PENNSYLVANIA'S PUBLIC EMPLOYEE PENSION SYSTEM SAYS IT WILL REVOKE JERRY SANDUSKY'S $59,000 ANNUAL PENSION. THE STATE EMPLOYEES' RETIREMENT SYSTEM NOTIFIED SANDUSKY BY LETTER WEDNESDAY THAT HIS CRIMES TRIGGERED FORFEITURE OF THE PENSION. THE FORMER PENN STATE ASSISTANT FOOTBALL COACH WAS SENTENCED TUESDAY TO AT LEAST 30 YEARS IN PRISON FOR MOLESTING 10 BOYS. THE RETIREMENT SYSTEM HAS TOLD SANDUSKY HE WILL NO LONGER RECEIVE HIS $4,908 MONTHLY ANNUITY AND INFORMED HIS WIFE, DOTTIE, SHE'S NO LONGER ENTITLED TO A SURVIVOR'S BENEFIT. SANDUSKY'S LAWYER, KARL ROMINGER, SAYS THE AGENCY HAS NO LEGAL GROUNDS FOR REVOKING HIS PENSION AND SAYS SANDUSKY WILL FIGHT ANY ATTEMPT TO DO SO.

  TWO PEOPLE ARE DEAD AND A THIRD PERSON SERIOUSLY INJURED IN A TUESDAY NIGHT HELICOPTER CRASH IN MONROE COUNTY. POCONO MOUNTAIN REGIONAL POLICE CHIEF HARRY LEWIS SAYS FOG MAY HAVE PLAYED A ROLE IN THE CRASH. "SHORTLY BEFORE THE CRASH THE SURVIVOR OF THE CRASH WAS COMMUNICATING WITH THE OWNER OF THE AIRCRAFT INDICATING THEY WERE ATTEMPTING TO ESCAPE FROM THE WEATHER AND GO TO MT. POCONO," LEWIS SAYS. THEY NEVER MADE IT TO THE AIRPORT. PILOT WILLIAM ELLSWORTH, OF NEW JERSEY, AND TIGHE SULLIVAN, OF CONNECTICUT, WERE BOTH KILLED. STEPHEN BARRAL, OF NEW JERSEY, SURVIVED AND IS IN CRITICAL CONDITION AT LEHIGH VALLEY HOSPITAL-CEDAR CREST.

  POLICE IN ALLENTOWN ARE INVESTIGATING A WEDNESDAY MORNING KILLING. POLICE IN ALLENTOWN HAVE A PERSON IN CUSTODY IN THE KILLING OF A 52 YEAR OLD MAN INSIDE AN APARTMENT IN DOWNTOWN ALLENTOWN AT 25 SOUTH 9TH STREET. IT HAPPENED EARLY WEDNESDAY MORNING. POLICE SAY 36-YEAR-OLD CAROLINA FELIZ WILL BE CHARGED WITH KILLING DESIDERIO MORALES OF PALMERTON. HE WAS TAKEN TO LEHIGH VALLEY HOSPITAL-CEDAR CREST WHERE HE LATER DIED WEDNESDAY MORNING. THE LEHIGH COUNTY CORONER SAYS HE WAS STABBED AND HIS DEATH HAS BEEN RULED A HOMICIDE. POLICE SAY FELIZ STABBED HER BOYFRIEND TO DEATH DURING AN ARGUMENT.

  IN A 5-4 VOTE LEHIGH COUNTY COMMISSIONERS HAVE GIVEN PRELIMINARY APPROVAL TO A $365 MMILLION BUDGET THAT WOULD CUT PROPERTY TAXES BY 4.8-PERCENT AND FORCE COUNTY EXECUTIVE BILL HANSELL TO TRIM $5 MILLION IN SPENDING. COMMISSIONERS CAST A FINAL BUDGET VOTE ON OCTOBER 24. IF APPROVED, HANSELL CAN STILL VETO THE BUDGET, WHICH WOULD THEN MEAN COMMISSIONERS WOULD NEED SIX VOTES TO OVERRIDE THAT VETO.

