The two brothers who, along with their cousin, murdered their parents and brother in February 1995 may not spent the rest of their lives behind bars after all. Tuesday, Lehigh County Judge Douglas Reichley resentenced both Bryan and David Freeman to 60 years to life behind bars. The Freemans have already served 29 years, leaving a minimum of 31 years until they're eligible for parole. At that time, Bryan Freeman will be 77 and his brother will be 76. The two were teens when they, along with Nelson Birdwell, used a metal baseball bat, an axe handle and a knife to murder Dennis and Brenda Freeman and 11-year-old Erik Freeman inside their Salisbury Township home. The Freemans became eligible for resentencing thanks to a 2016 Supreme Court ruling that determined it was unconstitutional to have juveniles sentenced to life behind bars.
It happened Tuesday night in Bethlehem and it happened Wednesday night in Allentown. Residents speaking to each city's council about the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas, some demanding council introduce a resolution calling for a ceasefire and others saying Israel and Jews in our community have a right to defend themselves. "I join you today as a representative of Lehigh Valley Artist Alliance and as a signatory of 'Lehigh Valley Artists for a Free Palestine,' a letter signed by over 100 artists and local community members who are joining global calls for a ceasefire, as well as local calls for this council to immediately put a ceasefire resolution on the agenda," said Drew Swedberg. Aaron Gorodzinsky, with the Jewish Federation of the Lehigh Valley, brought a very different message. "It will be incredibly hurtful to the Jewish community that the one resolution that gets passed is against the Jewish community who is very much active in this community. We ask, on our behalf for our community, that City Council does not give into the pressure and open the door to pass any resolutions that have very little to do with the functioning of the city, will very much damage the citizens of the city of Allentown." Allentown City Council members did not indicate whether they intend to draw up a resolution regarding the war in Gaza.
A 22-year-old man is under arrest for the shooting of four people Tuesday night in Allentown. The Lehigh County DA says Axel Suarez-Vidal shot three women and one man in the 1800 block of West Turner Street just before 7 o'clock Tuesday night. District Attorney Gavin Holihan says it all began when two men began arguing and agreed to a fight. The DA says each man also brought a group of people with them, and an altercation broke out between those two groups and that's when Suarez-Vidal allegedly took out a handgun and started firing at the other group. All four people who were shot are expected to make a full recovery.
A man is behind bars after a police search in Carbon County. Mark Hughes of Lancaster was taken into custody yesterday after he allegedly stole a vehicle and tried to break into multiple homes with a stolen pellet gun. The 35-year-old was allegedly drunk and heading to Jim Thorpe with the gun, which caused schools, county buildings and banks to go on lockdown. Hughes is facing several charges including stealing a car, burglary, drug possession and driving drunk.
The office of the Pennsylvania Auditor General is opening its hiring process to people who don't have a four-year degrees. Auditor General Tim DeFoor says they're now considering applicants with associate degrees for open positions. Late last year, the state dropped requirements that all state job applicants hold four-year college degrees.
The governing body for middle and high school sports in Pennsylvania must abide by the Right-to-Know Law. By a four-to-one decision Wednesday, the state Supreme Court ruled the law applies to the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association. The decision upheld a Commonwealth Court ruling from 2021. The PIAA had argued its status as a private nonprofit exempted it from the Right-to-Know Law, which was passed in 2008. The court, however, noted in its opinion that the PIAA is listed as a "Commonwealth entity" under the law.
Lawyers who are representing people involved in the Fern Hollow Bridge collapse are sharing strong reactions to yesterday's final report presentation from the National Transportation Safety Board. The NTSB says over 15 years of neglect on the part of the City of Pittsburgh led to severe corrosion that caused the span to fail in January of 2022. Attorney Peter Giglione, who represents the PRT bus driver who was hurt when the bridge came down, says it is apparent that the collapse represents a "systemwide failure" in regard to infrastructure monitoring and maintenance. Jason Matzus, the lawyer for another individual who was injured, was more direct with his criticism of local leaders, calling the report "a sweeping and damning indictment of the City of Pittsburgh, bridge inspection companies, and the entire inspection, maintenance, and oversight process."
The Hershey Company has put out the call for pet owners as they search for the next Cadbury Bunny. This year, the Cadbury brand will use a March Madness elimination tournament to decide the winner. Entries must be made through Cadbury USA's Instagram account. Pet parents must post a picture or video and explain why their rabbit should represent Cadbury. The winner can receive up to seven-thousand-dollars in prizes over five rounds of voting and possibly star in the 2025 commercial tryouts. Voting begins March 11th, with a final winner crowned on the 25th.