PPL SPOKESMAN JOE NIXON SAYS THE LIGHTS WILL SOON GO BACK ON FOR MOST LEHIGH VALLEY CUSTOMERS.  "WE'RE ESTIMATING THAT 85 PERCENT OF EVERYBODY ACROSS THE SYSTEM WHO HAD POWER KNOCKED OUT BY THIS STORM IS GOING TO BE BACK BY TOMORROW NIGHT," NIXON SAYS.  THE REMAINING 15 PERCENT SHOULD SEE POWER RESTORED NO LATER THAN SUNDAY NIGHT.  THERE ARE STILL NEARLY 200,000 PPL CUSTOMERS WITHOUT POWER IN PENNSYLVANIA.  ALMOST 100,000 OF THOSE CUSTOMERS ARE IN LEHIGH AND NORTHAMPTON COUNTIES.

  FIRST ENERGY'S SCOTT SURGEONER SAYS THEY'VE RESTORED SERVICE TO MORE THAN HALF THE 260,000 CUSTOMERS WHO LOST POWER DURING HURRICANE SANDY.  MANY OF THOSE STILL IN THE DARK ARE IN NORTHAMPTON COUNTY.  "OUR HARDEST HIT AREAS HAVE BEEN IN THE EASTON AREA, NORTHAMPTON COUNTY, PIKE COUNTY AND MONROE COUNTY.  THAT ENTIRE AREA IS HEAVILY TREED AND IT PICKED UP SIGNIFICANT WIND AND SOME TREE DAMAGE," SURGEONER SAYS.  HE SAYS CREWS CONTINUE WORKING TO RESTORE SERVICE AND HE BELIEVES 95 PERCENT OF ALL CUSTOMERS WILL BE UP AND RUNNING BY THIS WEEKEND.

  EASTON'S MAYOR EXPECTS MAJOR PROGRESS WILL BE MADE TODAY IN RESTORING POWER TO THE NEARLY 6000 MET-ED CUSTOMERS IN HIS CITY.  "LAST NIGHT I WAS ASSURED BY MET-ED THAT WE WOULD SEE A MAJOR RESTORATION EFFORT TODAY," THE MAYOR SAYS.  PANTO, WHO SAYS HE'S ONE OF THOSE EASTON RESIDENTS WITHOUT ELECTRICAL SERVICE, SAYS MET-ED WAS ABLE TO CUT POWER TO DOWNED POWER LINES SO CITY CREWS COULD CUT UP TREES AND OPEN ROADS TO GIVE EMERGENCY SERVICES ACCESS TO NEIGHBORHOODS THAT HAD BEEN CUT OFF BY THOSE FALLEN TREES.

  THE LOCAL RED CROSS IS STILL MAINTAINING A PAIR OF LEHIGH VALLEY SHELTERS.  ONE IS AT THE U.G.I. BUILDING ON CITY LINE ROAD IN BETHLEHEM AND THE SECOND IS AT THE ALLENTOWN FAIRGROUNDS.  BOTH ARE PET FRIENDLY.  THERE'S A FEMA SHELTER OPERATING IN MONROE COUNTY AT EAST STROUDSBURG UNIVERSITY.  SHELTERS ARE ALSO SET UP IN EASTON AT THE SALVATION ARMY ON NORTHAMPTON STREET AND ST. JOHN'S LUTHERAN CHURCH AT 4TH AND FERRY STREETS.  THERE ARE SHELTERS ESTABLISHED IN NEW JERSEY AS WELL IN BELVIDERE, BLAIRSTOWN, HACKETTSTOWN AND PHILLIPSBURG.

  A SHOWER AND CHARGING STATION WILL BE AVAILABLE UNTIL 9 O'CLOCK TONIGHT AT THE SAUCON VALLEY MIDDLE SCHOOL ON POLK VALLEY ROAD IN LOWER SAUCON TOWNSHIP.  IF YOU'RE LOOKING FOR A HOT SHOWER BRING YOUR OWN TOWELS AND BATH ITEMS TO THE SCHOOL.  THE GYM CAN BE ACCESSED THROUGH DOOR NUMBER 17 NEAR THE BASEBALL FIELD.  SAUCON VALLEY MIDDLE SCHOOL IS ALSO PROVIDING A PLACE TO CHARGE YOUR COMPUTER, CELL PHONES AND OTHER ELECTRONICS.

  A TWELFTH STORM-RELATED DEATH IS BEING REPORTED BY PENNSYLVANIA AUTHORITIES AS HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE REMAIN WITHOUT POWER IN SANDY'S WAKE.  THE BERKS COUNTY CORONER'S OFFICE SAYS AN 86-YEAR-OLD MAN WAS FOUND DEAD OF CARBON MONOXIDE POISONING WEDNESDAY EVENING.  OFFICIALS SAY THE MAN'S BODY WAS FOUND BESIDE A GENERATOR INSIDE A HOME'S GARAGE.  THE MAN'S WIFE WAS HOSPITALIZED.

  HURRICANE SANDY IS NOW BEING BLAMED FOR 14 DEATHS IN NEW JERSEY.  THE LATEST DEATHS OCCURRED WEDNESDAY NIGHT, WHEN CARBON MONOXIDE LEAKING FROM A GENERATOR APPARENTLY CAUSED THE DEATHS OF TWO SISTERS IN NEWARK.
 

