A lottery official says the estimated prize for this weekend’s Powerball drawing is the largest jackpot of any lottery game in U.S. history. Officials say Saturday’s drawing will be worth about $675 million. That’s because no one matched the numbers drawn for Wednesday night’s estimated $500 million jackpot. The previous record was a $656 million Mega Millions jackpot won in March 2012.

An Ellwood City man convicted of stalking Amish schoolchildren waived his detention hearing today on federal child pornography charges and will remain in custody at the Mercer County Jail on a federal detainer. 39-year-old Lucas Klobetanz was indicted last month after a search of his house by the FBI and state police turned up child pornography on a thumb drive and photos of young boys engaged in sex acts. Klobetanz was charged last winter with attempting to lure children into the courthouse of an Amish school. When the children told a neighbor, Klobetanz explained that he had dropped toilet paper and needed help picking it up. He pleaded guilty to stalking in that case and prosecutors dropped a related charge of luring.

A man is in custody after a nearly seven-hour standoff in Ellwood City. According to police, the incident started around 6:00 last night at a home in the 200 block of Patricia Drive. Officers initially went to the home to serve a warrant to a man who failed to show up for a court appearance. At that time, he barricaded himself inside the home and refused to come out. Around 1 a.m. this morning, the man surrendered peacefully and was taken into custody. No injuries were reported.

Have you seen a spike in your electric billy recently? You’re not alone. Some are blaming the problem on so-called Smart Meters. Over 160,000 smart meters have been installed by Duquesne Light and since that time here in Beaver County, there have been reports of customers seeing huge spikes in their electric bills. It apparently happened to Cindy Landman of Beaver Falls, who told Beaver County Radio’s Pat Septak that her bill jumped to $916 after a new meter was installed at her White Township home. We reached out to Duquesne Light. Spokeswoman Jessica Rock blames the problem on ‘human error’ and tells us that they are in contact with the customer and will be issuing a new bill before the end of the week.

An Illinois man has been arrested in Tennessee on charges he tried to kill an Aliquippa woman as she slept. The Pennsylvania State Police announced Monday that 47-year-old William Spengler, of Harvard, Illinois, has been arrested in Knox County, Tennessee.  Police say he repeatedly hit the 50-year-old woman in the head with a blunt object while she slept in her home in Independence Township. Police say that happened around 10:30 a.m. Saturday and that Spengler then stole the woman’s car. Police say Spengler drove to Tennessee before he was arrested. Police aren’t releasing the woman’s name and condition, and aren’t saying whether or how she knew Spengler. Spengler’s charged with attempted homicide and theft.

A lung transplant patient is suing UPMC Presbyterian Hospital in Pittsburgh after coming down with a fungal infection during a hospital mold outbreak. The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports the outbreak has been linked to the deaths of three other transplant patients.

A much-reviled Pennsylvania business tax has been swept out by the new year. State Revenue Department spokesman Gary Miller says the capital stock and franchise tax expired Thursday as 2015 ended.