Phl

A NORTHEAST Pennsylvania man arrested last week at Philadelphia International Airport for allegedly attempting to carry fireworks onto a plane will be staying with mom for a while. U.S. Magistrate Elizabeth Hey released Joseph A. Picklo, 29, of Dallas, Luzerne County, on $25,000 personal-recognizance bail and 24-hour house arrest with an ankle bracelet at his mother's residence in Bridesburg. Picklo was stopped by a Transportation Security Administration screener at the airport on Thursday as he attempted to carry what authorities said was an explosive device onto a plane bound for San Francisco.

Philadelphia International Airport was shut down for half-an-hour this morning when a man crashed through a gate in an SUV and drove onto the airfield. Kenneth Richard Mazik, 24, of Chadds Ford, was allegedly drunk when he rammed a black Jeep Cherokee about 11:13 a.m. through Gate 25 at the west end of the airport, police said. Mazik quickly was taken into custody and the Jeep did not reach any of the runways, where planes were landing and taking off. Officials immediately closed the airport.

A TRAINING instructor with the Transportation Security Administration at Philadelphia International Airport pleaded guilty yesterday to taking a bribe from a transportation security officer. Shannon Gilliam, 29, of Sharon Hill, potentially faces four to 27 months in prison under advisory sentencing guidelines. Gilliam has been suspended pending outcome of the investigation, a TSA official said. Prosecutors said Gilliam was responsible for training transportation security officers and administering mandatory certification exams to officers who handle passenger and baggage screening at the airport.

Here are the Phillies games to be shown on PHL17: March 11 vs. Detroit Tigers. . .    1:05 p.m. March 25 vs. Baltimore Orioles. . . 1:05 p.m. March 31 vs. Toronto Blue Jays . . . . . . 1:05 p.m. April 5 at Pittsburgh Pirates . . . 1:35 p.m. April 8 at Pittsburgh Pirates. . . 1:35 p.m. April 15 vs. New York Mets . . . 1:35 p.m. April 21 at San Diego Padres. . . 8:35 p.m. April 22 at San Diego Padres . . . 4:05 p.m. April 23 at Ariz.

Michael A. Nutter is mayor of Philadelphia Rina Cutler is deputy mayor for transportation and public utilities It's time for the city and airlines that serve Philadelphia International Airport to work together to end the chronic delays that cost our passengers too much money and time. When passengers learn that their plane is 20th in line for take-off, they are annoyed and the airlines are rightly unhappy about the costly jet fuel wasted. Since 1999, PHL has been among the top 10 most-delayed airports in the nation.

The emptied piece of luggage was unusually heavy. Wilson Miguel Jaquez Torres, 23, arrived at Philadelphia International Airport on Sunday afternoon on a flight from the Dominican Republic. Torres, of Philadelphia, approached a customs officer with a sports duffel bag in hand. The officer got a "tingling feeling," said Steve Sapp, spokesman for Customs and Border Patrol Protection. Something didn't seem right with Torres or his baggage. So the officer referred him for a second inspection.

The FAA has directed flights bound for Philadelphia International Airport to delay takeoff from their originating airports because of low cloud cover here. The "ground delay" is intended to prevent a backup in case flights already en route are slowed in landing because of the weather. The action is delaying flights an avarage of 20 minutes, the FAA said. Passengers and those picking up arrivals are advised to check www.phl.org or call 1-800-745 4283 for the latest flight information.

All Amtrak service between Philadelphia and New York City is suspended as investigators probe the death of a trespasser on the tracks near Trenton. A southbound Acela Express struck and killed a person about 12:50 p.m. in Hamilton Township. About 170 passengers were aboard the No. 2117 which had left Penn Station in New York at noon and was due in Philadelphia at 1:08. There were no reported injuries to passengers or crew, said an Amtrak spokesman. Contact staff writer Sam Wood at 215-854-2796, samwood@phillynews.com , or @inqwriter on Twitter.

US Airways Flight 702 bound for Frankfurt, Germany returned to Philadelphia International Airport shortly after take-off Sunday night because of a faulty fuel indicator light. A sensor in the engine was replaced, and the aircraft later departed. The pilot notified the Philadelphia air traffic control tower at 9:08 p.m. that the plane was returning. Since the Boeing 767 was full of fuel to go to Europe and "overweight" to land, the tower issued a precautionary alert, which put airport emergency vehicles on standby.