HARRISBURG — A state senator from Western Pennsylvania whose gun was used by a teenage neighbor in an apparent suicide has abandoned his campaign for a second term.

Sen. Robert Regola submitted paperwork Monday to Department of State officials notifying them of his decision to remove his name from the general election ballot, officials said.

The Westmoreland County Republican made the decision on the last possible day to do so, leaving his party 10 days, under state rules, to find a substitute candidate to run against Democrat Tony Bompiani.

The withdrawal by Regola, who was unchallenged in the primary, came a month after a jury acquitted him of criminal charges that he lied about how he stored the gun and whether it was ever kept in his son's room.

In a statement issued Monday, Regola said he did not want to put his family through a negative campaign that he said his opponent will wage, or subject his family to the negative stories that he said the media would generate from his campaign.

"Even though the jury acquitted me of these charges in less than three hours, my political opponents and some of the news media would likely spend the next several months vilifying me further," Regola said.

HARRISBURG — State education officials want to determine whether local graduation tests given by school districts adequately measure students' readiness for college and work.The state Education Department is asking all districts to provide samples of math, reading and writing tests given to students who graduated in the spring.The deadline to respond is Aug. 30, but a spokesman says the department is working with districts that need more time to comply.Students currently must pass either the 11th-grade state math, reading and writing tests or local tests that are equally rigorous in order to graduate.A plan to mandate new statewide graduation testing requirements stalled this year amid opposition from lawmakers. Instead, the department is developing a voluntary testing program.

APOLLO — Funeral services are set for a West Point graduate from Western Pennsylvania who was killed in Afghanistan earlier this month.Second Lt. Michael Girdano, 23, of Apollo was killed Aug. 1.His funeral is this morning in his hometown, about 35 miles northeast of Pittsburgh.Girdano was a month into his first tour of duty overseas when he was killed.The Army says Girdano was one of four soldiers killed by a homemade bomb near the Pakistan border.On Friday night, more than 400 friends and family paid tribute to Girdano at a public memorial at a high school football field.

HARRISBURG — Work is expected to begin this week to fix leaks in the Pennsylvania Capitol's 102-year-old dome.The leaks have soaked the interior brick walls along the dome's lower section, leaving white salt deposits behind. They have also damaged a plaster wall near one of the rotunda's murals.The $6 million project, which could take as long as a year, will involve a team of conservators and structural engineers who have worked on historical buildings.