Sign of the times: At 30th Street Station, display board will soon be no more

A 13-year-old boy watched in horror Monday as home invaders fatally shot his father during an early-morning robbery in Hunting Park, police said.

South Jersey man beat girlfriend’s 2-year-old to death, police say
A Pennsauken man has been charged with murder after authorities said he beat his girlfriend’s 2-year-old son to death last weekend.

Facing demolition, Olga’s Diner may be reborn as a fertility clinic
Olga’s Diner in Evesham – long a landmark for Shore-bound motorists and home to some of South Jersey’s most popular cheesecake, but in recent years a vacant eyesore at the former Marlton Circle – finally appears headed for the wrecking ball.

Moorestown Friends freshman sets sights on Harvard – and the White House
The young man with the splendid grin hands me his card. Calvin R. Bell, III. Student and Young Public Speaker.

Jury set to get retrial in ’91 murder, rape of Nicetown woman, 77
A defense lawyer on Monday called for Anthony Wright to be acquitted on rape and murder charges, citing the presence of another man’s DNA in the victim’s body and asking: “What better evidence could there be?”

U.S. attorney clears former South Jersey officer who fatally shot unarmed man
The U.S. Attorney’s Office on Monday declined to file criminal charges against a former Bridgeton, Cumberland County, police officer who fatally shot the unarmed passenger in a vehicle during a car stop in December 2014.

Have a kindergarten-age kid at home in Philly? It’s registration time
Last school year the School District of Philadelphia had room for 12,000 kindergarten students, but only 11,500 children enrolled. Hoping to fill all of those seats by Sept. 14 – the first day for kindergartners in the 2016-17 school year – district officials reminded parents Monday to get their youngsters registered and ready for the three Rs.

Hopes and fears accompany launch of Pa.’s new overdose-prevention tool
Pennsylvania this week is at last going to launch what is frequently described as one of the most effective public policy tools to rein in out-of-control opioid overdose rates.

Wild West Philly shootout and Old City bar stabbing among weekend crime
A stabbing at an Old City bar and a shootout in West Philadelphia among seven men – three of whom were found to have acted in self-defense – were among the violent crimes this weekend in Philadelphia, according to police.

Repeat DUI driver charged with death of woman in wheelchair
Andrew Acito has previous convictions for driving under the influence of intoxicants and theft, according to court records, but on Saturday he stole something that can never be replaced when, police say, he killed a homeless woman in a wheelchair while he was driving intoxicated in North Philadelphia.

Financial aid experiment for nontraditional courses taps N.J. university
In its latest experiment in higher education, Trenton-based Thomas Edison State University is testing a program that gives federal financial aid to students taking courses with nontraditional providers.

A New Jersey hero brings blind chldren to the beach
In 2009, Emily O’Donnell made a bold prediction when her parents dropped her off at the Jersey Shore for a counseling job at a summer camp for blind and visually impaired children.

Archdiocese to shut down three Philly-area worship sites
Archbishop Charles J. Chaput has decided to close three worship locations in the region, the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia announced Sunday.

Germantown fire causes one death, several injuries
One person died and at least three were injured Sunday evening after a fire in the city’s Germantown section. The blaze was reported in a home on the first block of East Clapier Street at 6:08 p.m., according to Philadelphia’s fire dispatch. It was brought under control 18 minutes later, but not before causing injuries that sent four people to the hospital.

Man dead in Burlington shooting; 5-year-old girl injured
A man was shot and killed Saturday night in Burlington City, and a 5-year-old girl was injured in the attack, authorities said. The nature of the girl’s injuries was unclear.

Wheelchair-bound woman killed by hit-and-run driver in North Phila.
A 29-year-old man from Glenolden, Delaware County, was arrested Saturday morning in the hit-and-run death in North Philadelphia of a 37-year-old homeless woman in a wheelchair, police said.

In blue-collar South Jersey town, Trump is a tenant
Beyond a majestic set of gates on West Branch Avenue in Pine Hill, the road to the Trump National Golf Club Philadelphia rises to a manicured peak.

Law and Order 101 for Camden teenagers
Over eight weeks this summer, 17 students from Camden have worked a criminal case as though they were detectives, peered through microscopes to see the markings on shell casings, learned about crime-scene investigation techniques, and visited the FBI’s Philadelphia offices.

For Kane, bitter months ahead as sentencing looms
Facing a possible prison term, the loss of her law license, an impeachment push, and a contentious divorce, former Pennsylvania Attorney General Kathleen G. Kane can expect bitter months ahead.

Why are people waiting in line for more than an hour for ice cream in Philly?
Every day this summer, a line has spilled out of the small ice cream shop, down the front steps, and along the sidewalk on the north side of Walnut Street across from Washington Square.

Bike loop along Delaware River picks up steam and dollars
Nearly two decades after the National Park Service proposed a 60-mile bike and pedestrian trail along a part of the Delaware River, the dusty plans are picking up steam.

Roommate drama lands Penn State sorority sisters in federal court
Molly Brownstein, a Pennsylvania State University senior, and her family describe her roommate Rachel Lader as a classic mean girl – a “monster” and an “expert bully, with a Ph.D. in intimidation.”

ATF: Fire at Branzino was arson
Authorities are looking for the man who set a fire at Branzino, a popular Italian BYOB near Rittenhouse Square. Investigators have determined that the July 26 blaze at 259 S. 17th St. was arson, and video surveillance shows a man inside and outside the restaurant before the fire started around 8:45 a.m., said Steve Bartholomew, a spokesman for the Philadelphia division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.

