ACCU-WEATHER METEOROLOGIST DEAN DEVORE SAYS WE'RE GETTING A LITTLE BIT OF EVERYTHING TODAY. "SOME PLACES MIGHT GET A COATING TO AN INCH OR SO OF SNOW AND SLEET BEFORE ANY CHANGE OVER TO FREEZING RAIN," DEVORE SAYS. SNOW, SLEET AND FREEZING RAIN FROM THIS MORNING BECOMES PLAIN RAIN THIS AFTERNOON, WITH THE POSSIBLE EXCEPTION OF AREAS NORTH OF THE LEHIGH VALLEY, WHICH MIGHT NOT SEE AS MUCH OF A CHANGE OVER. THIS AFTERNOON'S HIGH IS EXPECTED TO BE 33, WHICH IS WHERE IT'LL STAY UNTIL TEMPS RISE A BIT OVERNIGHT.
WELL-KNOWN PHILANTHROPIST AND THE WIFE OF AN EX-AIR PRODUCTS C.E.O. INEZ DONLEY HAS DIED. DONLEY DIED SUNDAY AT THE AGE OF 97 AFTER A FIGHT WITH ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE. SHE DONATED MONEY AND TIME TO A NUMBER OF LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS INCLUDING GOOD SHEPHERD, KIDSPEACE, THE ALLENTOWN LIBRARY, THE RED CROSS AND MEALS ON WHEELS. DONLEY AND HER HUSBAND, ED, WERE MARRIED FOR MORE THAN 66 YEARS.
LEGENDARY PHILADELPHIA-AREA TV AND RADIO HOST SALLY STARR HAS DIED AT A NURSING HOME IN NEW JERSEY. WPVI-TV, WHERE STARR HAD WORKED, SAYS STARR DIED YESTERDAY, JUST DAYS AFTER CELEBRATING HER 90TH BIRTHDAY. AFFECTIONATELY KNOWN AS "OUR GAL SAL," STARR BEGAN HER DECADES-LONG CAREER AS A DISC JOCKEY IN 1948. SHE BECAME HOST OF "POPEYE THEATER" TWO YEARS LATER ON THE FORMER WFIL-TV, NOW WPVI. ON THE TWO-HOUR WEEKDAY PROGRAM, STARR INTRODUCED CARTOONS AND CELEBRITY GUESTS TO A GENERATION OF YOUNG PEOPLE. SHE WAS RECOGNIZED FOR HER TRADEMARK SPANGLED, FRINGED COWGIRL COSTUME. THE PROGRAM WAS CANCELED IN 1972. STARR LATER EARNED A LIVING FROM PERSONAL APPEARANCES AND SELLING AIRTIME ON HER WVLT RADIO PROGRAM "HIGH NOON."
POLICE IN BETHLEHEM ARE INVESTIGATING A WEEKEND KILLING OUTSIDE SCOOBIE'S GENTLEMEN'S CLUB ON HANOVER AVENUE. A 21-YEAR-OLD MAN WAS SHOT AT 1:30 SATURDAY MORNING OUTSIDE THE CLUB AND DIED TWO HOURS LATER AT ST. LUKE'S UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL-FOUNTAIN HILL. THE LEHIGH COUNTY CORONER HAS IDENTIFIED THE VICTIM AS 21-YEAR-OLD TYREE WIMBERLY, OF ALLENTOWN. HIS BODY WAS FOUND BEHIND A BACK EXIT TO THE CLUB. BETHLEHEM POLICE ARE ASKING ANYBODY WITH INFORMATION ON THE SHOOTING TO CALL THEM AT 610-865-7187.
