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Good morning! Here’s a look at AP’s general news coverage today in Pennsylvania. For questions about the state report, contact the Philadelphia bureau at 215-561-1133. Joe Mandak is on the desk. Editor Larry Rosenthal can be reached at 215-446-6631 or [email protected].

A reminder this information is not for publication or broadcast, and these coverage plans are subject to change. Expected stories may not develop, or late-breaking and more newsworthy events may take precedence. Advisories, digests and digest advisories will keep you up to date.

Some TV and radio stations will receive shorter APNewsNow versions of the stories below, along with updates.

TOP STORIES:

SODA TAX PHILADELPHIA

PHILADELPHIA — Less than three months into Philadelphia’s new tax on sweetened drinks, the salvos have escalated: Beverage makers say the measure is hurting sales so much they need to slash jobs, while city officials say the moves are a ploy to get the tax struck down. By Candice Choi and Kristen de Groot. UPCOMING: 850 words, AP Photos by 1 p.m. EDT.

EX-TREASURER-CORRUPTION CASE

HARRISBURG — Ex-Pennsylvania state treasurer Rob McCord returns to the stand for a third day in the corruption trial of a suburban Philadelphia investment adviser, as prosecutors play recordings of conversations that McCord made while wearing a wire for the FBI in his final months in elected office. By Marc Levy. UPCOMING: 600 words after 9 a.m. scheduled start of testimony.

HILLARY CLINTON-ST. PATRICK’S DAY

SCRANTON — Hillary Clinton’s gradual return to the public spotlight following her presidential election loss continues with a St. Patrick’s Day speech in her late father’s Pennsylvania hometown. By Michael Rubinkam. SENT: 130 words. UPCOMING: 500 words, AP Photos developing from Friday night speech that will begin sometime after 7 p.m. EDT dinner.

ELSEWHERE:

TRUMP-BUDGET-GREAT LAKES

TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. — It sounds like an idea that would warm a conservative Republican’s heart: Kill funding of a regional environmental cleanup that has lasted seven years and cost the federal government more than $2 billion, with no end in sight. If states want to keep the program going, let them pick up the tab. By John Flesher. SENT: 744 words, AP Photos.

DEFORMED DOG RESCUED

SEWELL, N.J. — A dog that was rescued from Thailand after it was left with half a face has found a home in New Jersey. SENT: 134 words.

IN BRIEF:

—MUSLIM SLURS-ATTACK — Federal prosecutors have added a hate crime charge against a Pennsylvania man already awaiting trial on charges used anti-Muslim slurs and physically attacked another man while drunk at a restaurant in November.

—STOLEN JEWELRY — Authorities are trying to find the owners of $1.5 million worth of jewelry, coins and other valuables that they say were taken during burglaries in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware.

—BOY COLLAPSES IN SNOW — Police in suburban Philadelphia say a 5-year-old boy playing in the snow with his dog apparently collapsed and lost consciousness when the dog pulled at his scarf and cut off his airways.

—FOOD TRUCK ROBBERIES-PHILADELPHIA — Philadelphia police have released surveillance video of a man suspected of robbing two food trucks earlier this week.

—SHOT-RUN OVER — Authorities in Philadelphia say a man has died after he was shot and then later run over by a minivan.

—FIREFIGHTER-FATAL CRASH — Firefighters are gathering in Pennsylvania’s capital to honor one of their own killed in a traffic accident responding to a call that left two children dead.

—TWO STABBED-PHILADELPHIA — Philadelphia police are trying to sort out an incident that left two men with stab wounds in Center City.

SPORTS:

BKC-NCAA-1S ON THE RUN

SALT LAKE CITY — It’s going to happen. Maybe not Friday, when Kansas and North Carolina take their turn at trying to avoid history. But if not then, well, some year soon. By Eddie Pells. SENT: 796 words, AP Photos.

BKW-NCAA-DURHAM

DURHAM, N.C. — Temple hasn’t appeared in the NCAA Tournament since 2011, and Oregon hadn’t been there until 2005. For perennial women’s basketball power Duke, the wait seemingly felt even longer. By Joedy McCreary. UPCOMING: 500 words, AP Photos by 5 p.m. EDT.

BKW–NCAA-LOS ANGELES

LOS ANGELES — UCLA enjoys home-court advantage as the Bruins prepare to open the NCAA Tournament at Pauley Pavilion against Boise State. Texas A&M and Penn traveled west to play each other. UPCOMING: 500 words, AP Photos by 9 p.m. EDT

HKN–DEVILS-PENGUINS

PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Penguins return from a long road trip to host New Jersey on Friday night. The Penguins trail Washington by three points for the top spot in the Metropolitan Division. By Will Graves. UPCOMING: 700 words, AP Photos developing from 7 p.m. EDT start.

BBN-SLUGGING SHORTSTOPS

CLEARWATER, Fla. — As an All-Star shortstop in the 1970s and ’80s, Larry Bowa recalls having a clear job description. By Jake Seiner. SENT: 1163 words, AP Photos.

PMS ONLY:

BKC-NCAA-VILLANOVA-MOUNT ST. MARY’S

BUFFALO, N.Y. — For 20 minutes, Villanova looked ordinary, vulnerable, may be even a little scared. By Tom Withers. SENT: 911 words, AP Photos.

WRE-NCAA-WRESTLING CHAMPIONSHIPS

ST. LOUIS — Penn State’s chance to win its sixth NCAA Wrestling Championship in seven years took a hit when one of its most dependable point-scorers withdrew with an injury before the tournament even began. By Travis Johnson. SENT: 652 words.

HKN-FLYERS-DEVILS

NEWARK, N.J. — If the Devils could just play the Philadelphia Flyers every night, maybe that winless streak would not have reached 10 games, and New Jersey would be doing more than playing meaningless games in the final month. By Tom Canavan. SENT: 820 words, AP Photos.

SWM-PIAA SWIMMING CHAMPIONSHIPS

LEWISBURG, Pa. — Although she was concerned about it going into the PIAA Class AA swimming championships, not having a morning preliminary swim had no negative impact on West York senior Courtney Harish. By Steve Navaroli. SENT: 532 words.

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If you have stories of regional or statewide interest, please email them to [email protected]. If you have photos of regional or statewide interest, please send them to the AP state photo center in New York, 888-273-6867. For access to AP Exchange and other technical issues, contact AP Customer Support at [email protected] or 877-836-9477.

MARKETPLACE: Calling your attention to the Marketplace in AP Exchange, where you can find member-contributed content from Pennsylvania and other states. The Marketplace is accessible on the left navigational pane of the AP Exchange home page, near the bottom. For both national and state, you can click “All” or search for content by topics such as education, politics and business.