Philadelphia

Undercover sting nets Bill of Rights copy

An original copy of the Bill of Rights, stolen from the North Carolina statehouse during the Civil War, was recovered in an undercover sting, the FBI said Wednesday.

Authorities learned of the document after a broker contacted the National Constitution Center, a museum being built in Philadelphia’s historic district.

Officials believe that the handwritten document — one of at least 14 copies made in 1791 for the first 13 states and the federal government — was stolen by a Union soldier, who brought the document back to his native Ohio and sold it a year later, in 1866. They don’t know if or when it changed hands after that.

New Jersey

Propane fire burns out after nearly a week

A propane truck fire that started nearly a week ago is finally out, but the 1,000 people who were forced from their homes in Newton while it burned were still unsettled Wednesday.

Schools were closed for a third straight day, and evacuees had not yet been told when they would be allowed to return.

The March 14 explosion at Able Energy Inc. damaged 67 homes, and county officials estimated the cost would reach more than $7.1 million. Some residences will not be habitable.

The fire burned itself out Tuesday night, allowing firefighters to cap the damaged truck and remove a second one containing 1,400 gallons of propane from the site.

Los Angeles

Deal near with China for three rare monkeys

Los Angeles moved one step closer to getting three rare golden monkeys from China after the City Council approved an agreement Wednesday between local officials and the Chinese wildlife organization responsible for the endangered species.

Under the agreement, the city will pay the China Wildlife Conservation Assn. $100,000 a year for 10 years to support programs to preserve the habitat of the golden monkeys. In exchange, Los Angeles will get three of the acrobatic monkeys with rusty gold fur and distinctive blue faces.

When the animals arrive this winter or next spring, Los Angeles will be the only city in North America exhibiting golden monkeys, which number about 15,000 in the mountains of their native China.