THE TWO SUSPECTS IN A DECEMBER 2ND SHOOTOUT IN BETHLEHEM SPENT PART OF THEIR MONDAY IN COURT. BOTH MEN WERE RELEASED FROM THE HOSPITAL MONDAY AND THEN WHEELED INTO COURT FOR A PRELIMINARY HEARING ON CHARGES THEY WERE INVOLVED IN THE KILLING OF YOLANDA MORALES OUTSIDE THE PUERTO RICAN SOCIAL CLUB. RENE FIGUEROA, OF ALLENTOWN, IS CHARGED WITH KILLING MORALES AND IS NOW IN NORTHAMPTON COUNTY PRISON WITHOUT BAIL. JAVIER RIVERA-ALVARADO, ALSO OF ALLENTOWN, IS CHARGED WITH THREE COUNTS OF ATTEMPTED MURDER AND IS IN PRISON UNDER $2.5 MILLION BAIL. BOTH SUSPECTS WERE SHOT DURING THE INCIDENT AND HAD SPENT THE PREVIOUS WEEK IN THE HOSPITAL. THE MAN WHO SHOT THEM WILL NOT BE CHARGED BECAUSE POLICE SAY HE ACTED IN SELF-DEFENSE.
EASTON MAYOR SAL PANTO SAYS HE'S CONTENT WITH HIS CURRENT JOB AND WILL NOT RUN FOR NORTHAMPTON COUNTY EXECUTIVE NEXT YEAR. WHILE PANTO SAYS HE WON'T RUN, BETHLEHEM MAYOR JOHN CALLAHAN IS TAKING A SERIOUS LOOK AT A RUN AND SAYS HE'LL MAKE AN ANNOUNCEMENT ONE WAY OR THE OTHER NEXT MONTH. EX-COUNTY EXECUTIVE GLENN REIBMAN IS INTERESTED IN REGAINING THAT JOB AND SAYS HE'LL MAKE UP HIS MIND IN FEBRUARY. COUNTY COUNCIL MEMBERS LAMONT McCLURE AND JOHN CUSICK ARE BOTH CONSIDERING A RUN AS WELL. CURRENT COUNTY EXECUTIVE JOHN STOFFA SAYS HE WON'T RUN FOR A THIRD TERM NEXT YEAR.
A WOMAN CHARGED WITH REMOVING HER BABY DAUGHTER FROM A LOCAL HOSPITAL AGAINST DOCTOR'S ORDERS SAYS SHE WAS JUST TRYING TO DO RIGHT BY THE BABY, WHO NEEDED SPECIAL TREATMENT FOR A HEART DEFECT. BUT A PROSECUTOR SAYS APRIL SAUL ENDANGERED HER CHILD BY TAKING HER OUT OF LEHIGH VALLEY HOSPITAL. SAUL SAYS THE HOSPITAL REPEATEDLY REFUSED HER REQUEST TO TRANSFER HER DAUGHTER TO CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL OF PHILADELPHIA FOR TREATMENT EVEN THOUGH IT DIDN'T HAVE THE SPECIALIST THE BABY REQUIRED. POLICE FILED CHARGES AGAINST SAUL AND HER FIANCE LAST WEEK FOR REMOVING THE BABY WITHOUT PERMISSION. LEHIGH COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY JIM MARTIN SAYS CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL WASN'T READY TO TAKE THE BABY. HE SAYS "IT'S A CLEAR-CUT CASE OF TWO PARENTS WHO JUST DIDN'T ACT REASONABLY."
THE SALVATION ARMY'S ANNUAL KETTLE CAMPAIGN HAS BEEN UNDERWAY FOR MORE THAN A MONTH AND THE LOCAL SALVATION ARMY'S CO-COORDINATOR ROGER DUPERREE SAYS THEY HAVE HIGH HOPES FOR THIS YEAR'S FUNDRAISING TOTAL. "WHEN THEY'RE ALL STAFFED WE HAVE ABOUT 62 KETTLES AND WE WOULD HOPE THOSE KETTLES FROM BLACK FRIDAY UNTIL CHRISTMAS EVE WOULD RAISE ABOUT $360,000 FOR US," DUPERREE SAYS. HE SAYS THAT WOULD BE A 4 PERCENT INCRESE FROM A YEAR AGO. THE KETTLE CAMPAIGN CONTINUES MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY UNTIL CHRISTMAS EVE.
