It's a sure sign that change is coming at the Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem. The Sands sign that rests on an old crane at the resort is being taken down after Wind Creek Hospitality's purchase of the Sands closed last month. A Wind Creek sign is expected to replace the Sands sign in August.
A Monroe County woman is heading to prison for the death of her boyfriend. Tobyhanna's Barbara Rogers was sentenced Monday to serve 15-to-40 years behind bars for the murder of Stephen Mineo back in 2017. Rogers claimed Mineo died when he put a gun to his own head, then wrapped her hands around the weapon and asked her to fire and that the shooting was an accident. Both were part of an online cult focused on aliens and the end of the world and she claims the cult was pushing Mineo to try and kill her first.
A Poconos man is facing charges in New York for running a Ponzi scheme that ripped off dozens of victims for millions. The Nassau County District Attorney's office say Kevin Brody, of Stroudsburg, has pleaded guilty to several charges in connection to the scam. Brody was one of two people who allegedly tricked at least 50 people into paying thousands for a high return of investment that proved fraudulent while scoring the defendant more than $12 million. Brody is expected to receive more than two years to seven years in prison and must forfeit around $5 million in restitution.
State police are warning registered sex offenders in the Commonwealth that they're being targeted by scammers. Troopers say an unidentified person or people are calling sex offenders pretending to be law enforcement officials. The scammers say the offenders are not in compliance with their registration rules and will be arrested if they don't send along a cash card or agree to a money transfer of some kind. State police say they never solicit registered sex offenders for money in order to stay within compliance and anyone receiving these calls should try to get the phone number of the caller and then contact their local police department.
The calls for St. Sen. Daylin Leach to resign over accusations of sexual misconduct continue. Commonwealth Victim Advocate Jennifer Storm says it's time for Leach to walk away. "Time's up on allowing our elected officials to bully, harass and sexually demean and mock their colleagues. Time's up on Daylin Leach," Storm said. In December 2017, allegations surfaced accusing Leach of inappropriate touching and sexual misconduct. Via Twitter, Leach says a Senate investigation into the matter found no evidence that he engaged in any conduct that was discriminatory, harassing, predatory or illegal. He writes, "Due process is a wonderful thing."
The future of WEEU radio in Reading is still uncertain. Potential buyers of the station had until yesterday to submit bids to buy the AM station following the sale of the Reading Eagle Company, which owned the station. Its new owners had plans to have the signal go dark if it goes unsold.
Hundreds of state vehicles are up for auction today in Grantville. Manheim Keystone Pennsylvania is hosting the auction full of vehicles taken during police investigations as well as cars, trucks, SUVs, motorcycles and other items no longer needed by the commonwealth or local municipalities. Organizers say 90-percent of the items on the block today will be sold.
The state of New Jersey is going to give residents a full day next week to obtain a dose of an opioid overdose reversal drug at no cost. The state Poison Center says New Jerseyans can anonymously obtain Naloxone at participating pharmacies on June 18th. No prescription, payment, insurance or even name is going to be necessary for anyone picking up a dose. Naoloxone is used to reverse opioid overdoses, a drug the U.S. Surgeon General says is a safe antidote that can save a life when given in time.
New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez is calling for tougher laws and restrictions on toy guns. He says if it were up to him, toy guns would be extinct. "I really wish we were not selling toy guns, period. And I really wish parents would make the choice to not buy a toy gun for their child," Menendez says. Menendez says such toys are dangerous, in that police often have a difficult time identifying them as fake, which can lead to tragedies, like the shooting of a 12-year-old boy in Cleveland.
There had never been 13 home runs in a Major League Baseball game. Until last night. The Diamondbacks hit a franchise-record eight homers and the Phillies hit the other five in Arizona's 13-8 win in Philadelphia. The Phils' Scott Kingery hit two of the bombs in the loss. "For some reason the ball was absolutely flying. It felt like every ball in the air was a home run. I'm not sure if it had to do with the humidity, but it was crazy out there," Kingery says. The first three batters of the game homered for Arizona.