STATE
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Managers of Elvis Presley's Graceland anointed their first "Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist" Friday night, ending a worldwide search for a Presley pretender to wear their official crown.
The new make-believe King is Shawn Klush, a 38-year-old Elvis impersonator from Pittston, Pa.
"It's unbelievable," he said of the victory. "It's an overwhelming experience, and it couldn't be in a better place."
Klush was chosen at a concert hall in downtown Memphis in the championship round of a series of tribute contests held around the world.
He won $5,000, a $5,000 shopping trip to Graceland's souvenir shops, $3,000 toward a new Elvis jumpsuit and other prizes. The biggest prize, though, was the "Ultimate Elvis" title, a first in the world of Elvis impersonators.
Klush, who wore a white bespangled jumpsuit and sang "My Way," "Bridge Over Troubled Water" and "You Gave Me A Mountain," praised the other contestants and the Elvis fans who filled the 2,000 seat hall at the Cook Convention Center beside the Mississippi River.
Presley died at Graceland, his former Memphis residence, on Aug. 16, 1977, and the finals of the tribute artist contest were part of a weeklong string of concerts, dances and memorials focused on the 30th anniversary of his death.
PITTSBURGH — A woman was ordered Friday to stand trial on charges of leaving her 13-month-old daughter strapped in a car seat overnight with the windows and sunroof open during a storm.Brandi Morgan, 25, of Pittsburgh, is accused of reckless endangerment, child endangerment and leaving a child unattended in a vehicle. A district judge dismissed a charge of resisting arrest.A passer-by discovered the child rain-soaked, covered with leaves and dirt, and wearing only a diaper at about 6:45 a.m. on July 18, police said. Morgan was found in an apartment across the street.Police said the child had been left in the car for as long as eight hours.The child was treated at Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh for exposure. She now is with relatives.
ALLENTOWN — A former middle school principal charged with selling crystal methamphetamine from his school office, his home and other locations pleaded guilty to multiple drug offenses on Friday.John Acerra, 50, of Allentown, pleaded guilty to two counts of felony delivery of methamphetamine and one count of felony possession with intent to deliver. He faces at least two years in prison when he is sentenced Oct. 18.Acerra was principal of Nitschmann Middle School in Bethlehem when he was arrested in his office during a police sting Feb. 27 after school hours.Prosecutors have said there was no indication that Acerra sold the drug to students. Acerra resigned a few days after his arrest.
