IF YOU'VE GOT $1 BILLION SITTING AROUND, IT APPEARS YOU COULD BY THE SANDS CASINO RESORT IN BETHLEHEM. BLOOMBERG REPORTS THE LAS VEGAS SANDS IS CONSIDERING SELLING ITS BETHLEHEM PROPERTY. C.E.O. OF THE LEHIGH VALLEY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION DON CUNNINGHAM TELLS WFMZ-TV HE'S IN A WAIT AND SEE MODE RIGHT NOW. "WE'RE AT THE POINT RIGHT NOW WHERE WE DON'T KNOW HOW TRUE IT IS. BLOOMBERG IS USUALLY A PRETTY RELIABLE BUSINESS NEWS SOURCE, SO WE WOULD TAKE THAT SERIOUSLY," CUNNINGHAM SAYS. LAS VEGAS SANDS IS THE WORLD'S BIGGEST CASINO COMPANY. ITS BETHLEHEM CASINO IS ITS ONLY AMERICAN CASINO NOT IN LAS VEGAS.
TWO DEFENSE EXPERTS SAY BLOOD AND POST MORTEM EVIDENCE SUPPORT A FORMER PENNSYLVANIA PASTOR'S CLAIMS THAT HIS WIVES DIED IN ACCIDENTS AND WERE NOT BLUDGEONED BY HIM AS PROSECUTORS CLAIM. THURSDAY'S EXPERT TESTIMONY CAME IN THE EIGHTH DAY OF THE MONROE COUNTY TRIAL OF 64-YEAR-OLD ARTHUR SCHIRMER, WHO IS CHARGED IN THE JULY 2008 DEATH OF HIS SECOND WIFE, BETTY. HE'S AWAITING TRIAL ON CHARGES HE SIMILARLY KILLED HIS FIRST WIFE, JEWEL, IN 1999 ONLY TO CLAIM SHE DIED FROM FALLING DOWN STAIRS. PROSECUTORS SAY SCHIRMER STAGED A CAR CRASH TO COVER UP THE ALLEGED 2008 KILLING. BUT A BLOOD EXPERT AND A PATHOLOGIST SAY BLOOD FOUND INSIDE THE CAR AND THE WOMAN'S INJURIES ARE CONSISTENT WITH SCHIRMER'S CLAIM THAT HIS SECOND WIFE HIT HER HEAD DURING THE CRASH.
A LENGTHY TURNPIKE CHASE ENDED WITH A FIERY CRASH AT THE LEHIGH VALLEY SERVICE PLAZA. STATE POLICE SAY A PHILADELPHIA MAN WANTED ON A PAROLE VIOLATION FLED FROM POLICE ON THE NORTHEAST EXTENSION UNTIL HE DROVE THROUGH A CONCRETE MEDIAN BARRIER, WENT OVER A GUARDRAIL AND DOWN AN EMBANKMENT. AT THAT POINT, DONOVAN CURTIS' CAR BURST INTO FLAMES. BOTH CURTIS AND HIS PASSENGER, SARAH LONG OF HAZLETON, WERE TAKEN TO THE HOSPITAL. BOTH ARE EXPECTED TO RECOVER AND BOTH ARE EXPECTED TO FACE CHARGES.
THE NCAA SAYS IT HAS NO IMMEDIATE PLANS TO SPEND THE $12 MILLION ALREADY PAID TO IT UNDER A CONSENT AGREEMENT WITH PENN STATE OVER THE JERRY SANDUSKY CHILD MOLESTATION SCANDAL. A SPOKESMAN FOR THE ORGANIZATION SAYS IT WON'T SPEND THE MONEY BEFORE A THIRD-PARTY ADMINISTRATOR IS APPOINTED AND UNTIL THEN THE MONEY IS BEING HELD IN AN INDEPENDENT ACCOUNT IT DOESN'T CONTROL. THE NCAA ISSUED THE STATEMENT A DAY AFTER A PENNSYLVANIA JUDGE PUT ON HOLD AN INJUNCTION REQUEST BY STATE SEN. JAKE CORMAN. HE'S SUING THE NCAA OVER THE $60 MILLION PENN STATE AGREED TO PAY AS PART OF THE SANCTIONS ASSOCIATED WITH THE SANDUSKY SCANDAL. THE ORGANIZATION SAYS IT HASN'T BEEN NEGOTIATING WITH CORMAN, EITHER ABOUT SPENDING THE $12 MILLION OR THE LARGER LAWSUIT.
