STATE COLLEGE -- Nuclear regulators have given Penn State a thumbs-up for the university's handling of a leak at the school's research reactor.

The leak at the 71,000-gallon reactor pool was discovered Oct. 9, forcing the school to shut down the reactor.

Over the next month, workers resurfaced the pool and made repairs to a divider wall before the pool was refilled Nov. 20. The reactor was then put back in operationr.

The school concluded that much of the leak was likely through the pool divider wall, according to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission report.

"Dose calculations show that exposures to the public were negligible and well below regulatory limits," the NRC said.

The building that housed the reactor remained open to classes and other research during repairs.

HARRISBURG — The merger between telephone giants Verizon and MCI in Pennsylvania can remain intact, the state's highest court said Friday in a ruling that reverses a lower court's decision to reject state regulatory approval.In the state Supreme court's 7-0 decision, justices said the Public Utility Commission had properly considered all viewpoints and established that the merger would provide sufficient benefits to Pennsylvania ratepayers.The utility commission's chairman, Wendell Holland, said the majority of the commissioners had found that the merger would bring an economic boost to Pennsylvania and ensure innovative services for people in all areas.Verizon Communications Inc. is Pennsylvania's largest telephone company with about 6 million lines.

PITTSBURGH — The Allegheny County medical examiner says the skeletal remains found last week in a wooded hillside in Clairton are that of a 33-year-old woman who was reported missing.Authorities say Melissa Galiyas was reported missing in April. Her death has been ruled a homicide. The medical examiner says the cause of death cannot be determined.The remains were found Dec. 22 two blocks from her home. No personal items or clothing were found with the skeleton.Some of Galiyas' clothes were found in a trash can shortly after she was reported missing.