TWO MEN WERE SHOT IN DOWNTOWN ALLENTOWN JUST AFTER 7 O'CLOCK WEDNESDAY NIGHT. POLICE WERE CALLED TO AN ALLEY BETWEEN NINTH AND 10TH STREETS FOR REPORTS OF SEVERAL SHOTS FIRED. THEY FOUND ONE MAN WHO WAS WOUNDED AND SPOTTED ANOTHER MAN RUNNING AWAY. THAT MAN LATER WENT TO THE HOSPITAL WITH GUNSHOT WOUNDS. BOTH MEN ARE EXPECTED TO SURVIVE. POLICE ARE INVESTIGATING REPORTS THE TWO VICTIMS WERE AMBUSHED BY A GROUP OF PEOPLE, INCLUDING A WOMAN WHO WAS SPOTTED CARRYING A BASEBALL BAT.
AN ELEVENTH JUROR HAS BEEN PICKED FOR THE CAPITAL-MURDER TRIAL OF GEORGE HITCHO JUNIOR, WHO IS CHARGED WITH KILLING A FREEMANSBURG POLICE OFFICER LAST AUGUST. TWELVE JURORS AND FOUR ALTERNATES ARE NEEDED BEFORE THE TRIAL BEGINS. THAT JURY WILL DECIDE WHETHER HITCHO IS GUILTY OF KILLING OFFICER ROBERT LASSO AS LASSO WAS RESPONDING TO A DISTURBANCE REPORT AT HITCHO'S HOME. IF HITCHO IS FOUND GUILTY, THAT JURY WILL THEN DECIDE WHETHER HE SHOULD BE EXECUTED OR SPEND THE REST OF HIS LIFE BEHIND BARS WITH NO CHANCE OF PAROLE.
ALLENTOWN CITY COUNCIL HAS REJECTED A PLAN THAT WOULD HAVE CUT THE CITY'S SWIMMING POOLS FROM FIVE DOWN TO THREE. THE PLAN RECOMMENDED THE CITY PERMANENTLY CLOSE FOUNTAIN POOL, WHICH HAS BEEN CLOSED SINCE 2009 AND TRANSFORM THE IRVING POOL INTO A SPRAY PARK. COUNCIL DECIDED INSTEAD TO HOLD THREE PUBLIC HEARINGS BEFORE ANY DECISION IS MADE ON THE FUTURE OF THE CITY'S POOLS.
INSTEAD OF CLOSING RURAL POST OFFICES, THE POSTAL SERVICE HAS DECIDED TO REDUCE HOURS AT MORE THAN 13,000 POST OFFICES, INCLUDING MANY IN THE LEHIGH VALLEY. AMONG THOSE POST OFFICES SEEING OPERATING HOURS REDUCED FROM EIGHT HOURS DOWN TO SIX ARE BREINIGSVILLE, CHERRY VILLE, DANIELSVILLE, LAURYS STATIONS, MARTINS CREEK, NEW TRIPOLI, OLD ZIONSVILLE, PALM, TATAMY AND PORTLAND. POST OFFICES SEEING THEIR HOURS CUT DOWN TO ONLY FOUR HOURS A DAY INCLUDE LIMEPORT, SLATEDALE AND TRICHLERS.
HOMELESS LEHIGH VALLEY VETERANS WILL BE GETTING A HAND. "WE'VE BEEN FORTUNATE ENOUGH TO RECEIVE AN ALLOCATION FROM H.U.D. FOR VOUCHERS FOR HOMELESS VETERANS. IT WILL BRING SOME FUNDING INTO THE COMMUNITY THAT HOPEFULLY WILL HELP HOMELESS VETERANS FIND AFFORDABLE HOUSING AND KEEP THAT HOUSING," SAYS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE ALLENTOWN HOUSING AUTHORITY DAN FARRELL. HE SAYS THE GRANT OF MORE THAN $114,000 WILL HELP THE AUTHORITY FIND HOUSING FOR 15 LOCAL HOMELESS VETS. FARRELL SAYS THE ENTIRE PROCESS WILL TAKE SEVERAL MONTHS BEFORE THOSE VETERANS ARE IN A NEW HOME.
