TWO PENNSYLVANIA CONGRESSMEN WANT THE NCAA TO RESTORE FOOTBALL SCHOLARSHIPS TAKEN AWAY FROM PENN STATE AS PART OF SANCTIONS FOR THE CHILD SEX ABUSE SCANDAL INVOLVING RETIRED ASSISTANT COACH JERRY SANDUSKY.  REPS. CHARLIE DENT AND GLENN THOMPSON WROTE IN A LETTER SENT MONDAY TO NCAA PRESIDENT MARK EMMERT THAT TAKING AWAY UP TO 40 SCHOLARSHIPS HARMED PLAYERS WHO HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH THE SCANDAL.  DENT AND THOMPSON WROTE THAT DENYING STUDENT ATHLETES ACCESS TO HIGHER EDUCATION DOES NOTHING TO ACCOUNT FOR SANDUSKY'S CRIMES.  SANDUSKY HAS BEEN SENTENCED TO AT LEAST 30 YEARS IN PRISON AFTER BEING CONVICTED LAST SUMMER ON DOZENS OF CRIMINAL COUNTS.  GOV. TOM CORBETT'S HAS FILED A FEDERAL LAWSUIT SEEKING TO OVERTURN THE NCAA SANCTIONS.

  THE PARENTS OF A 15-YEAR-OLD GIRL ARE ASKING FOR YOUR HELP IN FINDING HER.  HAYLEY KRAUSS WAS LAST SEEN GETTING OFF THE SCHOOL BUS THURSDAY AFTERNOON ON CORRIERE ROAD IN PALMER TOWNSHIP.  SHE IS DESCRIBED AS WHITE, 4 FEET 11 INCHES TALL AND WEIGHS 97 POUNDS.  HER FAMILY SAYS SHE IS ON MEDICATION, BUT DOES NOT HAVE IT WITH HER.  A $2500 REWARD IS BEING OFFERED FOR HER SAFE RETURN.  IF YOU SPOT HER, CALL POLICE AT 610-253-5844.

  LAFAYETTE UPSHAW ADMITS TO KILLING ANTHONY SANTIAGO LAST MARCH AT SIXTH AND TILGHMAN STREETS IN ALLENTOWN.  UPSHAW'S PLEA ALLOWS HIM TO AVOID A POTENTIAL DEATH SENTENCE AND MEANS HE'LL SPEND 13 TO 40 YEARS IN PRISON INSTEAD.  UPSHAW SAYS HE ACCIDENTALLY SHOT SANTIAGO AFTER TYQUAN LLOYD PULLED A GUN ON HIM DURING AN ARGUMENT.  THE PROSECUTION, WHICH WANTED A FIRST DEGREE MURDER CONVICTION, ACCEPTED THE PLEA DEAL BECAUSE WITNESSES TO THE KILLING WERE NOT COOPERATING.

  THE FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE BETHLEHEM STEELERS ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION IS FREE ON BAIL AFTER BEING CHARGED WITH STEALING MORE THAN $34,000 FROM THE YOUTH SPORTS ORGANIZATION.  INVESTIGATORS SAY BRADLEY SCHEETZ STOLE THE MONEY FROM LAST APRIL TO LAST OCTOBER AND USED THE MONEY TO GAMBLE, GO OUT TO EAT AND PURCHASE GAS. 

  THERE ARE NOW TWO REPUBLICANS WHO WANT TO BE LEHIGH COUNTY EXECUTIVE.  A WEEK AFTER CURRENT COUNTY COMMISSIONER SCOTT OTT ANNOUNCED HIS BID, FORMER COUNTY COMMISSIONER DEAN BROWNING SAYS HE'S RUNNING.  "THE COUNTY HAS A WIDE VARIETY OF ACTIVITIES AND FUNCTIONS THAT IT IS RESPONSIBLE FOR.  TO MANAGE THAT PROCESS, I THINK, TAKES A CERTAIN LEVEL OF SKILL AND EXPERIENCE.  I BELIEVE THAT I HAVE THAT," BROWNING SAYS.  BROWNING WAS VOTED OUT OF OFFICE IN 2011, IN PART, BECAUSE OF HIS VOTE AGAINST A REPUBLICAN ATTEMPT TO REJECT THEN-COUNTY EXECUTIVE DON CUNNINGHAM'S BUDGET.  IT WAS A VOTE THAT RESULTED IN A 16 PERCENT TAX HIKE.  BROWNING SAYS THAT VOTE HAS SINCE BEEN VINDICATED BY THE MOST RECENT BUDGET, WHICH ROLLS BACK THAT TAX INCREASE, BUT NOWHERE NEAR WHAT WAS PROMISED.

