Briefly... CITY/REGION

The mail didn't go through

The U.S. Attorney's Office charged a postal carrier in the Northeast yesterday with obstructing the passage of mail from 1997 to April 28, 2010. Authorities said David C. Blauser, 42, of Tolbut Street near Welsh Road, stored 12,808 pieces of undelivered mail in the garage of his home instead of delivering it.

If convicted, Blauser could face up to six months in jail, five years' probation and a $5,000 fine, authorities said.

Man shot dead in W. Phila.

A 21-year-old man was fatally shot in front of a takeout shop in West Philadelphia yesterday. Homicide Sgt. Tim Cooney said the victim, whose name was not released, was shot twice about 3 p.m. outside China Garden on Haverford Avenue near 52nd Street. The man died at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania at 3:20 p.m. Tipsters can call 215-686-3334 or -3335.

Teen slain in Germantown

A shooting early yesterday in Germantown claimed the life of an 18-year-old, according to police. The teen, whom police did not identify, was shot once in the head on Queen Lane near Pulaski Avenue at 12:58 a.m. He was pronounced dead there at 1:10 a.m.

19-year-old held in shooting

A 39-year-old man remained in serious condition yesterday at Aria Health's Torresdale Hospital after being shot in the neck on Haworth Street near Frankford Avenue in Frankford Sunday night.

Police said the man was shot during a fight with a 19-year-old man, who is in custody. The suspect's name was not released because he had yet to be charged, police said.

City tax panel wins a round

The Board of Revision of Taxes won a partial reprieve yesterday, when the state Supreme Court ruled that only the Legislature - not city voters - can abolish it, and that the board can continue to hear property-tax appeals. However, the city can take over control of setting assessment values, according to the opinion. Mayor Nutter has been fighting to abolish the agency.

Cops: Perv acts like an animal

An unidentified man on a bicycle put a new twist on bestiality Sunday afternoon when he sexually assaulted a dinosaur - a large, plastic one - in a Chester County Park, police said. Two teenage girls - 13 and 14 - told police that the man followed them into Pomeroy Park in Avondale about 4:30 p.m., exposed his penis to them, then began "simulating a sexual act with a large plastic dinosaur in the park" before fleeing, according to the state police.

He was described as being between 20 and 30 years old, about 5 feet 6 and had a goatee, according to police.

- Staff and wire report