THE STATE AUDITOR GENERAL SAYS THE PENNSYLVANIA TURNPIKE SHOULD END THE PRACTICE OF LETTING ITS EMPLOYEES AND VENDORS DRIVE ON THE TOLL ROAD FOR FREE WHEN THEY'RE NOT WORKING. AUDITOR GENERAL JACK WAGNER ESTIMATES THE FREE-PASS POLICY COST THE STATE AT LEAST $7.7 MILLION IN LOST COLLECTIONS OVER NEARLY FIVE YEARS. IT'S NOT CLEAR HOW MUCH OF THAT IS PERSONAL TRAVEL AND HOW MUCH IS WORK-RELATED. HE CALLS THE PRACTICE DISTURBING AND IS URGING TURNPIKE EXECUTIVES TO STOP IT, OR AT LEAST IMPROVE OVERSIGHT. A TURNPIKE SPOKESMAN SAYS WAGNER'S REPORT IS UNDER REVIEW.
A CHAIN-REACTION CRASH INVOLVING THREE TRACTOR-TRAILERS ON INTERSTATE 80 IN NORTHEASTERN PENNSYLVANIA HAS LEFT ONE TRUCK DRIVER DEAD. THE CRASH HAPPENED DURING FOGGY CONDITIONS IN THE EASTBOUND LANES ABOUT 3:30 A.M. MONDAY IN POCONO TOWNSHIP, MONROE COUNTY. STATE POLICE SAY ONE OF THE TRUCKS LOST A CONCRETE WALL OFF ITS FLATBED TRAILER, CAUSING A CHAIN-REACTION CRASH INVOLVING THE OTHER TWO TRACTOR-TRAILERS. 41-YEAR-OLD TRUCK DRIVER DANIEL L. SNYDER OF YOUNGSTOWN, OHIO, DIED AT THE SCENE. EASTBOUND INTERSTATE 80 WAS CLOSED FOR HOURS BETWEEN EXITS 293 AND 298 WHILE AUTHORITIES INVESTIGATED.
FOR THE 50TH YEAR, PIP THE MOUSE IS ENTERTAINING PEOPLE IN ALLENTOWN DURING THE MONTH OF DECEMBER. PASTOR BOB STEVENS OF ZION U.C.C. ON HAMILTON STREET SAYS THE PUPPET SHOWS HAVE BEEN DRAWING ALL AGES TO THE LIBERTY BELL SHRINE MUSEUM RIGHT NEXT DOOR TO HIS CHURCH. "WE FIND THAT PARENTS AND GRANDPARENTS ENJOY THE SHOW AS MUCH AS THEIR CHILDREN AND IT'S A TRADITION THAT THEY'VE INTRODUCED THEM TO THAT HAS NOW BECOME A NEW TRADITION. WE'VE NOW HAD A WHOLE NEW GENERATION THAT HAS GROWN UP NEVER KNOWING HESS'S BUT KNOWING PIP THE MOUSE," STEVENS SAYS. PIP GOT HIS ALLENTOWN START AT THE HESS'S STORE ON HAMILTON STREET BACK IN THE FALL OF 1962. PIP HAS THREE SHOWS EVERY MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY UNTIL DECEMBER 29 AT THE MUSEUM.
POLICE IN READING SAY A PIZZA DELIVERY DRIVER HAS BEEN SHOT IN THE FACE AND NECK AFTER BEING LURED TO A LOCATION BY MEN WHO ROBBED HIM. INVESTIGATORS SAY SOMEONE ORDERED A PIZZA TO BE DELIVERED AND THAT WHEN THE DRIVER ARRIVED, THREE MEN ROBBED AND SHOT HIM. ONE MAN HAS BEEN TAKEN IN FOR QUESTIONING AFTER THROWING DOWN A LOADED HANDGUN SEVERAL BLOCKS FROM THE SITE OF THE SHOOTING. POLICE DON'T KNOW IF HE WAS INVOLVED IN THE ROBBERY. THE DELIVERYMAN, WHO WAS NOT IDENTIFIED, WAS TAKEN TO THE HOSPITAL FOR TREATMENT. HIS CONDITION WAS NOT IMMEDIATELY KNOWN. POLICE ARE SEEKING WITNESSES.
