150 TEACHING POSITIONS AND ANOTHER 11 ADMINISTRATION JOBS COULD BE GONE IN THE ALLENTOWN SCHOOL DISTRICT. AT THE SCHOOL BOARD EDUCATION COMMITTEE MEETING THURSDAY NIGHT, SUPERINTENDENT RUSS MAYO SAID A $22.5 MILLION BUDGET GAP WOULD BE LESSENED BY $11 MILLION BY THE LAYOFFS. THE JOB CUTS WOULD HIT FULL-DAY KINDERGARTEN, SPECIAL EDUCATION, ART, MUSIC, LIBRARY AND PHYSICAL EDUCATION. THE DISTRICT CUT MORE THAN 200 POSITIONS IN THE 2011-2012 SCHOOL YEAR.
A MAN ARRESTED IN HELLERTOWN FOR A NEW YORK CAR CRASH THAT KILLED A HUSBAND AND WIFE AND THEIR BABY HAS BEEN CHARGED WITH CRIMINALLY NEGLIGENT HOMICIDE AND OTHER OFFENSES. JULIO ACEVEDO WAS RETURNED TO BROOKLYN FROM THE LEHIGH VALLEY, WHERE HE WAS ARRESTED WEDNESDAY. HE APPEARS TO HAVE CONFESSED TO THE CRASH IN A PHONE CALL ON WABC-TV IN NEW YORK. "I WAS SPEEDING TRYING TO GET AWAY BECAUSE I WAS SCARED. SOMEBODY WAS SHOOTING AT ME. WHEN I CAME DOWN THE AVENUE AS I WAS DRIVING, THE CAR DRIVER CAME OUT OF NOWHERE. I COULDN'T STOP," ACEVEDO TOLD THE TV STATION. THE COUPLE DIED SUNDAY. THEIR PREMATURE SON WAS DELIVERED BY CESAREAN SECTION AND DIED MONDAY.
EASTON MAYOR SAL PANTO IS GIVING US A BETTER LOOK AT WHAT A NEW INTERMODAL PROJECT AND CITY HALL MIGHT LOOK LIKE. THE $26 MILLION PROJECT WOULD BE BUILT ON SOUTH THIRD STREET AND FEATURE A NEW CITY HALL ON THE TOP TWO FLOORS OF THE THREE STORY BUILDING AND A NEW LANTA FACILITY AND THE NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL HALL OF FAME ON THE FIRST FLOOR. CITY HALL'S MOVE HINGES ON THE CITY'S ABILITY TO SELL THE ALPHA BUILDING, WHICH HAS HOUSED CITY HALL SINCE 1996.
A PALMER TOWNSHIP MAN IS CHARGED WITH ASSAULTING HIS GIRLFRIEND WITH A HALF-GALLON CARTON OF ICE CREAM OUTSIDE A GROCERY STORE. POLICE SAY ROBERT DIXON GOT INTO AN ARGUMENT WITH HIS GIRLFRIEND OVER A CELLPHONE AND HIT THE WOMAN WITH THE ICE CREAM. SHE WAS KNOCKED TO THE GROUND AND SUFFERED FACIAL CUTS. DIXON IS CHARGED WITH SIMPLE ASSAULT AND HARASSMENT.
A BERKS COUNTY COMPANY THAT'S BEEN OPERATING SINCE JUST AFTER THE CIVIL WAR IS CLOSING UP SHOP. BACK IN 2007, McCONWAY & TURLEY LAID OFF 149 WORKERS AT ITS KUTZTOWN FOUNDRY. NOW, THE REMAINING 130 EMPLOYEES ARE GETTING PINK SLIPS AS WELL. THE OWNER OF THE FOUNDRY THAT HAS BEEN IN KUTZTOWN FOR 144 YEARS SAYS A DECLINE IN DEMAND IS BEHIND THE DECISION TO CLOSE THE FACILITY. McCONWAY & TORLEY WILL CLOSE ITS PLANT ON MAY 5. THE PLANT HAS BEEN IN USE SINCE 1869 AND WAS PURCHASED BY McCONWAY 33 YEARS AGO.
PEEPS DIORAMAS. PEEPS JOUSTING. PEEP SUSHI. WITH THE STORIED CANDY BRAND CELEBRATING ITS 60TH ANNIVERSARY THIS YEAR, A QUIRKY NEW TV AD CAMPAIGN TALKS ABOUT ALL THE THINGS PEOPLE DO WITH THEIR PEEPS. ONLY SOME OF THOSE INVOLVE PUTTING THEM IN KIDS' EASTER BASKETS OR EATING THEM STRAIGHT FROM THE BOX. PENNSYLVANIA CANDYMAKER JUST BORN WILL PRODUCE MORE THAN 1 BILLION OF THE MARSHMALLOW CHICKS AND BUNNIES THIS EASTER SEASON. WHILE EASTER IS THE BIGGEST TIME OF YEAR FOR PEEPS, FANS HAVE COME UP WITH LOTS OF WAYS TO HAVE FUN WITH THE SPONGY TREATS. JUST BORN CALLS IT THE "PEEPSONALITY" OF CONSUMERS WHO BUY PEEPS NOT ONLY TO EAT, BUT ALSO TO PLAY WITH.