  IF YOU'VE BEEN WITHOUT POWER SINCE HURRICANE SANDY ARRIVED ON MONDAY, THE ALLENTOWN HEALTH BUREAU'S JEFF STOUT SAYS MUCH OF WHAT IS IN YOUR REFRIGERATOR IS NO LONGER SAFE TO EAT.  "CERTAINLY ONCE WE'VE EXCEEDED 48 HOURS LIKE WE HAVE IN THIS EVENT IT'S ENTIRELY LIKELY THAT ANY FOOD THAT'S BEEN IN A REFRIGERATOR WITHOUT POWER FOR THAT AMOUNT OF TIME HAS BY NOW EXCEEDED 41 DEGREES," STOUT SAYS.  THE EXCEPTION TO THAT GENERAL RULE ARE CONDIMENTS, BUTTER, FRESH VEGGIES AND FRUIT JUICES.  AS FOR FROZEN FOODS, STOUT SAYS IF THEY STILL HAVE ICE CRYSTALS THEY CAN BE SAFELY RE-FROZEN.  IF NOT, THEY PROBABLY SHOULD BE TOSSED.

  NEW JERSEY OFFICIALS HAVE IMPOSED WATER-USE RESTRICTIONS STATEWIDE TO AID CONSERVATION AMID POSSIBLE SHORTAGES AFTER SUPERSTORM SANDY.  GOV. CHRIS CHRISTIE SAID WATERING LAWNS AND GARDENS WILL BE BANNED FOR NOW, AS WILL OUTDOOR CAR-WASHING AND WASHING PAVEMENT.  HE SAYS THAT 12 WATER TREATMENT SYSTEMS ACROSS THE STATE HAVE ISSUED BOIL-WATER ADVISORIES.  CHRISTIE SAYS PEOPLE SHOULD ALSO SAVE WATER BY TAKING SHORTER SHOWERS AND OTHER MEASURES.

  AMTRAK SAYS IT PLANS TO RESTORE SOME SERVICE ON FRIDAY TO AND FROM NEW YORK CITY, WHICH HAS BEEN WITHOUT INTERCITY TRAIN SERVICE SINCE IT WAS WALLOPED BY SUPERSTORM SANDY.  THE RAILROAD SAID THE REMOVAL OF WATER FROM FLOODED TRAIN TUNNELS UNDER THE HUDSON AND EAST RIVERS IS CONTINUING SO THAT REPAIRS TO TRACKS, SIGNALS AND POWER SYSTEMS CAN BE MADE.  A FRIDAY SCHEDULE IS EXPECTED TO BE RELEASED TODAY.  SERVICE TO NEWARK LIBERTY INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT IN NEW JERSEY HAS BEEN RESTORED

  PENNSYLVANIA'S U.S. SENATORS SAY THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT HAS AWARDED A $15 MILLION GRANT TO BLOOMSBURG TO BUILD A FLOODWALL THAT WILL SHIELD TWO OF THE CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA CITY'S TOP EMPLOYERS FROM DANGEROUS FLOODING.  DEMOCRT BOB CASEY AND REPUBLICAN PAT TOOMEY SAY THE GRANT FROM THE U.S. ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ADMINISTRATION WILL PAY FOR DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION OF A FLOODWALL AROUND AUTONEUM AND WINDSOR FOODS.  THEY SAID BOTH COLUMBIA COUNTY MANUFACTURERS ARE FREQUENTLY FLOODED WHEN THE SUSQUEHANNA RIVER AND FISHING CREEK OVERFLOW THEIR BANKS.  THE LAWMAKERS SAID IN A LETTER SUPPORTING THE COUNTY'S APPLICATION THAT FLOODING COSTS AN AVERAGE OF MORE THAN $4.5 MILLION IN BLOOMSBURG, DISRUPTING BUSINESS AND EDUCATION, THREATENING BASIC SERVICES AND ENDANGERING RESIDENTS.

  FORMER PENN STATE ASSISTANT FOOTBALL COACH JERRY SANDUSKY IS SERVING HIS CHILD MOLESTATION PRISON SENTENCE AT AN INSTITUTION IN FAR SOUTHWESTERN PENNSYLVANIA THAT INCLUDES MOST OF THE STATE'S DEATH ROW INMATES.  THE CORRECTIONS DEPARTMENT ANNOUNCED WEDNESDAY THAT SANDUSKY WAS TRANSFERRED TO GREENE STATE PRISON AFTER BEING EVALUATED AT A FACILITY OUTSIDE HARRISBURG.
PRISON OFFICIALS SAY HE'LL BE PLACED IN PROTECTIVE CUSTODY BECAUSE OF THE NATURE OF HIS CRIMES AND HIS HIGH PROFILE.  THE 68-YEAR-OLD SANDUSKY WAS CONVICTED THIS SUMMER OF 45 CRIMINAL COUNTS FOR THE SEXUAL ABUSE OF 10 BOYS OVER 15 YEARS.  HE'S SERVING A 30- TO 60-YEAR SENTENCE THAT MEANS HE'S LIKELY TO DIE IN PRISON.

  JRUE HOLIDAY HAS SIGNED AN EXTENSION WITH THE PHILADELPHIA 76ERS THE TEAM ANNOUNCED WEDNESDAY NIGHT AFTER ITS 84-75 VICTORY OVER THE DENVER NUGGETS.  THE DEAL IS REPORTEDLY FOR FOUR YEARS AND WORTH AT LEAST $41 MILLION.

  EAGLES COACH ANDY REID SAYS HE'S DECIDED TO STICK WITH MICHAEL VICK AT QUARTERBACK.  PHILADELPHIA HAS LOST THREE STRAIGHT AND VICK HAS STRUGGLED ALL SEASON WITH TURNOVERS.  PHILADELPHIA IS AT NEW ORLEANS ON MONDAY NIGHT.