Burlco man charged in shooting death of former employer

N.J. man convicted in sexual assault of child
A New Jersey man was found guilty on Thursday of sexually assaulting a relative when she was an elementary school student, the Gloucester County Prosecutor’s Office announced.

40-year-old theft vexes FBI: $1M Rockwell gone from Cherry Hill
The weary farmboy who once graced the cover of the Saturday Evening Post might sleep forever, but not the FBI.

New Camden County College president hopes to boost student retention through affordable education
Less than a week before Camden County College’s newly appointed president officially assumes his role, the county Board of Freeholders and the college board of trustees introduced Donald A. Borden to the community.

Youth, 14, recounts 13-year-old friend’s shooting death
The teens on East Walnut Lane were drifting through another summer afternoon Wednesday – playing basketball, hanging out – when a few decided to venture into an abandoned house.

Collingswood schools chief: Calling police on kids not our idea
Collingswood School Superintendent Scott Oswald said Thursday that Camden County prosecutors had demanded in a May meeting that the district report nearly every incident of student misbehavior to the police.

Garbage truck overturns in Juniata Park, 3 hurt
A city trash truck overturned Wednesday after swerving to avoid hitting a car in Juniata Park, injuring three sanitation workers, one seriously, police said.

Philly jury begins deliberating in trial of Oasis strip club manager in death of patron
Prosecution and defense lawyers agreed that a single punch by Oasis Gentlemen’s Club manager John Pettit resulted in the 2009 death of patron James Koons.

Collingswood mayor says schools’ Call 911 policy dropped: It’s ‘fixed, finished, done.’
A controversial policy that required Collingswood public schools to call police for nearly every incident of student misbehavior has been “reversed,” Mayor James Maley said.

Cops: Delaware man steals golfer’s cart and truck, drives to Camden
Police are looking for a man accused of taking a golf cart from a player at a Delaware course, then stealing the victim’s truck and driving it to Camden.

Maybe Collingswood schools shouldn’t always rush to call 911?
The uproar over whether the Camden County prosecutor’s draconian “Always call 911” mandate should apply even in cases that teachers, principals, or parents once had the power to resolve has become quite an educational experience for Collingswood.

Christie to reluctant Senate: Back Assembly’s gas-tax plan
TRENTON – Gov. Christie on Wednesday pressed the Senate to approve a deal to raise the state’s gas tax in exchange for a sales-tax cut, ahead of a voting session Thursday.

Alleged crossbow killer of new wife was under court order to avoid ex-wife, kids
On Friday, two days before Paul Kuzan allegedly killed his new wife with a crossbow in their Northeast Philadelphia home, the couple traveled to Carbon County, Pa., for a court hearing.

In East Falls, they’re not playing nice over a proposed playground
In East Falls, they call those born and raised there the Old Guard, and newly arrived young families the New East Falls, says Beth Gross-Eskin, a “Fallser” for 35 years.

Hite: 99% of Philly teacher positions filled
Philadelphia School Superintendent William R. Hite Jr. announced Wednesday that the School District had filled 99 percent of its teaching positions and was on target to have all filled by the start of the school year.

Pa. House OKs budget; battle looms on how to pay for it
HARRISBURG – The House on Tuesday overwhelmingly approved a $31.5 billion budget with heavy support from Republicans and Democrats, but a stubborn behind-the-scenes fight remains over how to pay for it.

Panel approves subpoena power in Kane impeachment probe
HARRISBURG – A House panel deciding whether to impeach Pennsylvania Attorney General Kathleen G. Kane voted Tuesday to begin issuing subpoenas for internal documents and witness testimony.

Defense presents no evidence in strip club murder trial
Court proceedings for a former manager of a Southwest Philadelphia strip club – accused of killing an unruly customer with a single punch to the head – came to an unexpected close Tuesday with the end of prosecution testimony and the defense’s decision to present no evidence.

