The Allentown city worker charged with planting a noose on her own desk and then reporting it as a hate crime has waived her preliminary hearing. Michael Walker is Latarsha Brown's attorney. "That is not to suggest that she is pleading guilty at any time or any point. That is not to suggest there's evidence to prove her beyond a reasonable doubt that she's guilty," Walker says. He says waiving the hearing is part of the process of allowing the case to unfold in the courtroom. Last month, after a three-month investigation, Allentown police announced charges against Brown, who in January claimed somebody placed a noose on her City Hall desk. Investigators say the only DNA found on the noose belonged to Brown. She is expected to be arraigned on June 17th.
The six-week strike at Nestle Purina PetCare in South Whitehall Township has ended. Members of Teamsters Local 773 voted in favor to accept the company’s latest offer. Among the highlights of the deal is a 5% wage increase for workers and more money being put into pensions. Union leaders say they got good wage increases and additional pension money. A company spokesman says the company believes the agreement is in the interest of both its employees and their business. Workers had been walking the picket line since March 2. Full production is expected to resume Thursday.
A Phillipsburg man will spend up to 40 years in prison for sexually assaulting a 13-year-old girl in Upper Saucon Township. 39-year-old Spartak Fedorovich was sentenced to 20-40 years in prison, and will have to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life. Fedorovich sexually assaulted the girl on at least 10 occasions, starting when she was 12. He knew the girl through her mother, according to police. Prosecutors had pushed for a sentence of 72-144 years in prison. Instead, Judge Robert Steinberg imposed two sentences of 20 years in prison, which will be served concurrently, and Fedorovich will be eligible for parole when he is 56.
A Berks County woman has died after a motor scooter crash in Allentown. The Lehigh County Coroner says 27-year-old Marie Rodriguez died Monday night at Lehigh Valley Hospital-Muhlenberg, about 48 hours after she was operating a motor scooter that was involved in a crash with a vehicle in the 600 block of Union Boulevard. Allentown police are still investigating the circumstances surrounding the collision.
For a second consecutive year, Lehigh Valley International Airport has been ranked the second best small airport in America. A poll conducted by Newsweek magazine places LVIA in the same spot it held in 2024. The airports were nominated by a list of travel experts, with readers providing the votes. The final list was determined by Newsweek editors. Lehigh-Northampton Airport Authority executive director Tom Stoudt says, “ABE is truly honored to celebrate this achievement with our staff, airport stakeholders, and customers.”
A week-and-a-half after the Governor's Residence sustained severe damage in an arson, Gov. Josh Shapiro welcomed dozens of Pennsylvania children to the property Tuesday for the annual Easter egg hunt. "There's been a lot of stuff going on here over the last week or so. But, we've been so determined to make sure that we could still have a great Easter egg hunt. And we were all so excited that all of you would bring your beautiful, smiling faces here," Shapiro said. The event was the first public function at the residence since the April 13th fire.
Pennsylvania residents are being reminded about their duty to protect their pets from heat. As we get deeper into spring, the Pennsylvania State Police's Animal Cruelty Unit is reminding folks that they are required to provide their animals with basic necessities as defined by law or else they could face charges. For example, dogs tethered outside must have access to an area of shade to escape the direct rays of the sun as well as access to clean water. More info on required protections for pets in Pennsylvania can be found at www.pa.gov.
New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy is in Poland tonight to commemorate Holocaust Remembrance Day. On Thursday, Murphy and his wife will take part in the International March of the Living event. The march brings individuals from across the world to Poland to study the history of the Holocaust. The annual three-kilometer march will start at the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum and end at the largest concentration camp built by the Nazis during World War Two. Murphy says with antisemitism on the rise, we must always stand alongside our Jewish friends and neighbors to reject hate.
It looks like Jalen Hurts is now a married man. According to a recent story in the Men's Health magazine, Hurts tied the knot with his longtime girlfriend, Bryonna Burrows. Jalen and Bryonna met during their time in college. Hurts won his first Super Bowl with the Eagles in February.
In the Phillies 5-1 loss to the Mets, starting pitcher Cristopher Sanchez left after only two innings. Manager Rob Thomson explains why. "He had left forearm tightness. He saw the doctor. We're not expecting any structural damage, but we'll reevaluate and we'll know in the next couple days," Thomson says. Sanchez pitched two innings Tuesday night before coming out of the game.