AN EARLY MORNING FIRE HAS DESTROYED AN ALLENTOWN RESTAURANT. A FIRE BROKE OUT JUST BEFORE 4:30 THIS MORNING AT YOUELL'S OYSTER HOUSE AT 23RD AND WALNUT STREETS AND HAS ENGULFED THE RESTAURANT, WHICH HAS BEEN THERE FOR MORE THAN 20 YEARS. WE'RE BEING TOLD FIVE FIREFIGHTERS WERE INJURED. TWO OF THEM SUFFERED BURNS AND THE OTHER THREE WERE HURT WHEN A WALL FELL ONTO THEM. THE EXTENT OF THEIR INJURIES IS NOT YET KNOWN.
UPPER MACUNGIE POLICE SAY 19-YEAR-OLD MARIO CANAS, OF BREINIGSVILLE, WAS ARMED WHEN HE ROBBED THE REDNER'S MARKET AT 7150 HAMILTON BOULEVARD EARLY THIS MORNING. POLICE SAY CANAS WAS SPOTTED RUNNING OUT OF THE STORE JUST BEFORE 3 O'CLOCK THIS MORNING. AFTER A CAR CHASE, A FOOT CHASE ENSUED WITH CANAS STUMBLING OVER SOME BRANCHES ALLOWING THE OFFICER TO ARREST HIM. POLICE SAY THEY FOUND A GUN AND CASH IN CANAS' POSSESSION.
IF YOU LIKE YOUR WEATHER ON THE COLD SIDE, ACCU-WEATHER'S DEAN DEVORE IS OBLIGING THIS WEEK, BEGINNING TODAY. "IT GETS REALLY COLD. THE WIND IS GOING TO PICK UP. THAT WIND IS GOING TO KEEP THE REAL FEEL TEMPERATURES DURING THE DAY IN THE SINGLE DIGITS," DEVORE SAYS. HE DOESN'T THINK OUR DAYTIME HIGHS WILL REACH 30 UNTIL NEXT MONDAY.
IT APPEARS STARTERS RIVERPORT IS GOING TO BE CLOSING ITS DOORS SOON. TODAY'S MORNING CALL REPORTS RIVERPORT OWNER DAVE RANK PLANS TO REMAIN OPEN AT LEAST THROUGH SUPER BOWL SUNDAY AND WILL REMAIN OPEN UNTIL A NEW TENANT IS FOUND. RANK SAYS HE'S LOOKING INTO OPENING SMALLER STARTERS RESTAURANTS ELSEWHERE AND HIS STARTERS RESTAURANTS ON ROUTE 378 AND AT THE BETHLEHEM GOLF CLUB WILL REMAIN OPEN.
A PAIR OF LOCAL HOSPITALS ARE REVISING THEIR PATIENT VISITATION POLICIES DUE TO THE FLU. BOTH ST. LUKE'S UNIVERSITY HEALTH NETWORK AND LEHIGH VALLEY HEALTH NETWORK ARE RESTRICTING WHO VISITS THEIR HOSPITALS. BOTH HOSPITALS HAVE IMPLEMENTED A POLICY WHERE NO VISITORS UNDER THE AGE OF 18 WILL BE PERMITTED AND VISITORS WITH ANY FLU-LIKE SYMPTOMS ARE BEING ASKED NOT TO COME TO THE HOSPITAL. LEHIGH VALLEY HEALTH NETWORK'S RELEASE INDICATES THE RESTRICTIONS APPLY TO INPATIENT AREAS ONLY. THE RESTRICTIONS ARE IN PLACE UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE.
WE REMAIN AT THE PEAK OF FLU SEASON AND WESTFIELD HOSPITAL IS OFFERING ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY TO PROTECT YOURSELF FROM THE FLU BUG. FREE FLU SHOTS WILL BE GIVEN TODAY FROM 3 TO 6 AT ITS WEST TILGHMAN STREET HOSPITAL. TODAY'S FLU SHOT CLINIC IS FOR ANYBODY OVER THE AGE OF 10 WHO HAS NOT YET RECEIVED A FLU VACCINE.
FORMER STATE REP. JOE BRENNAN HAS BEEN GRANTED WORK RELEASE FROM PRISON BEGINNING FEBRUARY 4. BRENNAN WAS SENTENCED TO 90 DAYS TO 23 MONTHS BEHIND BARS FOR ASSAULTING HIS WIFE OUTSIDE THEIR FOUNTAIN HILL HOME AND THEN DRIVING AWAY DRUNK LAST AUGUST. AFTER DROPPING A RE-ELECTION BID AND BEFORE HIS SENTENCING, BRENNAN WAS HIRED BY THE HOUSE DEMOCRATIC CAUCUS' LEGISLATIVE POLICY AND RESEARCH OFFICE. THAT OFFICE SAYS BRENNAN IS STILL EMPLOYED BUT IS CURRENTLY ON LEAVE WITHOUT PAY OR BENEFITS.
