IT LOOKS LIKE IT'S A PRETTY GOOD BET THAT WE'RE GOING TO SEE A MESSY LATE NIGHT INTO TOMORROW MORNING. "WE'RE EXPECTING PRECIPITATION TO ARRIVE IN THE LEHIGH VALLEY PROBABLY SOMETIME BETWEEN 10PM AND 1AM, FROM SOUTHWEST TO NORTHEAST," SAYS ACCU-WEATHER'S DEAN DEVORE. HE SAYS THE PRECIPITATION WILL FEATURE SNOW MIXED WITH SLEET AND RAIN IN THE LEHIGH VALLEY UP THROUGH THE POCONOS. TO THE SOUTH OF THE VALLEY DEVORE FIGURES IT'LL BE MORE RAIN MIXED WITH A BIT OF SNOW. ACCUMULATIONS ARE 2 TO 4 INCHES IN THE POCONOS, 1 TO 3 INCHES IN THE LEHIGH VALLEY AND A LITTLE LESS TO THE SOUTH.
TWO ALLENTOWN RESIDENTS FACE CHARGES IN A NEW YORK CITY SUBWAY SHOOTING THAT LEFT TWO NEW YORK POLICE OFFICERS WOUNDED AND THE GUNMAN DEAD. TODAY'S MORNING CALL REPORTS TRACY MARTIN AND MARIE HINDS LIED ON PAPERWORK WHEN HINDS BOUGHT TWO GUNS, ONE OF WHICH ALLENTOWN'S PETER JOURDAN USED IN THE JANUARY 3 SHOOTINGS. JOURDAN, WHO SUFFERED FROM MENTAL ILLNESS, WAS KILLED IN THE INCIDENT. HINDS ALLEGEDLY INDICATED ON THE PAPERWORK SHE WAS BUYING THE GUN FOR HERSELF. MARTIN IS ACCUSED OF LYING TO POLICE WHEN HE SAID THE GUNS WERE LOCKED AWAY WHEN HE KNEW THEY WERE NOT.
IT'S 37 TO 188 MONTHS BEHIND BARS FOR JOHN HEANEY III. HEANEY WAS SENTENCED MONDAY, ABOUT A MONTH AFTER HE WAS CONVICTED OF BEING DRUNK WHEN HE DROVE HIS TRUCK INTO A GROUP OF MOTORCYCLISTS, KILLING TWO OF THEM, NEAR BANGOR IN JULY 2011. THE FORMER NEW JERSEY POLICE OFFICER COULD HAVE BEEN PUT IN JAIL FOR MORE THAN 18 YEARS ON THE INVOLUNTARY MANSLAUGHTER CONVICTIONS.
THE TRIAL OF A FORMER PENNSYLVANIA PASTOR CHARGED WITH KILLING HIS SECOND WIFE RESUMES TUESDAY MORNING IN THE POCONOS. PROSECUTORS SAY ARTHUR SCHIRMER HIT HIS WIFE OVER THE HEAD WITH A BLUNT OBJECT, THEN STAGED A CAR CRASH IN AN ATTEMPT TO CONCEAL THE CRIME. BETTY SCHIRMER DIED IN JULY 2008. LOCAL AUTHORITIES INITIALLY TREATED THE CASE AS A STRAIGHTFORWARD CAR CRASH, BUT STATE POLICE BECAME INVOLVED SEVERAL MONTHS LATER WHEN A MEMBER OF SCHIRMER'S CONGREGATION COMMITTED SUICIDE IN THE CHURCH OFFICE. AUTHORITIES SAY THE MAN HAD LEARNED SCHIRMER WAS IN A RELATIONSHIP WITH THE CONGREGANT'S WIFE, THE CHURCH SECRETARY. THE SUICIDAL MAN'S DAUGHTER TESTIFIED MONDAY. SAMANTHA MUSANTE SAYS HER FATHER WAS "HEARTBROKEN" OVER THE AFFAIR. SCHIRMER IS CHARGED SEPARATELY WITH KILLING HIS FIRST WIFE IN 1999.
ALLENTOWN MAYOR ED PAWLOWSKI HAS MADE IT OFFICIAL. HE'S RUNNING FOR A THIRD TERM IN CITY HALL. THE MAYOR MADE THE ANNOUNCEMENT MONDAY NIGHT AT THE IBEW UNION HALL ON LIBERTY STREET. PAWLOWSKI SAYS HE HAS DELIVERED A BETTER ALLENTOWN IN HIS FIRST EIGHT YEARS IN OFFICE THROUGH REVIVING THE CITY'S DOWNTOWN AND REDUCING CRIME. AS OF NOW, PAWLOWSKI HAS NO OPPONENTS.
IN WILSON BOROUGH THERE'S ANOTHER EXAMPLE SHOWING RESIDENTS NEED TO REQUEST IDENTIFICATION FROM PEOPLE WHO COME TO THEIR HOME CLAIMING TO BE UTILITY WORKERS. POLICE SAY LAST FRIDAY AFTERNOON AN ELDERLY WOMAN ALLOWED TWO MEN INTO HER HOME, WHO WERE CLAIMING TO BE WITH THE WATER COMPANY. THE NEXT DAY, THE WOMAN DISCOVERED MONEY AND JEWELRY WAS MISSING FROM HER BEDROOM.
