THE CORONER WAS CALLED TO THE SCENE OF A CONSTRUCTION ACCIDENT IN BETHLEHEM THIS MORNING. A BULLDOZER WAS INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT WITH SEVERAL OTHER VEHICLES IN THE 300 BLOCK OF STATE STREET AROUND 7 O'CLOCK THIS MORNING. NO OTHER DETAILS ARE AVAILABLE RIGHT NOW.
THE COMPANY BUILDING ALLENTOWN'S NEXT OFFICE COMPLEX HAS DECIDED TO INCREASE THE SIZE OF THAT BUILDING FROM SIX FLOORS TO 11 STORIES, MAKING IT THE CITY'S SECOND TALLEST BUILDING, BEHIND ONLY THE PPL TOWER. DEMOLITION OF THE OLD FIRST NATIONAL BANK BUILDING ON HAMILTON STREET BEGAN IN EARNEST THURSDAY TO MAKE WAY FOR THE OFFICE BUILDING, WHICH WILL BE BUILT ACROSS THE STREET FROM THE ARENA. THE ADDITIONAL FLOORS WILL ADD ANOTHER 100,000 SQUARE FEET TO THE PROJECT'S ORIGINAL 200,000 SQUARE FEET. CONSTRUCTION OF THE NEW BUILDING SHOULD BEGIN EARLY NEXT YEAR.
RADIOACTIVE MATERIAL THAT TURNED UP IN DEBRIS FROM DEMOLITION AT THE SITE OF A PLANNED ALLENTOWN HOCKEY ARENA HAS BEEN TAKEN FROM A LANDFILL AND PROPERLY DISPOSED OF MONTHS AFTER IT WAS FOUND. THE MATERIAL WAS FOUND JANUARY 7 WHEN IT ARRIVED AT THE IESI BETHLEHEM LANDFILL IN LOWER SAUCON TOWNSHIP. THE MATERIAL CONTAINS RADIUM 226 ISOTOPE AND MAY BE FROM A GLOW-IN-THE-DARK WORLD WAR II ERA DEVICE. A TOWNSHIP OFFICIAL SAY THE MATERIAL WAS NOT CONSIDERED A SERIOUS THREAT AT THE TIME. BUT THE STATE DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION EXPRESSED A CONCERN ABOUT IT SEVERAL MONTHS LATER. OFFICIALS SAY THE CLEANUP WAS COMPLETED WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON.
LETTERS SENT BY JERRY AND DOTTIE SANDUSKY TO THE JUDGE BEFORE JERRY SANDUSKY'S SENTENCING REFLECT A DEFIANT TONE. HE SAYS HE LOST TRUST IN "PEOPLE, SYSTEMS AND FAIRNESS," AND SHE SAYS SHE'S LOST FAITH IN POLICE AND THE LEGAL SYSTEM. THE LETTERS WERE RELEASED BY JUDGE JOHN CLELAND AFTER HE SENTENCED THE FORMER PENN STATE ASSISTANT FOOTBALL COACH TUESDAY TO AT LEAST 30 YEARS IN PRISON FOR 45 COUNTS OF CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE. DOTTIE SANDUSKY IS CRITICAL OF HER ADOPTED SON MATT SANDUSKY, WHO WAS EXPECTED TO BE A DEFENSE WITNESS UNTIL THE TRIAL, WHEN HE CLAIMED HE HAD BEEN ABUSED BY JERRY SANDUSKY. MATT SANDUSKY'S LAWYER JOEL FELLER, WHO ALSO REPRESENTS AT LEAST FIVE OTHER VICTIMS OR POTENTIAL CLAIMANTS, CALLS THE LETTERS A FAILED STRATEGY TO BLAME OTHERS.
PENNSYLVANIA'S PUBLIC EMPLOYEE RETIREMENT SYSTEM SAYS JERRY SANDUSKY WILL GET TO KEEP MORE THAN $900,000 IN STATE PENSION PAYMENTS HE RECEIVED AFTER HIS 1999 RETIREMENT FROM PENN STATE UNIVERSITY. THE STATE EMPLOYEES' RETIREMENT SYSTEM SAID THURSDAY IT WON'T SEEK REPAYMENT OF THE MONEY SANDUSKY RECEIVED FROM 1999 TO SEPTEMBER 2012 BECAUSE THE STATE'S FORFEITURE LAW DOES NOT AUTHORIZE SERS TO GO AFTER MONEY PAID BEFORE THE DATE OF A PLEA OR CONVICTION. THE AGENCY NOTIFIED SANDUSKY HE WILL NO LONGER RECEIVE HIS $59,000 ANNUAL PENSION FOLLOWING HIS CONVICTION AND SENTENCE IN THE CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE SCANDAL. SANDUSKY WAS SENTENCED TUESDAY TO AT LEAST 30 YEARS IN PRISON FOR SEXUALLY MOLESTING 10 BOYS. SANDUSKY'S LAWYER SAYS THE FORMER PENN STATE ASSISTANT FOOTBALL COACH WILL FIGHT TO KEEP HIS PENSION.