PENN STATE TRUSTEES ARE WEIGHING WHETHER TO MAKE THE UNIVERSITY PRESIDENT AND THE GOVERNOR NONVOTING MEMBERS OF THE SCHOOL'S GOVERNING BOARD. A TRUSTEES COMMITTEE RECOMMENDED THE CHANGE THURSDAY, THOUGH THE FULL BOARD NEEDS TO VOTE ON THE MATTER. THAT MAY NOT HAPPEN FOR AT LEAST ANOTHER COUPLE OF MONTHS, AS THE BOARD STUDIES OTHER POTENTIAL GOVERNANCE REFORMS. MAKING THE PRESIDENT AND GOVERNOR NONVOTING MEMBERS WERE TWO RECOMMENDATIONS MADE BY FORMER AUDITOR GENERAL JACK WAGNER IN A REPORT LAST YEAR LOOKING AT UNIVERSITY GOVERNANCE. THE BOARD'S MAKEUP HAS BEEN SCRUTINIZED IN THE FALLOUT OF THE CHILD SEX ABUSE SCANDAL INVOLVING FORMER ASSISTANT FOOTBALL COACH JERRY SANDUSKY. THE FULL BOARD FINISHES TWO DAYS OF MEETINGS THIS AFTERNOON, WHEN TRUSTEES ARE EXPECTED TO NAME POTATO FARMING EXECUTIVE KEITH MASSER AS THEIR NEW CHAIRMAN.
PENN STATE COACH BILL O'BRIEN WINS THE PAUL "BEAR" BRYANT COLLEGE COACH OF THE YEAR AWARD ON THURSDAY NIGHT. O'BRIEN LED THE NITTANY LIONS THROUGH AN 0-2 START AND NCAA SANCTIONS TO AN 8-4 FINISH IN HIS FIRST SEASON AT PENN STATE.
AL PACINO WILL PLAY JOE PATERNO IN A MOVIE ABOUT THE LATE PENN STATE FOOTBALL COACH. PRODUCER EDWARD R. PRESSMAN CONFIRMS BRIAN DE PALMA WILL DIRECT "HAPPY VALLEY," THE TENTATIVE TITLE OF THE FILM, BASED ON JOE POSNANSKI'S BEST-SELLER "PATERNO." "'HAPPY VALLEY' REUNITES THE `SCARFACE' AND `CARLITO'S WAY' TEAM OF DE PALMA AND PACINO FOR THE THIRD TIME AND I CAN'T THINK OF A BETTER DUO TO TELL THIS STORY OF A COMPLEX, INTENSELY RIGHTEOUS MAN WHO WAS BROUGHT DOWN BY HIS OWN TRAGIC FLAW," PRESSMAN SAID IN A STATEMENT. NO START OR RELEASE DATES WERE GIVEN FOR THE FILM.
NEW JERSEY GOV. CHRIS CHRISTIE IS LABELING "REPREHENSIBLE" THE NATIONAL RIFLE ASSOCIATION AD THAT BROUGHT PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA'S DAUGHTERS INTO THE GUN-CONTROL DEBATE. THE NRA AD ACCUSED THE PRESIDENT OF BEING A HYPOCRITE FOR ALLOWING HIS DAUGHTERS TO BE PROTECTED BY ARMED SECRET SERVICE AGENTS BUT NOT EMBRACING ARMED GUARDS FOR SCHOOLS. THE REPUBLICAN GOVERNOR AND FATHER OF FOUR SAID AT A BRIEFING THURSDAY IN TRENTON THAT THE CHILDREN OF PUBLIC FIGURES SHOULD BE OFF-LIMITS TO POLITICAL ATTACKS. CHRISTIE AGAIN REFUSED TO TAKE A POSITION ON OBAMA'S CALL FOR A FEDERAL ASSAULT WEAPONS BAN. THE GOVERNOR SAYS HE HAS NO INFLUENCE OVER WHAT CONGRESS AND THE PRESIDENT DECIDE. CHRISTIE HAS SAID HE SUPPORTS NEW JERSEY'S CURRENT GUN LAWS, WHICH INCLUDE AN ASSAULT WEAPONS BAN IN PLACE FOR 21 YEARS.
PHILADELPHIA EAGLES OWNER JEFFREY LURIE COULDN'T BE HAPPIER THAT HE WAS ABLE TO LURE CHIP KELLY AWAY FROM OREGON TO COACH HIS FOOTBALL TEAM. "THIS IS A VERY, VERY EXCITING DAY FOR THE PHILADELPHIA EAGLES, A VERY EXCITING DAY FOR OUR CITY AND A VERY EXCITING DAY FOR THE MILLIONS OF EAGLES' FANS ACROSS THE COUNTRY," LURIE SAYS. KELLY SAYS THE MAN HE IS REPLACING ACTUALLY PLAYED A ROLE IN HIS DECISION IN COMING TO PHILADELPHIA. "ONE PERSON I REALLY WANT TO THANK IN TERMS OF ADVICE IN THIS THING IS ANDY REID. ANDY REACHED OUT TO ME AND TOLD ME ABOUT HIS EXPERIENCE WAS HERE AND TOLD ME WHAT THIS ORGANIZATION IS ALL ABOUT," KELLY SAYS. KELLY WAS HIRED WEDNESDAY AS THE EAGLES' 21ST HEAD COACH AND WAS INTRODUCED AT A THURSDAY AFTERNOON NEWS CONFERENCE.
