WHILE BETHLEHEM TOWNSHIP COMMISSIONERS SAY THEY SUPPORT THE CONSTRUCTION OF AN ALLENTOWN HOCKEY ARENA, THEY HAVE REJECTED THE CITY'S LATEST OFFER TO RESOLVE THE TOWNSHIP'S LAWSUIT AGAINST THE PROJECT.  COMMISSIONERS VOTED 5-0 TO REJECT A DEAL, PUTTING THE PLANNED SEPTEMBER 2013 OPENING OF THE ARENA IN SERIOUS JEOPARDY.  THE COMMISSIONERS WANT A STATE LAW CREATING A NEIGHBORHOOD IMPROVEMENT ZONE SURROUNDING THE ARENA TO BE REWRITTEN OR THROWN OUT.  ALL STATE AND LOCAL TAX MONEY, EXCEPT REAL ESTATE TAX DOLLARS, GATHERED WITHIN THAT 130-ACRE ZONE WOULD BE USED TO HELP PAY OFF THE ARENA PROJECT.  THAT INCLUDES EARNED INCOME TAXES COLLECTED FROM PEOPLE WHO WORK WITHIN THE ZONE, BUT LIVE OUTSIDE THE CITY.  THAT MONEY HAD PREVIOUSLY BEEN SHIPPED BACK TO THE EMPLOYEE'S HOME MUNICIPALITY.  THERE ARE CURRENTLY MORE THAN A DOZEN LEGAL CHALLENGES TO THE NEIGHBORHOOD IMPROVEMENT ZONE.

  THE WIFE OF A FREEMANSBURG POLICE OFFICER KILLED IN THE LINE OF DUTY SAYS HER 5-YEAR-OLD SON STILL ASKS HER WHEN HIS FATHER WILL BE COMING HOME.  JURORS DECIDING IF GEORGE HITCHO JR. DESERVES THE DEATH PENALTY FOR KILLING ROBERT LASSO ARE HEARING FROM THE MURDERED OFFICER'S FAMILY.  JENNIFER LASSO TELLS A NORTHAMPTON COUNTY JURY HER HUSBAND WAS KILLED JUST A FEW WEEKS BEFORE THEIR WEDDING ANNIVERSARY.  SEVERAL OF ROBERT LASSO'S FAMILY MEMBERS GAVE TESTIMONY MONDAY AT THE START OF HITCHO'S SENTENCING HEARING.  HE WAS CONVICTED LAST WEEK OF FIRST-DEGREE MURDER FOR SHOOTING LASSO IN THE HEAD AS THE OFFICER RESPONDED TO AN AUGUST 11 DISTURBANCE CALL.  HITCHO'S ATTORNEY SAYS HIS CLIENT WASN'T A VIOLENT PERSON UNTIL AFTER A SERIES OF HEAD INJURIES.

  AN ALLENTOWN MAN WILL BE SENTENCED NEXT MONTH AFTER ADMITTING TO 96 BURGLARIES AND SIX MORE ATTEMPTED BURGLARIES.  ANGEL VARGAS' PLEA BARGAIN LEAVES HIS WITH A MINIMUM SENTENCE OF 15 TO 20 YEARS.  VARGAS AND HIS BROTHER, GEORGE WASHINGTON, ARE CHARGED WITH COMMITTING THE CRIMES FROM OCTOBER 2009 THROUGH JANUARY 2011 IN BUCKS, LEHIGH, LUZERNE, NORTHAMPTON AND SCHUYLKILL COUNTIES.  POLICE SAY BUSINESSES LIKE GAS STATIONS, RESTAURANTS AND PET STORES WERE TARGETED.

  THE NORTHAMPTON COUNTY CORONER'S OFFICE HAS IDENTIFIED THE BODY FOUND ALONG A LEHIGH RIVER BANK OVER THE WEEKEND.  CORONER ZACHARY LYSEK SAYS THE DEAD MAN IS 34-YEAR-OLD CHRISTOPHER FLYNN, AN EASTON MAN WHO WAS REPORTED MISSING LAST WEEK.  A HIKER FOUND FLYNN'S BODY SUNDAY AFTERNOON NEAR THE WAWA STORE ON LARRY HOLMES DRIVE IN EASTON.  FLYNN WAS LAST SEEN TUEDAY NIGHT.  LYSEK ISN'T SAYING IF HIS DEATH IS BEING TREATED AS SUSPICIOUS.

