The Lehigh County coroner has identified the woman murdered by her boyfriend in Monroe County before he then killed himself. 27-year-old Leilani Ramos, of Pocono Township, died Tuesday night at Lehigh Valley Hospital-Muhlenberg from multiple gunshot wounds and her death has now officially been ruled a homicide. Investigators say Ramos was shot around 6:30 Tuesday night on Ski Side Drive, in a gated community in Pocono Township. The man was pronounced dead on scene. His name has not been released.
A 53-year-old South Whitehall Township man is charged with possessing child pornography. Matthew Schutter was arrested Wednesday afternoon. Investigators say back in June, Google sent a tip to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. A subsequent investigation traced the videos to Schutter's account and in an August raid on Shutter's home, more child pornography was allegedly found on his devices.
While the Liberty Bell Museum in Allentown is gone, its annual Pip the Mouse puppet show is not. The Lehigh Valley Heritage Museum, which took possession of the museum's belongings, will now host the show later this month. “The Mouse Before Christmas” will come to the Lehigh Valley Heritage museum on Dec. 16 and 23, and every day from Dec. 26 and 30. Three shows are scheduled for each day: 11:30 a.m., 1 p.m. and 2:30 p.m.
Nationally known photographer Larry Fink has died at 82. Fink died Saturday at his home in Lower Mount Bethel Township. Family members say Fink died of complications from Alzheimer's and heart diseases. Fink's work was featured in The New York Times, Vanity Fair and other publications and he photographed celebrities like Meryl Streep, Natalie Portman and Kate Winslet.
An 85-year-old woman was allegedly beaten to death by her 84-year-old husband inside their Montgomery County home Tuesday. Police say Bart Seltmann used a candle holder to kill his wife, Margaret, during an apparent argument over a veterinarian's bill for the couple's cat. Bart's brother, Ron, lives next door and says Bart had recently been diagnosed with dementia and has changed. "Bart became very volatile and very upset. That's hard to see with your brother," Seltmann says. When police arrived at the Seltmann's Lower Pottsgrove Township home, they found Margaret dead on the kitchen floor and Bart covered in blood. Police say Bart initially told the 911 operator his wife was dead, that someone beat Margaret and ransacked their home. However they say Bart later told investigators the couple was fighting over vet bills for their cat when Margaret grabbed a knife and said she was going to kill him. Bart says he grabbed a chair, pushed Margaret to the floor, and then beat her with a candleholder.
Pennsylvania is tweaking its mail-in ballots for the 2024 primary election. Gov. Josh Shapiro's administration hopes the changes will decrease confusion and reduce the number of rejected ballots. Among the changes are revised instruction sheets; coloring to make it easier to identify the inner and outer envelopes; a pre-filled '20' at the beginning of the year on the outer envelope as a reminder to fill in the current date in that field; and coloring on the return envelope to highlight fields that a voter must complete. According to the state, counties rejected about 17,000 mail-in ballots in this year's primary, more than two-thirds of which were rejected for arriving too late or for failing to have a date.
A Lawrence County woman says she was scammed out of more than 54-thousand dollars from someone who posed as a representative of Publishers Clearing House. The victim says a caller told her that she had won a 3-million dollar prize but, before she could receive the money, she had to mail them cash to cover the taxes due on her windfall. The woman sent the money and never received a dime in return.
A New Jersey lawmaker wants to crack down on minors using social media sites while online. Democratic Assemblyman Herb Conaway from Burlington has introduced a bill that would require anyone 18 years of age or younger to obtain permission from their parent or guardian. The parent or guardian would have to provide a government-issued ID as well as credit card information. The proposal would mandate users not be charged more than 35 cents for verification. Opponents say it steps on residents' rights and would infringe on First Amendment rights of users.
Attorney General Matt Platkin and the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs have announced a settlement with national discount chain Dollar General. Dollar General has 186 New Jersey locations. It has agreed to pay one-point-two-million dollars to resolve charges that the chain repeatedly engaged in merchandise pricing violations at several stores across New Jersey. It's the largest settlement ever obtained by the state. New Jersey alleged that Dollar General violated state laws by selling a variety of merchandise that scanned at the cash register for higher prices than were posted where the merchandise was displayed for sale.
New Jersey's light-hearted holiday traffic signs are being brought back this season. In the past, the signs carried message like, "Only Rudolph should be lit. Drive high, get DWI." That certainly caught drivers' attention but it also got the attention of the Federal Highway Administration. It called the signs too distracting and ordered them taken down last year, however, now they're up again, with the messages toned down a bit.
After missing a dozen games because of a collapsed lung, former Lehigh star C.J. McCollum returned to the New Orleans Pelicans' lineup last night in a win over the 76ers. After the win, McCollum said it was great to be back on the floor. "I was excited. I felt like a kid again and not like a 32-year-old. To be able to play in a game after having to watch, after having been injured and ramp up to return to play the game I love and help my team," McCollum said. McCollum didn't show much rust. He played 28 minutes, scored 20 points, had five assists and four rebounds in the Pelicans' 124-114 win.
DeSean Jackson will retire from the NFL on Friday as a member of the Philadelphia Eagles. The longtime wide receiver announced his plans to hang up his cleats. Jackson played for the Eagles twice, spending eight years with the club. Jackson will be honored on Sunday and he'll also serve as an honorary captain.