BC-PA–Domestic Dispute-Arson,0131 Police: Pa. man punches woman, sets house on fire Eds: APNewsNow.
RACCOON TWP._ A Raccoon Townshipwascharged with punching his girlfriendand setting their house on fire before surrendering to police after a domestic dispute.
State police were called to the home in Raccoonabout 10 p.m. Thursday and say 29-year-old William Brocklebank didn’t surrender until about 12:30 a.m. Friday, and then only after setting the house on fire. The house wasunder construction and heavily damged.

Police say Brocklebank knelt on 28-year-old Marcy Prosko then punched her.
When police arrived, they spoke to Brocklebank on the phone until he agreed to surrender because he had numerous weapons in the house.
Police say Brocklebank has been charged with arson, aggravated assault and other crimes.

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) _ A central Pennsylvania man is behind bars and a Penn State student is in the hospital with stab wounds after what police say was an insult over a hat.
Twenty-eight-year-old State College resident Terence Robert Cane is accused of stabbing the student twice, once in the torso and once in the upper arm.
The 24-year-old student underwent multiple surgeries and is expected to recover. His name wasn’t released.
Witnesses say the stabbing happened during a fight early Wednesday that started when Cane and his friends began making fun of a hat the student was wearing.
Cane is charged with aggravated assault and related counts.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) _ Convicted former state Sen. Vincent Fumo of Philadelphia has made another bid in his effort to avoid going to prison Monday.
Fumo is asking a federal appeals panel to let him remain free on bail while he appeals his 139-count conviction and sentence.
The trial judge had denied the request.
The 66-year-old Fumo was a wealthy Democratic power broker during his 30-year senate career.
He is due to serve about 4-1/2 years in prison for defrauding the senate and two nonprofits of several million dollars.
Federal prosecutors say they will oppose the appeal filed late Wednesday with the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court.

WASHINGTON (AP) _ The number of newly laid-off workers filing claims for jobless benefits dropped last week, and the number of people remaining on the rolls also fell, evidence that layoffs have eased.
Still, both figures remain above levels associated with a healthy economy, and analysts expect the unemployment rate to keep rising.
Ohio had one of the largest declines in new claims, down by 1,918 because of fewer auto industry layoffs.
The Labor Department said Thursday that first-time unemployment claims fell nationwide to a seasonally-adjusted 570,000, down from an upwardly revised figure of 580,000 the previous week. Analysts expected a slightly larger drop to 565,000, according to Thomson Reuters.
The tally of those continuing to claim benefits dropped to 6.13 million from 6.25 million in the previous week, the lowest level since early April. The figures on continuing claims lag initial claims by a week.
Economists closely watch initial claims, which are considered a gauge of layoffs and an indication of companies’ willingness to hire new workers.
While the figures are volatile, first-time claims have trended downward in recent months. Initial claims topped 600,000 for most of this year, until falling below that level in early July.
The four-week average of claims, which smooths out fluctuations, fell by 4,750 to 566,250 last week. That’s about 90,000 below its peak for the current recession, in early April.
The weekly figures remain far above the roughly 325,000 that analysts say is consistent with a healthy economy. New claims last fell below 300,000 in early 2007.
Job losses have slowed recently. The department said earlier this month that companies cut 247,000 jobs in July, a large amount but still the smallest number in almost a year.
The unemployment rate dipped to 9.4 percent in July from 9.5 percent, its first drop in 15 months. But Obama economic adviser Christina Romer predicted Tuesday that unemployment could reach 10 percent this year and average 9.8 percent next year.
The recession, which began in December 2007 and is the worst since World War II, has eliminated a net total of 6.7 million jobs.
And when federal emergency programs are included, the total number of jobless benefit recipients was 9.19 million people in the week that ended Aug. 8. That was up from 9.18 million in the previous week. Congress has added up to 53 extra weeks of benefits on top of the 26 typically provided by the states.
The large number of people remaining on the rolls is an indication that unemployed workers are having a hard time finding new jobs.

