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Two brothers have been arrested in the theft of several books of local significance from the Reading Public Library's main branch in center city.
Robert Bierman, 38, and Erick Bierman, 35, were apprehended Monday afternoon at their home in the 1100 block of North Sixth Street in Reading, police said.
The men were identified on the library's surveillance video, which aired on 69 News on both Sunday and Monday.
They walked out of the library last Wednesday with 11 limited-edition books of George Meiser IX's 22-volume series, said police, adding that the books have not been recovered.
The books have been known to sell for hundreds of dollars each on Internet auction sites like eBay.
The men were charged with 11 counts of library theft, receiving stolen property, institutional vandalism and related offenses.
U.S. Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA) is urging Aldi to protect more than 1,600 Pennsylvania jobs as it prepares to acquire Bottom Dollar Grocery Stores at the end of the year.
Bottom Dollar has 46 stores in Pennsylvania and its employees could be out of work when the takeover is complete.
Aldi has not yet announced whether potentially shuttered stores could reopen or whether any laid off workers will be eligible for rehire.
In a letter to Jason Hart, Aldi's president, Casey urged the company to keep Bottom Dollar Stores in Pennsylvania open and protect the region's jobs.
"Our state's workforce has earned its reputation as one of the most highly skilled in the country," said Casey in a news release Monday. "I'm hopeful that Aldi will consider the quality of our region's workforce and protect these jobs.
"Keeping these stores open will provide communities across Pennsylvania with the option to purchase fresh food and add to economic growth."
Al Boscov has made a six-figure donation to Scranton to make good on a loan tied to a struggling shopping mall.
Boscov gave a $715,173 check to the city's mayor, Bill Courtright, on Monday, saying he felt obligated to repay the city even though it wasn't legally required.
Boscov's payment covers the city's $612,480 loan for The Mall at Steamtown plus $102,693 interest.
A $1.8 million balance on the city's loan to Steamtown Mall Partners still hasn't been paid back. Boscov is a partner in that firm.
Boscov said negotiations continue on the mall's ownership with a bank-affiliated company that acquired it through foreclosure in July from Steamtown Mall Partners.
Boscov's, headquartered in Exeter Township, Berks County, is the mall's lone anchor tenant.
Lizzy Smith learned she has multiple myeloma during a routine blood test in 2012.
"So when a doctor tells you, you have cancer, I couldn't think of anything more dreaded than that," Smith said.
Smith got chemotherapy, stem cell transplants, and bortezomib. It put her disease in remission, but depleted her platelet count and her blood's clotting ability.
"I felt like I as fading away, that I was maybe just kind of phasing into death," said Smith, "and I was so fatigued that I didn't really care."
What’s old is new again. Dr. Dean Li found that in mice, fasudil kept platelet counts normal. Fasudil is used in other countries for constricted arteries.
"We're not coming up with a new drug to treat the side effect of this cancer drug. We're trying to repurpose known drugs to treat this side effect," said Li, vice dean for research at the University of Utah School of Medicine.
Lizzy said Li's findings give her hope.
"And hope is a very powerful thing. It gives us strength to keep fighting," Smith said.
Now, Li is searching for an FDA-approved compound like fasudil, hoping to get similar results.
Fasudil is in U.S. clinical trials for treating high blood pressure, diabetic macular swelling and other health issues. For that reason, doctors said if the FDA did approve the drug for use by multiple myeloma patients, it could be made available to patients in a short time frame.
DOWNLOAD and VIEW research summary and an in-depth interview with the doctor
A Northampton County man is facing numerous DUI charges after police found his tractor trailer dragging its landing gear.
When Colonial Regional Police saw the 18-wheeler traveling south on Route 512 on November 18, they noticed sparks coming from the landing gear.
Police stopped the truck, and the driver--54-year-old Daniel Pfefferle of Easton -- told police he forgot to crank up the landing gear before leaving the truck terminal.
According to police, Pfefferle was very talkative and was having trouble engaging the cranking mechanism while trying to raise the landing gear.
