A jury will deliberate Sean Kratz's fate for a second day today. He's accused of taking part in a quadruple murder at a Bucks County farm in 2017 along with his cousin Cosmo DiNardo, who's already serving life in prison after pleading guilty. Closing arguments wrapped up Wednesday. Kratz could face the death penalty if he's convicted.
A Palmer Township business has been damaged by a Thursday night fire. Township Fire Chief Jim Alercia says the fire at Palmer Plastics required a big response. "Because of the size of the building and the fire running along the roof line this was bumped up to a third alarm fire so we had firefighters called in from numerous departments in Northampton County," Alercia says. It's believed the fire began in a machine, but the investigation continues.
An overnight fire has damaged a Northampton County business. Fire broke out at Piechota's Snow and Ice in the 4500 block of Lehigh Drive in Lehigh Township right around midnight. A family of seven was living in a residential space on top of the business. Firefighters say one of the family members happened to be returning home, noticed the flames, and got the family out safely. Officials said there is smoke and water damage, but the business should be able to operate again soon. The cause of the fire remains undetermined.
The man accused of pulling a gun on a Boy Scout has been found guilty. James Kutz was accused of pulling a gun on the 12-year-old last November and was found guilty Wednesday of simple assault and harassment charges. The boy said he was going around the neighborhood hanging flyers for the Boy Scouts' annual food drive. Kutz says he thought someone was trying to break into his home.
A Berks County-based bus company is going to test service to Philadelphia as well as add a stop linking downtown Reading and New York City. Klein Transportation will offer service from Berks County to Philadelphia over Thanksgiving weekend. The company is also adding a downtown Reading pick-up spot for service to New York City. That begins December 7th and Klein says the test run could become permanent if there are enough riders.
A Pennsylvania lawmaker is facing a DUI charge out of Cumberland County. Police say Democrat St. Rep. Brandon Markosek was driving 53-miles-per-hour in a 35-miles-per-hour zone when he was stopped in Wormleysburg the night of September 18th. An officer, who thought Markosek was incapable of safe driving, arrested him, but Markosek reportedly tested below the state DUI limit on a blood draw. Markosek's attorney expects the charges of driving under the influence and speeding to be dismissed.
The New Jersey Legislature is voting today on increasing penalties on illegal vaping sales. The legislation would also revise the requirements for selling tobacco and vape products and changes taxes imposed on vape products. Gov. Phil Murphy says he's grateful for the vote and looks forward to discussing the mater as such proposals move through the Legislature.
New Jersey is on its way to becoming the second state behind North Dakota to establish a public bank. Gov. Phil Murphy signed an executive order earlier this week that aims to leverage the millions of dollars in taxpayer deposits that are typically kept in commercial banks for public purposes, like housing and infrastructure. Both members of the public and officials within the Murphy administration will serve on the 14-member board. Some have raised concerns with the plan, saying it will take business away from the state's banking industry, while also creating new avenues for corruption and political bias.
Former Phillies manager Gabe Kapler was introduced Wednesday as the new manager of the San Francisco Giants. Kapler thanked the Phillies front office during his remarks. "They gave me my first job as manager and that didn't lead to the outcomes that any of us expected but I think the most important thing we can do in baseball is develop relationships," Kapler says. The Phillies fired Kapler last month after he managed the team for two seasons.