SEPARATE WEEKEND ACCIDENTS LEAVE TWO PEOPLE DEAD. THE FIRST ACCIDENT HAPPENED JUST AFTER 1 O'CLOCK SUNDAY MORNING IN THE 1700 BLOCK OF HANOVER AVENUE IN ALLENTOWN. POLICE SAY TWO CARS COLLIDED HEAD-ON, KILLING ONE PERSON AND INJURING TWO OTHERS. THE LEHIGH COUNTY CORONER SAYS MANUEL JEREZ-POLANCO, OF ALLENTOWN, WAS KILLED IN THE CRASH. THE SECOND ACCIDENT HAPPENED ABOUT TWO-AND-A-HALF HOURS LATER ON THE OFF RAMP FROM ROUTE 378 TO ROUTE 22. POLICE SAY 24-YEAR-OLD JOSHUA KORTZE LOST CONTROL OF HIS VEHICLE, SLID ACROSS A GRASS SHOULDER AND THEN SLAMMED INTO A CONCRETE MEDIAN. HE DIED A SHORT WHILE LATER AT THE HOSPITAL. POLICE ARE INVESTIGATING EACH ACCIDENT.
NATIONAL SCHOOL CHOICE WEEK BEGAN SUNDAY. ANDREW CAMPANELLA SAYS THE IDEA OF ALLOWING PARENTS THE CHOICE OF WHERE TO SEND THEIR CHILDREN TO SCHOOL IS WHAT AMERICA IS ABOUT. "WE HAVE COMPETITION IN EVERY OTHER ASPECT OF AMERICAN LIFE. WE CHOOSE THE BREAD WE BUY AND THE MILK WE DRINK. WE CHOOSE THE CARS WE DRIVE. WE ELECT OUR ELECTED OFFICIALS AT THE BALLOT BOX. WE CHOOSE EVERYTHING. CHOOSING IS PART OF BEING AN AMERICAN," SAYS CAMPANELLA. HE SAYS PENNSYLVANIA IS AMONG THE TOP 10 STATES ON THE ISSUE AND POINTS TO TAX CREDITS, CHARTER SCHOOL LAWS AND FEWER UNDERPRODUCING SCHOOLS THAN OTHER STATES AS REASONS WHY.
A PILOT PROGRAM DESIGNED TO PREVENT CRIMINALS FROM BECOMING MANAGERS OF A PERSON'S SOCIAL SECURITY BENEFITS HAS SCREENED OUT DOZENS OF PEOPLE CONVICTED OF FRAUD AND VIOLENCE. THAT'S ACCORDING TO U.S. SEN. BOB CASEY, WHO WANTS THE SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION TO EXPAND THE PROGRAM FIRST IMPLEMENTED LAST SUMMER IN FIVE STATES AND WASHINGTON, D.C. THE PENNSYLVANIA DEMOCRAT BEGAN PUSHING FOR TOUGHER BACKGROUND CHECKS AFTER A CONVICTED KILLER ON PAROLE ALLEGEDLY KEPT SEVERAL MENTALLY DISABLED PEOPLE CAPTIVE IN PHILADELPHIA WHILE CASHING THEIR BENEFITS CHECKS.
THE CHIEF OF STAFF FOR IMPRISONED FORMER STATE SEN. JANE ORIE IS EXPECTED TO TESTIFY IN THE CAMPAIGN CORRUPTION TRIAL OF THE LAWMAKER'S TWO SISTERS, SUSPENDED STATE SUPREME COURT JUSTICE JOAN ORIE MELVIN AND MELVIN'S AIDE, JANINE ORIE. MELVIN AND JANINE ORIE ARE ON TRIAL ON CHARGES THEY MISUSED MELVIN'S FORMER SUPERIOR COURT STAFF AND SEN. ORIE'S FORMER STAFF TO CAMPAIGN FOR MELVIN. JANE ORIE, RESIGNED AS THE REPUBLICAN SENATOR FROM PITTSBURGH'S NORTH HILLS SUBURBS AFTER HER CONVICTION LAST YEAR ON CHARGES SHE MISUSED HER OWN STATE-PAID STAFF ON HER OWN CAMPAIGNS. THE SENATOR'S FORMER CHIEF OF STAFF, JAMIE PAVLOT, WAS A KEY WITNESS IN LAST YEAR'S TRIAL AND MONDAY IS SET TO TESTIFY THAT MELVIN AND JANINE ORIE, ALSO, MISUSED FORMER SEN. ORIE'S STATE-PAID LEGISLATIVE STAFF.
