THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION SAYS AUTOMATIC SPENDING CUTS SET TO TAKE EFFECT THIS WEEK WOULD MEAN LESS MONEY FOR PENNSYLVANIA'S SCHOOLS, MILITARY, ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION, AND DRUG TREATMENT. THE WHITE HOUSE SAID ITS NUMBERS COVER ONLY CUTS FROM MARCH TO SEPTEMBER; WHETHER STATES COULD MOVE MONEY AROUND DEPENDS ON INDIVIDUAL BUDGETS AND PROGRAMS. THE REDUCTIONS IN PENNSYLVANIA WOULD INCLUDE THE FURLOUGH OF ABOUT 26,000 CIVILIAN MILITARY EMPLOYEES, ABOUT $26.4 MILLION FOR PRIMARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION, ABOUT $21.4 MILLION TO EDUCATE CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES, MORE THAN $2.9 MILLION FOR SUBSTANCE ABUSE PROGRAMS AND MORE THAN $1.2 MILLION TO RESPOND TO PUBLIC HEALTH THREATS. GOV. TOM CORBETT'S ADMINISTRATION HAS SAID THE CUTS WOULD TOTAL ABOUT $240 MILLION FOR PENNSYLVANIA, AND NO STATE MONEY WOULD BE USED TO REPLACE THEM.
A WHITE HOUSE REPORT SHOWS EDUCATION AND THE MILITARY WOULD SEE BIG REDUCTIONS IN NEW JERSEY IF AUTOMATIC CUTS TO THE FEDERAL BUDGET TAKE HOLD THIS WEEK. THE REPORT SAYS ABOUT $11.7 MILLION WOULD BE CUT FROM FUNDING FOR PRIMARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION, ALONG WITH ROUGHLY $17 MILLION FOR ABOUT 210 TEACHERS, AIDES AND STAFF WHO HELP CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES. ACCORDING TO THE REPORT, ABOUT 11,000 CIVILIAN DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE WORKERS WOULD BE FURLOUGHED. ABOUT $52 MILLION WOULD BE CUT FROM ARMY BASE OPERATIONS FUNDING AND ROUGHLY $7 MILLION FROM AIR FORCE OPERATIONS. THE WHITE HOUSE COMPILED THE NUMBERS FROM FEDERAL AGENCIES AND ITS OWN BUDGET OFFICE. THE NUMBERS ARE BASED ONLY ON $85 BILLION IN CUTS FOR THIS FISCAL YEAR, FROM MARCH-SEPTEMBER, THAT ARE SET TO TAKE EFFECT FRIDAY.
THE MAYOR OF BETHLEHEM WAS EJECTED FROM A WRESTLING TOURNAMENT AFTER CRITICIZING CALLS MADE BY MAT OFFICIALS DURING THE DISTRICT 11 CLASS AAA WRESTLING CHAMPIONSHIPS AT LIBERTY HIGH SCHOOL. JOHN CALLAHAN WAS ASKED TO LEAVE SATURDAY NIGHT AFTER LOUDLY OBJECTING TO CALLS MADE DURING THE 220-POUND CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH. CALLAHAN'S SON JOHN, WHO WRESTLES FOR FREEDOM HIGH SCHOOL, EARLIER PLACED FOURTH IN THE 195-POUND WEIGHT CLASS. THE DIRECTOR OF OFFICIALS FOR DISTRICT 11, GENE WAAS, SAYS REFEREE DENNIS BUCHMAN HANDLED THE SITUATION PROPERLY. HE SAYS BUCHMAN HAD NO IDEA CALLAHAN WAS THE MAYOR OF BETHLEHEM. CALLAHAN, A SECOND-TERM MAYOR RUNNING FOR NORTHAMPTON COUNTY EXECUTIVE, WROTE ON HIS TWITTER ACCOUNT: "PRETTY SAD WHEN A WRESTLING FAN CAN'T EXPRESS DISPLEASURE ABOUT A CALL."
AUTHORITIES SAY A COLLISION BETWEEN A CAR AND A PICKUP TRUCK KILLED A WOMAN AND A TEENAGER. OFFICIALS IN LEHIGH COUNTY SAY THE TRUCK COLLIDED WITH A CAR THAT WAS TURNING ONTO ROUTE 145 IN WHITEHALL TOWNSHIP SHORTLY AFTER 6 P.M. SATURDAY. WHITEHALL TOWNSHIP POLICE SAID 41-YEAR-OLD SHARON GONZALEZ-MEDINA AND A 16-YEAR-OLD YOUTH WERE KILLED. FIRE CHIEF ROBERT BENNER TOLD THE STATION THAT BOTH VICTIMS WERE IN THE CAR, WHICH CAUGHT FIRE, AND TWO PEOPLE IN THE TRUCK WERE ALSO TAKEN TO HOSPITALS. POLICE ARE ASKING ANYONE WHO WITNESSED THE CRASH TO CALL THEM.
