Philadelphia: Abducted girl found unharmed

A 7-year-old girl who authorities said had been abducted from in front of her home was found Tuesday night, nearly 24 hours after her disappearance, and appeared to be unharmed, police said.

Sgt. Keith Brown said the girl, Erica Pratt, was with police Tuesday night. Brown said she had been found at a home in the city but that he had few other details.

Erica was playing with her 5-year-old sister in front of their grandmother’s rowhouse Monday evening when two men drove up, called her by name and dragged her into their car as she screamed and resisted, police said.

Less than 20 minutes later, Erica’s grandmother received the first of at least six calls from a man who threatened to kill the girl unless he received a $150,000 ransom, police said.

Earlier Tuesday, police had said they were seeking to question two men who know the girl’s family. It wasn’t immediately clear late Tuesday if authorities were still searching for the men.

Maryland: Ban proposed on snakehead fish

Interior Secretary Gail Norton is proposing a ban on the importation of 28 species of the toothy, torpedo-shaped fish known as the snakehead.

In as little as 60 days, the ban could effectively stop thousands of shipments of fish prized by the pet trade for their pugnacious nature, and favored by Asian fish markets for their delicate flesh and ability to live out of water for days.

Norton announced a proposal Tuesday to invoke the Lacey Act to prohibit the importation and interstate transportation of the fish without a special permit.

The native of the Yangtze River in China grows up to 3 feet long; several were discovered in a Crofton pond earlier this month. They devour smaller fish and other aquatic animals and could wreak havoc on local ecosystems if they branch out from the pond.