As the officer came to speak to Pfefferle, he said he noticed an odor of alcohol coming from the driver, and saw red/bloodshot eyes and Pfefferle chewing gum.
Due to his performance on the field sobriety tests, police arrested Pfefferle for suspicion on DUI.
Police said Pfefferle told the officer he may have had 9-12 beers when he got off work that morning, slept for a few hours, then came back to work.
Police said they found two full and unopened cans of beer in Pfefferle's lunch bag in the truck.
Pfefferle's blood alcohol concentration was 0.10 percent.
He was charged with DUI, general impairment and careless driving.
RANK TEAM RECORD LAST 1 WYOMISSING 13-1 1 2 BERKS CATHOLIC 12-1 2 3 NORTHWESTERN 11-2 3 4 PIUS X 11-3 4 5 NORTH SCHUYLKILL 11-1 5 6 DEL VAL 7-3 6 7 BELVIDERE 8-3 7 8 MARIAN CATHOLIC 8-4 8 9 PALISADES 7-4 9 10 PALMERTON 7-4 10
RANK TEAM RECORD LAST 1 WILSON WL 14-0 1 2 PENNSBURY 13-1 3 3 PHILLIPSBURG 10-1 5 4 COATESVILLE 13-1 2 5 PARKLAND 11-3 4 6 EASTON 12-2 6 7 BECAHI 12-2 7 8 GOVERNOR MIFFLIN 11-2 5 9 UPPER DUBLIN 11-2 8 10 BAYARD RUSTIN 10-2 10 11 QUAKERTOWN 11-2 11 12 FREEDOM 9-3 12 13 WC HENDERSON 8-4 13 14 STROUDSBURG 10-1 14 15 DANIEL BOONE 8-5 15
A fundraising site has been created in memory of a Lehigh County woman who police say was killed by her stepfather.
Jessica Padgett of Whitehall Township was initially reported missing on November 21 after she failed to return to her job at Duck Duck Goose Daycare in Northampton after an errand.
After days of searching, 33-year-old Padgett was found dead in Allen Township on November 26.
Her stepfather, 53-year-old Gregory Graf, is now facing murder charges.
A GoFundMe site has been created to raise donations for Padgett's three children.
More than 200 people have already donated a total of several thousand dollars.
Officials at Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium are working to rescue 14 sea turtles that had been stranded off the coast of Massachusetts.
Zoo officials say the Kemp's ridley sea turtles were suffering from hypothermia.
The turtles are cold-blooded and follow the warmer Gulf Stream waters up to Cape Cod each year and then migrate south once the waters off Massachusetts cool.
But a cold front in September helped to disorient some turtles, which were then stranded in waters that are too cold for them to survive.
The turtles in Pittsburgh Monday were brought in from the New England Aquarium, which has already rescued some 900 sea turtles.
The Pittsburgh turtles will likely remain at the zoo for six to nine months before they're returned to the wild.
It's another W for Mo'ne Davis. Sports Illustrated Kids has named the Little League star its Sports Kid of the Year.
First Lady Michelle Obama tweeted the news Monday morning, saying 13-year-old Davis ``knocked it out of the park for girls everywhere.''
The honor roll student from Philadelphia became a sensation in August after leading the Taney Dragons to a 4-0 victory over Nashville, Tennessee. She is the first girl to win a Little League World Series game.
She's since appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated, starred in a Spike Lee-directed car commercial and has her jersey displayed in baseball's Hall of Fame.
Sports Illustrated Kids says Davis shows that everyone has the ability to make an impact and inspire no matter age, gender or race.
She's the ninth person honored as Sports Kid of the Year since 2007. Two brothers shared the award in 2012.
Police are investigating the death of a woman in Montgomery County as a possible homicide.
The woman's body was found Monday morning inside a home in the 500 block of King Street in Pottstown, said police, who have not released any additional information.
The investigation comes on the heels of a violent night in the borough.
A man was shot around 7 p.m. on Rowan Alley, near Franklin Street, said police, who had no information on the extent of his injuries.
As many as 30 shots were also fired on Berks Street. No one was injured, but some vehicles and homes were struck by bullets.