THE JUDGE IN JERRY SANDUSKY'S CRIMINAL TRIAL SAYS HE'LL DECIDE WHAT INFORMATION THE DEFENSE IS ENTITLED TO FROM SCHOOLS, CHILD SERVICES AGENCIES AND OTHERS, BUT DIDN'T RULE RIGHT AWAY. JUDGE JOHN CLELAND ALSO DIDN'T IMMEDIATELY RULE WEDNESDAY ON A DEFENSE REQUEST TO DELAY THE START OF TRIAL, CURRENTLY SCHEDULED FOR JUNE 5. IN ANOTHER DEVELOPMENT, SANDUSKY DEFENSE LAWYER JOE AMENDOLA SAYS THERE AREN'T ANY REMAINING PENDING ISSUES OVER WHAT PROSECUTORS HAVE TO SUPPLY TO SANDUSKY, ALTHOUGH HE'S FILED MORE REQUESTS RECENTLY.
PENN STATE ATHLETES ANSWERED QUESTIONS ABOUT HOW THEY'RE DEALING WITH THE FALLOUT FROM THE CRISIS THAT ENVELOPED THE SCHOOL WITH STATEMENTS ON THE FIELD OR IN THE GYM. THIS SPRING ALONE, THE EMBATTLED ATHLETIC PROGRAM WON A SECOND STRAIGHT NCAA WRESTLING TITLE AND THE WOMEN'S BASKETBALL TEAM ADVANCED TO THE NCAA REGIONAL FINALS. ACTING ATHLETIC DIRECTOR DAVID JOYNER SAID WEDNESDAY IT IS PROOF ATHLETES ARE HOLDING UP WELL AMID UNPRECEDENTED SCRUTINY. JOYNER TOOK OVER IN NOVEMBER AMID THE FALLOUT FOLLOWING CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE CHARGES AGAINST RETIRED ASSISTANT FOOTBALL COACH JERRY SANDUSKY. THE NCAA AND BIG TEN HAVE STARTED THEIR OWN INQUIRIES INTO THE MATTER. JOYNER SAID THOSE INQUIRIES REMAIN IN A HOLDING PATTERN PENDING THE SCHOOL'S OWN INTERNAL INVESTIGATION. DONATIONS TO THE ATHLETIC DEPARTMENT BOOSTER CLUB ARE ALSO UP.
BILL O'BRIEN GREW UP NEAR BOSTON, ROOTS FOR THE RED SOX AND COACHED FOR THE PATRIOTS. HE'S THE PENN STATE COACH NOW, AND WHEN YOU COACH THE NITTANY LIONS, YOU HAVE TO EMBRACE NEW YORK. THE BIG APPLE'S METRO AREA IS HOME TO ABOUT 28,000 PENN STATE ALUMNI. ONLY PHILADELPHIA AND PITTSBURGH HAVE MORE. O'BRIEN AND THE PENN STATE CARAVAN STOPPED IN MANHATTAN ON WEDNESDAY AS PART OF THE SCHOOL'S ATTEMPT TO RE-CONNECT AN ATHLETIC PROGRAM THAT WAS THROWN INTO DISARRAY LAST YEAR WITH ITS SUPPORTERS. O'BRIEN SAYS WITH SO MANY FORMER PENN STATE FOOTBALL PLAYERS AND ATHLETES WORKING IN THE CITY "IT MAKES SENSE TO COME HERE AND TALK TO THEM ABOUT OUR VISION FOR THE ATHLETIC PROGRAM AND MY VISION FOR THE FOOTBALL PROGRAM."
A $17 MILLION SETTLEMENT HAS BEEN REACHED IN THE WRONGFUL-DEATH CASE OF TWO HUNGARIAN STUDENTS KILLED IN A DUCK BOAT COLLISION WITH A BARGE IN PHILADELPHIA. ATTORNEYS SAY FAMILIES OF THE VICTIMS WILL SPLIT $15 MILLION AND 18 SURVIVING PASSENGERS WILL SPLIT $2 MILLION. ROBERT MONGELUZZI SAYS THE MONEY WON'T CHANGE ANYTHING FOR THE PARENTS OF THE TWO HUNGARIAN TOURISTS. "NO AMOUNT OF MONEY CAN REPLACE THEIR PRICELESS, ONLY CHILDREN," SAYS MONGELUZZI. THE SURPRISE SETTLEMENT CAME WEDNESDAY AFTER JUST TWO DAYS OF TESTIMONY IN WHAT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE A MONTH-LONG FEDERAL TRIAL. A TUGBOAT-GUIDED BARGE SLAMMED INTO THE AMPHIBIOUS DUCK BOAT ON THE DELAWARE RIVER IN JULY 2010.
