Briefly... CITY/REGION

Man guilty in fatal stabbing

A Camden man was convicted yesterday of killing a girlfriend with whom he had two children.

Ernest Lawrence, 29, was arrested for the stabbing death of Jennifer Lane, 19, on Jan. 8, 2008. Prosecutors said he stabbed and slashed her 17 times. He allegedly stabbed himself and then said Lane attacked him.

After being released from the hospital he tried to flee to Jamaica but was arrested before he was able to, prosecutors said. He could receive life in prison when he's sentenced Nov. 19.

Man shot in Chester bar

Two men walked into Bill's Tavern on 3rd Street near Thurlow, Chester, Monday afternoon and opened fire, critically injuring a 35-year-old man, according to police. The man was hit once in the left side in the attack at 3:23 p.m., police said. He was admitted to Crozer-Chester Medical Center.

Man knifed in S. Phila.

A 63-year-old man was stabbed at about 10 a.m. yesterday on Reed Street near 20th in South Philadelphia.

Police said he was stabbed in the left side by an unidentified assailant. He was taken to the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. His condition was not disclosed.

Rape in Port Richmond

A woman in her 40s was stabbed in the chest and raped in Port Richmond last night, police said. The assault occurred shortly before 9:40 p.m. on Tulip Street near Allegheny Avenue. The victim was admitted to Temple University Hospital in stable condition, police said. Anyone with information about the incident should contact the Special Victims Unit at 251-685-3251.

3 charged in $35M fraud

Three people were charged yesterday with defrauding Wilmington Trust Federal Savings Bank and Malvern Federal Savings Bank involving properties worth more than $35.5 million.

Authorities said Bernadette Nicholas, 61, of Newtown Square, a mortgage broker, misrepresented information about borrowers' income and assets and forged their signatures.

Kevin McAllister, 56, of Drexel Hill, a loan officer with Wilmington Trust, allegedly got kickbacks from Nicholas to approve mortgage loans for borrowers who did not meet loan criteria.

Also charged was Wayne Rosen, 59, a Philadelphia businessman who allegedly altered borrowers' tax returns and prepared and submitted fraudulent leases to Malvern Federal.

More grants for schools

Mastery Charter School has won its second major federal grant within a week, this time getting $5.13 million to expand its model to more schools. Also, U.S. Rep. Chaka Fattah, D-Phila., announced a $3.4 million grant for the school district's Smaller Learning Communities Program at Overbrook, Lincoln, Frankford, Bartram and Martin Luther King high schools.

- Staff and wire reports