A LEHIGH COUNTY MAN APPARENTLY DIED OVER THE WEEKEND WHILE CLEARING DEBRIS CAUSED BY HURRICANE SANDY LAST WEEK. THE LEHIGH COUNTY CORONER'S OFFICE SAYS 38-YEAR-OLD JEROME TYSON OF NEW TRIPOLI DIED SATURDAY NIGHT AND THAT THE DEATH "APPEARS RELATED TO AN INCIDENT THAT OCCURED AS TYSON WAS CLEARING DEBRIS FROM HURRICANE SANDY."
PPL SAYS ALL POLLING PLACES IN ITS TERRITORY HAVE HAD POWER RESTORED AND WILL BE READY FOR VOTERS TOMORROW. AS FOR MET-ED? "WE BELIEVE THAT WE WILL HAVE THE POLLING PLACES READY FOR ELECTION DAY ON TUESDAY," MET-ED SPOKESMAN SCOTT SURGEONER SAYS. HIS COMPANY HAS BEEN WORKING WITH COUNTIES SINCE LATE LAST WEEK TO MAKE SURE ELECTION DAY WILL GO WITHOUT A HITCH. MET-ED REPORTS MORE THAN 10,000 CUSTOMERS STILL WITHOUT POWER AND PPL SAYS NEARLY 4900 OF ITS CUSTOMERS ARE STILL IN THE DARK.
NEW JERSEY IS TRYING TO BOUNCE BACK TO WHAT GOV. CHRIS CHRISTIE CALLS "A NEW NORMAL" ON MONDAY, THE START OF THE FIRST FULL WEEK SINCE SUPERSTORM SANDY KNOCKED THE STATE'S LEGS OUT FROM UNDER IT. CHRISTIE IS URGING SCHOOLS TO REOPEN IF IT'S SAFE TO DO SO AND RESIDENTS TO RETURN TO WORK. BUT HUGE CHALLENGES REMAIN. NEARLY 1 MILLION CUSTOMERS ARE WITHOUT POWER, PATH SERVICE REMAINS SUSPENDED AND AT LEAST 4,000 RESIDENTS ARE IN SHELTERS. BUT FIVE DAYS AFTER THE STORM RAVAGED THE COAST, POWER IS BACK TO 1.7 MILLION USERS, NJ TRANSIT BUSES ARE OPERATING AT 90 PERCENT AND GASOLINE IS FLOWING TO HUNDREDS MORE STATIONS THAT HAVE POWERED BACK UP.
GOV. CHRIS CHRISTIE SAYS ALL 21 NEW JERSEY COUNTIES WILL NOW BE INCLUDED IN THE MAJOR DISASTER AREA DECLARATION, SO ALL RESIDENTS WILL NOW BE ABLE TO SEEK ASSISTANCE FROM THE FEDERAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT ADMINISTRATION. CHRISTIE MADE THE ANNOUNCEMENT DURING A NEWS CONFERENCE IN HOBOKEN ON SUNDAY AFTERNOON. THE GOVERNOR ALSO SAID PROGRESS HAS BEEN MADE IN RESTORING POWER TO THOSE WHO LOST THEIR SERVICE WHEN SUPERSTORM SANDY STRUCK LAST WEEKEND. CHRISTIE NOTED THAT FEWER THAN 1 MILLION RESIDENTS WERE WITHOUT POWER AS OF SUNDAY, COMPARED WITH 2.7 MILLION WHO LOST THEIR ELECTRICITY AT THE HEIGHT OF THE STORM. CHRISTIE CALLED THE CHANGE "SUBSTANTIAL PROGRESS." THE GOVERNOR ALSO SAID HE'S HOPEFUL THE PATH SERVICE WILL REOPEN BY THE END OF THE WEEK.
POWER GENERATORS ARE BEING MARSHALED, POLLING LOCATIONS MOVED AND VOTING MACHINES HURRIEDLY PUT INTO PLACE AS OFFICIALS PREPARE TO HOLD THE ELECTION IN STORM-RAVAGED SECTIONS OF NEW YORK AND NEW JERSEY BARELY A WEEK AFTER SUPERSTORM SANDY. ORGANIZERS EXPRESSED GUARDED CONFIDENCE SUNDAY THAT THE PRESIDENTIAL VOTE WILL PROCEED WITH NO MAJOR DISRUPTIONS IN MOST AREAS HIT BY THE STORM. BUT IT WAS UNCLEAR WHETHER THE PREPARATIONS WOULD BE ENOUGH TO AVOID DEPRESSED TURNOUT IN COMMUNITIES WHERE PEOPLE STILL LACK POWER OR HAVE BEEN DRIVEN FROM THEIR DAMAGED HOMES. SOME VOTERS WILL BE CASTING BALLOTS IN PLACES DIFFERENT FROM THEIR USUAL POLLS AND SOME POLLING PLACES WILL BE RUNNING ON GENERATORS AND USING EMERGENCY LIGHTS AND PORTABLE TOILETS.
