Briefly... CITY/REGION

A center to boost education

With a boost of $785,000 in new grant money, Graduate! Philadelphia says it will open a center next month at the Gallery at Market Street to help adults who have had some college education to return to school to complete either an associate's or bachelor's degree.

The grants came from the city - $250,000 - and from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation - $535,000 - over two years.

New boss for historical park

Cynthia MacLeod, superintendent of the Richmond Battlefield Park and the Maggie L. Walker National Historic Site in Richmond, Va., has been selected as superintendent of Independence National Historical Park.

She also will manage other National Park Service sites in Philadelphia, including the Edgar Allan Poe National Historic Site and the Thaddeus Kosciuszko National Memorial. She'll take office in early February.

Grants for 'sacred places'

The Philadelphia Regional Fund for Sacred Places, administered by Partners for Sacred Places, has granted awards totaling $400,000 to five Philadelphia-area churches for repairs and restoration work.

They are Arch Street United Methodist Church and the First Unitarian Church, both in Center City; Church of the Advocate, North Philadelphia, First United Methodist Church of Germantown and St. Mary's Episcopal Church, Ardmore.

Home invasion in Delco

A startled Delaware County

homeowner tackled a would-be robber in his living room yesterday, but the intruder managed to escape and elude police.

The homeowner, who lives on Beech Avenue near Providence Road, Aldan, was shocked to find a stranger in his living room shortly after 1 p.m., when he came down from the second floor of his home, Aldan police said. After a brief struggle, the intruder fled.

Cop shoots, kills Camden man

An unidentified Camden police officer shot and killed a Camden man early yesterday when, police said, he fired at the officer.

Police said Braxton Lane, 28, was shot after the officer tried to stop a car in which Lane was a passenger. He jumped out, ran down an alley and fired at the officer when he approached. *

- Staff and wire reports