STATE
PHILADELPHIA — A second lawsuit was filed against a suburban Philadelphia school district accused of spying on students through cameras in school-issued laptop computers.
Jalil Hasan, who graduated from Lower Merion High School last spring, said the school district activated remote-tracking software after he left the laptop at school Dec. 18.
The lawsuit filed Tuesday in federal court says the laptop was returned three days later, but the surveillance software remained activated for about two months.
The suit alleges more than 1,000 photos were taken, 469 from the webcam and 543 screen shots.
INDIANA — A state police fire marshal said arson is to blame for a fire that caused more than $2 million damage at a landmark furniture store.Rustic Acres Furniture in White Township, Indiana County, burned July 1.Trooper Timothy Frew issued a news release Tuesday ruling the fire arson, but did not immediately return a call to explain how he believes the fire was set.David and Donna Reed have owned the store for 29 years and housed it in the restored dairy barn that burned since 1999. Before that it was located in an airplane hangar in DuBois.The building was insured, and David Reed has said his family plans to rebuild the business.
ST. MARYS — A 138-year-old brewery might stop selling beer in returnable bottles because too many customers aren't returning them.Executive senior vice president Dan Straub said Straub Brewery of St. Marys spent about $150,000 buying 25,000 returnable bottles "four or five years ago, and none of them are coming back." Customers pay a $1.50 deposit on a case of 24 returnable bottles.Straub said the family owned brewery 100 miles northeast of Pittsburgh is one of the few left in the country to use the environmentally friendly returnable bottles, but can't afford to keep losing money on them.
LANCASTER — Family members said the founder of a national pretzel franchise was injured in a motorcycle accident over the weekend.A family blog posted Monday says Auntie Anne's founder Anne Beiler suffered a concussion, broken collarbone, broken rib and abrasions to her face in the 8 p.m. Saturday crash in Gap, Lancaster County.The blog says Belier was wearing a helmet but could not keep her motorcycle upright when she hit a spot of oil.A Lancaster General Hospital spokeswoman said Belier is in good condition.