1 arrested, 1 sought in Germantown Ave. gun battle that left young father dead
An 18-year-old man has been charged with murder for his role in a Germantown Avenue shootout that killed Alsharay Ford, 25, who was driving his 3-year-old daughter home from day care when he was struck by stray gunfire that police said could have killed the child.

Despite Kane’s resignation, panel still mulls impeachment
HARRISBURG – Former Attorney General Kathleen G. Kane, who resigned this week after her conviction for perjury and other crimes, may still face impeachment.

N.J. bill would require naloxone in high schools
A New Jersey assemblyman plans to introduce legislation to require high schools to carry naloxone, which can reverse the effects of a heroin overdose.

Anthony Wright takes the stand, denies 1991 rape, murder of 77-year-old Nicetown woman
Anthony Wright returned to the witness stand Friday for the first time since 1993 to again deny that he had anything to do with the 1991 rape and murder of a 77-year-old Nicetown woman.

Philly Weekly owner buys South Jersey newspaper chain
Richard Donnelly is bullish on print. Running counter to publishing trends, the owner of Philadelphia Weekly and the South Philly Review announced Friday that he had bought a South Jersey chain of weekly newspapers.

As fentanyl ODs have surged in Philly, price of antidote has tripled
Fatal overdoses involving the powerful synthetic painkiller fentanyl have surged more than 600 percent in Philadelphia during the last three years, city officials said Friday. Illicit use of the prescription opioid was implicated in 184 deaths in 2015, up from 25 in 2013.

Judge: Courts can’t ‘pass off’ lifer decisions to Parole Board
Since the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in January that states including Pennsylvania must resentence those given mandatory life-without-parole terms as juveniles, Philadelphia District Attorney Seth Williams has signaled that parole will be the primary, perhaps only, means of release for the city’s 300 or so juvenile lifers, the largest such population in the world.

Neighbor places DNA-proven rapist in vicinity of Nicetown woman’s murder
Three years ago, Ronnie Byrd died in a South Carolina prison at age 62, forgotten in his hometown of Philadelphia until DNA testing showed that he raped 77-year-old Louise Talley in 1991 in her Nicetown home.

Child-pornography raids net 40 arrests statewide
Among the 40 men New Jersey authorities arrested in a statewide child pornography bust announced Thursday, the one with the most material lived in Gloucester County.

Christie vetoes bills to expand N.J.’s voter ranks
Gov. Christie on Thursday vetoed two bills that could have increased the ranks of New Jersey’s voters, including a measure that would have automatically registered driver’s license applicants.

Food as comfort: N.J. bill would end ban on refreshments at funeral homes
Pretty soon, New Jersey mourners may be able to sip on their Frappuccino before bending over to say farewell to Aunt Bessie.

Governor nominates former state prosecutor Beemer to replace Kane
HARRISBURG – Gov. Wolf on Thursday nominated a former top state prosecutor to serve as attorney general and replace the convicted Kathleen G. Kane, a move that would end the fleeting tenure of Bruce L. Castor Jr.

Pa. releases medical marijuana ‘roadmap’ for entrepreneurs
The regulations that will govern Pennsylvania’s nascent medical marijuana industry are quickly taking shape. The state released a draft of the rules on Thursday that all aspiring cannabis growers and processors will have to follow to win – and keep – one of 25 potentially lucrative permits.

This 911 call alerted police to slayings of mother, son in Burlington County
Police learned that Ruben Johnson Jr. had killed his wife and 10-year-old son in their Burlington Township home, and turned the gun on himself, after a 911 caller said someone had reported trouble at the house.

A police shooting, frayed nerves in Harrisburg
HARRISBURG – It’s been a tense time in the capital city. The Aug. 7 fatal shooting of a 20-year-old black man by a white police officer stoked outrage and a march. One protester likened Harrisburg to “water that’s just starting to boil,” a nod to the unrest that’s shaken other cities.

DNA test results go on trial in retrial of 1991 rape-murder of Nicetown woman
DNA testing won Anthony Wright a new trial, and on Wednesday a DNA analyst began explaining the results of those tests to the Philadelphia jury that will decide if Wright is guilty of the 1991 rape and murder of a 77-year-old Nicetown woman.

Camden woman admits sex-trafficking of minor in South Jersey
A Camden woman pleaded guilty Wednesday to luring a minor into sex trafficking in South Jersey. Aja M. Easley, 22, was charged in January – along with Aaron J. Gray, 29, of Camden, and Kenneth A. Mertz, 35, of Collingswood – with sex trafficking of a minor and conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking of a minor. Gray also was charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm.

Philly doctor and office manager charged with illegal drug sales
A South Jersey psychiatrist with a practice in Philadelphia and his office manager were indicted Wednesday on charges of illegally selling more than $1 million in prescription drugs for cash, federal prosecutors said.

Police nab second suspect in home invasions
The second of two suspects in a string of armed home invasions targeting Asian business owners across the city surrendered to police early Wednesday.

Out-of-work Laborers beg Trenton to agree on transportation funding
Workers who have been out of a job for as long as two months because of a political impasse in Trenton are fanning out across the state to ramp up pressure on lawmakers to replenish funding for roads and bridges.

Woodworking hobby has roots in family history