Lehigh County Controller Mark Pinsley claims he and his office were pressured into squashing a report of the alleged misdiagnoses of child abuse by a doctor at Lehigh Valley Health Network. He also wants a fresh set of eyes to verify his claims. "I am asking for an independent investigation, as I don't expect people to believe me. I want a third party to have subpoena power and the power to put us under oath to come and investigate. We need to get the bottom of this so that changes can be made to our system and that we can protect our families and children," Pinsley says. He says County Executive Phillips Armstrong and Chairman of the Board of Commissioners Geoff Brace intimidated him by telling him two of his staff members were going to be cut from the next year's budget. Pinsley says he decided to hold off releasing his report and the very next day, those two staff positions were then put back into the budget. Earlier this week, it was announced than more than a dozen families are either suing or preparing to sue LVHN and several others for falsely accusing them of abusing their children.
After about a quarter of its students were out sick Thursday, Notre Dame High School is going virtual today. The CDC says the Northeast is seeing a rash of the highly contagious norovirus, which causes vomiting, diarrhea, and stomach cramps. Experts say the illness dehydrates the body and is usually picked up by touching someone or something. The best way to combat it is frequent and thorough hand washing.
A Coopersburg man is under arrest, accused of stabbing someone during an argument Wednesday in his apartment. Police were called to Manuel Garrido Jr.'s apartment before 8 o'clock Wednesday morning for a report of a stabbing. When the arrived, they found a 23-year-old man who had been stabbed in the chest. A witness says it happened during an argument. There's no report on the victim's condition.
Allentown council members and residents are cautious to continue business with Allentown Rescue Mission Clean Team. City Council has voted to table a proposal to reauthorize a contract for maintenance services over questions raised about the company's religious ties and employee wages. Councilperson Ce-Ce Gerlach says she has concerns after speaking with Clean Team workers who claim they have to enter a Christian-living program and were not receiving the contract pay. Residents say they're concerned about the wages because the workers are depending on the Rescue Mission to help them out of poverty. The City Council is asking the Clean Team to provide more information about its practices before a vote on the contract takes place.
Police in Quakertown are telling business owners there to be on the lookout for counterfeit $100 bills. Two businesses have received fake money but didn't realize it until they were taken to a local bank. Police are on the hunt to find whoever is passing the bogus bills.
Pennsylvania's Supreme Court has upheld ordinances that limit the use of firearms to ranges and where they may be placed. The court ruled against an appeal filed by a Monroe County resident. In 2011, Stroud Township passed a "discharge ordinance," which put limits on where and when firearms could be used with exceptions that included self-defense, police, and farmers. Commonwealth Court threw out the ordinance on the grounds it violated the property owner's Second Amendment rights, but the Supreme Court disagreed and said the ordinance was consistent with the nation's tradition of firearms regulation.
A state Senate committee has approved a measure that would assist students who are struggling with reading. The Senate Education Committee's bill would create a screening process to identify students who are having trouble with reading, and put in place new plans that would keep them from falling behind. The measure comes out of figures from last year's Pennsylvania System of School Assessment scores, which show nearly half of the state's students are not scoring as "Proficient" in reading skills. The bill now goes to the full chamber.
Major League Baseball is dealing with a growing list of complaints. The Major League Baseball Players Association is talking to its members to gather feedback on the controversy of see-through pants while hoping changes can be made before Opening Day. The Nike-generated, Fanatics-produced uniforms have been dubbed "performance jerseys" by commissioner Rob Manfred and were used at last year's All-Star Game. An MLB spokesperson said in a statement that adjustments are being made to the jersey size, waist, in-seam, thigh fit and the bottom of pants.