In the news

■ Scott Small, a Philadelphia police inspector, called it “pretty miraculous” that a 27-year-old man who walked into a hospital emergency room under his own power after being shot 15 times and is now hospitalized in critical condition, is expected to survive.

■ Diana Benton of Titusville, Fla., who dressed her two cats as country artists Willie Nelson and Dolly Parton, subscribing to the musical theme of “In Tune But Off Key,” was the overall winner of the Pet Masquerade at the Key West Fantasy Fest.

■ Violet Smith, an elementary school librarian in Lafayette, La., said a $10,000 Kiwanis Club donation has enabled the school to add 765 new books to its collection, far exceeding the library’s typical annual $800 book budget, which limits it to about 60 new and replacement titles.

■ Donna Renee Hall, 63, of Columbia, Ala., a church secretary accused of using a Cloverdale United Methodist Church credit card and writing checks to herself from the church account to the tune of $25,000 in personal expenses, surrendered to Dothan police to face a theft charge.

■ Jeremy Lane, 29, of St. Louis faces first-degree assault and other charges after police in Overland, Mo., say he and a driver in a different car got into a “verbal altercation” at a stoplight, and as the driver sped away, Lane fired several shots, hitting him in the arm.

■ Ina Mary DeSoto, 35, of Dry Prong, La., accused of holding a young mother against her will and offering the girl her freedom in exchange for the parental rights to her 3-month-old child, faces false imprisonment and extortion charges, Grant Parish deputies said.