The Poconos man charged with killing four University of Idaho students in November 2022 is accepting a plea deal that will drop the death penalty. Bryan Kohberger has accepted a plea deal that takes the death penalty off the table in exchange for him pleading guilty to committing the four murders and serving life. Multiple sources say Kohberger will be sentenced to four consecutive life sentences and must waive all rights to appeal. A court hearing is scheduled for Wednesday.
One person is hospitalized with what are described as serious injuries after being shot Monday in Allentown. Police were called to the area of North Morris and West Allen streets just after 4:30 Monday afternoon for reports of a shooting. When they arrived, they found one victim with multiple gunshot wounds to the face and body. Allentown police say the investigation continues.
The Lehigh County man accused of sexually abusing a girl over the course of several years has pleaded not guilty to the charges. A woman, now in her 20s claims Kevin Esterly sexually assaulted her beginning when she was 12 years old. She says she would be at Esterly's home frequently, often sleeping over. It was then, she says, Esterly provided her alcohol and drugs and then sexually assaulted her almost every time she slept over at his home in Lowhill Township and his apartment in Allentown. Esterly was previously convicted of corruption of a minor in 2018 after he was found in Mexico with a teenage girl after a two-week long search.
More than seven years after a Lehigh Valley man's murder, charges are now filed. Philadelphia police have charged 27-year-old Anthony Jackson, of New Jersey, with the May 2018 murder of 21-year-old Daniel Duignam. Police say Jackson shot Duignam to death inside Duignam's off-campus apartment. Duignam was a third-year student at Temple University's Fox School of Business when he was murdered. He was a Nazareth High School graduate. Police believe robbery was likely robbery.
Accu-Weather's Heather Zehr says the official rainfall total at the airport yesterday was just a bit below a half-inch of rain. More is very possible today. "It looks like it's going to be a bit like yesterday. There will be areas where these thunderstorms come through. They're will be places that get the downpours and those places can have flash flooding concerns, especially in the wake of the rain that we had yesterday," Zehr says. While damaging winds, flash flooding and hail are all possible today, Zehr says it should be our last oppressively humid day for the rest of the week.
For the fourth straight year, Pennsylvania's budget has not been finalized by the June 30 deadline. Lehigh Valley Democrat St. Rep. Michael Schlossberg admits it's frustrating. "But at the same time, I'd rather have a good product. I'd rather have a good budget that gets the job done and be a couple weeks late than have a bad budget that's on time," Schlossberg says. Republican St. Sen. Jarrett Coleman says he agrees with Schlossberg on that. "We should be focued on the date rather than the product. We want to be proud of the budget that we pass and understand the impact that it could have not only to us, but our children, our grandchildren and future generations," Coleman says. Gov. Josh Shapiro proposed a $51.5 billion budget, one Coleman says is not affordable.
Governor Phil Murphy has signed a record $58.8 billion budget package that contains tax increases on internet sports betting and gambling and high priced real estate. However, they're lower than what Murphy proposed earlier this year. Murphy says the new budget will improve affordability and strengthen the state's fiscal standing. The budget includes property and school tax relief. The package includes $13 million that will help fund work at MetLife Stadium for next year's FIFA World Cup Tournament, and funding for the StayNJ property tax rebate program for New Jersey seniors. Republican leaders called it a freight train of spending.
A bill that will repeal the ban on Sunday hunting in the Commonwealth is heading to Governor Shapiro's desk. The Pennsylvania General Assembly approved the bipartisan bill with a 142-to-61 vote. The ban on Sunday hunting in Pennsylvania dates to the 1800s. Game Commission executive director Steve Smith says there is broad support for ending the ban and it's supported by Pennsylvania Farm Bureau and sportsmen's groups.
The Pennsylvania State Police are entering a patrol vehicle in this year's Best Looking Cruiser contest. The annual competition is sponsored by the American Association of State Troopers. Voters have until July eleventh to look through photos of police cars and trucks from across the nation and select their favorite. The top 13 cruisers will be featured in next year's AAST calendar, with the winner placed on the cover. Those who would like to enter a vote can find a link to the contest at state-troopers-dot-org.
The WNBA is expanding to 18 teams. On Monday, the league announced its adding teams in Cleveland, Detroit and Philadelphia. Cleveland will join the WNBA in 2028 followed by Detroit in 2029 and Philadelphia in 2030.