A MAN CHARGED WITH KILLING HIS MOTHER HAS APPARENTLY KILLED HIMSELF INSIDE HIS PRISON CELL. 21-YEAR-OLD CHRISTOPHER STRACHN TIED HIS BEDSHEETS TO HIS BED AND STRANGLED HIMSELF. HE WAS FOUND DEAD IN HIS CELL SUNDAY MORNING. STRACHN WAS CHARGED IN JUNE WITH KILLING HIS MOTHER, ADRIENNE, IN THEIR POLK TOWNSHIP HOME.
IT'LL BE BACK-TO-BACK COUNTRY NIGHTS THIS SUMMER AT THE GREAT ALLENTOWN FAIR. TOBY KEITH RETURNS TO THE FAIR ON SATURDAY, AUGUST 31 FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE 2008. TICKETS GO ON SALE FEBRUARY 9. THE NIGHT BEFORE KEITH'S SHOW, COUNTRY STAR LUKE BRYAN WILL BE THE HEADLINER.
A NEW FEDERAL REPORT SAYS THE DROPOUT RATE AMONG STUDENTS AT PENNSYLVANIA PUBLIC HIGH SCHOOLS HAS DIPPED, CONTINUING A DECLINE OVER THE PAST DECADE. THE REPORT BY THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION'S NATIONAL CENTER FOR EDUCATION STATISTICS SAYS THE "EVENT DROPOUT RATE", DEFINED AS THE NUMBER OF STUDENTS DROPPING OUT DIVIDED BY ENROLLMENT AT THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR, WAS 2.1 PERCENT DURING THE 2009-10 SCHOOL YEAR. THAT IS A DROP FROM 2.3 PERCENT THE PREVIOUS YEAR, AND CONTINUES A STEADY DECLINE FROM THE 3.2 PERCENT RECORDED IN 2002-03. THE REPORT SAID A TOTAL OF 12,271 PUBLIC HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS DROPPED OUT WITH ENROLLMENT OF 585,168 IN GRADES 9 TO 12 IN 2009-10. THE 2009-10 GRADUATION RATE WAS 84.1 PERCENT, AN INCREASE FROM 81.7 PERCENT IN 2002-03.
FEDERAL OFFICIALS SAY NEARLY NINE OUT OF 10 NEW JERSEY STUDENTS GET THEIR DIPLOMAS ON TIME. THE STUDY BY THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION ALSO SHOWS THE STATE CONTINUES TO HAVE ONE OF THE NATION'S LOWEST DROPOUT RATES. THE NATIONAL DROPOUT RATE FOR 2009-2010 WAS 3.4 PERCENT, BUT JUST 1.6 PERCENT IN NEW JERSEY. THAT'S SAME RATE THE STATE POSTED IN THE PREVIOUS SCHOOL YEAR. THE STUDY ALSO SHOWS 87.2 PERCENT OF NEW JERSEY STUDENTS FINISHING IN THE 2009-10 SCHOOL YEAR GOT THEIR DIPLOMAS ON TIME.
SUPPORTERS OF LONGTIME PENN STATE FOOTBALL COACH JOE PATERNO ARE MARKING THE 1-YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF HIS DEATH WITH A CANDLELIGHT VIGIL. THE HALL OF FAME COACH DIED OF LUNG CANCER ON JANUARY 22, 2012, AT AGE 85. TODAY, SUPPORTERS ARE HOLDING A VIGIL AT A MURAL IN STATE COLLEGE THAT INCLUDES A DEPICTION OF PATERNO. ORGANIZERS SAY THEY WILL LIGHT 409 CANDLES, ONE FOR EACH OF PATERNO'S VICTORIES BEFORE 111 WERE STRIPPED AS PART OF NCAA SANCTIONS IN RESPONSE TO THE JERRY SANDUSKY SEX ABUSE SCANDAL. SANDUSKY WAS CONVICTED IN JUNE OF 45 COUNTS OF CHILD SEX ABUSE AND IS SERVING A LENGTHY PRISON SENTENCE. HIS ARREST TARNISHED PENN STATE'S STORIED FOOTBALL PROGRAM AND LED TO PATERNO'S FIRING.
PENN STATE HAS REMOVED THE "ACTING" DESIGNATION FROM THE TITLE OF ATHLETIC DIRECTOR DAVE JOYNER. THE SCHOOL ON MONDAY ALSO FORMALLY ANNOUNCED THAT JOYNER WOULD STAY ON UNTIL THE END OF PRESIDENT RODNEY ERICKSON'S TERM IN 2014. BOTH ERICKSON AND JOYNER ASSUMED THEIR POSTS AS PART OF THE FALLOUT IN THE OPENING WEEKS OF THE CHILD MOLESTATION SCANDAL INVOLVING FORMER ASSISTANT COACH JERRY SANDUSKY IN NOVEMBER 2011. JOYNER HAD THE TITLE OF ACTING ATHLETIC DIRECTOR UNTIL MONDAY. ERICKSON IN SEPTEMBER HAD ALREADY SAID THAT JOYNER WOULD REMAIN ON THE JOB UNTIL THE END OF THE PRESIDENT'S TENURE. PENN STATE SAID A NATIONAL SEARCH FOR A NEW ATHLETIC DIRECTOR WOULD TAKE PLACE AT THAT TIME.
