Allentown Mayor Ray O'Connell is officially seeking to keep his job. O'Connell launched his campaign to finish out the current term as mayor of Allentown last night at the Eastside Youth Center. He's running to complete the last two years of the current term, which started with former Mayor Ed Pawlowski in office. Pawlowski resigned last year following his conviction on corruption charges in March and the City Council then appointed O'Connell as mayor.
A local fire chief accused of threatening a boy scout with a gun waives his hearing. James Kutz, fire chief for Woodlawn Fire Company in South Whitehall Township, waived his scheduled preliminary hearing Thursday. Kutz allegedly saw the 12-year-old victim outside his home last November and ordered him to the ground while pointing a gun at the boy. The scout claims he was hanging flyers on doors for the scouts' annual food drive. Kutz faces charges of simple assault and harassment.
Residents in Palmerton are being offered free lead testing Saturday from 10am to 4pm at the Palmerton Area Junior High School. After test results were released last summer, the state Health Department warned Palmerton residents of potentially high lead levels and now they'll be conducting the free testing. A federal agency found high lead levels in 2015 near the American Zinc Recycling Corp. and workers there also showed elevated levels of lead in their blood in recent years. Adults exposed to high levels of lead can suffer from high blood pressure and kidney damage and pregnant women are vulnerable to miscarriages and premature births.
Berks County St. Rep. and survivor of clergy child sex abuse Mark Rozzi is in Rome for the Vatican's summit on sexual abuse within the Church. He describes what his goal is. "Right now, we're going to be going to the doorstep of the Vatican and we're going to be banging on it and say 'You better hear us now,'" says Rozzi. Rozzi and both American and Italian victims appeared before the Italian Parliament to spotlight what they call gaps in how the Italian justice system handles the issue.
A state lawmaker wants a statewide vote on recreational marijuana. St. Sen. Jim Brewster is going to introduce legislation asking to put the question on the November general election ballot. The referendum would be non-binding and would only be used for informational purposes to indicate how much support there is for legalization.
Former Penn State University President Graham Spanier could soon be headed to jail after being told the Pennsylvania Supreme Court would not take up his appeal. The court says it will not hear Spanier's appeal of a child endangerment conviction related to his handling of allegations against ex-assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky. Spanier has yet to begin to serve his sentence of two months in jail and two months on house arrest.
A committee of Penn State's trustees is voting in favor of a roughly two-and-a-half percent increase in housing and meal plans. The proposed increase will be voted on by the entire board today. If approved, the increase will take effect for the fall semester.
Sandy Barbour is going to remain Penn State's athletic director. The board of trustees voted in favor of the contract extension Thurday. While it's unclear what her new salary and contract length is, it is known Barbour made more than $720,000 for the job during the 2016-2017 fiscal year.
A bill that if enacted would require presidential candidates to disclose their federal income tax returns is moving forward. New Jersey's Democrat-led state Senate passed a bill Thursday that would force anyone running for Presidency or Vice-Presidency to release their tax information or be rejected from voting ballots. The bill would also prohibit electors of the Electoral College from voting for candidates who haven't released their tax information. If the bill becomes law, current President Donald Trump, who has not released his federal income tax returns, would either have to do so or be barred from the Garden State's 2020 ballot.
It's not too late to place your bets on the Academy Awards. Regulators in New Jersey are allowing state sportsbooks to accept bets on this Sunday night's Academy Awards. It's the first time in the U.S. legal bets are being allowed to be taken on the Oscars. Nevada gaming officials have prohibited Oscar bets in Las Vegas.