PLUM — Officials said a broken gas line caused a house in suburban Pittsburgh to explode, killing 64-year-old Richard Leith of Trafford and injuring his 4-year-old granddaughter, Gianna Pettinato. Investigators are still trying to figure out what ignited the gas.

Neighbor Lynn Celia rescued Pettinato, but rescuers eventually found Leith, who had been thrown some 20 feet by the force of the blast. Gianna suffered a broken leg.

Karl Gunther, a pipeline-accident investigator with the National Transportation and Safety Board, confirmed there was a broken two-inch steel gas line. The pipe, which he estimated to be at least 40 years old, will be inspected in Washington, D.C.

FPITTSBURGH — An attorney for the family of an unarmed 12-year-old boy shot dead by the state police asked a jury for more than $50 million in damages to punish troopers for allegedly covering up how the shooting occurred.Civil rights attorney Geoffrey Fieger wrapped up his wrongful death case against Troopers Samuel Nassan, Juan Curry and the Pennsylvania State Police in U.S. District Court, Pittsburgh, on Thursday.Fieger represents Michael Hickenbottom, whose son, Michael Ellerbe, was shot in the back as he ran from the troopers after they cornered a stolen SUV the boy was in on Christmas Eve 2002 in Uniontown.

NEW KENSINGTON — A preliminary hearing has been postponed for an ex-teacher's aide accused of being in a New Kensington hotel room with drugs, alcohol and minors because Westmoreland County prosecutors plan to file more charges against her.The hearing for 34-year-old Abbiejane Swogger, of Natrona, is now set for March 14. She is already charged with felony crack cocaine possession and corruption of minors. Now prosecutors say they will add charges of marijuana delivery, as well as interfering with the custody of children for allegedly giving two runaway girls a ride to the hotel room last month.The former exotic dancer has denied wrongdoing, but she resigned as an aide to a special needs student after media reports about the hotel room raid.