Briefly... CITY/REGION

7 Kensington homes struck

by fire that's ruled an arson

An early-morning blaze yesterday that ripped through seven homes in Kensington and caused minor injuries to three people has been ruled an arson. The fire started shortly after 4 a.m. on Ontario Street near H and spread quickly.

The injured included two firefighters trying to rescue residents, the Fire Department reported.

Pa. SPCA expands its hours

for pet-adoption program

The Pennsylvania SPCA has expanded its hours for its pet-adoption program.

Starting Sunday, the shelter, at 350 E. Erie Ave., will be open from 1 to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday, and from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

New Hope votes to ban

smoking in bars, eateries

New Hope Borough, destination for the arty crowd for decades, is banning smoking in bars and restaurants effective in 30 days.

The ordinance also bans smoking within 20 feet of the entrance to a bar or restaurant, and in any borough-owned facility, with exceptions for sidewalk cafes, outdoor-service areas and private clubs.

Report of a man with a gun

prompts lockdown at school

Winslow Township High School officials take any hint of violence seriously since the well-publicized incident last year when a group of teenagers plotted to shoot students from a "hit list."

Yesterday, the high school was locked down after a report surfaced of a man with a gun in the building. A search turned up no stranger and no gun, and the students were dismissed shortly before 5 p.m.

He gets a medal for service

in the war - the Korean War

It took 50 years, but David Berlin, 78, of Mount Laurel, finally got his National Defense Service Medal for Navy service during the Korean War.

Berlin, a 24-year member of the Coast Guard Auxiliary, received the medal Wednesday at the Coast Guard Sector Delaware Bay, headquartered in Philadelphia.

Gamblers losing less

Money won from gamblers by Atlantic City casinos in April shrank by nearly 10 percent from the year before. The city's 11 casinos reported taking in $396.8 million for the month, a 9.9 percent decrease from April 2006.

From January through April, the casinos won $1.6 billion, down 4.1 percent from the same period in 2006.*

-Staff and wire reports