Montgomery County

Pam Chandler decided to accompany her husband, Bob, to the extraordinary auction of an Ocean City, N.J., mansion Saturday to keep him from "going overboard. " But an hour after she toured the 7,000-square-foot Victorian-style house on the Great Bay, she was the one prodding him to stay in the frenzied bidding on the breezy bayside veranda. The Chandlers, who live in Rumson, Monmouth County, with their three children, won the auction, ultimately paying $3.9 million for a property that was listed at about $6.5 million two years ago. It is assessed at $5 million.

A beachfront Ocean City home sold for $3.9 million at an extraordinary auction Saturday. More than 70 registered guests attended the auction on the sprawling porch on Great Bay, cooled by soft breezes. It was an absolute auction with no minimum bid and the sale final. The bidding on the 7000 s.ft. Victorian style mansion was frenzied for about 15 minutes as bids bounced between 4 people and also a California bidder via a representative with a cellphone. In order to bid, interested buyers had to prequalify by presenting a refundable $100,000 cashier's check.

OCEAN CITY, N.J. - Luxury appointments abound in the 7,000-square-foot, 12-year-old Victorian-style mansion overlooking Great Bay, such as a marble fireplace that once graced a Biddle estate mansion, a crystal chandelier that at the touch of a button lowers from the 30-foot foyer ceiling for cleaning, and boat slips big enough to berth a pair of yachts. A "smart house" system controls window treatments, lighting, heating, air-conditioning, and music. Slate-covered turrets, little secret gardens, and gingerbread-laden porches make the exterior look more like Cape May than Ocean City.

A 22-year-old woman was struck and killed by a vehicle as she attempted to cross West Dekalb Pike on foot late last night in Upper Merion, Montgomery County. Police say Amber Marcinowski, 22, of Collingdale, Delaware County, was trying to cross the road about 10:20 p.m. Monday near Town Center Road when she was hit by a vehicle driven by Eber Noriega, 38, of Norristown, Montgomery County, who was driving south on the pike. No further information was available early this morning.

A mother and son whose car stalled in the middle of busy Route 309 in Montgomery County were killed when an SUV slammed into their car Monday afternoon. "They never knew what hit them," said Montgomery County Coroner Walter Hofman. Pennsylvania State Police said the 2000 Lincoln Town Car broke down in the center lane of the northbound side of Route 309 near the Camp Hill Road overpass in Whitemarsh. Richard Guerrier, 21, got out of the car to look under the hood while his mother, Esther Louis, 54, went to the back of the car. A Lexus SUV coming around a curve struck and killed them.

NEWARK, Del. - New Castle County police have arrested a man wanted in Montgomery County for violating probation, authorities said Wednesday. Rasul Jones, 27, was being held Wednesday in Delaware, awaiting extradition to Pennsylvania. Police received information that Jones was living with a relative in Newark. About 9:25 a.m. Tuesday, officers went to the home and arrested him, authorities said. - AP

The Montgomery County coroner said that the man whose body was found Tuesday morning in Harleysville died by hanging. Walter I. Hofman said investigators have learned the identity of the white male found dead in a wooded area near the intersection of Harleysville Pike and Oak Drive. But he said they will not release the man's name and age until his next of kin can be notified. The body was decomposed, Hofman said. He withheld any further comment until an autopsy can be performed Wednesday morning.

Montgomery County health officials alerted unvaccinated people Thursday that they might have been exposed to measles at three public locations visited by a resident who is suspected to be recovering from the infection. The latest case - a 34-year-old woman who recently traveled to Nigeria, where there is an outbreak - is believed to be unrelated to recent cases in Berks County that led to an announcement earlier in the week about possible exposures there and in Bucks, Delaware and Lehigh Counties.

A 25-year-old man was shot multiple times inside a Cheltenham Township home early Christmas Day, and died less than an hour later. Officers found the victim about 2 a.m. inside a home on the 1400 block of Beech Avenue in the Melrose Park section. He was transported to Einstein Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead at 2:26 a.m. Police said the victim, whose name has not been released, was a visitor at the home. The suspect in the shooting is still at large, and is described by police as a black male, armed with a semi-automatic handgun and wearing an Adidas sweatshirt.

A ninth grader at Pennfield Middle School in Montgomery County's North Penn School District has been diagnosed with whooping cough, an official said Monday. The student came to school Monday morning, mentioned he had whooping cough last week, and was sent home, said Christine Liberaski, the district's manager of school and community engagement. The district sees a handful of cases each year, she said. In a letter to parents posted on North Penn's website, officials warned: "Your child may have been exposed.

