American Scene

Girl says ‘Superman’ lifted vehicle off her

OTTAWA, Kan. — A Kansas mother is praising a neighbor as a “Superman” after her 6-year-old daughter told her he somehow found the strength to lift a car off her.

Kristen Hough said Friday that her daughter Ashlyn was treated for minor injuries afterward.

Ms. Hough’s neighbor Nick Harris, 32, said he saw a vehicle back out of a driveway and over Ashlyn. He said he didn’t know how he managed to lift the Mercury sedan off the child.

There were no witnesses to confirm the incident last week, but Ottawa police say Ashlyn told them it happened. Lt. Adam Weingartner said he didn’t have anything to dispute the account.

Lt. Weingartner said it appeared Ashlyn wasn’t pinned under the car long enough to be seriously hurt.

Ottawa is 50 miles southwest of Kansas City, Mo.

Crime probe widens on Pennsylvania lawmakers

HARRISBURG, Pa. — A widening criminal investigation is leaving some of Pennsylvania’s most powerful state lawmakers accused of illegally converting the public work force and the General Assembly’s thick bankroll into potent re-election tools.

Pennsylvania Attorney General Tom Corbett’s 3-year-old probe so far has resulted in 25 arrests. The most recent arrests were made last week, when the third-ranking Democrat in the state House and a member of the governor’s Cabinet were charged.

A key trial in the case is scheduled for next month in Harrisburg, and how it turns out could have implications for the 2010 governor’s race. Mr. Corbett is a leading candidate for his party’s gubernatorial nomination.

Judge extends abortion law block

OKLAHOMA CITY — An Oklahoma County judge has extended a temporary restraining order that blocks enforcement of a strict abortion law. The law would require doctors to report personal information about women who seek abortions and for the information to be posted on a public Web site.

The law was to have taken effect Nov. 1. District Judge Daniel Owens said Friday that the restraining order would remain in force until a lawsuit seeking to throw out the law is resolved. A hearing is set for Feb. 19.

The Center for Reproductive Rights and two women sued in September, saying the legislation violated a rule in the Oklahoma Constitution that requires one piece of legislation to deal with only one issue.

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