Refresh this page for updates as information becomes available.
There will be a good amount of cloud cover around the area today as a cold front pushes into the region.
This boundary could spark a few spotty showers, but we don't expect much and most of the activity will be during the afternoon and evening hours.
This front will also cause temperatures to climb into the 50s today.
However, the warmer air won't last forever and colder conditions will quickly take over behind the front on Tuesday with afternoon highs only topping out in the middle and upper 30s.
The cloud cover will begin to increase once again on Tuesday as our next storm system pushes northward out of the Mid Atlantic states.
This system could bring some snow or a wintry mix to the area at the onset Tuesday afternoon and evening.
However, as temperatures continue to rise Tuesday night into the wee morning hours on Wednesday the precipitation will change over to just rain.
Rain showers will then stay with us through Wednesday morning and taper off during the afternoon hours.
Wednesday's highs will once again be on the mild side as temperatures reach to nearly 50 degrees.
Extreme hoarding conditions, along with weapons and ammunition , were found inside a Chester County home where a fire claimed the lives of two residents.
The fire broke out in the 2400 block of Harmonyville Road in Warwick Township around 1:30 a.m. Saturday.
Authorities identified the victims as 64-year-old A. Katherine Schade and 67-year-old Gary Schade, and both were found on the first floor of the home.
They were pronounced dead at the scene.
Police believe the fire started in the basement of the home.
The exact cause of the fire remains under investigation, but police said it appears to be an accidental fire.
The estimated fire loss based on the structure of the home and the objects inside is about $325,000.
attacks in the region. >>> eve tannery: There's more information on a fatal fire in Chester County that killed a man and a woman. The fire broke out in the 24-hundred block of Harmonyville Road in Warwick Township Saturday morning. Authorities say extreme hoarding conditions, weapons, ammunition and explosives were discovered inside of the house. Pennsylvania State Police identified the victims as 64-year-old a. Katherine Schade and 67-year-old Gary Schade. Police believe the fire started in the basement of the home.. and
>>> jaciel cordoba: Most of us are familiar with the symptoms of a concussion but what if those symptoms don't go away? >> eve tannery: In Life Lessons, WFMZs Nancy Werteen tells us about a program in the Lehigh Valley to help people recover. >>Nancy: a concussion can be challenging and the symptoms can be persistent. An Emmaus high school student found that out the hard way. >>Kayla Danubio: 6:17 We had a big game of kick ball and me and my dad were running and we ran into each other and then i smacked my head off the ground and i passed out 6:25 >>Nancy: It's been two years of therapy for Kayla Danubio, who missed almost an entire year of school. >>Kayla Danubio : 9:04 I've had really bad eye pain. i couldn't look at the board and my paper without having blurry vision so I'm wearing bifocals now to try and make the vision part better. 9:14Kayla is a familiar visitor at the Neurorehabiliation program at Good Shepherd in Allentown.she needed here after her concussion symptoms didn't go away with the traditional recovery advice. Danubio: 6:54 i was just staying at home not using the tv and the computer and i wasn't at school and it still wasn't getting better. Then i started therapy 7:02 >>Nancy: The director of Neurorehabilitation , Sue Golden, says Good Shepherd has designed a concussion management program for people like Kayla, whose symptoms interfere with daily life and dont seem to go away with rest and time. >>Sue Golden/Good Shepherd: 5:19 Everybody thinks it's one problem but its not. It's a multi sensory issue that's usually stopping them from getting better. 5:29 >>Sue Golden, The program. therapies including physical, speech, occupational and vision therapies.The treatment is tailolod to each patient but begins with managing the concussion headache. >>Sue Golden: 1:14 Because when you have a headache, you can't think clearly. You're sensitive to light so all the other therapies aren't as effective 1:22 >>Nancy: So Sue says it's the right therapy at the right time for people like Kayla, who struggle for months and sometimes years to get their life back. >>Kayla Danubio: 7:08 It was very frustrating because i was isolated. i had my family at home and that's basically it because when i wasn't at school, people stopped talking to me 7:18 Program organizers say the treatment plan is constantly changing based on the patients progress and challenges.Nancy Werteen 69
Easton Police have charged two teenagers with shooting at a car and a driver Sunday evening.
