainder of Ciavarella's term, which expires in January 2012.Cosgrove has been in private law practice since 1982 and previously served as a public defender, among other jobs. He has also taught constitutional law and civil rights at King's College in Wilkes-Barre.Ciavarella has denied taking kickbacks and is awaiting trial on federal racketeering charges.

PHILADELPHIA — A second suspect was charged with stealing a watch from a man who died while waiting for care at a Philadelphia emergency room.Police said they arrested Martin Smith, 41, on Thursday afternoon. Police said Smith is homeless and was charged with robbery and theft, accused of participating in the crime against Joaquin Rivera, 63. A third suspect remains at large.Rivera was a respected musician and school counselor who sought treatment for chest pain at Aria Health's Frankford Campus on Nov. 28. Security video shows no one attending to Rivera until about 50 minutes after he clutches his chest and passes out.Rivera's funeral is scheduled for 10 a.m. Saturday at Christ and St. Ambrose Episcopal Church in Philadelphia.

ROCHESTER — Police identified the man killed in a double shooting in a strip mall parking lot.Police said he is Thomas Dougherty, 48, of Monaca. Police said Greg Baker, 55, shot his estranged wife, Linda Baker, 48, and Dougherty, about 3:20 p.m. Thursday in the East Rochester Shopping Plaza.Police said Baker, a former car wash owner, walked into the police station shortly afterward and surrendered.Linda Baker was flown to a Pittsburgh hospital, where she was in critical condition Thursday night.Her lawyer, Dennis Blackwell, said she suffered multiple gunshot wounds to her stomach and back. He said she recently filed for divorce.

PITTSBURGH — A Pittsburgh woman faces at least 5 years in prison for beating her 12-year-old son so severely with a belt he needed a skin graft and painkillers during a two-week hospital stay.Sharron Watson, 30, was convicted Thursday of aggravated assault and other crimes for the beating in January 2008. The woman's boyfriend already was sentenced to 5 to 15 years in prison after pleading guilty last month to his part in the beating.A veteran detective cried when describing the beating, which the boy — now 14 — said he received for getting a "D" on his sixth-grade report card.Watson's sentencing has not been scheduled. She faces a maximum of 30 years in prison.

STATE COLLEGE — Penn State fraternities will use a third-party, private security agency to monitor social events in a new policy school and Greek system leaders hope will help discourage high-risk drinking.Fraternities would hire "social monitors" to ensure visitors are on a guest list and check photo identification. The policy would take effect when the next semester begins in January.A statement Friday from the university called the new policy "an unprecedented effort to discourage high-risk drinking and incidents at social events." Interfraternity Council president Luke Pierce said objective monitoring is expected to increase accountability and reports of risk management violations.