The 17-year-old boy accused of killing his ex-girlfriend and her mother in their North Catasauqua home in September has waived his preliminary hearing. John Bradley remains in Northampton County Prison rather than juvenile lockup. Prosecutor William Blake explains why. "To my knowledge, the primary reason was his injuries. There are security risks because he has to leave for additional appointments and it was too much of a burden on the juvenile justice center," Blake says. Bradley allegedly used a knife to kill 16-year-old Rianna Glass and her 39-year-old mother Rosalyn Glass inside their Railroad Street home. An arraignment for Bradley is scheduled for January 18th.
Northampton County elections officials say about 2,400 voters there had to use paper ballots Tuesday because of a snafu with voting machines. The problem centered on votes for Superior Court Judge retention candidates Jack Panella and Victor Stabile. The county says the digital record of every vote was accurate, however the paper record from the voting machines flipped the votes. 235 provisional ballots were cast and 2,160 emergency ballots were cast on Election Day. That's in addition to the nearly 45,000 votes cast on voting machines and more than 25,000 sent via mail.
A Wednesday night crash in Northampton County killed a 40-year-old woman. The single-vehicle crash happened around 7:15 p.m. on Route 33 North, between Interstate 78 and the Freemansburg Avenue exit. There's no word on the cause of the crash that killed Surmaliz Ramos of Hellertown.
A Northampton County woman has been sentenced to 34 to 88 years in prison for her role in a 2019 shooting in Monroe County. Deani Powell, of Easton, was convicted of two counts of third-degree murder as an accomplice and robbery in the fatal shootings of Dylan Beinert and Khalil Durante. Police say the men were killed during a botched drug deal in Chestnuthill Township in December 2019.
Bethlehem residents could see an eight-percent hike in sewer charges next year. City officials say that would equal out to an extra $2 per month. However, the City Council Finance Committee has tabled the possibility until further review of the 2024 budget. Officials say the increase in monthly sewer charges would keep the capital fund in good shape, minimize borrowing and contribute to upcoming projects at the wastewater facility. Mayor William Reynolds is scheduled to present the initial budget November 14, with hearings scheduled for November 15th and 28th and December 12th. The 2024 budget is set for adoption on December 19th.
After eliminating the college credit requirement to apply to because a Pennsylvania state trooper proved wildly successful in increasing the number of applicants, the Pennsylvania State Police has opened a second cadet application cycle. During a two-month hiring cycle that began August 28th, more than 1500 applications were received. Of them, 1074 ended up taking the written exam and 1054 advanced to the next phase of the process. Of those applicants, 624 would not have previously been eligible due to the college credit requirement.
Political watchers say gridlock could return to the state assembly. That's after Representative John Galloway of Bucks was elected to a district judge position in Tuesday's voting. When he steps down to take that post, the state House will be back to an evenly divided 101-101 split between Democrats and Republicans. Speaker Joanna McClinton will schedule a special election to fill Galloway's position after he formally resigns.