On Monday, acting state education Secretary Carolyn Dumaresq filed a petition in York County court, requesting the appointment. As receiver, Meckley would assume all of the powers of the school board except for levying taxes, so he would be able to implement a contract with a charter operator to run district schools, a move the York City School Board has resisted.

Trustee members seeking the document review include some of the report’s most-vocal critics, and they say only a thorough review of its raw materials can answer lingering questions among many Penn State alums and friends about Freeh’s controversial conclusions.

Their study, published in the journal Pediatrics, is the first to estimate how many infants sleep with potentially hazardous quilts, bean bags, blankets or pillows. Despite recommendations to avoid putting anything but a baby in a crib, two-thirds of black and Latino parents still use bedding that is both unnecessary and unsafe, the study also found.

PHILLY.COM / AP: Hundreds of thousands of Pennsylvania residents left out of coverage under the 2010 federal health care law now have a chance to get insurance as the state undertakes a massive overhaul to health care for the poor.

SCRANTON TIMES-LEADER EDITORIAL: A new state legislative report makes such a strong case for forming regional police departments that it overwhelms the only real opposition to them.

There have been similar gripes from other Cabinet officials, but the friction between the White House and the Pentagon has been particularly pronounced during Obama’s six years in office. That dynamic already appears to be affecting the president’s ability to find a replacement for Hagel, who resigned Monday under pressure from Obama.

DRUG WAR CHRONICLE: State-level marijuana law reform won big in this month’s elections, with legalization initiatives triumphing convincingly in Alaska, Oregon, and Washington, DC.

“The reduction in the phone rate will go a long way to keep inmates connected to their families and friends, which is an important part of the re-entry process,” [Department of Corrections Secretary John] Wetzel said…

12:01 p.m. Officer Darren Wilson arrives, alone in his police vehicle. Speaking through his window, he tells the two men to move to the sidewalk. He sees that Mr. Brown fits the description of a suspect in a convenience store theft…

“We have an obligation to see if we can resolve this matter in a way that is other than spending the Commonwealth’s money at a trial, especially if an early resolution results in a favorable outcome,” said Corman’s attorney, Matthew Haverstick…

The trend toward lower voter turnout is a general one, present in many contemporary democracies. There are many explanations for this phenomenon, but an important factor is people’s disaffection toward the current political system.

A substantial part of the problem with Mr. Hagel’s performance is that the mission changed after his appointment. He was selected to oversee a shift to a peacetime military and reduced defense spending.