An Allentown man is going to jail for killing a city woman and wounding her daughter. Angel Cruz had already pleaded guilty to the November 2017 incident that led to the death of Dagmary Baez and the wounding of her 17-year-old daughter. The teenager was struck by gunfire as Cruz shot at her mother. The 56-year-old Cruz was sentenced Thursday to spend 25-to-50 years in prison for the shootings.
Numerous people are recovering after falling ill at Fleetwood Area Middle School Thursday night. At least a dozen people went to the hospital with headaches after becoming sick in the auditorium, where students were rehearsing a play. Initial reports indicated three people were unconscious, but officials say everyone was alert when they arrived. Initial reports also said there may have been a carbon monoxide leak, but officials did some testing and didn't find any trace of the toxic gas.
Disgraced comedian Bill Cosby has been moved to a general population unit in a Pennsylvania prison as he serves his sentence for sexual assault. The 81-year-old has spent the past four months in special housing at SCI-Phoenix in suburban Philadelphia. A state prison spokeswoman says Cosby has a single cell and is not on a ward for older inmates. Inmates in general population can spend several hours a day in the gym or exercise yard and other time in the library, class or day room. Cosby is serving three to ten years for drugging and sexually assaulting a woman at his home in 2004.
Pennsylvania officials are asking people to continue to support their local foodbanks because of the recent federal shutdown. People who recieve SNAP benefits got them early for February and now have until early to mid-March for their next payment. "Because of the partial federal government shutdown the United States Department of Agriculture directed states to issue February's SNAP benefits by January 20th. In Pennsylvania that meant we issued benefits for SNAP benefits for February on January 16th and 17th," says Teresa Miller heads up the Department of Human Services.
TSA officials say they've seen a decrease in the number of guns caught at Pennsylvania airports over the past year. Officials say they only found 75 firearms in 2018, down from 80 in 2017. Nationally, the number was up by nearly 300 in 2018.
Four students face charges for a rowdy Penn State football tailgate last autumn. State Police had to call in a police helicopter to quell the crowd September 30th before the Ohio State game. The tailgate saw a police horse assaulted and a state trooper suffer a broken wrist. The four students face alcohol misdemeanors.
A state lawmaker is introducing a bill he says will help volunteer firefighters who buy their own equipment. St. Rep. Clint Owlett says those individuals could get a $500 tax credit if his bill is approved. House Bill 376 is currently in the House Finance Committee.
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy says he's taking responsibility for the way his administration handled the sexual misconduct allegations made by a former staffer. A former state Supreme Court Justice released a report Wednesday concerning Al Alvarez, the former state official who was accused of rape by Katie Brennan, who was working in housing at the time. Murphy says he ordered a full investigation into the matter in October, with the goal of both figuring out what happened and improving the system for survivors of sexual assault. He adds that his administration is committed to implementing the judge's recommendations.
Phillies general manager Matt Klentak says he acquired the best catcher in baseball Thursday. The Phils traded for Miami's J.T. Realmuto and Klentak says his good numbers at the plate should get even better in a smaller ballpark. "He's a good player even playing half his games in Miami and if that's what he does in our uniform, that's still the best catcher in baseball. But, I'd be lying if I told you we didn't think there was some chance playing half his games at Citizens Bank Park wouldn't make him better. I think there's a pretty good chance that our park will be helpful for him," Klentak says. The Phils sent catcher Jorge Alfaro, top pitching prospect Sixto Sanchez and lefty prospect Will Stewart to the Marlins.