Elk County, PA (WJAC) — Taking care of a pet is a lifetime commitment and most pet owners know that pets are family members too. That's why the manager of the Elk County Humane Society shelter says giving a pet as a gift is not a good idea. Many are either set loose and become strays or they're taken to a shelter. Officials say they want the animals they have up for adoption to go to responsible families.

Somerset Co., PA (WJAC) — One Somerset County teenager has earned a bid to represent his fellow students on his local school district's school board. Conemaugh Township senior Ethan Phillippi, who turned 18 just days before Tuesday's municipal primary election, was one of five individuals who won the bid on both the Republican and Democratic tickets. When we first met Ethan last month, he told us that he's the youngest person to run for their school board and one of the youngest to run in Pennsylvania.

HOLLIDAYSBURG -- Science cafes have popped up all over the world, and the first one in Central Pennsylvania recently opened at Allegheny Creamery and Crepes. Heather Saleme owns Alleghney Creamery and Crepes, which is located downtown. She said her daughter attended a summer camp at Saint Francis University, where she met the director of science outreach Lanika Ruzhitskaya. The two came up with the idea to bring the global project of Science Cafes to Hollidaysburg.

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel's military said Wednesday it seized control of a strategic corridor along Gaza's border with Egypt to cut off smuggling tunnels as it tries to destroy the militant Hamas group in a war now in its eighth month. The capture of the Philadelphi Corridor could complicate Israel's relations with Egypt, which has complained about Israel's advance toward its border. Israel says the corridor is awash in tunnels that have funneled weapons and other goods for Hamas — despite a yearslong blockade imposed by Israel and Egypt.

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WKRC) — An Ohio landlord was jailed after his rental properties were found to be "unsafe for human habitation," reports noted. According to The Columbus Dispatch, Joseph Alaura, a landlord in Columbus, was sentenced to 175 days behind bars after the city discovered multiple violations at his 32 properties. Per the publication, authorities found several properties were infested with roaches and rodents, as well as some that lacked gas, electricity or heat.