A BETHLEHEM MAN IS EXPECTED TO SURVIVE AFTER BEING SHOT IN BOTH OF HIS LEGS EARLY SUNDAY MORNING. POLICE SAY TWO MEN ENTERED THE HOME IN THE 1500 BLOCK OF IRENE STREET AND SHOT THE UNIDENTIFIED VICTIM. A WOMAN IN THE HOME WAS NOT HARMED. NO ARRESTS HAVE BEEN MADE.
A NEW JERSEY MAN IS IN CUSTODY FOR ALLEGEDLY COMMITTING THREE ROBBERIES OVER THE WEEKEND. POLICE SAY 41-YEAR-OLD TODD SINGLEY WAS WEARING PAJAMA PANTS WHEN HE ROBBED THE INTERNATIONAL HOUSE OF PANCAKES ON LEHIGH STREET IN ALLENTOWN FRIDAY NIGHT. SATURDAY EVENING, SINGLEY ALLEGEDLY ROBBED A SALISBURY TOWNSHIP STARBUCKS AND ABOUT A HALF-HOUR LATER ROBBED THE SUNOCO GAS STATION AT 2138 HAMILTON STREET IN ALLENTOWN.
A PENN STATE TRUSTEE SAYS A CONSULTANT SHOULD BE ASKED TO RETURN "SOME OR ALL" OF THE MILLIONS PENN STATE UNIVERSITY PAID FOR AN INTERNAL INVESTIGATION INTO THE HANDLING OF SEXUAL ABUSE ALLEGATIONS. TRUSTEE ANTHONY LUBRANO HAS BEEN A CRITIC OF THE $6.5 MILLION REPORT BY FORMER FBI DIRECTOR LOUIS FREEH, WHICH CONCLUDED THAT LONGTIME COACH JOE PATERNO AND THREE FORMER ADMINISTRATORS COVERED UP CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE ALLEGATIONS AGAINST FORMER ASSISTANT COACH JERRY SANDUSKY. LUBRANO CITED A CRITICAL REPORT COMMISSIONED BY THE PATERNO FAMILY. HE SAID FREEH'S REPORT IS "FAR FROM COMPLETE" AND PENN STATE "IS ENTITLED TO A REFUND." FREEH HAS STOOD BY HIS FINDINGS AND CALLED THE FAMILY'S REPORT A "SELF-SERVING" EFFORT TO SHAPE THE PATERNO'S LEGACY.
NEW JERSEY GOV. CHRIS CHRISTIE WILL LAY OUT HIS FOURTH STATE BUDGET TUESDAY, AND NEW JERSEY FACES MOUNTING FISCAL DIFFICULTIES. THE REPUBLICAN IS GIVING FEW HINTS OF THE PROPOSALS HE'LL MAKE BEYOND SAYING THAT HE'S ALREADY MADE ALL THE MAJOR FISCAL DECISIONS FOR THE COMING YEAR. THE BUDGET IS CERTAIN TO BE FOCUSED ON RECOVERY FROM SUPERSTORM SANDY, THE WORST NATURAL DISASTER TO EVER HIT THE STATE. THE LATE OCTOBER STORM DRAINED PROPERTY AND BUSINESS TAX REVENUES AND LEFT TOWNS UP AND DOWN THE COAST REELING. THE STATE IS EXPECTED TO SEE A BOOM IN CONSTRUCTION JOBS AND AN INFLUX OF BILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN FEDERAL STORM RECOVERY MONEY. ASSEMBLY BUDGET COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN VINCENT PRIETO SAYS HE HASN'T BEEN BRIEFED ON THE BUDGET PROPOSAL AND IS NOT SURE WHAT TO EXPECT.
PHILLIES PITCHER ROY HALLADAY SAYS HE'S LIGHT YEARS AHEAD OF WHERE HE WAS WHEN HIS SEASON ENDED LAST FALL. "IT FEELS FREER AND EASIER RIGHT NOW THAN IT DID AT THE END OF THE SEASON. I FELL LIKE ARM-WISE IT'S LESS EFFORT. I FEEL LIKE MY ARM IS IN A BETTER POSITION," HALLADAY SAID AFTER HE MADE HIS FIRST SPRING TRAINING APPEARANCE SUNDAY AFTERNOON AGAINST DETROIT. HE THREW TWO INNINGS AND ALLOWED ONE RUN AND ONE HIT IN A GAME THAT ENDED IN A 5-5 TIE.