  A STRETCH OF ROUTE 22 IN NORTHAMPTON COUNTY WILL BE GETTING A FACELIFT LATER THIS SUMMER.  PENNDOT SAYS A 2.87-MILE STRETCH OF ROUTE 22 BETWEEN 25TH STREET AND 4TH STREET IN EASTON WILL BE REPAVED THIS YEAR.  THE $7.9 MILLION PROJECT, WHICH INCLUDES INTERCHANGE IMPROVEMENTS, WILL BE DONE AT NIGHT.

  ABOUT 30 GRAVESTONES HAVE BEEN OVERTURNED AT RIVERVIEW CEMETERY AND ST. VINCENT DePAUL CEMETERY JUST OUTSIDE PORTLAND BOROUGH.  STATE POLICE BELIEVE THE VANDALISM OCCURED ON THE WEEKEND OF APRIL 14.  RIVERVIEW CEMETERY IS OFFERING A $200 REWARD FOR INFORMATION THAT LEADS TO THE ARREST OF THE VANDALS.

  YESTERDAY AT THIS TIME, ACCU-WEATHER THOUGHT THE MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND MIGHT BE ON THE RAINY SIDE.  NOW, METEOROLOGIST ERIC WILHELM THINKS A FRONT WON'T CAUSE HOLIDAY PICNICS TO BE PUSHED INSIDE.  "RIGHT NOW, I'M PRETTY OPTIMISTIC IT'S GOING TO LAY OUT NORTH OF US AND THAT WOULD KEEP US IN THE WARM AIR AND THE THUNDERSTORM-FREE AIR FOR THE WEEKEND.  BUT IT WON'T TAKE TOO MUCH OF A SOUTHWARD SHIFT OF THAT FRONT TO GET US INTO THE DANGER ZONE FOR THE WEEKEND," SAYS WILHELM.  RIGHT NOW, WILHELM THINKS WE AVOID MOST, IF NOT ALL, OF THE POTENTIAL RAIN AND WILL HAVE A PRETTY WARM HOLIDAY WEEKEND.

  A JUDGE HAS DENIED A REQUEST FROM FORMER PENN STATE ASSISTANT COACH JERRY SANDUSKY TO DELAY THE JUNE 5 START OF HIS CHILD SEX-ABUSE TRIAL.  JUDGE JOHN CLELAND HAS DENIED DEFENSE ATTORNEY JOE AMENDOLA'S REQUEST FOR MORE TIME TO PREPARE HIS DEFENSE.  SANDUSKY WAS CHARGED IN NOVEMBER AND DECEMBER WITH A TOTAL OF 52 COUNTS INVOLVING 10 BOYS HE ALLEGEDLY ABUSED BETWEEN 1994 AND 2008.  HE HAS DENIED THE CHARGES.  AMENDOLA HAS SAID HE WAS CONCERNED HE WOULD BE "UNABLE TO EFFECTIVELY AND ADEQUATELY" REPRESENT SANDUSKY WITHOUT THE DELAY.  CLELAND ALSO ISSUED A SECOND ORDER THAT REQUIRES SANDUSKY'S LAWYERS TO PROVIDE PROSECUTORS EXPERT REPORTS BY MAY 30 IF THEY PLAN TO USE THEM AS PART OF THEIR CASE.

  A KEY LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEE HAS ENDORSED A SENATE-APPROVED $27.7 BILLION STATE BUDGET PLAN AFTER A DEBATE THAT SPLIT THE PANEL ALONG PARTY LINES.  THE REPUBLICAN MAJORITY ON THE HOUSE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE ON MONDAY SHOVED THE BILL TO THE HOUSE FLOOR ON A 21-14 VOTE AFTER BLOCKING A SERIES OF DEMOCRATIC AMENDMENTS.  REPUBLICANS RULED THE AMENDMENTS OUT OF ORDER BECAUSE THEY WOULD INCREASE STATE SPENDING BY ABOUT $300 MILLION MORE THAN IS EXPECTED TO BE AVAILABLE IN THE YEAR THAT STARTS JULY 1.  DEMOCRATS CRIED FOUL IN A DISCUSSION THAT LASTED TWO AND HALF HOURS.  THEY INSISTED THAT THE EXTRA MONEY WILL BE AVAILABLE AND THAT THE AMENDMENTS WOULD SPARE POPULAR PROGRAMS SUCH AS KINDERGARTEN PROGRAMS AT SCHOOLS, DAY CARE, HOSPITALS, NURSING HOMES AND OTHERS THAT OTHERWISE WILL BE CUT.

