After about three hours of deliberations, a man charged with the shooting death of a woman in Bethlehem has been acquitted. A jury found Kasheem Aiken not guilty of homicide and conspiracy. Aiken was accused of killing 19-year-old Teayahe Glover in February 2017 and leaving her body in front of Holy Ghost Cemetery in Bethlehem. Xavier Snyder, who was also involved in Glover's death, pleaded guilty in the case and is serving 16-to-32 years behind bars. According to the Morning Call, Aiken's acquittal is the first in a Northampton County murder trial since 2014.
One person was shot near a church in Allentown Tuesday afternoon. It happened in the area of Seventh and Chew streets around 4 p.m. One person fled in a vehicle, and one person was seen running away. Police believe the shooting happened in a car outside of the church. 22-year-old Dominic Young and 19-year-old Dylan Tanner were arrested overnight for the shooting. The victim is expected to survive.
One person is dead and several others are injured after a crash at the Allentown-South Whitehall Township border last night. The two-vehicle crash happened on Mauch Chunk Road near Overlook Road around 8:30 Tuesday night. The name of the victim has not yet been released. Police are still investigating.
Hanover Township's swimming pool will not open this year and may be closed permanently. The Northampton County township closed the community pool last June because it was leaking about 2,200 gallons per hour. Experts say the ground beneath the 39-year-old pool no longer supports it and fixing the pool is not likely.
A Warren County, New Jersey woman released from custody Sunday morning following a shoplifting arrest was arrested again about four hours later for the same crime at the same mall. Samantha Flazarano allegedly shoplifted from the Lehigh Valley Mall's Forever 21 and Claire stores around 4:30 Saturday afternoon. After being released Sunday morning, she allegedly returned to the mall and tried to steal more than $800 worth of merchandise from Macy's.
A former Penn State football player is taking the university and its football coach to court. Isaiah Humphries filed a lawsuit against the school and coach James Franklin this week over claims he was the victim of hazing acts that simulated sexual assault in 2018. Humphries even accused his former teammates of saying "I'm going to Sandusky you." That, of course, is a reference to former Nittany Lion assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky, who is serving time in prison for sexually abusing boys. Several players are also named in the suit.
The Wolf administration has released its initial report from the state's Suicide Prevention Task Force. One of its findings is a group not generally associated with suicide has a grownng problem. That group? Farmers. "The challenges farmers have experienced over the past couple years ranging from prolonged severe weather, to unexpected market changes, to negative operating margins all affect mental health and add layers of stress," says Pennsylvania Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding.
The heads of several Pennsylvania state agencies have been encouraging citizens to not ingore this year's census. They point out that the money to keep their programs up and running very often rely on accurate population counts. "Pennsylvania relies on federal funding that is linked to census data in order to support our medical assistance and CHIP programs. Together, they provide healthcare to over 3 million low-income Pennsylvanians," says Pennsylvania Secretary of Human Services Teresa Miller.
Teachers in the Pottsville Area School District have authorized a strike. At Tuesday night's school board meeting, the union voted no confidence in the district's superintendent. Those a strike was authorized, there are no immediate plans for one in the district.
Bus service from downtown Reading to New York City will continue. Klein Transportation and OurBus say they'll make their stop at Fifth and Penn streets in Reading permanent. The two companies launched the service last month as a pilot program and say it was clear to them that there was a need. The service was the first to be offered in the city since Kutztown-based Bieber Tourways went out of business last February.
Lebanon County District Attorney David Arnold will represent Pennsylvania's 48th District in the state Senate. Arnold defeated Democrat Michael Schroeder in Tuesday's special election. Arnold will replace Mike Folmer, who resigned from the Senate last year after having child pornography charges lodged against him.
Gambling revenues are on the rise in New Jersey. The state Attorney General's Office says that the Total Gaming Revenue for December was more than $287 million, an 11-percent increase. Internet Gaming Wins rose 70-percent, from $29 million in December 2018 to more than $49 million last month. For all of 2019, Total Gaming Revenue was more than $3.4 billiion, up from around $2.9 billion in 2018.
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy is continuing to push for a millionaire's tax and highlighting a number of other goals, after delivering his State of the State address Tuesday. The governor praised accomplishments from this past year, including paid family leave, criminal justice reforms and strengthened gun regulations. Murphy also listed other policy items he'll pursue this year, including changing how businesses view the workforce and how college grads view their level of opportunity. The governor also vowed to fix NJ Transit "even if it kills him" and says a capital and strategic plan will be released in the coming days.
The Philadelphia Phillies have cut ties with former all-star Odubel Herrera and claimed Nick Martini. Herrera was designated for assignment to make room on the roster for Martini. He was suspended last season under MLB's domestic violence policy after his arrest in Atlantic City. The charges were dismissed, but the 2016 All-Star remained on the suspended list. The team owes Herrera $19.5 million.