AN ALL-DEMOCRAT SLATE OF PENNSYLVANIA ROW OFFICERS IS ABOUT TO BE SWORN IN. KATHLEEN KANE OF SCRANTON, THE FIRST WOMAN AND FIRST DEMOCRAT TO BE ELECTED STATE ATTORNEY GENERAL, IS SLATED TO TAKE HER OATH TUESDAY IN THE ROTUNDA OF THE STATE CAPITOL. ALSO TODAY, EUGENE DEPASQUALE OF YORK IS STEPPING DOWN FROM HIS LONGTIME SEAT IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TO BE SWORN IN AS STATE AUDITOR GENERAL IN A CEREMONY AT THE PENNSYLVANIA STATE MUSEUM. STATE TREASURER ROB MCCORD OF BRYN MAWR PLANS TO TAKE HIS OATH FOR HIS SECOND TERM AT A CEREMONY IN A STATE OFFICE BUILDING ACROSS THE STREET FROM THE CAPITOL. ALL THREE WILL SERVE FOUR-YEAR TERMS. THEY ALL RECEIVE THE SAME SALARY, WHICH IS CURRENTLY $155,797.
PENNSYLVANIA'S REPUBLICAN SENATOR SAYS TOO MANY MENTALLY ILL PEOPLE SLIP THROUGH THE SYSTEM AND SOMEHOW GET THEIR HANDS ON GUNS. "IT'S JUST ABUNDANTLY OBVIOUS THAT WE DON'T HAVE A VERY GOOD TRACK RECORD OF IDENTIFYING AND PROTECTING OURSELVES FROM DANGEROUSLY MENTALLY DERANGED INDIVIDUALS," SAYS PAT TOOMEY. INSTEAD OF FOCUSING ON GUNS, TOOMEY SAYS THE FOCUS OF VICE PRESIDENT BIDEN'S TASK FORCE SHOULD HAVE BEEN ON FINDING A WAY TO PROTECT OURSELVES FROM THE HANDFUL OF DERANGED PEOPLE WHO END UP COMMITTING MASS KILLINGS LIKE WE SAW LAST YEAR IN COLORADO AND CONNECTICUT.
A PENNSYLVANIA STATE POLICE SERGEANT CLAIMS IN A NEW FEDERAL LAWSUIT THAT THE DEPARTMENT DISCRIMINATED AGAINST HIM BECAUSE HE WAS BORN IN IRAN AND IMMIGRATED TO THE UNITED STATES AS A TEENAGER. SGT. FARZAD SHARIF'S 66-PAGE COMPLAINT FILED MONDAY SAID HE WAS UNFAIRLY SKIPPED OVER FOR PROMOTION AND RETALIATED AGAINST FOR PROVIDING TESTIMONY IN ANOTHER EMPLOYMENT DISCRIMINATION LAWSUIT FILED BY RETIRED CPL. JOE FARTHING. FARTHING'S PENDING LAWSUIT DISCLOSED DETAILS OF AN INTERNAL AFFAIRS INVESTIGATION BY SHARIF THAT DELVED INTO ASIAN SEX TRIPS BY THREE NOW-RETIRED PENNSYLVANIA STATE POLICE LIEUTENANTS. SHARIF ALLEGES HE WAS MISTREATED AFTER COMPLAINING A TROOPER BOTCHED AN INVESTIGATION INTO HIS MOTHER'S AUTO ACCIDENT. SHARIF SEEKS DAMAGES AND BACK PAY.
GOOD NEWS FOR GRADUATES WITH BACHELOR'S DEGREES. "THE STARTING SALARIES ARE ABOUT 3.4 PERCENT HIGHER THAN THEY WERE LAST YEAR," SAYS THE BETHLEHEM-BASED NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF COLLEGES AND EMPLOYERS' ANDREA KONCZ. SHE SAYS QUITE A BIT HIGHER THAN LAST YEAR'S 2.3 PERCENT JUMP. THE HIGHEST INCREASE ARE SEEN IN EDUCATION, BUSINESS AND COMMUNICATIONS FIELDS.
THE PHILADELPHIA EAGLES INTERVIEWED FORMER CARDINALS COACH KEN WHISENHUNT ON MONDAY MORNING AS THEY CONTINUED THEIR SEARCH TO REPLACE ANDY REID. WHISENHUNT WAS FIRED ON DECEMBER 31 AFTER SIX YEARS IN ARIZONA. HE LED THE CARDINALS TO THEIR ONLY SUPER BOWL APPEARANCE IN HIS SECOND SEASON AND ARIZONA WON ITS SECOND STRAIGHT NFC WEST TITLE THE FOLLOWING YEAR. BUT AFTER A 4-0 START THIS SEASON, THE CARDINALS LOST 11 OF THEIR LAST 12 TO FINISH 5-11 FOR THE SECOND TIME IN THREE YEARS. THE EAGLES ALSO INTERVIEWED BENGALS OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR JAY GRUDEN ON MONDAY.