  IT'S 22 TO 44 YEARS IN PRISON FOR A BETHLEHEM MAN WHO SEXAULLY ASSAULTED A GIRL. BACK IN JULY CARLOS RAMIREZ PLEADED GUILTY TO ASSAULTING A GIRL BEGINNING WHEN SHE WAS 10 AND CONTINUING FOR SEVERAL YEARS. RAMIREZ WILL ALSO HAVE TO REGISTER AS A SEX OFFENDER FOR THE REST OF HIS LIFE.

  DURING A TOUR OF BEN FRANKLIN TECH VENTURES IN BETHLEHEM, GOVERNOR TOM CORBETT OFFERED IT HIGH PRAISE. "EMPLOYEES OF COMPANIES THAT GREW FROM BEN FRANKLIN AVERAGE 33 PERCENT HIGHER THAN THE AVERAGE STATE JOB," THE GOVERNOR SAYS. CORBETT SAYS THE STATE GETS $3.50 BACK IN TAXES FOR EVERY $1 IT INVESTS IN THE BEN FRANKLIN BUSINESS INCUBATORS. THE LOCAL PROGRAM HAS HELPED CREATE 55 COMPANIES THAT SUPPORT MORE THAN 5400 JOBS.

  PROSECUTORS SAY THEY PLAN TO SEEK THE DEATH PENALTY AGAINST A MAN CHARGED IN THE SHOOTING DEATHS OF TWO MEN WHOSE BODIES WERE FOUND IN A NORTHEASTERN PENNSYLVANIA PARK LAST SUMMER. AUTHORITIES IN MONROE COUNTY ALLEGE THAT 28-YEAR-OLD LUIS VASQUEZ KILLED 55-YEAR-OLD BERTOLDO VELEZ AND 38-YEAR-OLD JOSEPH KING ON AUGUST 17 AFTER MEETING THEM IN A COOLBAUGH TOWNSHIP PARK TO TRY TO SETTLE A $20,000 DEBT. INVESTIGATORS SAY VASQUEZ TOLD POLICE THAT A GROUP OF MEN HAD APPROACHED HIM AND TOLD HIM THEY WERE LOOKING FOR VELEZ BEFORE THE MURDER, BUT PROSECUTORS SAY THAT STORY ISN'T SUPPORTED BY THE EVIDENCE.

  THE LIBERTARIAN PARTY'S CANDIDATES WILL STAY ON PENNSYLVANIA'S BALLOT. A STATE JUDGE RULED IN FAVOR OF THE PARTY WEDNESDAY, ENDING A NEARLY EIGHT-WEEK REVIEW OF PETITION SIGNATURES THAT WAS FORCED BY A CHALLENGE BACKED BY THE STATE REPUBLICAN PARTY. COMMONWEALTH COURT SENIOR JUDGE JAMES GARDNER COLINS SAID LAWYERS FOR BOTH SIDES AGREED THAT THE LIBERTARIANS HAVE AT LEAST 20,730 VALID SIGNATURES. THAT'S 129 MORE THAN THE LAW REQUIRES. COLINS REJECTED MOTIONS BY THE CHALLENGERS SEEKING TO INVALIDATE SCORES OF SIGNATURES THAT THEY HAD PREVIOUSLY ACCEPTED AS VALID, SAYING THEY FAILED TO JUSTIFY SUCH AN ACTION. THE RULING KEEPS LIBERTARIAN PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE GARY JOHNSON ON THE PENNSYLVANIA BALLOT, AS WELL AS ITS CANDIDATES FOR U.S. SENATE AND THE THREE STATE ROW OFFICES.