A 22-year-old woman was struck and killed by a vehicle as she attempted to cross West Dekalb Pike on foot late last night in Upper Merion, Montgomery County. Police say Amber Marcinowski, 22, of Collingdale, Delaware County, was trying to cross the road about 10:20 p.m. Monday near Town Center Road when she was hit by a vehicle driven by Eber Noriega, 38, of Norristown, Montgomery County, who was driving south on the pike. No further information was available early this morning.

A beachfront Ocean City home sold for $3.9 million at an extraordinary auction Saturday. More than 70 registered guests attended the auction on the sprawling porch on Great Bay, cooled by soft breezes. It was an absolute auction with no minimum bid and the sale final. The bidding on the 7000 s.ft. Victorian style mansion was frenzied for about 15 minutes as bids bounced between 4 people and also a California bidder via a representative with a cellphone. In order to bid, interested buyers had to prequalify by presenting a refundable $100,000 cashier's check.

A mother and son whose car stalled in the middle of busy Route 309 in Montgomery County were killed when an SUV slammed into their car Monday afternoon. "They never knew what hit them," said Montgomery County Coroner Walter Hofman. Pennsylvania State Police said the 2000 Lincoln Town Car broke down in the center lane of the northbound side of Route 309 near the Camp Hill Road overpass in Whitemarsh. Richard Guerrier, 21, got out of the car to look under the hood while his mother, Esther Louis, 54, went to the back of the car. A Lexus SUV coming around a curve struck and killed them.

When the Montgomery County commissioners toured the Human Services Center in Norristown earlier this year, they were stopped by two workers. Would it be possible to take the forlorn-looking rooftop garden just off the third floor and make it come alive again, the pair wondered? Why not, said the commissioners. On Wednesday, in a mist more nurturing to perennials than people, several hundred county workers gathered to dedicate the not-so-secret garden that now features park-style benches scattered among raised beds of green-and-white hostas and lacy, red maples.

Hunger lives in unexpected places. In fact, there isn't a county in America that's free of it, according to Elaine Waxman, vice president of Feeding America, a national umbrella organization for more than 200 regional food banks. That can make it tough for advocates who want to help people low on food, even in "nice" places such as Montgomery County, Waxman said Thursday at the "Beyond Hunger" conference in Center City. "It's a difficult conversation to have with people who don't want to see hunger where they live," she added.

One person was killed when a car overturned into a creek Sunday in Montgomery County, a county dispatcher said. Authorities received a 911 call shortly before 11 a.m. about the one-vehicle accident in the area of Paper Mill Road in Douglass Township. One survivor was taken to Lehigh Valley Medical Center in Allentown, authorities said based on information they had received Sunday morning. No further details were available. - Darran Simon

One person was killed when a car overturned into a creek on Sunday in Montgomery County, a county dispatcher said. Authorities received a 911 call shortly before 11 a.m. about the one-vehicle accident in the area of Paper Mill Road in Douglass Township. One survivor was taken to Lehigh Valley Medical Center in Allentown, authorities said based on information they received Sunday morning. No further details were available. -    Darran Simon

A 41-year-old Berks County man has been arrested and charged with drunken driving and vehicular homicide in the death of a motorcyclist earlier this month in Montgomery County, officials said Monday. Court records show that Francis David Lynch, of Hereford, was out on bail for an earlier DUI arrest in March when he allegedly struck a motorcycle on Kutztown Road in Upper Hanover Township the night of April 4, killing Barry D. Good, 57, of Lansdale. Officials said witnesses report Lynch was driving erratically in his Ford F150 pickup when he made an abrupt left turn into Good's path.

Less than four months ago, Montgomery County's three commissioners were at one another's throats. Republican Commissioners' Chairman James R. Matthews was calling his party mate, Bruce L. Castor Jr., a man with an ego so big it could "float the Titanic. " Castor referred to his rival as "an abhorrence. " And Democrat Joseph M. Hoeffel III often looked ready to toss up his hands in frustration with both. The trio's disdain for one another erupted so frequently into name-calling and caterwauling that an observer once described their twice-monthly meetings as "the best free entertainment in the region.

Officials in Montgomery County announced criminal charges Friday against a Philadelphia man who was shot by police Monday as he allegedly reached for an officer's gun during an arrest in Springfield Township. At the same time, District Attorney Risa Vetri Ferman said the officer who fired the one shot acted with restraint and in accordance with the law. Ferman identified the man as Isaac Michael Holmes, 32, of Murdoch Road. The District Attorney's Office, Ferman said, has a policy of not making public the names of police involved in what are deemed justifiable shootings.