ABOUT 25,000 MITT ROMNEY FANS WAITED FOR HOURS ON A CHILLY SUNDAY NIGHT FOR THEIR CANDIDATE'S ARRIVAL IN BUCKS COUNTY. WHEN HE GOT THERE, ROMNEY TOLD THE CROWD THAT AMERICA'S FUTURE DOESN'T HAVE TO BE LIKE THE PAST FOUR YEARS UNDER PRESIDENT OBAMA. "AMERICANS DON'T SETTLE. WE BUILD. WE ASPIRE. WE DREAM. WE LISTEN TO THAT VOICE THAT SAYS WE CAN DO BETTER," ROMNEY TOLD SUPPORTERS. FORMER PRESIDENT CLINTON WILL BE IN PENNSYLVANIA TODAY CAMPAIGNING FOR THE PRESIDENT. A NEW MORNING CALL/MUHLENBERG COLLEGE POLL SHOWS THE PRESIDENT WITH A THREE POINT EDGE OVER ROMNEY HERE IN PENNSYLVANIA.
FORMER NEW YORK CITY MAYOR RUDY GIULIANI, ACTOR JON VOIGHT, FORMER MINNESOTA SENATOR NORM COLEMAN AND EX-MARYLAND GOVERNOR BOB EHRLICH ARE RALLYING THE REPUBLICAN VOTE TODAY AT FOUR DIFFERENT PENNSYLVANIA EVENTS TODAY. THOSE FOUR WILL BE JOINED BY SENATOR PAT TOOMEY, SENATE CANDIDATE TOM SMITH AND ATTORNEY GENERAL CANDIDATE DAVID FREED AT STOPS IN SCRANTON, WILKES-BARRE, CONSHOHOCKEN AND THE LEHIGH VALLEY VICTORY OFFICE IN THE WESTGATE MALL. THE LOCAL EVENT BEGINS AT 4:15.
DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATE IN THE 17TH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT MATT CARTWRIGHT SAYS IF ELECTED HE'LL PUSH FOR A THREE OR FOUR PERCENT TAX HIKE FOR MILLIONAIRES AND COULD EVENTUALLY SUPPORT HIGHER TAXES ON THE MIDDLE CLASS IF HE SEES IMPROVEMENT IN ONE STATISTIC. "IF WE SEE UNEMPLOYMENT RATES TICK BELOW SIX PERCENT, THEN I THINK IT'S TIME TO START GOING BACK ENTIRELY TO THE CLINTON TAX STRUCTURE," CARTWRIGHT SAYS. SAFE TO SAY HIS REPUBLICAN OPPONENT, LAUREEN CUMMINGS DISAGREES. SHE FAVORS A GOVERNMENT AS SMALL AS POSSIBLE AND TAXES AS SMALL AS POSSIBLE AND WEARS THE LABEL OF TEA PARTY MEMBER WITH PRIDE. "THE TEA PARTY IS THE AMERICAN PEOPLE WHO ARE TIRED OF WASHINGTON NOT LISTENING TO THEM," CUMMINGS SAYS. SHE SAYS A VOTE FOR HER IS A VOTE FOR GETTING RID OF OBAMACARE AND FOR TAX REFORM. THE RECONFIGURED 17TH DISTRICT NOW RUNS FROM BETHLEHEM ALL THE WAY UP TO SCRANTON AND WILKES-BARRE.
ALLENTOWN POLICE AND THE LEHIGH COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY'S OFFICE ARE INVESTIGATING A PAIR OF WEEKEND DEATHS. THE LEHIGH COUNTY CORONER'S OFFICE SAYS 11-MONTH-OLD SARA NAMOUS DIED AT SACRED HEART HOSPITAL SATURDAY MORNING JUST BEFORE 8:30. OVERNIGHT SATURDAY INTO SUNDAY, 4-MONTH-OLD JAYLEN MARIE SHAW DIED SACRED HEART HOSPITAL. AUTOPSIES ON BOTH CHILDREN ARE PLANNED FOR TODAY.
A MOORE TOWNSHIP HOME HAS BEEN DESTROYED IN A SUNDAY AFTERNOON FIRE. THE HOME AT 193 NAZARETH DRIVE BEGAN AROUND 1:30 YESTERDAY AFTERNOON. SEVEN PEOPLE WERE DISPLACED BY THE FIRE. INVESTIGATORS ARE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT CAUSED THE FIRE. NOBODY WAS INJURED.
ALMOST EVERY TIME PENN STATE LEADERS TRY TO MOVE FORWARD, SOME EVENT OR MILESTONE INVARIABLY RENEWS FOCUS ON ITS RECENT, PAINFUL PAST. A YEAR AFTER RETIRED ASSISTANT COACH JERRY SANDUSKY'S ARREST ON CHILD SEX ABUSE CHARGES, THE FALLOUT FROM THE SWEEPING SCANDAL PROMISES TO LINGER FOR MONTHS, IF NOT YEARS, TO COME. NEW CHARGES THAT FORMER UNIVERSITY PRESIDENT GRAHAM SPANIER CONSPIRED TO CONCEAL ALLEGATIONS PROVIDED THE LATEST AGONIZING REMINDER. MANY ALUMNI, RESIDENTS AND STUDENTS ARE WEARY ABOUT THE SEEMINGLY ENDLESS TRICKLE OF DEVELOPMENTS ROOTED BACK TO SANDUSKY'S ARREST ON NOVEMBER 5, 2011. YET MUCH HAS CHANGED SINCE THEN, TOO. UNIVERSITY LEADERS SAY THEY'RE FOCUSED ON MOVING FORWARD. SOME VOCAL ALUMNI REMAIN STEADFAST ABOUT THEIR DISTRUST OF THE SCHOOL'S ACTIONS AND WANT A CHANGE IN LEADERSHIP.
