A 68-year-old Monroe County man is being charged with trying to meet a woman and her 14-year-old daughter for sex. Investigators say Fred Stevenson, of Marshalls Creek, previously had consensual sex with a woman working as a prostitute. The woman reported that Stevenson would ask her to "procure a minor child to fulfill a fantasy of having sex with a mother/daughter duo." Cooperating with an undercover police operation, the DA's office said the woman then introduced Stevenson to her friend, who was the mother of the 14-year-old girl. Stevenson allegedly requested to meet the mother-underaged daughter duo in person after "multiple telephone conversations which included talk about sex and the exchange of money for the sex acts."
A man who was shot in 2022 at Musikfest in Bethlehem was arrested this week on firearm charges in Schuylkill County, police say. Frackville police said they assisted the FBI in capturing Jathaniel Lopez, 22, on Monday at the Turkey Hill Minit Market. At the request of the FBI, borough police conducted a vehicle stop at 5 p.m. on a car identified as a vehicle used by Lopez. He was taken into custody without issue, Frackville police said. Lopez was shot once in the stomach in the 2022 Musikfest shooting that officials said was prompted by a dispute between two groups of people.
Two more candidates have filed paperwork to appear on Pennsylvania’s primary ballots for U.S. Senate. Brandi Tomasetti, a Republican from Lancaster County, and William Parker, a Democrat from Allegheny County, both filed paperwork before a court-ordered deadline. Previously-announced candidates are incumbent Dem. Sen. Bob Casey, Republican David McCormick and Republican Joe Vodvarka, who is making his fifth bid for U.S. Senate and second as a Republican. The primary election is April 23.
The campaign to save cursive writing isn't over for Pennsylvania schools. Legislation that would require them to teach students how to read and write in the style was introduced in the state House in December, but Representative Joseph Adams, who sponsored it, abruptly quit the legislature last week. However, Lawmaker Dane Watro from Luzerne has stepped forward to take up the cause. House Bill 1934 has been updated to reflect the change. The bill has 26, mostly Republican, co-sponsors.
The House and Senate state Democratic Policy committees have held a joint hearing on whether eviction records should remain sealed. Lawmakers in both chambers want procedures put in place that would limit access to the records. The idea would be to require courts to seal eviction case files unless -- and until -- a renter loses the case in court. At that point, the records would be unsealed. The Democrats say open records negatively affect credit scores and decrease housing opportunities.
People who work for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania are now getting two more weeks of paid parental leave. The Shapiro administration says the change is an effort to make state employment more attractive. The new regulations let Commonwealth employees take up to eight weeks of paid parental leave following a qualifying birth, adoption, or foster care placement within six months of the event. The increase is in addition to an employee's annual and sick leave entitlements.
Drivers looking to use I-95 this weekend should plan for an alternate route. Southbound lanes of the busy interstate will be closed from Exit-22 to the Morris Street on-ramp. Crews will close the area at 5 o'clock this evening to work on a bridge demolition project. Officials plan to reopen the area in time for the Monday morning rush.
New Jersey's first lady is losing an important member of her campaign staff. Tammy Murphy, who's running for the Senate seat now held by Robert Menendez, has lost her campaign manager. Max Glass, who's been helping to run her campaign for about three months, has departed and her aides said there is no immediate replacement. In a recent poll, the wife of Governor Phil Murphy was trailing Representative Andy Kim, a third-term congressman.
The New Jersey Poison Center is warning consumers to stay away from a product being called 'gas station heroin.' The dietary supplement's official name is Neptune's Fix and it's legal, but officials say it does include a highly addictive supplement that is considered a depressant. The Food and Drug Administration says possible side effects include seizures, loss of consciousness, and death. Neptune's Fix is sold at gas stations and convenience stores.
An advocacy group has gone to court over claims that New Jersey runs its public psychiatric hospitals like prisons. The group called Disability Rights New Jersey says patients in state psychiatric hospitals are subject to sexual abuse and physical assaults and are deprived of basic necessities such as water. It also alleges patients are kept in hospitals for months and in some cases years beyond their discharge date. The lawsuit asks for reforms at the hospitals, including better security measures and discharge planning.