  A TOP STATE SENATOR SAYS THE GOVERNMENT NEEDS TO CONSIDER REDUCING THE FUTURE BENEFITS OF EMPLOYEES TO HELP SOFTEN A MASSIVE PENSION COST SPIKE, EVEN IF IT MEANS CHALLENGING STATE CONSTITUTIONAL LAW.  SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN JAKE CORMAN SAID MONDAY THAT HE HOPES THAT A MAJOR PENSION REFORM PLAN WILL BE IN PLACE WITH THE ANNUAL STATE BUDGET THAT IS TO BE ASSEMBLED ONE YEAR FROM NOW.  LONG-ESTABLISHED LEGAL INTERPRETATIONS DICTATE THAT PENSION BENEFITS PROMISED THE DAY OF HIRE TO SCHOOL EMPLOYEES AND GOVERNMENT WORKERS MAY NOT BE REDUCED.  THE $1.1 BILLION THE STATE'S PAYING FOR PENSIONS THIS YEAR IS SCHEDULED TO RISE TO $4.3 BILLION IN FIVE YEARS.  THE OBLIGATION WILL TRIPLE FOR SCHOOL DISTRICTS.  ANALYSTS SAY OPTIONS TO SMOOTH OUT THE COST SPIKE ARE EXTREMELY LIMITED.

  TWO PUBLIC SCHOOL ADVOCACY GROUPS SAY A SURVEY SHOWS MORE DISTRICTS EXPECT WORSENING FINANCES, EVEN AS THEY CUT INSTRUCTIONAL PROGRAMS AND PERSONNEL IN NUMBERS UNHEARD OF SINCE THE GREAT DEPRESSION.  THE SURVEY BY THE PENNSYLVANIA ASSOCIATION OF SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS AND PENNSYLVANIA ASSOCIATION OF SCHOOL BUSINESS OFFICIALS RECEIVED RESPONSES FROM 281 OF 500 DISTRICTS.  JUST OVER HALF EXPECT THEIR FINANCES TO WORSEN NEXT YEAR, UP FROM ABOUT 40 PERCENT IN LAST YEAR'S SURVEY.  MEANWHILE, THREE IN FOUR EXPECT TO TAP RESERVES AND REDUCE STAFF.  THREE IN FIVE EXPECT TO INCREASE CLASS SIZE AND REDUCE ELECTIVE COURSE OFFERINGS.  ABOUT HALF EXPECT TO INCREASE TAXES AND REDUCE OR ELIMINATE FIELD TRIPS AND EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES, INCLUDING SPORTS.  THE GROUPS BLAME CUTS IN STATE AID, RISING COSTS AND LACKLUSTER LOCAL TAX COLLECTIONS.

  IF YOU WANT TO BUY A GUN IN PENNSYVLVANIA, YOU'LL HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL AFTER 10 O'CLOCK TUESDAY MORNING.  STATE POLICE COMMISSIONER FRANK NOONAN SAYS THAT'S BECAUSE THE STATE IS IN THE MIDDLE OF REPLACING ITS AUTOMATED FINGERPRINT IDENTIFICATION SYSTEM.  "WE'RE NOT ISSUING ANY GUN CHECKS WHILE THE SYSTEM IS DOWN.  SOMEBODY COULD BE ARRESTED FOR A DOMESTIC VIOLENCE CHARGE, BE RELEASED AND GO TO BUY A GUN AND WE WOULDN'T KNOW," SAYS NOONAN.  THE SYSTEM WAS DE-ACTIVATED SATURDAY NIGHT AT 10 O'CLOCK AND WONT' BE RESTORED UNTIL 10 O'CLOCK TUESDAY MORNING AT THE EARLIEST.

  THE EAGLES ON MONDAY AGREED TO TERMS WITH QUARTERBACK NICK FOLES ON A FOUR-YEAR CONTRACT.  FOLES, A THIRD-ROUND SELECTION IN LAST MONTH'S DRAFT OUT OF ARIZONA, FINISHED HIS COLLEGIATE CAREER AS THE WILDCATS' ALL-TIME LEADING PASSER IN TERMS OF YARDS, TOUCHDOWNS, ATTEMPTS AND COMPLETIONS.