WE GOT THROUGH THE MORNING DRIVE WITHOUT ANY ISSUES, BUT ACCU-WEATHER'S BRIAN THOMPSON SAYS THAT DOESN'T MEAN WERE GETTING AWAY SCOT-FREE FROM A STORM HEADED OUR WAY. "WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO WATCH FOR A LITTLE WINTRY PRECIPITATION AT THE BEGINNING, BUT I THINK THAT BY THE TIME WE GET TO THE AFTERNOON ANY OF WHAT'S LEFT SHOULD CHANGE OVER TO RAIN," THOMPSON SAYS. IT APPEARS OUR PRECIPITATION MIGHT START AS A WINTRY MIX MID-MORNING BEFORE THE CHANGE OVER OCCURS.
TWO ALLENTOWN MEN HAVE BEEN ORDERED TO STAND TRIAL IN A SHOOTOUT AT A BETHLEHEM SOCIAL CLUB THAT KILLED A WOMAN AND INJURED FIVE OTHER PEOPLE. A NORTHAMPTON COUNTY JUDGE ON MONDAY RULED THE PROSECUTORS HAD ENOUGH EVIDENCE AGAINST 32-YEAR-OLD RENE FIGUEROA AND 40-YEAR-OLD JAVIER RIVERA-ALVARADO FOR THE CASE TO MOVE TO COUNTY COURT. FIGUEROA IS CHARGED WITH CRIMINAL HOMICIDE IN THE SHOOTING DEATH OF 23-YEAR-OLD YOLANDA MORALES. RIVERA-ALVARADO IS CHARGED WITH ATTEMPTED HOMICIDE AND RELATED OFFENSES. AUTHORITIES SAID THE EARLY MORNING GUNFIRE IN DECEMBER OUTSIDE THE PUERTO RICAN BENEFICIAL SOCIETY IN BETHLEHEM STEMMED FROM AN ARGUMENT EARLIER INSIDE THE CLUB. PROSECUTORS ON MONDAY ADDED AGGRAVATED ASSAULT CHARGES IN CONNECTION WITH ALL OF THE VICTIMS.
NORTHAMPTON COUNTY COUNCILMAN LAMONT McCLURE IS NOW OFFICIALLY IN THE COUNTY EXECUTIVE RACE. McCLURE, A LONGTIME PROPONENT OF KEEPING GRACEDALE UNDER COUNTY CONTROL, IS THE SECOND DEMOCRAT TO ENTER THE RACE. BETHLEHEM MAYOR JOHN CALLAHAN HAS ALREADY ANNOUNCED HIS BID AND EX-COUNTY EXECUTIVE GLENN REIBMAN IS EXPECTED TO MAKE HIS FORMAL ANNOUNCEMENT TONIGHT. BANGOR MAYOR JOHN BROWN IS THE LONE REPUBLICAN IN THE RACE AT THIS POINT. McCLURE HAS BEEN A COUNTY COUNCILMAN SINCE 2006.
FORMER STATE REP. JOE BRENNAN RETURNS TO WORK TODAY AS A RESEARCH ANALYST IN HARRISBURG FOR THE HOUSE DEMOCRATIC CAUCUS. BRENNAN IS SERVING THREE TO 23 MONTHS IN JAIL AFTER PLEADING GUILTY TO DRUNKEN DRIVING AND ASSAULTING HIS WIFE LAST AUGUST. BRENNAN WAS GRANTED WORK-RELEASE AND WILL BE DRIVEN TO HARRISBURG IN THE MORNING AND BACK TO JAIL EVERY EVENING. BRENNAN BEGAN HIS PRISON SENTENCE JANUARY 7.
INVESTIGATORS ARE STILL TRYING TO FIND THE CAUSE OF A SUNDAY MORNING FIRE IN NORTHAMPTON COUNTY, BUT THEY DON'T BELIEVE IT'S SUSPICIOUS. THE FIRE DAMAGED A PLAINFIELD TOWNSHIP BARN THAT HAD BEEN CONVERTED INTO THREE APARTMENTS. TWO PEOPLE SUSTAINED NON-LIFE THREATENING INJURIES. 10 PEOPLE WERE DISPLACED BY THE FIRE.
ALLENTOWN MAYOR ED PAWLOWSKI IS SPENDING TWO DAYS IN SAN BRUNO, CALIFORNIA FOR START-UP SESSIONS OF THE MAYORS' COUNCIL ON PIPELINE SAFETY. PAWLOWSKI AND SAN BRUNO'S MAYOR HOPE TO DEVELOP PIPELINE SAFETY PROTOCOL DURING THE TWO DAYS OF MEETINGS. ALLENTOWN AND SAN BRUNO HAVE TRAGEDY IN COMMON. IN SEPTEMBER 2010, A PIPELINE EXPLOSION AND FIRE KILLED EIGHT PEOPLE, DESTROYED 38 HOMES AND DAMAGED 70 OTHER HOMES IN SAN BRUNO. IN FEBRUARY 2011, A NATURAL GAS EXPLOSION IN ALLENTOWN KILLED FIVE PEOPLE AND DESTROYED EIGHT HOMES.
A PENNSYLVANIA HEALTH COMPANY SAYS IT HAS GOTTEN A $1 MILLION GRANT TO STUDY POSSIBLE HEALTH IMPACTS OF NATURAL GAS DRILLING ON THE MARCELLUS SHALE. GEISINGER HEALTH SYSTEM SAYS THE DEGENSTEIN FOUNDATION HAS AWARDED THE MONEY TO HELP UNDERWRITE WHAT IT CALLED A "LARGE-SCALE, SCIENTIFICALLY RIGOROUS ASSESSMENT" OF THE ISSUE. MOST OF THE MONEY WILL BE USED FOR DATA-GATHERING, WITH SOME USED TO DEVELOP STUDIES OF THE DATA. OFFICIALS SAID THEY EXPECT OTHER FUNDERS TO COME FORWARD. THE STUDY IS TO LOOK AT DETAILED HEALTH HISTORIES OF HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF PATIENTS WHO LIVE NEAR WELLS AND OTHER FACILITIES PRODUCING NATURAL GAS FROM THE MARCELLUS SHALE FORMATION. THE DRILLING BOOM HAS GENERATED JOBS AND BILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN REVENUE FOR COMPANIES AND LEASEHOLDERS, BUT ALSO RAISED HEALTH CONCERNS.
A NEW POLL FINDS MORE THAN THREE-QUARTERS OF REGULAR VISITORS TO THE JERSEY SHORE PLAN TO BE BACK THIS SUMMER DESPITE SUPERSTORM SANDY. THE POLL FOUND THAT OF THOSE WHO PLAN TO COME BACK, 64 PERCENT PLAN TO STAY AS LONG AS THEY HAD IN PAST YEARS, WHILE 13 PERCENT PLANNED TO STAY EVEN LONGER THIS SUMMER. BUT 20 PERCENT OF RESPONDENTS ARE PLANNING SHORTER STAYS, AND MOST SAID SANDY'S EFFECTS LED TO THEIR DECISION. ATLANTIC CITY AND SEASIDE HEIGHTS ARE RESPONDENTS' TOP DESTINATIONS, FOLLOWED BY WILDWOOD, LONG BEACH ISLAND, POINT PLEASANT BEACH AND OCEAN CITY. THE POLL SURVEYED NEARLY 800 NEW JERSEY ADULTS.
