A Northampton County man already accused of assaulting his girlfriend last month now faces charges for her death. Scott Wiley, of Palmer Township, was arrested over the weekend on counts of third-degree murder, involuntary manslaughter, aggravated assault and simple assault. Berks County District Attorney John Adams says Wiley used a martial arts move to seriously injure Farrah Wertz inside her Boyertown home on March 11th. "He did a leg sweep and kicked Farrah Wertz's legs out from under her, causing her to suffer a broken fibula and some rather serious injuries," Adams says. He says first responders were called to Wertz's home nearly three weeks later and found Wertz in distress. She later died and the coroner says her death was caused by a blood clot caused by complications from the broken leg.
Lt. Gov. John Fetterman's listening tour focused on the idea of legalizing marijuana for personal use continued over the weekend in the Lehigh Valley. After a Saturday stop at Muhlenberg College and a Sunday afternoon visit to East Stroudsburg University, Fetterman heard from residents in Northampton County at SteelStacks. He says he's learned a lot from his 30-plus stops so far. "We do see a lot of support, but we also see a lot of thoughtful opposition too," Fetterman says. The lieutenant governor heard from residents, some of whom panned the idea and others who support it. Fetterman's next stop is in Berks County tomorrow night.
A 68-year-old Stroudsburg woman is dead and a 74-year-old Stroudsburg man injured after a weekend crash on Route 209 in Chestnuthill Township, Monroe County. Rose Halstead was declared dead at the scene. Lewis Halstead was flown to St. Luke's University Hospital-Fountain Hill with serious injuries. The crash happened just after 9 o'clock Saturday morning on 209 at the intersection with Fairgrounds Road. Police say the Halsteads were turning left onto Fairgrounds Road when they were rear-ended. The Halsteads' vehicle then struck a fence and tree. The crash is still being investigated.
Pennsylvania is changing the way inmates in the state receive their legal mail. This after a civil rights group accused the Department of Corrections of violating attorney-client privilege. The department used to give inmates a copy of their legal correspondence and other privileged mail, but now they'll receive the original copies.
The Pennsylvania House is considering its own version of "Marsy's Law." Rep. Sheryl Delozier introduced the bill, hoping it will balance the system. She says the law brings victims' rights and the victims' voice to the judicial process, equal to the accused. Since Marsy's Law requires a change to the constitution, it has to make its way through two legislative sessions before it can be approved by voters.
It's been just over two years since Pennsylvania did away with license plate stickers, but one state lawmaker wants to bring them back. Berks County St. Rep. Barry Jozwiak says there are several people who choose not to register their vehicles because there is no way for PennDOT to identify valid registration. He says creating the new sticker will help address that problem.
New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez is appearing today to announce how the government will be focusing on the trafficking of fentanyl into the Garden State and across the nation. Menendez will be in Camden at 1:30pm to discuss legislation intended to help New Jersey fight against the powerful opioid. Local Camden officials will join the senator at the appearance as well. Fentanyl has been connected to almost 1400 deaths in New Jersey in 2017, according to New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir Grewal.
New Jersey's trout season began over the weekend. As of Saturday, Garden State residents with a fishing license and trout stamp may legally seek out trout.
After squeezing out a 2-1 win over Minnesota Sunday afternoon, Phillies first baseman Rhys Hoskins says playing and winning close games is important. "We need to be in those games. Those are going to be games that show up later in the season and in October. To be put into those situations early in the season, it's going to be helpful down the road for sure," Hoskins says. Hoskins gave the Phils their only runs with a two-run homer. The Phillies are now 6-2. They host the Nationals tonight.