NO MATTER HOW MANY VOTES IT TAKES TO ELECT THE NEXT POPE, DeSALES UNIVERSITY'S FATHER THOMAS DAILEY SAYS THE PROCESS WILL BE THE SAME EVERY TIME. "THE CARDINAL WILL WALK FORWARD IN THE SISTINE CHAPEL UNDERNEATH THE TREMENDOUS PAINTING OF MICHELANGELO, WHICH IS THE PAINTING OF THE LAST JUDGMENT SO THEY UNDERSTAND WHAT THEY'RE DOING, AND THEY HAVE TO PLACE THEIR BALLOT ON A TRAY AND THE TRAY IS THEN TURNED OVER SO THE BALLOT GOES INTO THE BOX," DAILEY SAYS. FATHER DAILEY SAYS ALL BALLOTS ARE THE SAME SIZE AND SHAPE AND ARE BURNED AFTER THE VOTE COUNT IS TAKEN. IF A NEW POPE HAS BEEN CHOSEN, WHITE SMOKE IS VISIBLE. IF NOT, BLACK SMOKE WILL BE SEEN.
A WOMAN WHO WAS EVACUATED AFTER A SINKHOLE DEVELOPED UNDERNEATH HER LEHIGH VALLEY HOME HAS RETURNED TO HER HOUSE. DORIS JENKINS WAS BACK IN HER HOME MONDAY AFTER BEING FORCED TO VACATE IT SUNDAY DUE TO THE OPENING OF A SINKHOLE, WHICH WAS AN ESTIMATED 25-30 FEET WIDE AND 10-12 FEET DEEP. THAT'S AFTER BETHLEHEM TOWNSHIP OFFICIALS OVERSAW EXCAVATION WORK DONE ON THE SINKHOLE. AUTHORITIES COULDN'T IMMEDIATELY SAY IF IT WAS RELATED TO RECENT WORK ON A TOWNSHIP SEWER LINE.
IT'S THREE-AND-A-HALF TO 10 YEARS IN STATE PRISON FOR CORY MALETSKY, WHO KILLED HIS HALF-BROTHER LAST SEPTEMBER. MALETSKY PLEADED GUILTY TO VOLUNTARY MANSLAUGHTER BUT SAYS HE THOUGHT HE WAS ACTING IN SELF-DEFENSE WHEN HE STABBED CHRISTOPHER LLOYD II DURING A FIGHT IN SOUTH WHITEHALL. THE DEFENSE SAYS DURING A NIGHT OF DRINKING LLOYD AND ANOTHER MAN BEGAN FIGHTING AND MALETSKY TRIED TO BREAK IT UP. AT THAT POINT LLOYD BEGAN PUNCHING MALETSKY, PROMPTING MALETSKY TO STAB HIM.
AN ELDERLY ALLENTOWN MAN WILL SPEND UP TO EIGHT YEARS BEHIND BARS FOR SEXUALLY ASSAULTING AN 8-YEAR-OLD GIRL MORE THAN SEVEN YEARS AGO. BACK IN NOVEMBER, ANDRES VEGA ADMITTED HE LURED THE GIRL INTO A BEDROOM WITH CANDY AND THEN SEXUALLY ASSAULTED HER. IN ADDITION TO THE THREE-TO-EIGHT YEAR PRISON SENTENCE, THE 72-YEAR-OLD VEGA WILL BE A REGISTERED SEX OFFENDER FOR THE REST OF HIS LIFE.
ALLENTOWN POLICE SAY MICHAEL JAMES SMOKED MARIJUANA AND FELL ASLEEP WHILE BABYSITTING 15-MONTH-OLD CORDERO JAMES FRIDAY. THE BABY SUFFERED SOME SORT OF MEDICAL EMERGENCY AND DIED. JAMES IS CHARGED WITH RECKLESS ENDANGERMENT AND OTHER OFFENSES AND SENT TO LEHIGH COUNTY PRISON UNDER $20,000 BAIL.
A MONROE COUNTY MILITARY BASE SAYS IT WILL LAY OFF MORE THAN 400 CIVILIAN CONTRACT WORKERS. TOBYHANNA ARMY DEPOT SAYS LAYOFFS WILL BEGIN FRIDAY AND CONTINUE THROUGH THE END OF APRIL. TOBYHANNA BLAMES SOME OF THE LAYOFFS ON DECREASED WORKLOAD FROM THE END OF THE WAR IN IRAQ. OFFICIALS SAY THE BUDGET IMPASSE IN WASHINGTON IS ALSO PLAYING A ROLE. THE ARMY INSTALLATION HAD PREVIOUSLY ANNOUNCED PLANS TO FURLOUGH MORE THAN 5,000 EMPLOYEES. FRIDAY'S LAYOFFS WILL AFFECT 95 CONTRACT WORKERS. TOBYHANNA IS THE MILITARY'S LARGEST ELECTRONICS MAINTENANCE FACILITY.
MICHAEL VICK HAS CANCELLED THREE BOOK SIGNINGS AFTER THREATS WERE MADE ON SOCIAL MEDIA SITES AND PHONED INTO THE BOOKSTORES HE WAS TO APPEAR AT. VICK'S SPOKESMAN, CHRIS SHIGAS, TELLS WPVI-TV APPEARANCES HAVE BEEN CANCELLED IN EXTON, NORTH JERSEY AND ATLANTA. "WE HAD AN UPTICK IN THE LEVEL OF THREATS THAT WERE MADE AGAINST MICHAEL VICK AS WELL AS HIS FAMILY. THE THREATS WERE MADE AGAINST BOOK STORE PROPERTY AND BOOK STORE EMPLOYEES," SHIGAS SAYS. IN ONE OF THE THREATS, VICK WAS TOLD, "WHEN I SEE YOU, I'M GOING TO BASH YOUR HEAD IN." SHIGAS SAYS POLICE ARE INVESTIGATING THE THREATS.