Shapiro donates convicted lobbyist’s contributions
Josh Shapiro, the Montgomery County commissioners chairman and Democratic nominee for state attorney general, saw the political hit coming. Shapiro had received $11,500 in campaign contributions in the last decade from Herbert Vederman, the lobbyist and former Philadelphia deputy mayor who was convicted last week on federal racketeering, bribery, and bank fraud charges along with former U.S. Rep. Chaka Fattah.

Jury convicts doctor accused of running pill-mill with Pagans’ help
A federal jury Tuesday convicted a Levittown doctor accused of running a multimillion-dollar pill mill with help from the Pagans Motorcycle Club of drug, money-laundering, bankruptcy-fraud, and other charges.

Atlantic City mayor: City can save millions to avert state takeover
ATLANTIC CITY – In bracingly wonky detail, Mayor Don Guardian took a room full of his city’s residents step by step Tuesday night through the city’s work-in-progress plan to right its financial ship and stave off a threatened state takeover.

Stockton, Rowan to get share of $180M in state grants
New Jersey colleges and universities are receiving more than $180 million from the state for construction and renovation projects, the state announced Tuesday.

Why police were called to a South Jersey third-grade class party
On June 16, police were called to an unlikely scene: an end-of-the-year class party at the William P. Tatem Elementary School in Collingswood.

Pa. Senate committee votes to alter controversial child sex-abuse law
HARRISBURG – With four Philadelphia-area lawmakers dissenting, a Senate committee voted Tuesday to remove the most controversial provision of a bill that would let child sex-abuse victims sue their attackers.

E. Frankford man held for trial in hit-and-run death of man at bus shelter
An East Frankford man was ordered Tuesday to stand trial in an early-morning May 24 hit-and-run crash that killed a man waiting at a Bustleton Avenue bus shelter in the Northeast.

Christie in unusual role: Selling a tax increase
WALL, N.J. – Gov. Christie, back on the stump in New Jersey Tuesday for the first time since launching his unsuccessful presidential bid a year ago, found himself pitching an unfamiliar cause: a tax increase.

Lady Gaga, Lenny Kravitz to perform in Camden for DNC crowd
Next month, when thousands of delegates and politicians descend on Philadelphia for the Democratic National Convention, they’ll be invited to cross the river.

‘I am God,’ alleged crossbow killer once told daughter, her grandfather says
“You reap what you sow.” That’s Paul Kuzan’s favorite quote, according to his Facebook page. Kuzan, who allegedly killed his new wife with a crossbow Sunday night in Northeast Philadelphia, professed Christian faith but dabbled in drugs, alcohol, and prostitutes, his ex-wife’s father said Tuesday.

What to do if you own an Ikea dresser – recalled or not
Ikea has recalled 29 million of its dressers in what a top federal safety official called “one of the most comprehensive consumer safety recalls in American history.” It also is likely to be one of the more complex, impacting products sold over a two-decade span with remedies ranging from refunds to in-home repairs.

Wine, gambling, cigarettes: How the Pa. House proposes to fund its $31.5B budget
HARRISBURG – There may soon be a budget bill, but there is no budget deal. The proposal that cleared the House Appropriations Committee on Monday night calls for the state to spend about 5 percent more next year than it did under this year’s $30 billion budget.

Police: Officer to be fired for stealing $38 from contractor
A Philadelphia police officer was arrested in Bucks County on Friday after allegedly stealing $38 from a handyman he had hired, according to police.

Strip club manager lied about video in beating death, detective testifies
Two Philadelphia police officers told a Common Pleas Court jury Monday that the owner of the Oasis strip club and his manager quickly went from purported victims to suspects in the beating of one patron and death of another.

In N.J. legislature, new efforts to regulate guns
TRENTON – Lawmakers on Monday passed legislation intended to spur sales of so-called smart guns and prevent Gov. Christie’s administration from making it easier to get permits to carry guns.

