A man and woman are charged with an October 18th murder in Whitehall Township. Lehigh County DA Jim Martin says 27-year-old Dakota Schmoyer and 26-year-old Michael Layton conspired to rob Jeffrey Werner inside Werner's Pennsylvania Street home and then killed him. Both Layton and Schmoyer have criminal records and Schmoyer was already behind bars after her arrest last week on drug charges, while there was a warrant out for Layton on charges of risking a catastrophe and reckless endangerment.
A 20-year-old Allentown man has been arrested in the shooting death of a woman in Allentown this summer. Isaiah Lopez is accused of killing Lauren Gonzalez in the 400 block of North Church Street. He was taken into custody after surrendering to Allentown police and county detectives. Police say on the evening of July 12th, Gonzalez confronted a group of people who were involved in a fight in the 400 block of North Church Street. That's when an altercation began between Gonzalez and Lopez and Gonzalez was shot in the chest. Isaiah's brother, Jasiah, was previously charged with attempted homicide for allegedly shooting Justin Trinidad during the same incident. It's believed Trinidad was trying to intervene on Gonzalez's behalf when he was wounded.
Authorities allege that a Berks County woman arrested last week and accused of shooting an Allentown man in the leg did so at his request. Allentown police said cell phone video shows Haley Edelman, of Greenwich Township, shooting Jawon Johnson in the leg on October 30 inside his apartment in the 400 block of North Seventh Street. Authorities, meanwhile, arrested Johnson on Nov. 8 for allegedly shooting into a West Tilghman Street home the same day he allegedly fabricated the shooting with Edelman.
A Commonwealth Court panel has ruled a convicted murderer who is serving a life prison sentence can’t sue the state corrections secretary because he was served bologna sandwiches. 46-year-old Alfonso Pew claimed he is a vegan for religious reasons and those sandwiches violated his civil rights and his religious beliefs.
A bill raising the age to 21 for purchasing tobacco products and e-cigarettes has cleared both the Pennsylvania House and Senate. Pennsylvania would become the 19th state in the U.S. to raise the purchase age to 21. If Gov. Tom Wolf signs it, the change would go into effect on July 1st.
Gov. Tom Wolf vetoed a bill Thursday that would ban abortions based on a prenatal diagnosis of Down Syndrome. In a statement, Wolf said the legislation is a restriction on women and medical professionals and interferes with women's health care and the crucial decision-making between patients and their physicians. The governor also says he's not aware of a single disability rights group that supports the bill.
The Pennsylvania Senate is sending an opioid treatment bill to the governor's desk. The bill would require new patients who need a prescribed opioid regimen to enter into treatment agreements, which would include baseline and periodic drug testing. The requirements would not apply to medical emergencies.
State lawmakers have sent a couple measures to change child sex crime laws to the governor's desk. One bill potentially eliminates the statute of limitations for victims by expanding the time they have to sue their accusers up to the 55th birthday. The second amends the state constitution to create a retroactive period for victims to sue.
A group of Republican lawmakers has released a new report about a lack of money to fix Pennsylvania's roads and highways. Members of the House Transportation Infrastructure Task Force say a big part of the problem is that money from the Motor License Fund is being used on projects that don’t have anything to do with transportation, including funding that goes to the state police. St. Rep. Martina White says they'd like that changed. "The proposal definitely discusses ending diversions. I think that's been a major concern for the task force. Money has been dispersed elsewhere that have been generated by transportation-type efforts," White says. The task force recommends making state police a general fund obligation.
President Trump's campaign has announced a rally to be held at Giant Center in Hershey. The "Keep America Great" rally will be held on December 10th. Tickets can be registered for on the president's campaign website.
It's No. 8 Penn State at No. 2 Ohio State tomorrow afternoon. Penn State defensive lineman Shaka Toney says they've gotta contain Buckeyes quarterback Justin Fields. "You can't let him get out of the pocket. You have to do your job as a defensive end. He makes plays with his arm and his legs so we have to do whatever we have to do to keep him in check," Toney says. Ohio State is a 19 point favorite. Kickoff is tomorrow at noon on WAEB.