PARTICIPANTS IN PHILADELPHIA'S ANNUAL MARDI GRAS-LIKE NEW YEAR'S DAY PARADE SAY A HUGE WAREHOUSE FIRE MIGHT HAVE DESTROYED ELABORATE PROPS SLATED FOR USE IN A FEW WEEKS. FIREFIGHTERS SAY EXPLOSIONS WERE REPORTED AT THE THREE-STORY INDUSTRIAL GARAGE AND STORAGE FACILITY MONDAY. THEY WERE STILL POURING WATER ON THE BUILDING HOURS AFTER THE FIRST FLAMES WERE REPORTED. MEMBERS OF THE FRALINGER STRING BAND SAY THEY'RE WAITING TO SURVEY THE DAMAGE FROM THE BLAZE IN A LARGELY RESIDENTIAL AREA OF SOUTH PHILADELPHIA. AN ELDERLY NEIGHBOR HAS BEEN HOSPITALIZED. FRALINGER IS ONE OF MANY CLUBS THAT PARTICIPATE IN THE MUMMERS PARADE EACH JANUARY 1. THE CAUSE OF THE FIRE HASN'T BEEN DETERMINED.
GOV. CHRIS CHRISTIE SAYS NEW JERSEY'S SHARE OF $60.4 BILLION IN PROPOSED FEDERAL AID WOULD BE ENOUGH TO COVER THE STATE'S REBUILDING COSTS AFTER SUPERSTORM SANDY. CHRISTIE SAYS HE'S SATISFIED WITH THE AMOUNT OF SANDY AID PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA HAS ASKED CONGRESS TO APPROVE. HE ALSO SAYS HE'S GRATEFUL THE PRESIDENT'S PROPOSAL GIVES BOTH NEW JERSEY AND NEW YORK FLEXIBILITY IN HOW THEY USE THE MONEY. IF APPROVED BY CONGRESS, MUCH OF THE FUNDING WOULD COME AS COMMUNITY BLOCK GRANTS TO BE ALLOCATED BY THE TWO ADMINISTRATIONS. CHRISTIE SAYS HE HOPES THE BILL WILL GET THROUGH CONGRESS BY DECEMBER 21.
MICHAEL VICK AND LESEAN MCCOY HAVE PASSED CONCUSSION TESTS AND COULD RETURN TO PRACTICE WITH THE EAGLES ONCE THEY'VE BEEN CLEARED BY AN INDEPENDENT NEUROLOGIST. VICK HAS MISSED THE LAST FOUR GAMES AND MCCOY THE LAST THREE. TIGHT END BRENT CELEK SUSTAINED A CONCUSSION IN SUNDAY'S WIN AT TAMPA BAY AND WON'T PLAY AGAINST CINCINNATI THURSDAY.
ANDREW BYNUM SAYS PAIN IN HIS LEFT KNEE IS KEEPING HIM FROM PLAYING FOR THE PHILADELPHIA 76ERS. BYNUM SAYS HIS INJURED RIGHT KNEE IS FEELING BETTER. BYNUM STILL FEELS PAIN IN HIS LEFT KNEE WHEN HE WALKS AND SAYS THERE'S NO SENSE TRYING TO RISK MAKING HIS SEASON DEBUT FOR THE SIXERS. BYNUM WILL HAVE HIS KNEES EXAMINED AGAIN DECEMBER 20TH. BYNUM SAYS THE WORST-CASE SCENARIO IS HE'LL MISS AT LEAST ANOTHER MONTH. BUT IN THE BEST CASE, HE COULD BE READY TO START PRACTICING AND MAYBE BE READY TO PLAY A GAME ABOUT A MONTH FROM HIS EXAM. BYNUM HAS NOT OR PRACTICED OR PLAYED FOR THE SIXERS SINCE HE WAS ACQUIRED IN THE OFFSEASON FROM THE LOS ANGELES LAKERS.