N.J. lawmakers pass bill to discourage Israel boycotts
TRENTON – New Jersey lawmakers voted overwhelmingly Monday to prohibit the state Treasury Department from investing public employee pension funds in companies that boycott Israel.

NJ budget plan draws unusual bipartisan support
TRENTON – The New Jersey Legislature on Monday sent Gov. Christie a $34.8 billion budget that for the first time in recent years attracted several votes from Republican legislators.

Neighbors: Alleged crossbow killer was naked – and it wasn’t the first time
When Paul Kuzan stood naked in the doorway of his Northeast Philadelphia home after allegedly shooting his new wife to death with a high-velocity crossbow Sunday night, it was not the first time he’d exposed himself to the neighborhood lately, according to police and residents.

City wins chance to study Vine Expressway enhancements
Saying it was time to address problems created by construction of the Vine Street Expressway, U.S. Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx joined Philadelphia officials Monday to announce a new initiative to address those problems.

Delco man laughs after getting sentence for murder of girlfriend
Ryan Duboise told Philadelphia Common Pleas Court Judge Barbara McDermott on Monday that “any sentence I get, I’m not threatened about.”

Indiana graveyard fails to yield key to Cherry Hill mystery
RICHMOND, Ind. – Nicholas Peter Zizzamia, a Villanova University senior who could not hide his sadness from the world, once told a pal he would someday vanish without a trace.

Trenton tango: Lawmakers mull gas tax hike for sales tax cut
TRENTON – New Jersey lawmakers left the Statehouse on Monday without a deal to replenish the state’s depleted fund for roads and bridges, but are negotiating a possible gas tax hike in exchange for a reduction in the sales tax.

Philly eateries closed for health violations
The eateries listed below were asked to close temporarily following inspections by the Philadelphia Department of Health between June 16 and June 24.

Jury orders Phila. schools to pay firm $2.3 million in bias suit
A federal jury entered a $2.3 million judgment Monday against the Philadelphia School District and former Superintendent Arlene C. Ackerman, finding that she discriminated against a Bucks County company by steering a $7.5 million no-bid contract to a smaller, minority-owned firm that had not sought the work.

After rejecting alternative medicine, CHOP gives acupuncture a shot
Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia will offer acupuncture to all of its patients beginning in July, joining a growing number of pediatric medical centers providing alternative therapies.

In N.J. Legislature, a backlash to Israel boycott campaign
New Jersey is about to boycott a boycott movement against Israel. Lawmakers on Monday are expected to pass legislation that would prohibit the state Treasury Department from investing public employee pension funds in companies that boycott Israel as part of the so-called “boycott, divestment, and sanctions” movement.

Bill would extend coverage for Philly paramedics, EMTs
HARRISBURG – Philadelphia firefighters are looking to get their EMT and paramedic peers in the city’s Firefighters and Paramedics Union the same disability coverage they enjoy.

Man convicted in 1991 murder of Philly cop’s brother to get a new trial
For four years, the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office has appealed a judge’s decision granting a new trial in a 1991 case that sent a 19-year-old to prison for life in the killing of a police officer’s brother.

About This Series
Some Philadelphians spend summers lounging down the Shore, and others spend it sitting on their Stoops. This series aims to tell the kinds of summer stories started or shared among neighbors. These are city stories that perpetuate long traditions, or cast a wary eye toward new trends. These are your stories, which are quintessentially, and unapologetically, Philly.

Commuters get ready! Construction on Route 70 in Cherry Hill is about to begin
South Jersey drivers are in for additional traffic woes, as a months-long construction project begins this week on Route 70 – a stretch of highway that officials call one of the worst-paved in the state.

Thousands stroll Manayunk’s Main Street for arts, crafts
Thousands of arts and crafts lovers strolled along Manayunk’s Main Street on Sunday afternoon from Shurs Lane to Green Street, ogling the creations of 300 painters, potters, sculptors, photographers, jewelry and clothing designers, and mixed-media makers.