WASHINGTON (AP) _ With bank failures rising, the government’s deposit insurance fund fell 20 percent to $10.4 billion in the second quarter as U.S. banks lost $3.7 billion.
The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. said Thursday that surging levels of soured loans at banks dragged down profits in the April-June period. The $3.7 billion loss compared with profits of $7.6 billion in the first quarter, and $4.7 billion a year ago.
The FDIC also said the number of banks deemed to be in trouble jumped to 416 from 305 at the end of the first quarter. That’s the highest number since June 1994 during the savings and loan crisis. Total assets of troubled institutions surged to $299.8 billion from $220 billion in the first quarter.
Eighty-one banks have failed so far this year, and hundreds more are expected to fall in coming years because of souring loans for commercial real estate. That threatens to deplete the FDIC’s fund, which guarantees deposits of up to $250,000 per account. The new level of the insurance fund puts the ratio at 0.22 percent, compared with the congressionally mandated minimum of 1.15 percent.
The FDIC said nearly 66 percent of banks and savings and loans reported earnings below those in the second quarter of 2008, and more than a quarter posted a net loss.

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - An appeals court ruled Wednesday that federal agents were wrong to seize the infamous drug list and samples of 104 Major League Baseball players who allegedly tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs in 2003.
In a 9-2 vote, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals agreed with three lower court judges who chastised investigators who had a warrant for only 10 drug test results.
Yankees star Alex Rodriguez and Red Sox slugger David Ortiz both have acknowledged being on the list, and The New York Times has reported the Dodgers’ Manny Ramirez and Sammy Sosa also can be found on it.
The panel said federal agents trampled on players’ protections against unreasonable searches and seizures.

NEW YORK (AP) - US Airways said Wednesday it is bumping up its fees for first and second checked bags by $5 each, and is tacking on an additional fee for a second checked bag on trans-Atlantic flights.
The Tempe, Ariz.-based airline it will charge $20 for the first checked bag and $30 for the second, when bags are checked online. The current charge is $15 for a first checked bag and $25 for a second checked bag when checked online.
Passengers will also pay an extra $5 per bag checked in at the airport. The current bag fees at the airport are $20 for the first and $30 for the second.
US Airways Group Inc. is also matching a $50 second checked bag fee on its trans-Atlantic flights, a charge recently introduced by American Airlines and Delta Air Lines. The new trans-Atlantic second bag fee will apply to all European destinations served by the airline.
The US Airways fee changes are effective starting Wednesday for travel on or after Oct. 7.

BOSTON (AP) - Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick said Wednesday he would support changing state law to allow him to appoint an interim successor to Sen. Edward Kennedy’s seat while a special election is held.
Unlike most states, a successor to a vacant U.S. Senate seat in Massachusetts is chosen by special election, not appointed by the governor.
In a recent letter to lawmakers, Kennedy, who died Tuesday night, said the law should be changed to allow the governor to appoint someone to serve in the Senate during the course of the election - provided that person pledge not to run for the seat.
In radio interviews Wednesday morning, Patrick called the idea “entirely reasonable” and told WBUR-FM that he would sign the bill if it reached his desk.

WASHINGTON (AP) - Six companies are recalling millions of window blinds and shades, following the deaths of three children who got caught in cords that move the coverings up and down.
The recalls were announced Wednesday by the Consumer Product Safety Commission. The three deaths involved blinds or shades made or imported by Vertical Land Inc. in Florida and Lewis Hyman Inc. in California.
In one case, a one-year-old was killed when he became entangled and strangled in the lift cord loop of a roll-up blind that had fallen into his portable crib.
Pottery Barn Kids and IKEA are also recalling window shades and blinds, but no deaths were associated with those companies. The CPSC says there have been six reports of children becoming entangled in the inner cord of the Pottery Barn Kids shades.

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Food and Drug Administration is warning consumers to avoid certain vials of insulin made by Novo Nordisk that were stolen earlier this year and may not be safe for use.
The agency warns that the vials may not have been stored properly and could be dangerous to consumers. The FDA has received multiple reports of patients who suffered unsafe blood sugar levels after using the products.
The FDA issued an alert in June that three lots of Novo Nordisk’s Levemir insulin were stolen in North Carolina. Regulators say only about 2 percent of the 190,000 vials have been returned.
Regulators advised patients not to use Levemir insulin from lots: XZF0036, XZF0037, XZF0038.
The FDA says it continues to investigate the theft.