A report from the state Department of Human Services says caseworkers missed red flags before the rape and murder of 14-year-old Grace Packer. Investigators say the girl suffered mental, physical and sexual abuse in the years leading up to her 2016 murder but child welfare officials let her stay in Sara Packer's home. Sara Packer and her boyfriend, Jacob Sullivan, both pleaded guilty to killing Grace inside a Bucks County home. Sara Packer will spend the rest of her life in prison while Sullivan was handed a death sentence last week.
An Allentown man claims that he fatally stabbed the mother of his children with a broken golf club by accident. Alexander Acosta-Quezada was arraigned Monday on charges he murdered Yosandra Corporan. Police say they found Corporan stabbed on South West Street early Sunday morning. She was rushed to Lehigh Valley Hospital-Cedar Crest where she died a short while later. Acosta-Quezada reportedly told police when Corporan arrived Sunday in a car with other men, he attacked those other men inside a car with a golf club and then accidentally stabbed Corporan when she tried to intervene.
A Palmer Township man accused of killing a 12-year-old while texting behind the wheel is pleading guilty. Dylan Groff admitted to involuntary manslaughter and reckless endangerment charges Monday in a plea that drops other counts and allows him serve sentences simultaneously. Groff will serve no more than one year in prison. He was using Facebook on his phone back in September 2017 when he fatally struck Emma Raymondo along Route 248.
Police in Catasauqua are looking for a man who allegedly used a fireplace poker to beat his girlfriend. Jason Connolly, who remains at large, is charged with aggravated assault and harassment. Connelly allegedly attacked the victim in her Railroad Street home with the poker Sunday morning, sending her to the hospital with injuries that required surgery.
A Bethlehem man is heading to prison for dealing powerful drugs in the Lehigh Valley. The U.S. Attorney's Office says Jerome Duggan has been convicted of distributing crystal meth, crack and pot. He's also been found guilty of trafficking drugs through the mail. Duggan's sentence has yet to be determined.
Brett Snyder has died. The 41-year-old Snyder played football at both Northwestern Lehigh High School and at Lehigh University, where he helped the Mountain Hawks win two Patriot League championships in the 1990s. He was diagnosed with ALS, or Lou Gehrig's Disease, in 2003 and was given a year-and-a-half to live. Instead, Snyder lived 16 years until his passing Sunday night. Snyder is survived by his wife and four children.
State officials are encouraging Pennsylvanians to take part in the upcoming 2020 Census. Rick Vilello, with the Department of Community & Economic Development, says every person not counted hits the state square in the wallet. "The estimate is that everybody who is not counted means that Pennsylvania will lose $2093," Vilello says. Representatives say the commonwealth receives about $26 billion in federal grants based upon the numbers derived from that every-ten-year count.
State government officials say Pennsylvania's general fund brought in around $76 million more than it anticipated last month. Fiscal year-to-date collections are up about 1.5-percent over what they had been forecasting to collect. It's believed most of that increase is coming from sales and corporate taxes.
Temple University reports its mumps outbreak continues to worsen. The school's Student Health Services says as of Monday, 116 related cases both on and near campus have been confirmed. Temple is treating anyone with symptoms and advises anyone who's been in contact with a sickened person to get the Measles, Mumps and Rubella, or MMR vaccine, quickly. The virus can cause birth complications, so pregnant women are strongly advised to seek medical attention if they believe they've been exposed, as are people with immune system problems.
Two players are sharing part of a Pennsylvania Lottery jackpot after a rare experience in Mount Pleasant. Lottery officials say two people bought the winning Cash Five tickets on Saturday from the same Shop 'n Save market.
New Phillies right fielder Bryce Harper returns to Washington DC tonight when the Phils visit the Nationals. Harper is trying to take the road trip back to where his career began in stride. "It's part of the game. I'll always remember and cherish all the screaming and yelling and all the exciting times we had the last seven years. I wish them, all the players in that clubhouse nothing but the best," Harper says. Harper has more on his mind than his return to Washington tonight. Monday, he and his wife announced they're expecting the couple's first child in August.