The man behind a popular Lehigh Valley restaurant faces legal trouble for allegedly underpaying on his taxes. Louis Belletieri, the owner of Louie's Restaurant in Allentown, has been charged on more than 30 counts of failing to pay around $89,000 in sales taxes. Belletieri has allegedly failed to pay proper sales taxes since 2014, by collecting sales from both his bar and restaurant customers, but only paying taxes on the bar portion of his business. He was arraigned Wednesday and released on bail, with a preliminary hearing set for September 30th.
A man is being charged with the fatal shooting of a woman in Allentown. An arrest warrant has been issued for city resident Isaiah Lopez, who's wanted for the killing of Lauren Gonzalez, who was shot to death on July 12th during a brawl on North Church Street. Lopez's brother, Jasiah, has already been charged with attempted murder for shooting someone during the same incident.
A Lehigh County man is accused of sexually assaulting children at a Whitehall Township daycare center. Zachary Zimmerman, who lives at the same location as A Lot Like Home Daycare on North 1st Street, was jailed Wednesday on several felony charges. Zimmerman allegedly had inappropriate sexual contact with at least three victims between the ages of ten and 12 who were in the care of the center at the time of the assaults.
Striking workers at the Advance Auto Parts' distribution center in Weisenberg Township have voted to ratify a three-year contract proposal. Terms of the deal include a 1.5% to 2% pay increase for each year of the three-year deal. The workers walked off the job on September 4th and will return to work tomorrow. The contract was ratified by a 265-104 margin.
Ground has been broken on Air Products new corporate headquarters near the intersection of Mill Creek Road and the Route 222 Bypass. Seifi Ghasemi is Air Products' CEO. "This facility will be highly efficient with improved solar panels, green roofs and will also include hydrogen fueling station to accommodate the hydrogen cars of the future," Ghasemi says. The new headquarters is expected to open in two years.
Officials are investigating after two people died in a plane crash in Monroe County. Autopsies are being conducted on the two male victims today, who will then be publicly identified. The small plane, described as an experimental aircraft, was found early Wednesday in Hamilton Township after being reported missing Tuesday night.
The judge who has been handling the resentencing of Jerry Sandusky is now taking himself off the case. Judge John Foradora recused himself Wednesday and asked Centre County court to appoint another judge to take over. Foradora didn't say what led to his decision. In February, appeals court ruled mandatory minimum sentences had been misapplied following Sandusky's child sexual abuse conviction and ordered a new sentencing.
Pittsburgh Pirates closer Felipe Vazquez is expected to face a Westmoreland County judge next week, accused of having sex with an underage girl. State police say Vazquez met the girl in 2017 and chatted online and by phone before having sex in his car outside the girl's Scottdale home. Vazquez was slapped with local charges Tuesday after his arrest on a warrant from Florida.
New Jersey residents can now get started on getting their Real ID cards as the Motor Vehicle Commission is rolling them out in Trenton. While not mandatory at this point, starting in October 2020 New Jerseyans will need either a Real ID or a passport to fly within the United States. The cards cost $11 and are available by appointment only. The MVC says the cards should be available in every region of the state by Thanksgiving. Appointments can be made online via www.realidnj.com.