  STATE EDUCATION OFFICIALS HAVE DENIED APPLICATIONS TO CREATE EIGHT NEW CYBER CHARTER SCHOOLS IN PENNSYLVANIA, INCLUDING ONE IN THE LEHIGH VALLEY.  EDUCATION SECRETARY RONALD TOMALIS CITED SIGNIFICANT DEFICIENCIES IN CURRICULUM, FINANCES AND OVERALL OPERATIONS IN REJECTING THE PROPOSALS YESTERDAY.  THE STATE CURRENTLY HAS 16 CYBER CHARTERS, WHICH ARE PUBLICLY FUNDED ONLINE SCHOOLS.  LAST YEAR, MORE THAN 33,000 PENNSYLVANIA STUDENTS WERE ENROLLED IN CYBER CHARTERS.  EIGHT MORE APPLIED TO OPERATE BEGINNING THIS FALL, INCLUDING THE PENNSYLVANIA CAREER PATH CYBER CHARTER SCHOOL IN ALLENTOWN.
 

  THE STATE SUPREME COURT IS SCHEDULING ORAL ARGUMENT FOR MARCH IN A CASE THAT PITS THE ATTORNEY GENERAL'S OFFICE AGAINST THE PENNSYLVANIA TURNPIKE COMMISSION OVER DISCLOSURE OF RECORDS IN A PUBLIC CORRUPTION INVESTIGATION THAT'S LASTED MORE THAN THREE YEARS.  THE TURNPIKE COMMISSION WANTS THE HIGH COURT TO OVERTURN A DECISION BY A GRAND JURY SUPERVISORY JUDGE WHO SIDED WITH PROSECUTORS WHO WANT ACCESS TO COMMUNICATIONS BETWEEN THE AGENCY'S LAWYERS AND THE COMMISSIONERS OR EMPLOYEES.  THE COMMISSION ARGUES THAT THOSE EXCHANGES ARE PROTECTED BY LAWYER-CLIENT PRIVILEGE, WHILE THE ATTORNEY GENERAL'S OFFICE SAYS THEIR DISCLOSURE IS NEEDED TO KEEP THE GOVERNMENT HONEST.  JUDGE BARRY FEUDALE'S APRIL RULING DESCRIBED THE GRAND JURY INVESTIGATION AS INVOLVING POTENTIAL CRIMES RELATED TO "EMPLOYMENT PRACTICES, PROCUREMENT PRACTICES AND THE USE OF COMMISSION RESOURCES TO CONDUCT POLITICAL ACTIVITIES."

  THE SON OF THE LATE JOSEPH "DOC" MATTIOLI IS STEPPING DOWN AS A MEMBER OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS AT POCONO RACEWAY, THE TRACK FOUNDED BY HIS FATHER.  THE TRACK ANNOUNCED MONDAY THAT JOSEPH R. MATTIOLI, III WAS LEAVING AFTER A FOUR-DECADE CAREER AT POCONO, INCLUDING A STINT AS PRESIDENT AND CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER.    MATTIOLI III SAID THE TIME WAS RIGHT TO STEP DOWN WITH THE RACEWAY NOW IN THE "VERY CAPABLE HANDS" OF THE NEXT GENERATION.  DOC MATTIOLI DIED LAST JANUARY. CURRENT TRACK PRESIDENT BRANDON IGDALSKY IS DOC MATTIOLI'S GRANDSON AND JOSEPH MATTIOLI III'S NEPHEW.  THE TRACK SAID THE YOUNGER MATTIOLI PLANNED TO FOCUS MORE TIME WORKING WITH VETERANS ORGANIZATIONS THAT HE HAS SUPPORTED.