ACCU-WEATHER METEOROLOGIST DEAN DEVORE EXPECTS OUR LOW TEMPERATURE TONIGHT TO REACH 27 DEGREES. "THE RECORD IS 30, SO IT LOOKS LIKE WE COULD BREAK A RECORD THAT'S 106 YEARS OLD," DEVORE SAYS. AS FOR THE WEEKEND, DEVORE FIGURES TOMORROW IS SUNNY AND COOL AND SUNDAY WILL BE SUNNY AND QUITE A BIT WARMER.
AN EMMAUS MAN WILL SPEND THE REST OF HIS LIFE IN PRISON AFTER BEING CONVICTED OF A 2007 BERKS COUNTY MURDER. CORY LEE VANKEUREN HAS BEEN CONVICTED OF KILLING AUDREY GIANNOTTI INSIDE HER LAURELDALE HOME BECAUSE SHE WAS NOT ROMANTICALLY INTERESTED IN HIM. VANKEUREN'S ATTORNEY CLAIMED HIS CLIENT WAS TOO HIGH ON COCAINE TO PLOTTED OUT THE KILLING.
A BETHLEHEM MAN FACES A MAXIMUM 70 YEARS IN PRISON AFTER PLEADING GUILTY TO CHILD PORNOGRAPHY CHARGES. FEDERAL AGENTS FOUND PICTURES AND VIDEOS DEPICTING CHILD PORN ON THE COMPUTER OF 41-YEAR-OLD NIYAZ SAINUDEEN BACK IN MARCH. IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE SEARCH, SAINUDEEN TRIED TO GO BACK TO HIS NATIVE INDIA, BUT WAS ARRESTED AT JFK AIRPORT. HE'LL BE SENTENCED NEXT FEBRUARY.
STATE AG SECRETARY GEORGE GREIG IS CONCERNED ABOUT A NEW DISCOVERY HERE. CHRONIC WASTING DISEASE HAS MADE ITS WAY HERE. "THIS IS THE FIRST CONFIRMED CASE OF CHRONIC WASTING DISEASE HERE IN PENNSYLVANIA," GREIG SAYS. THE NEUROLOGICAL ILLNESS IS FATAL IN DEER, ELK AND MOOSE. THOUGH IT'S CONTAGIOUS AMONG ANIMALS, HEALTH AUTHORITIES SAY THERE IS NO EVIDENCE THE DISEASE CAN BE TRANSMITTED TO HUMANS. STATE OFFICIALS SAID YESTERDAY THAT THE POSITIVE SAMPLE CAME FROM A WHITE-TAILED DEER ON A FARM IN NEW OXFORD, ADAMS COUNTY. PENNSYLVANIA IS THE 23RD STATE TO HAVE A CONFIRMED CASE.
A REPUBLICAN-SPONSORED BILL THAT SEEKS TO CUT THE NUMBER OF UNEXCUSED ABSENCES NEW JERSEY LEGISLATORS ARE ALLOWED BEFORE VACATING THEIR OFFICE WAS APPROVED BY A SENATE COMMITTEE ON THURSDAY. THE BILL SPONSORED BY SEN. TOM KEAN JR. CUTS 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.
PHILADELPHIA EAGLES QUARTERBACK MICHAEL VICK, WHO SERVED 18 MONTHS IN PRISON ON DOGFIGHTING CHARGES, HAS CONFIRMED THAT HE OWNS A DOG. A STATEMENT FROM VICK RELEASED THURSDAY DOES NOT IDENTIFY THE PET AS A DOG, BUT SAYS THAT "THIS IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO BREAK THE CYCLE." VICK SAYS THE ANIMAL "IS WELL CARED FOR AND LOVED AS A MEMBER OF OUR FAMILY." HE SAYS IT'S HIS RESPONSIBILITY AS A FATHER TO TEACH HIS CHILDREN TO DEVELOP A HEALTHY RELATIONSHIP WITH ANIMALS. SINCE HIS RELEASE, HE HAS WORKED WITH THE HUMANE SOCIETY OF THE UNITED STATES TO SPEAK OUT AGAINST ANIMAL CRUELTY. VICK SAYS THAT COMMITMENT WILL CONTINUE. THE HUMANE SOCIETY DECLINED TO COMMENT.
