Man charged in 1998 slaying of store owner

ALLENTOWN - A man has been charged with criminal homicide in the shooting death of an eastern Pennsylvania convenience store owner more than a decade and a half ago during what authorities called a daytime robbery.John Edinger, 44, of Emmaus is charged in Lehigh County in the July 1998 shooting death of 59-year-old Adel Malek.He was found with multiple gunshot wounds inside his Apotheca Store and later died at Lehigh Valley Hospital.The county district attorney's office said Edinger was identified as a suspect during the investigation, but didn't provide further information and a representative of the office declined comment.2-year-old girl killed when SUV hits tree in PoconosTOBYHANNA - A 2-year-old girl is dead after a car crash in the Poconos.The Monroe County coroner says Madison Figueroa was killed after the SUV she was riding in went off the road and hit a tree Tuesday.Two adults and a 1-year-old survived the crash on Route 196 near Tobyhanna.Pocono Mountain Regional Police are investigating.$4.75M settlement OK'd in 'kids for cash' caseWILKES-BARRE - A businessman will pay at least $4.75 million to settle a lawsuit by juveniles sent to his Pennsylvania detention centers by a corrupt judge.A federal judge gave final approval to the settlement on Wednesday.Robert Powell was sentenced to 18 months in prison for his role in the scandal that became known as "kids for cash," a kickback scheme that led the Pennsylvania Supreme Court to vacate the convictions of thousands of juveniles.Powell testified he was forced to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars to former Luzerne County Judges Mark Ciavarella Jr. and Michael Conahan in return for their support of his two private juvenile facilities.The judges are serving long prison terms.Powell could be forced to pay an additional $2.5 million depending on a calculation of his net worth.Man files complaint after cat shot, killed by officerALLENTOWN - A grieving pet owner is seeking answers after his lost cat was shot and killed by a northeastern Pennsylvania police officer.Tom Newhart tells WFMZ-TV he's owned 6-year-old Sugar since she was a kitten. He says Sugar slipped out of the house near Allentown on Dec. 5.A neighbor found the cat hours later and thought it looked injured but wasn't aggressive.He says he called North Catasauqua Police for help.Mike Lienert says the arriving officer told him he'd have to put the animal down if it was hurt.He says the officer then shot the cat near his pool and left Lienert to clean up the mess.Newhart says he's filed a complaint with North Catasauqua borough.The borough says in a statement it's investigating the incident.Deer crashes through window in school cafeteriaSAEGERTOWN - A deer caused quite a stir at a northwestern Pennsylvania school when it came crashing through a window to its cafeteria last weekend.The Meadville Tribune reports security footage caught the button buck breaking through a window in the Saegertown Junior-Senior High School cafeteria on Saturday afternoon.The deer was followed by two others that didn't enter the school, but broke another window in the cafeteria.Pennsylvania Game Commissioner Mark Allegro says the deer broke two of its legs and serious cuts to its chest caused a large amount of bleeding.The deer was removed from the school and euthanized outside.The school's custodial staff worked to clean up the mess and board up the broken windows.- The Associated Press