TEN JURORS HAVE BEEN SEATED THIS WEEK FOR THE DEATH-PENALTY TRIAL OF A PHILADELPHIA ABORTION PROVIDER CHARGED WITH KILLING A WOMAN AND SEVEN NEWBORNS. JURY SELECTION FOR THE HIGHLY SENSITIVE CASE IS SET TO RESUME MONDAY, AND THE TRIAL COULD BEGIN BY MID-WEEK. DR. KERMIT GOSNELL IS FIGHTING CHARGES HE IGNORED STANDARD MEDICAL PRACTICES AND LET UNTRAINED, UNLICENSED WORKERS PERFORM ABORTIONS AND GIVE ANESTHESIA. AT LEAST ONE WORKER HAS PLEADED GUILTY TO THIRD-DEGREE MURDER IN THE 2009 OVERDOSE DEATH OF A 41-YEAR-OLD PATIENT AND OTHERS ADMIT THEY WERE ON HAND WHEN BABIES WERE KILLED AFTER BEING BORN ALIVE. THE TRIAL COULD TAKE SIX TO EIGHT WEEKS.
PENN STATE HAS HIRED A CORPORATE COMPLIANCE OFFICER TO BECOME THE UNIVERSITY'S FIRST DIRECTOR OF ETHICS AND COMPLIANCE. THE SCHOOL ON THURSDAY NAMED REGIS BECKER TO OVERSEE ALL COMPLIANCE ISSUES AND DEVELOP PENN STATE'S FIRST COMPREHENSIVE PROGRAM FOR INSTITUTIONAL ETHICS. BECKER IS CURRENTLY CHIEF COMPLIANCE OFFICER FOR PITTSBURGH-BASED PPG INDUSTRIES. HE'S ALSO WORKED AS AN FBI SPECIAL AGENT AND AS A DETECTIVE FOR THE ALLEGHENY COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY'S WHITE-COLLAR CRIME UNIT. PENN STATE IN JANUARY ALSO HIRED JULIE DEL GIORNO TO BE THE SCHOOL'S FIRST ATHLETICS INTEGRITY OFFICER. THE HIRINGS COME AS PART OF CHANGES AT THE UNIVERSITY IN THE AFTERMATH OF THE JERRY SANDUSKY CHILD SEX ABUSE SCANDAL. THREE FORMER SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS ARE AWAITING TRIAL ON OBSTRUCTION, CONSPIRACY AND OTHER CHARGES.
ADVOCATES FOR PENNSYLVANIA'S POOR SAY THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE IMPROPERLY BUMPED OFF MEDICAID ROLLS IS FAR HIGHER THAN STATE OFFICIALS INITIALLY TOLD LAWMAKERS. COMMUNITY LEGAL SERVICES OF PHILADELPHIA TOLD THE ASSOCIATED PRESS ON THURSDAY THAT NEARLY HALF THE PEOPLE WHO RESPONDED TO A LETTER SENT BY THE STATE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WELFARE HAVE RE-ENROLLED. THE DEPARTMENT SENT THE LETTERS TO SETTLE CLAIMS THAT FAMILIES WERE IMPROPERLY PURGED FROM THE HEALTH INSURANCE PROGRAM FOR THE POOR AND DISABLED. CITING STATE FIGURES, COMMUNITY LEGAL SERVICES SAYS MORE THAN 7,300 OF THE 16,000 PEOPLE WHO RESPONDED TO THE LETTER WERE ELIGIBLE. THAT'S 46 PERCENT. EARLIER THIS WEEK, THE DEPARTMENT'S ACTING SECRETARY, BEV MACKERETH, TOLD THE SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE THAT 3 PERCENT OUT OF ABOUT 100,000 WHO HAD BEEN SENT LETTERS WERE ACTUALLY ELIGIBLE.
PINNACLE ENTERTAINMENT IS SELLING THE LAND WHERE IT ONCE PLANNED TO BUILD A $2 BILLION CASINO IN ATLANTIC CITY. THE LAS VEGAS CASINO COMPANY TELLS FEDERAL SECURITY REGULATORS IT HAS REACHED A DEAL TO SELL ITS NEARLY 20-ACRE SITE TO A BUYER IT DID NOT IDENTIFY, FOR $30.6 MILLION. PINNACLE BOUGHT THE FORMER SANDS CASINO HOTEL IN 2006 FOR $270 MILLION. IT IMPLODED THE CASINO-HOTEL AND MADE PLANS FOR A NEW CASINO WITH A BEACH HOUSE THEME. BUT THOSE PLANS NEVER ADVANCED BEYOND THE DRAWING BOARD AS THE ECONOMY CRASHED AND ATLANTIC CITY'S GAMBLING REVENUE BEGAN A SIX-PLUS YEAR SLUMP FROM WHICH IT STILL HAS NOT RECOVERED. THE COMPANY SAYS THE SALE OF ITS LAND SHOULD CLOSE BY THE END OF THIS MONTH, ASSUMING FINANCING CAN BE WORKED OUT.
