ERIE — Officials in Erie said it is time to start sending a message to drivers — and Harrisburg lawmakers — with the city's ban on hand-held cell phone use.

The ban went into effect Jan. 5, but nobody has been ticketed in the first month. Instead, police have issued warnings prompting the police chief and city council to say citizens have had enough time to get used to the idea.

City Council President Jim Thompson said a statewide ban would be better and he thought passing the city ban was primarily a good way to get Harrisburg's attention.

The House passed a similar ban while the Senate passed a text-messaging ban, but lawmakers haven't reconciled them as one bill.

Erie's ordinance carries a fine of $150 to $300, but makes exceptions for emergency calls.

PITTSBURGH — A federal grand jury will now take up the case against a San Francisco man accused of forcing a US Airways flight to be diverted to Pittsburgh because he was high on medical marijuana.Kinman Chan, 30, waived his right to a preliminary hearing Friday on a charge of interfering with a flight crew. That means federal prosecutors in Pittsburgh have 30 days to obtain a grand jury indictment on the charge.The FBI said Chan was flying from Philadelphia to Los Angeles Jan. 30 when he allegedly began screaming in the airliner's restroom then fought with flight crew members who tried to get him to sit down.The FBI said Chan told them he ate a double dose of medical marijuana cookies before the flight. His public defender declined to comment.

BROWNSVILLE — A 30-day unpaid suspension was lifted against a high school teacher who appeared next to a male stripper in a picture someone else posted on Facebook.Brownsville School District solicitor Jim Davis did not say specifically why the suspension was lifted effective Friday, but he said the teacher has a grievance pending and the school district is continuing to investigate.The unidentified female teacher reportedly posed in a suggestive way next to the stripper who was hired to perform at a bridal shower. The American Civil Liberties Union questioned the suspension saying the teacher's actions were private and legal.Davis said ACLU action didn't end the suspension, which began Jan. 12 and was for 30 school days.

HARRISBURG — More grant money is available for the hundreds of thousands of low-income families seeking help paying for winter heat in Pennsylvania.State officials said Thursday there is now more money for both cash grants and crisis grants through the federally funded LIHEAP program.The amount of the cash grants to help pay winter heating bills for the most vulnerable families is being increased by $100 to an average of $426 for the current season. Also, many families will be eligible to receive an additional crisis grant, up to a maximum of $400.

HARRISBURG — State Sen. Barry Stout, D-46th, said in a statement Thursday he will not seek re-election because a recently fractured pelvis will make it difficult to serve.The Washington County Democrat's term expires Nov. 30. The 73-year-old Stout came to Harrisburg in 1971 and served six years in the state House of Representatives before he was elected to the Senate in 1977.