WILKES-BARRE — A northeastern Pennsylvania county where judges have been charged in kickback scandals is taking steps to improve confidence in the courts.

On Thursday, Luzerne County judges demonstrated a new computer system that assigns civil cases to judges at random. The judges say they hope to have a similar system for criminal cases by October or November.

Under the old system, the county court administrator and president judge would assign cases. Federal authorities have been looking at allegations of case-fixing in the county.

Two judges resigned in January after pleading guilty to charges they took $2.6 million in payoffs to place juveniles in private detention facilities.

CORAOPOLIS — Police say a 5-year-old boy is in critical but stable condition after his face was mauled by a pit bull.The dog has been quarantined by police in Coraopolis who are not identifying the boy or his aunt, who was watching him at the time. The family told KDKA-TV the boy's name is Tyler Williams and that he underwent facial surgery Wednesday night.Police say the boy was attacked about 5 p.m. Wednesday when he went into the back yard to feed the dog, which was tied up. Police don't know why the animal, which weighs about 70 pounds, attacked the boy.The dog's owner wasn't home at the time and police are not releasing his name.

PITTSBURGH — The attorney for a Pittsburgh police officer says deadly force was necessary to keep a motorist from harming officers before a fatal police shooting in March.The attorney says Pittsburgh Sgt. Terrence Donnelly was justified in shooting at 33-year-old Nicholas Haniotakis on March 15. An investigation determined a shot fired by Trooper Samuel Nassan III killed the motorist, though Donnelly wounded him, too.Nassan's attorney has yet to respond to the federal lawsuit filed by the motorist's family.Police say Haniotakis was shot because he tried to run down the officers who tried to stop him for driving without headlights during a drunken driving patrol.Nassan fatally shot an unarmed 12-year-old Uniontown boy in 2002. That lawsuit was settled for $12.5 million.

PHILADELPHIA — Convicted former state Sen. Vincent Fumo won't have to forfeit his Philadelphia mansion to the government in the wake of his sweeping corruption case.A federal judge has denied a bid by prosecutors to recoup $4 million in alleged proceeds from his crimes. U.S. District Judge Ronald L. Buckwalter says the government did not prove that any of Fumo's property is traceable to his crimes.Buckwalter notes that he can still order restitution at Fumo's sentencing in July.The 66-year-old Philadelphia Democrat faces more than 10 years in prison for defrauding the state Senate, a nonprofit and a museum out of $3.5 million.

HOPWOOD — State police are trying to contact customers of a restaurant where police believe a waitress was giving herself bigger tips using the customers' credit cards.State police in Uniontown are not identifying the waitress at Pasta Lorenzo in South Union Township because they say their investigation isn't over. The restaurant's owner says management discovered the incidents after a couple customers complained about being overcharged. The owner says the same waitress, who no longer works at the restaurant, waited on both customers so he began reviewing receipts she handled.Police say the owner called them after finding 27 suspicious receipts.