  THE LOCAL UNEMPLOYMENT PICTURE IN THE MONTH OF DECEMBER WAS A CASE OF THE STATUS QUO.  "THE RATE IS UNCHANGED OVER THE MONTH.  YOU'RE STILL AT 8.6 PERCENT.  THE RATE DID GO UP ONE-TENTH OVER THE YEAR.  BUT, PENNSYLVANIA AS A WHOLE WAS UP TWO-TENTHS, SO YOU'RE DOING BETTER BY THAT MEASURE AS WELL," SAYS LABOR ANALYST STEVEN ZELLERS.  THE LEHIGH VALLEY UNEMPLOYMENT RATE LAST MONTH WAS THE FOURTH HIGHEST IN THE STATE, BEHIND ONLY SCRANTON/WILKES-BARRE, JOHNSTOWN AND PHILADELPHIA.

  A KEY WITNESS WHO TESTIFIED SUSPENDED STATE SUPREME COURT JUSTICE JOAN ORIE MELVIN TRIED TO COVER UP ALLEGED CAMPAIGN CORRUPTION IN THE OFFICE OF HER SISTER, A FORMER SENATOR, FACES CROSS-EXAMINATION BY THE DEFENSE.  JAMIE PAVLOT WAS CHIEF OF STAFF FOR MELVIN'S SISTER, FORMER STATE SEN. JANE ORIE, WHEN THE ALLEGHENY COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY BEGAN INVESTIGATING IN 2009 WHETHER ORIE AND MELVIN, THEN A SUPERIOR COURT JUDGE, WERE MISUSING THEIR RESPECTIVE STATE-FUNDED STAFFS TO DO CAMPAIGN WORK.  PAVLOT SAYS MELVIN TOLD HER IN A PHONE CALL DAYS AFTER THE INVESTIGATION BECAME KNOWN TO REMOVE ANY POLITICAL DOCUMENTS FROM MELVIN'S 2009 SUPREME COURT CAMPAIGN FROM FILES PAVLOT TOOK HOME FROM ORIE'S OFFICE.  PAVLOT SAYS SHE, INSTEAD, KEPT THE FILES, GAVE THEM TO HER ATTORNEY AND BEGAN COOPERATING WITH THE GOVERNMENT.  SHE'LL BE QUESTIONED ABOUT THAT TODAY.

  NEW JERSEY LAWMAKERS HAVE GIVEN FINAL APPROVAL TO A BILL THAT BANS SYNTHETIC MARIJUANA.  OVER THE LAST FEW YEARS, LAW ENFORCEMENT HAS BEEN INCREASINGLY TROUBLED BY FAKE MARIJUANA SOLD UNDER NAMES LIKE "K2," "SPICE" AND "SPACE CADET" THAT WAS FOUND FOR SALE AT GAS STATIONS AND OTHER SITES.  THE ASSEMBLY PASSED THE MEASURE MONDAY ON A 73-1 VOTE.  IT NOW GOES TO GOV. CHRIS CHRISTIE FOR CONSIDERATION.  UNDER THE MEASURE, PEOPLE WHO MAKE, DISTRIBUTE OR POSSESS THE DRUGS COULD FACE UP TO 10 YEARS IN PRISON.

  PENN STATE GOT THE BOOT FROM VIRGINIA'S 2013 SCHEDULE.  VIRGINIA WAS SUPPOSED TO VISIT BEAVER STADIUM ON SEPTEMBER 14, THE RETURN TRIP AFTER THE NITTANY LIONS LOST 17-16 IN CHARLOTTESVILLE LAST SEPTEMBER.  BUT PENN STATE ATHLETIC DIRECTOR DAVE JOYNER SAID MONDAY IN A STATEMENT THAT VIRGINIA INFORMED THE NITTANY LIONS IT WOULDN'T BE VISITING HAPPY VALLEY IN ORDER TO PLAY A HOME GAME, AND THAT HE HOPED TO FIND A REPLACEMENT SOON. 

  THE PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES HAVE SIGNED VETERAN RELIEVER CHAD DURBIN TO A ONE-YEAR CONTRACT, PENDING A PHYSICAL.  DURBIN RETURNS TO PHILADELPHIA WHERE HE PLAYED A KEY ROLE IN THE BULLPEN ON THE 2008 WORLD SERIES CHAMPIONSHIP TEAM.   THE PHILLIES AND INFIELDER YUNIESKY BETANCOURT HAVE AGREED TO A MINOR-LEAGUE CONTRACT WITH AN INVITATION TO MAJOR LEAGUE SPRING TRAINING. THE 30-YEAR-OLD BETANCOURT HIT .228 WITH 14 DOUBLES, SEVEN HOME RUNS AND 36 RBIS IN 57 GAMES WITH KANSAS CITY LAST SEASON.