ONE WOMAN HAS BEEN KILLED AND FIVE MEN ARE INJURED FOLLOWING A SHOOTING AT A PRIVATE SOCIAL CLUB IN BETHLEHEM. POLICE SAID THE SHOOTING OCCURRED AROUND 2 A.M. SUNDAY AT THE PUERTO RICAN BENEFICIAL SOCIETY. INVESTIGATORS SAY 23-YEAR-OLD YOLANDA MORALES WAS KILLED WHILE CELEBRATING HER COUSIN'S BIRTHDAY AND FAMILY AND FRIENDS HELD A CANDLELIGHT VIGIL IN FRONT OF MORALES' MOTHER'S HOME. ALL FIVE MEN ARE HOSPITALIZED IN SERIOUS TO CRITICAL CONDITION. POLICE HAVEN'T SAID WHETHER THEY HAVE ANY SUSPECTS IN CUSTODY AND DID NOT IMMEDIATELY RELEASE ANY ADDITIONAL INFORMATION.
EASTON POLICE ARE INVESTIGATING THE CITY'S FIFTH MURDER OF THE YEAR. A 44-YEAR-OLD NEW YORK CITY MAN WAS SHOT TO DEATH AROUND 9:30 SUNDAY NIGHT AT NESQUEHONING AND McKEEN STREET. A CAR WAS SEEN SPEEDING AWAY. NO ARRESTS HAVE BEEN MADE AND THE VICTIM'S NAME HAS NOT YET BEEN RELEASED.
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HOST OF WAEB'S 'MORE THAN MONEY' GENE DICKISON SAYS NEXT YEAR AT THIS TIME WE COULD BE LOOKING BACK AT 2012 AS THE ECONOMIC GOOD OLD DAYS. "IF, SADLY, THE FISCAL CLIFF CAUSES THE AMERICAN ECONOMY TO GO INTO RECESSION THE STOCK MARKETS IN ALL LIKELIHOOD WILL DO VERY POORLY. WE COULD BE LOOKING BACK AT THIS TIME NEXT YEAR AND SAY THIS IS ONE OF THE WORST YEARS WE'VE HAD," DICKSION SAYS. HE SAYS IT'S NOT ALL THAT LIKELY THAT THE GOVERNMENT WILL BE ABLE TO AVOID GOING OVER THE SO-CALLED FISCAL CLIFF, MAKING 2013 AN EXTREMELY DIFFICULT ONE FOR THE ECONOMY AND INVESTORS.
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POLICE SAY ROBBERS USED A SQUIRT GUN TO SPRAY SOMETHING IN A DELIVERY DRIVER'S EYE BEFORE STEALING HIS MONEY, KEYS AND CELLPHONE. ALLENTOWN POLICE SAY TWO MEN CARRYING GUNS APPROACHED THE DRIVER SATURDAY NIGHT. AT LEAST ONE OF THE GUN WAS A SQUIRT GUN FILLED WITH AN UNKNOWN SUBSTANCE. INVESTIGATORS SAY THE MEN CHASED THE DRIVER AND ONE SQUIRTED HIM IN THE EYE, CAUSING IT TO BURN. THE ROBBERS THEN DEMANDED HIS MONEY AND OTHER ITEMS. THE DRIVER WAS TREATED FOR MINOR INJURIES.
JENNIFER MANN SPENT THE PAST 14 YEARS OF HER LIFE IN HARRISBURG REPRESENTING THE 132ND HOUSE DISTRICT BEFORE PACKING UP HER LOCAL AND HARRISBURG OFFICES LATE LAST MONTH. SHE SAYS STATE GOVERNMENT GOT MUCH MORE PARTISAN AND LAWMAKERS FORGET THEIR OBLIGATION TO GOVERN AND LEAD DURING HER TIME THERE. SHE SAYS A CLEAR EXAMPLE IS A STILL-UNRESOLVED TRANSPORTATION FUNDING ISSUE. "WE'VE GOT A TRANSPORTATION SITUATION THAT'S UNDERFUNDED BY ABOUT $3 BILLION. THERE'S NO COMPROMISE THERE, NO LEADERSHIP OR DIRECTION TO GET THIS DONE. THIS ISSUE HAS BEEN OUT THERE FOR THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS," MANN SAYS. SHE DECIDED NOT TO SEEK RE-ELECTION AND HAS BEGUN A BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT AND CONSULTING FIRM. SHE'LL BE REPLACED BY FELLOW DEMOCRAT MICHAEL SCHLOSSBERG, WHO RAN UNOPPOSED LAST MONTH.
