PITTSBURGH — A Western Pennsylvania security guard has been acquitted in the shooting of a man accused of having stolen from a candy delivery truck.

Jurors in Allegheny County deliberated for about a half-hour Wednesday before acquitting 54-year-old John Carter of Verona of aggravated assault. Prosecutors withdrew a reckless endangerment charge before jury selection.

Authorities said Carter was working for Triangle Candy & Tobacco Co. when he shot a man who had grabbed a box of money from a delivery truck in the Homewood neighborhood of Pittsburgh in October.

Defense attorney Steve Townsend said his client was just defending himself and should never have been charged. He said Carter “feels vindicated and can't wait to get back to his life.”

Prosecutors said security video didn't support Carter's account of the confrontation.

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — Penn State's Blue Band says the Athletic Department is doing away with the band's TailGreat pep rallies.The concerts before home football games occurred in the Bryce Jordan Center, the university's basketball arena.An athletic department statement says officials “did not feel that TailGreat was accomplishing the level of interaction among our more than 100,000 fans and exposure for the Blue Band that is deserved.”Athletic officials say they're exploring ways to get the band involved with the football team in other ways, including accompanying the team as it arrives at Beaver Stadium.The athletics department also says the Blue Band will be involved in the revival of Band Day, which will include pregame performances in the Bryce Jordan Center along with local high school bands and the opposing team's band.

PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh Public Schools officials say all 25,000 students in its 54 schools will receive free lunches when the new school year begins next week.The district's students will qualify under the Community Eligibility Provision of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National School Lunch and Breakfast programs.The program lets school districts that serve mostly low-income areas to make all students eligible for the free meals without requiring individual students to file income eligibility applications.