GREENSBURG — A school bus driver had to be cut from the wreckage after the vehicle collided with a pickup truck, and three special needs students on board were also taken to hospitals, though their injuries are not believed to be serious.

The students were the only passengers on a minibus headed to the Clairview School in Hempfield Township about 8 a.m. Tuesday. Witnesses tell police the truck swerved to avoid a stopped vehicle and crossed into the other lane, hitting the bus head on.

HARRISBURG — A registered nurse will take over as the head of the Pennsylvania Department of Health later this week.Gov. Ed Rendell on Tuesday announced that Michael K. Huff will become acting Health secretary as of Friday, when the current secretary, Everette James, leaves the post. Huff will be the first nurse to hold the job.Huff most recently has served as deputy secretary for health planning and assessment and has worked for the Health Department in various capacities for two decades.

PITTSBURGH — The city is appealing an arbitration panel's decision to reinstate a Pittsburgh police sergeant who was fired but later found not guilty of charges that he slapped his ex-girlfriend so hard he dislocated her jaw.Eugene Hlavac Jr., 42, was found not guilty in April of assault charges and the panel voted 2-1 to reinstate him. A neutral arbiter and a union representative voted to reinstate Hlavac, while Deputy Chief Paul Donaldson voted against that.