FOR THE SECOND TIME IN TWO MONTHS, A 19-YEAR-OLD WOMAN HAS SUFFERED INJURIES AFTER FALLING FROM A WINDOW IN STATE COLLEGE. IT HAPPENED SHORTLY AFTER MIDNIGHT FRIDAY. POLICE SAID THE WOMAN WAS "VERY INTOXICATED" AND FELL EIGHT OR NINE FEET. SHE WAS TAKEN TO A HOSPITAL FOR TREATMENT OF LACERATIONS THAT WEREN'T BELIEVED TO BE LIFE-THREATENING. PENN STATE CHEERLEADER PAIGE RAQUE FELL 39 FEET FROM AN APARTMENT WINDOW DURING AN OFF-CAMPUS PARTY OCTOBER 13, BREAKING HER PELVIS AND SUFFERING BRAIN TRAUMA.
THE NEW JERSEY LEGISLATURE IS EXPECTED TO SEND GOV. CHRIS CHRISTIE A BILL INCREASING THE MINIMUM WAGE AFTER THE ASSEMBLY TAKES A FINAL TECHNICAL VOTE TODAY. THE BILL INCREASES THE MINIMUM WAGE BY $1.25 PER HOUR TO $8.50, AND ALLOWS AUTOMATIC ADJUSTMENTS BASED ON THE CONSUMER PRICE INDEX. THE LEGISLATURE IS ALSO ADVANCING A RESOLUTION THAT WOULD PLACE THE WAGE INCREASE BEFORE VOTERS NEXT NOVEMBER. DEMOCRATS WANT THE QUESTION ON THE BALLOT IF CHRISTIE VETOES THE BILL, WHICH THEY EXPECT. SENATE REPUBLICANS SAY BUSINESSES RECOVERING FROM THE HURRICANE CAN'T AFFORD A WAGE INCREASE NOW, WHICH COULD ALSO BE CHRISTIE'S POSITION.
NEW JERSEY HEALTH OFFICIALS SAY 37 CASES OF FUNGAL MENINGITIS HAVE NOW BEEN REPORTED IN THE STATE. THE CASES, TWO CONFIRMED AND 35 CONSIDERED PROBABLE, ARE LINKED TO A RECALLED, POTENTIALLY TAINTED STEROID PRODUCED BY A SPECIALTY PHARMACY IN MASSACHUSETTS. NATIONALLY, OFFICIALS SAY MORE THAN 500 CASES HAVE BEEN REPORTED IN 19 STATES, INCLUDING 36 DEATHS. STATE HEALTH OFFICIALS SAY NO ONE IN NEW JERSEY HAS DIED FROM THE ILLNESS. FIFTEEN PATIENTS REMAIN HOSPITALIZED, AND ALL OF THOSE SICKENED CONTINUE TO RECOVER. FOUR MORE CASES WERE RECENTLY ANNOUNCED BY STATE HEALTH OFFICIALS.
NEW JERSEY'S YEARLY BLACK BEAR HUNT IS UNDER WAY. THE SIX-DAY HUNT STARTED BEFORE DAWN. IT'S MEANT TO CONTROL THE STATE'S BLACK BEAR POPULATION, NOW ESTIMATED AT ABOUT 2,900. STATE ENVIRONMENTAL OFFICIALS SAY NEW JERSEY'S TWO-YEAR-OLD BLACK BEAR MANAGEMENT PROGRAM, WHICH INCLUDES THE HUNT, TRASH MANAGEMENT AND EDUCATION, HAS REDUCED THE BEAR POPULATION AND THE NUMBER OF BEAR-HUMAN INTERACTIONS. THE NUMBER OF BEARS HAS BEEN REDUCED BY ABOUT 500. SIGHTINGS ARE DOWN BY ONE-THIRD AND DANGEROUS BEAR-RELATED INCIDENTS ARE DOWN 43 PERCENT. MORE THAN 6,500 BEAR HUNTING PERMITS HAVE BEEN ISSUED. DEP BIOLOGISTS PREDICT HUNT RESULTS SIMILAR TO LAST YEAR, WHEN MORE THAN 9,000 PERMITS WERE ISSUED AND 469 BEARS WERE HARVESTED. HUNTING IS ALLOWED NORTH OF INTERSTATE 78 AND WEST OF INTERSTATE 287.
