In brief: Search for escaped killers moves to southern New York

Friendship, N.Y. – The search for two killers landed Saturday in New York’s southern tier near the Pennsylvania border, about 350 miles from the prison where they escaped two weeks ago.

New York State Police spokesman Beau Duffy said officers were investigating a possible sighting of the prisoners in Allegany County near the Pennsylvania border. A person spotted two men Saturday near a railroad line that runs along Route 20 in the town of Friendship, state police said.

David Sweat and Richard Matt escaped June 6 from the Clinton Correctional Facility in Dannemora, near the Canadian border. The two broke out of the maximum-security prison using power tools and leaving behind dummies under bedcovers in their adjoining cells.

Prison worker Joyce Mitchell remained in custody Saturday on charges she helped the two men escape by providing them hacksaw blades, chisels and other tools. She has pleaded not guilty.

Anthem raises offer to buy Cigna Corp.

New York – After getting the cold shoulder, U.S. health insurer Anthem Inc. said it’s raising its offer to buy smaller rival Cigna Corp. for about $47 billion, including cash and stock.

Indianapolis-based Anthem said Saturday it’s proposing $184 per share; about 31 percent of that would be in Anthem shares and the remainder in cash. The offer represents a premium to Cigna’s stockholders of 18 percent over Cigna’s closing stock price on Friday. It said the bid also represents a premium of 35.4 percent based on the closing price of Cigna’s shares on May 28 when reports of industry merger talks began.

The announcement comes as investors have been speculating for weeks about the possibility of a major acquisition in a sector where size is becoming increasingly critical. Health insurers also have been hoarding cash from recent strong quarters and doing little to tamp down merger talks. Last month, there were reports that another rival, Humana Inc., was exploring a sale of itself. Some analysts predict the nation’s five biggest health insurance carriers, which also include Aetna and UnitedHealth Group, will eventually consolidate into three.