Briefly...

Man shot in movie theater

A 29-year-old man was shot and wounded last night in a South Philadelphia movie theater during a showing of "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button."

Police said the victim and the 31-year-old shooter had gotten into an argument while watching the movie at about 9:30 p.m. at the UA Riverview Stadium 17. They said the shooter pulled out a gun and fired once at the victim, who was taken to a local hospital. Police arrested the shooter. No other information was immediately available.

No river-crossing this time

George Washington probably wouldn't have let a little choppy water keep him from crossing the Delaware River on Christmas Day 1776 to attack the Hessians at Trenton, but weather conditions yesterday kept re-enactor Ronald Rinaldi II off the river.

It was a sunny day, but winds and a fast current caused officials of the Washington Crossing State Park to rule against a crossing by boat. "We're not going to put anyone in a position to get hurt," said Hilary Krueger, park director.

Instead, Rinaldi led his brave little band across a nearby bridge from Pennsylvania to New Jersey.

3 killed in Turnpike crash

Two adults and a child from Georgia died early yesterday in a fiery crash in freezing rain on the Pennsylvania Turnpike about 14 miles east of Harrisburg.

Turnpike spokesman Carl DeFebo said another child was seriously injured in the wreck in which a pickup caught fire after skidding on ice and crashing. The victims were not immediately identified.

Tree falls on car; 2 killed

A 40-foot-tall tree fell on the car of a Massachusetts family headed to a Christmas celebration in Essex County, N.J., early yesterday, killing a man and his elderly mother and injuring his two daughters.

Joel Baudouin, 42, of Arlington, Mass., was driving on the Garden State Parkway in Bloomfield when the accident occurred shortly after 1 a.m., state police said. His mother, Marie Vernet, 72, of Dorchester, Mass., was in the front passenger seat, and his daughters, Rachele, 13, and Cassies, 11, were in the back seat.

Spirit to expand flight service

Spirit Airlines, the only regular carrier operating at the Atlantic City Airport, has announced it will begin service between Boston and Atlantic City on May 1.

This is good news to a coalition of resort business and government officials who have been touting the airport as a way to bring customers to casinos struggling in the soft economy. *

- Daily News wire services