TONY CEBALLOS, WITH THE PHILADELPHIA-BASED U.S. COMMERCIAL SERVICE, SAYS PENNSYLVANIA'S EXPORTS PICKED UP CONSIDERABLY IN 2011. "THERE WAS AN INCREASE IN EXPORTS. IT WENT FROM $34.9 BILLION IN 2010 TO $41 BILLION IN 2011. THAT'S A 17 PERCENT INCREASE, WHICH IS HIGHER THAN THE NATIONAL AVERAGE IN EXPORT GROWTH," SAYS CEBALLOS. KOREA, THE UNITED KINGDOM AND CHINA SAW THE BIGGEST INCREASE IN IMPORTING PENNSYLVANIA PRODUCTS.
PROSECUTORS WANT CONVICTED STATE SEN. JANE ORIE TO REPAY MORE THAN $1 MILLION IN LEGAL FEES PAID BY PENNSYLVANIA TAXPAYERS AS PART OF HER UNSUCCESSFUL DEFENSE AGAINST CORRUPTION CHARGES. A MOTION FILED WEDNESDAY BY ALLEGHENY COUNTY PROSECUTORS SAYS THE STATE SENATE SPENT $1.3 MILLION ON REPRESENTATION DURING THE INVESTIGATION INTO HER MISUSE OF HER PUBLICLY FUNDED STAFF FOR CAMPAIGN PURPOSES. ANOTHER $74,000 WAS USED TO PAY A FORMER COMMONWEALTH COURT JUDGE WHO WAS AN EXPERT WITNESS AT ORIE'S PRETRIAL HEARING. ORIE WAS CONVICTED ON 14 OF 24 COUNTS IN MARCH AND IS SCHEDULED TO BE SENTENCED MAY 21.
IT TURNS OUT PENNSYLVANIANS ARE PRETTY GOOD CLIMBERS. A NEW STUDY OF GOVERNMENT ECONOMIC DATA FINDS THAT PENNSYLVANIA RESIDENTS ARE MORE UPWARDLY MOBILE THAN AVERAGE, ATTAINING GREATER HEIGHTS ON THE EARNINGS LADDER THAN RESIDENTS OF MOST OTHER STATES. RESEARCHERS AT PEW'S ECONOMIC MOBILITY PROJECT ON WEDNESDAY RELEASED THE FIRST STATE-BY-STATE LOOK AT ECONOMIC MOBILITY, THE ABILITY OF WORKERS TO IMPROVE THEIR FINANCIAL LOT OVER TIME COMPARED TO THEIR PEERS. THE STUDY FOUND THE AVERAGE PENNSYLVANIA WORKER'S PAY INCREASED BY 20 PERCENT OVER 10 YEARS. OF THOSE WHO ENTERED THEIR PRIME WORKING YEARS EARNING LOW OR MODERATE INCOMES, NEARLY FOUR IN 10 CLAWED THEIR WAY HIGHER AFTER A DECADE. PENNSYLVANIA WAS ONE OF EIGHT STATES WHOSE WORKERS WERE MORE LIKELY TO SIGNIFICANTLY BOOST THEIR PAY COMPARED TO THE NATION AS A WHOLE.
AFTER THE HIS BULLPEN BLEW UP AGAIN LAST NIGHT IN A 10-6 LOSS TO THE METS, PHILLIES MANAGER CHARLIE MANUEL HELD A CLOSED DOOR MEETING WITH HIS TEAM. "TONIGHT, THE WAY WE PLAYED AND THE WAY IT DEVELOPED, I JUST THOUGHT IT WAS TIME TO SAY SOMETHING TO OUR GUYS," SAYS MANUEL. HE CALLED LAST NIGHT'S LOSS "A VERY UGLY GAME". THE METS WRAPPED UP THEIR FIRST SERIES SWEEP IN PHILADELPHIA SINCE 2006.
