The man now in charge of Pennsylvania's pardons process says he is the beneficiary of that very process. Brandon Flood has been chosen as Pennsylvania's new Secretary of Pardons and says his history brings perspective to the process. "It is about empathy and often times when it comes to these positions of influence, a lot of times the decision-makers do not possess that empathy. With me you have someone who's empathetic," Flood says. The 36-year-old Flood was pardoned for the convictions of possession with intent to deliver cocaine when he was 17 and possessing an unlicensed firearm when he was 22. Flood spent nine years in prison for his crimes.
An Allentown man has pleaded guilty to killing his girlfriend inside their Little Lehigh neighborhood last July. 33-year-old Matthew Jensen admits to shooting to death Kristina Fenstermaker at their 17th Street SW home. The killing essentially placed the neighborhood under a lockdown before it was discovered Jensen fled the area. Jensen was eventually arrested outside a Walmart in Pohatcong Township, New Jersey. He'll be sentenced next month.
Bethlehem police are investigating after a man tried to lure an elementary school student waiting for her bus. Police say the child was in front of Marvine Elementary School Monday morning when a male suspect then parked his vehicle on the other side of the street and waited until she boarded her bus. Anyone with related information is urged to contact Bethlehem police with details.
Students and parents in the Fleetwood Area School District hope today is a more routine day than Monday was. The middle school there was placed on lockdown for about three hours Monday morning because a bullet was found in the building. The superintendent said a student discovered the bullet in a hallway at about the same time officials learned about a possible threat toward the school. Police later said that they figured out where the bullet came from and they said there was no ill intent toward the school.
State police are investigating after vandals scrawled anti-religious and prejudiced graffiti inside a church building in Lehigh County. Troopers report the graffiti was found Monday morning in The Grove, a building on the property of the Trinity Great Swamp Church in Lower Milford Township. Investigators aren't saying specifically what was written in the building.
University officials say there are two confirmed cases of the mumps at Penn State's main campus. Staff are working to identify anyone who may have come in contact with those who have come down with the highly infectious viral infection.
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy is saying that while taxpayers are footing the bill for added worker benefits, employee productivity is sure to rise. After measures like paid family leave and temporary disability insurance were passed into law, some employees could be losing hundreds-of-dollars in their paychecks. Murphy says while the cost of these benefits are spread out among thousands of workers, the entire middle class will benefit.
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy is getting more help for Superstorm Sandy victims who are still not home. Murphy says the state has gotten approval to reallocate $50 million in federal dollars into a couple Sandy Recovery programs with no cap for individuals. The governor says he's also securing more federal assistance to help those paying the mortgage on their Sandy-damaged homes while also paying rent. Roughly 1000 residents are still out of their homes since the 2012 storm hammered New Jersey.