All three people charged in the murder of an Allentown teenager early Tuesday morning are now in custody. 21-year-old Jamett Rivera, of Allentown, surrendered Wednesday afternoon to police. 19-year-old Pedro Acevedo and 21-year-old Nikolas Acevedo, who police say are not related, were both already in custody. All three face homicide, robbery and conspiracy to commit robbery charges. Both Acevedos say Rivera planned to rob 18-year-old Elijah Rodriguez of his gun, but shot him instead. The incident happened in the 1200 block of Turner Street.
A 15-year-old student, who identifies as non-binary, is suing the Bethlehem Area School District and an intermediate unit for discrimination. The federal suit claims the student suffered repeated torment and abuse by being referred to with the wrong pronouns and name at Colonial Intermediate Unit 20. The student, from Freedom High School, says they considered suicide because of the constant and intentional abuse. The student is seeking monetary damages. A Bethlehem school solicitor says the district found no evidence the student was disrespected and the district is asking to have the suit tossed.
Police are investigating a reported armed carjacking near East Fourth and Adams streets in South Bethlehem. Early Tuesday morning, a woman was sitting in her vehicle when a gray sedan pulled up next to her and another man came up on foot, showed a gun and told her to get out of her vehicle. The man drove off in the woman's car, also stealing her wallet, cash and cell phone. She was not injured.
Palmer Township police say a 14-year-old girl, who had been missing since February 19th, has been found. Kiara Dicen was last seen at 416 Arlington Street but has now been found safe. Police are giving no further details.
Lehigh County police are searching for those who vandalized a South Whitehall Township ball field. Police say the Grandlawn Ball Park was tagged with graffiti sometime between Monday and Tuesday. There are no cameras in the area.
Officials from Penn State University are celebrating an expansion at its Lehigh Valley campus. School and state leaders broke ground Wednesday in Upper Saucon Township on the new STEM wing. It will include an organic chemistry lab, an eatery and a lounge for veterans. Construction preparation is expected to begin within the next few days.
Last month, Gov. Tom Wolf unveiled his Nellie Bly Scholarship Program proposal. Since then, the governor has been touring state-owned colleges and universities, including Kutztown on Wednesday. "We're all going to benefit from this because these bright kids are going to stay here. They're going to do great things for us. They're going to stay here and they're going to make Pennsylvania a better place," Wolf says. Wolf's proposal would pay full tuition averaging at $7,500 for about 25,000 students in the state system. To be eligible, students must enroll full-time in a state school undergraduate program and qualify for a federal subsidized student loan. Students must commit to live in Pennsylvania after graduation for the same number of years they received the scholarship. If a student leaves the state early, they must repay the money.
A bill is moving through the state legislature that would move up Pennsylvania's primary election in some years. Senate Bill 779 would change the date from the fourth Tuesday in April to the third Tuesday in March, but only in presidential election years. If the bill becomes law, it would go into effect in 2024. The bill is now off to the state House after passing unanimously in the Senate.
Officials are confirming a Bergen County man is believed to be the first confirmed case of coronavirus in New Jersey. A man in his 30s is hospitalized with officials are calling a presumptive positive case of coronavirus. The victim lives in Fort Lee and is believed to have been in contact with a New Yorker who has also since been confirmed to have the illness.
New Jersey's First Lady is saying Gov. Phil Murphy is doing well following kidney surgery. Murphy had a tumor removed from his left kidney Wednesday during a procedure called a partial nephrectomy. Tammy Murphy said her husband's operation was a success. It has yet to be determined if the tumor was cancerous. Lt. Gov. Sheila Oliver is serving as acting governor until further notice.