Briefly... CITY/REGION

Lawmaker wants harsher fines for driver disability fraud

State Rep. Chelsa Wagner, D-Allegheny, is pushing for a crackdown on the fraudulent use of Pennsylvania's disability license plates and vehicle placards.

Wagner wants to increase fines for misuse to $250, include the individual's photograph on placards and require holders to be recertified every five years. The bill went to the Transportation Committee.

187G grant to chiefs of police

The Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency today announced the award of $187,500 in federal funds to the Pennsylvania Chiefs of Police Association to continue and expand the state's law enforcement accreditation program.

The accreditation program is designed to enhance police operations, improve accountability and serve as a catalyst for continued improvement.

Breakfast program d-graded

Pennsylvania ranks 41st in the percentage of children from low-income families who participate in the federally funded school breakfast program, according to a report by the national Food Research and Action Center.

Gov. Rendell had proposed requiring breakfast in schools where low-income students account for at least 20 percent of total enrollment. Lawmakers voted to keep the program optional.

State rep to get empty gifts

Members of the advocacy group Citizen Action are planning to deliver empty presents to Rep. Jim Saxton, R-N.J., today to symbolize what they contend are Saxton's empty promises to people he represents in Camden, Burlington and Ocean counties.

A Citizen Action spokeswoman says Saxton is being targeted because of his support of the Iraq war and his opposition to expansion of the subsidized children's health insurance program.

Freak accident kills man, 92

Frank Fetzko, 92, of Ocean City, is dead following a bizarre parallel-parking accident in Ocean City. Fetzko died yesterday about 15 hours after he was hit by a car while he was walking.

Police said Francis Davish, 71, of Somers Point, was preparing to parallel-park when his car lurched backward.

It pushed a parked car into Fetzko and another pedestrian on the sidewalk. The other pedestrian, Judith Preston, suffered a head injury. *

- Staff and wire reports