PENN STATE HAS RELEASED A DOCUMENT DETAILING ITS AGREEMENT WITH FORMER FBI DIRECTOR LOUIS FREEH TO INVESTIGATE THE JERRY SANDUSKY CHILD SEX ABUSE SCANDAL, A REVIEW THAT COST THE SCHOOL ABOUT $8.1 MILLION. PENN STATE'S TOTAL COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH THE SCANDAL TOPPED $41 MILLION AS OF THE END OF DECEMBER, THE UNIVERSITY DISCLOSED MONDAY ON A WEBSITE. THE MONTHLY FINANCIAL UPDATE PROVIDED MORE ITEMIZATION FOR CERTAIN COSTS, INCLUDING THE FREEH REPORT. SOME VOCAL ALUMNI HAD CALLED ON UNIVERSITY LEADERSHIP TO RELEASE ITEMIZED COSTS, IN PART TO PROMOTE TRANSPARENCY. THOSE CRITICS HAD ALSO ASKED THE UNIVERSITY TO RELEASE THE LETTER OF AGREEMENT WITH FREEH, OR "ENGAGEMENT LETTER," THAT OUTLINED THE SCOPE AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE FORMER FBI DIRECTOR IN LEADING THE INTERNAL INVESTIGATION INTO THE SCANDAL.
A NEW FILING BY JERRY SANDUSKY'S APPELLATE LAWYER LISTS SEVEN GROUNDS FOR HIS APPEAL OF A 45-COUNT CONVICTION FOR CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE. THE DOCUMENT FILED YESTERDAY IS AN OUTLINE OF THE CLAIMS THAT THE FORMER PENN STATE ASSISTANT COACH PLANS TO RAISE IN AN EFFORT TO OVERTURN HIS CONVICTION AND SENTENCE OF 30 TO 60 YEARS. DEFENSE ATTORNEY NORRIS GELMAN SAYS JUDGE JOHN CLELAND SHOULD HAVE GIVEN SANDUSKY'S ATTORNEYS MORE TIME TO PREPARE FOR TRIAL AND SHOULD HAVE ISSUED INSTRUCTIONS TO THE JURORS ABOUT THE YEARS THAT PASSED BEFORE VICTIMS ALERTED AUTHORITIES TO THE ABUSE. OTHER GROUNDS INCLUDE A PROSECUTOR'S REFERENCE DURING CLOSING ARGUMENT TO SANDUSKY GIVING A TELEVISION INTERVIEW SHORTLY AFTER HE WAS ARRESTED, AND THE ADMISSION OF HEARSAY ABOUT A SHOWER ATTACK WITNESSED BY A PENN STATE JANITOR.
OSAMA BIN LADEN'S S0N-IN-LAW IS CONSIDERED BY MANY TO BE A CORE MEMBER OF AL QAEDA AND WAS CAPTURED IN TURKEY EARLIER THIS YEAR. HOWEVER, HE HASN'T BEEN SHIPPED TO QUANTANAMO AND INSTEAD APPEARED IN A NEW YORK CITY COURTROON LAST WEEK ON CHARGES OF PLOTTING TO KILL AMERICANS. SENATOR PAT TOOMEY CANNOT BELIEVE HE'LL BE TRIED IN THE U.S. JUSTICE SYSTEM. "HE PROBABLY KNOWS A GREAT DEAL ABOUT THREATS THAT ARE POTENTIALLY VERY SERIOUS THREATS TO THE COUNTRY. I'VE LONG FELT THAT THESE TERRORISTS SHOULD BE TURNED OVER TO A MILITARY TRIBUNAL," TOOMEY SAYS. TOOMEY SAYS IN THE U.S. SYSTEM, BIN LADEN'S SON-IN-LAW HAS BEEN READ HIS MIRANDA RIGHTS AND WILL PROBABLY CLAM UP. TOOMEY SAYS BY SUBJECTING HIM TO A MILITARY TRIBUNAL, THE ODDS ARE MUCH BETTER THAT KEY INFORMATION WILL BE LEARNED.
GOVERNOR CHRIS CHRISTIE IS DEFENDING THE DELAY IN DISBURSING $32 MILLION IN DONATIONS FROM A SUPERSTORM SANDY RELIEF FUND HEADED BY HIS WIFE. THE REPUBLICAN GOVERNOR SAYS THE CHARITY BEING RUN BY MARY PAT CHRISTIE WAS NEVER MEANT TO PROVIDE IMMEDIATE RELIEF TO THOSE RECOVERING FROM THE MEGA-STORM, WHICH HIT THE STATE LAST OCTOBER. THE ASBURY PARK PRESS REPORTED OVER THE WEEKEND THAT NONE OF THE RELIEF MONEY THAT CAME POURING IN AFTER SANDY HAS REACHED VICTIMS. MARY PAT CHRISTIE TOLD THE NEWSPAPER SHE'S BEING METHODICAL TO ENSURE THE MONEY IS SPENT PROPERLY. SHE SAYS THE FUND WAS MEANT TO HELP REFINANCE REBUILDING EFFORTS, NOT PROVIDE SHORT-TERM RELIEF. THE GOVERNOR REITERATED THAT CLAIM MONDAY AFTER A VISIT TO A SITE FOR DEVELOPMENTALLY DISABLED RESIDENTS.