  THURSDAY IS NATIONAL DEPRESSION SCREENING DAY. THE POCONO MEDICAL CENTER IS TAKING PART. "WE WILL HAVE A FREE SCREENING AND ASSESSMENT FOR ANYONE WHO MAY BE FEELING SAD, ANXIOUS OR OVERWHELMED. THEY WILL HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO TAKE A ANONYMOUS MENTAL HEALTH SELF ASSESSMENT," THE HOSPITAL'S GEOFFREY ROCHE SAYS. AFTER THAT ASSESSMENT YOU CAN TALK WITH MENTAL HEALTH PROFESSIONALS WHO WILL EVALUATE THAT ASSESSMENT. NO APPOINTMENTS ARE NEEDED. READING HOSPITAL IS OFFERING SIMILAR SERVICES ON THURSDAY.

  A REPUBLICAN-SPONSORED BILL THAT SEEKS TO CUT THE NUMBER OF UNEXCUSED ABSENCES NEW JERSEY LEGISLATORS ARE ALLOWED BEFORE VACATING THEIR OFFICE WILL BE HEARD BY A SENATE COMMITTEE ON THURSDAY. THE BILL SPONSORED BY SEN. TOM KEAN JR. WOULD CUT THE NUMBER OF UNEXCUSED ABSENCES TO FIVE BEFORE A LAWMAKER'S SEAT IS DECLARED VACANT. LAWMAKERS NOW ARE ALLOWED 10 UNEXPLAINED ABSENCES. KEAN SAYS THE CHANGE WOULD HELP ENSURE THAT CITIZENS ARE REPRESENTED WITHOUT INTERRUPTION AND DISCOURAGE LAWMAKERS FROM SKIPPING SESSIONS TO AVOID CASTING CERTAIN VOTES. THE BILL ALSO WAS DESIGNED TO DISCOURAGE LEGISLATORS FROM LEAVING THE STATE DURING THE SESSION. THAT'S A POSSIBLE REFERENCE TO FORMER SOUTH CAROLINA GOV. MARK SANFORD, WHO DISAPPEARED FOR SIX DAYS WHILE ON A SECRET TRIP TO ARGENTINA TO VISIT HIS LOVER IN 2009.

  NEW JERSEY LAWMAKERS ARE CONSIDERING BILLS THAT WOULD ALLOW THE USE OF PORTABLE BETTING DEVICES AT HORSE RACING TRACKS, AND ALLOW LOTTERY WINNERS TO REMAIN ANONYMOUS FOR A YEAR. A STATE SENATE COMMITTEE IS DUE TO CONSIDER A MEASURE ALLOWING BETTING ON WIRELESS DEVICES AT RACE TRACKS. A SIMILAR BILL AUTHORIZING THE USE OF SUCH DEVICES AT ATLANTIC CITY'S CASINOS HAS ALREADY BEEN APPROVED. LIKE THAT BILL, THE HORSE TRACK BILL WOULD REQUIRE THAT THE DEVICES ONLY WORK ON THE GROUNDS OF THE STATE'S FOUR HORSE TRACKS, AND WOULD PROVIDE SAFEGUARDS TO KEEP CHILDREN FROM GAMBLING.

  REVEL IS GOING IN REVERSE. ATLANTIC CITY'S NEWEST CASINO WON LESS MONEY FROM GAMBLERS IN SEPTEMBER THAN IT DID IN AUGUST. THE SIX-MONTH-OLD CASINO RESORT WON $16.8 MILLION LAST MONTH, DOWN FROM $20 MILLION IN AUGUST. ATLANTIC CITY'S 12 CASINOS COLLECTIVELY SAW THEIR SEPTEMBER REVENUE FALL BY 6.3 PERCENT TO $276 MILLION, COMPARED WITH A YEAR AGO. SO FAR, REVEL HAS NOT BEEN THE CATALYST THAT MANY IN ATLANTIC CITY HAD HOPED IT WOULD BE IN GROWING THE GAMBLING MARKET, WHICH HAS BEEN SHRINKING EVER SINCE 2007. FOR THE FIRST NINE MONTHS OF THE YEAR, CASINOS WON $2.4 BILLION WHICH IS DOWN 4.8 PERCENT FROM THE SAME PERIOD IN 2011.