It happened Sunday around 6 p.m. at the intersection of West Grant and Folk streets.
Police say the 15- and 16-year-olds shot at a moving car with a family of four inside, including a baby and young juvenile.
The shot caused the rear window of the car to explode and caused small cuts to the juvenile's face.
Police say the driver chased the teens, and they fired several shots from a C-O-2 pistol at his face.
Each teen was charged with aggravated assault, propulsion of missiles into an occupied vehicle, criminal mischief, prohibited offensive weapon, possessing instruments of crime and recklessly endangering another person.
Both were taken to Northampton County Prison after being unable to post $15,000 bail.
Hundreds of thousands of Pennsylvania hunters will tramp into the woods Monday for the first day of the state's major deer hunting season.
The two-week tradition will begin Monday with temperatures reaching into the 40s and a chance of rain.
Pennsylvania Game Commission biologists say hunters will have to compete with plentiful food sources around much of the state, including acorns, apples, berries and grapes.
Commission officials say about 750,000 hunters were expected to participate in the opening day of deer season, and they expect more than 300,000 deer to be taken.
Meanwhile, regulations are in place to help contain chronic wasting disease.
Hunters are not allowed to transport high-risk deer parts outside of certain areas in Adams, Blair, Bedford, Cambria, Clearfield, Huntingdon, Jefferson and York counties.
The FBI has now joined the search for a college senior who was last seen leaving a crowded Philadelphia bar after a night out with friends.
On Sunday afternoon, police combed the frigid waters of the Manayunk Canal but came up empty in their search for 21-year-old West Chester University student Shane Montgomery.
Montgomery's parents watched from the canal bank.
Police say Montgomery was home from school and had met up with friends Wednesday night.
Authorities say he became separated from them and was escorted out by a bouncer at 2 a.m. Thursday after stumbling. He hasn't been seen since.
A reward is being offered for information leading to Shane's whereabouts-- and it's now at $15,000.
Anyone with information is asked to contact police.
Most of us are familiar with the symptoms of a concussion but what if those symptoms don't go away?
A concussion can be challenging and the symptoms can be persistent.
Emmaus high school student Kayla Danubio found that out the hard way.
"We had a big game of kick ball and me and my dad were running and we ran into each other and then I smacked my head off the ground and I passed out," says Kayla.
That was two years ago.
While Kayla and her family thought she was okay, Kayla's symptoms got worse. She missed almost an entire year of school.
"I've had really bad eye pain. I couldn't look at the board and my paper without having blurry vision, so I'm wearing bifocals now to try and make the vision part better," says Kayla.
Kayla is a familiar visitor at the Neuro-rehabiliation program at Good Shepherd Rehabilitation Hospital in Allentown.
She found the help she needed there after her concussion symptoms didn't go away with the traditional recovery advice.
"I was just staying at home not using the TV and the computer and I wasn't at school and it still wasn't getting better. Then I started therapy."
Director of Neuro-rehabilitation Sue Golden, says Good Shepherd has designed a concussion management program for people like Kayla, whose symptoms interfere with daily life and don’t seem to go away with rest and time.
"Everybody thinks it's one problem but it's not. It's a multi-sensory issue that's usually stopping them from getting better," says Sue.
The program involves a mix of treatments including physical, speech, occupational and vision therapies.
The treatment is tailored to each patient but begins with managing the concussion headache.
"Because when you have a headache, you can't think clearly. You're sensitive to light so all the other therapies aren't as effective," says Sue.
Sue explains that this program is designed to provide the right therapy at the right time for people like Kayla, who struggle for months and sometimes years to get their lives back.
"It was very frustrating because I was isolated. I had my family at home and that's basically it because when I wasn't at school, people stopped talking to me."
Program organizers say the treatment plan is constantly changing based on the patient’s progress and challenges.
Kayla says she is doing great now and looking forward to her future.
