GM starts new year with another faulty ignition recall

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General Motors is starting the new year with another recall due to faulty ignitions.



The automaker is recalling 92,221 full-size trucks and SUVs for a defect in ignition lock systems that can cause safety problems in hot conditions.


This latest recall covers certain 2011-2012-models and certain 2007-2014-models that were repaired with defective parts. The recall is for U.S., Canadian, Mexican and exported vehicles.


The affected models re Chevrolet Silverado light-duty and heavy-duty pickups; Avalanche, Tahoe and Suburban; GMC Sierra light duty and heavy-duty pickups; and Yukon and Yukon XL; Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV and Escalade EXT.


GM says the ignition lock actuators may be too wide, making turning the key difficult when it's hot inside the cab. No crashes or injuries have been reported.


Last year, GM recalled 2.6 million small cars for defective ignition switches, linked to at least 42 deaths and 58 injuries.






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Life Lessons: From freelance to full-time

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time opportunity...coming up >>> jaciel cordoba: Recent studies show 34-percent of the workforce in the us is freelancing. And many of those freelancers are hoping for something full time. In Life Lessons, WFMZs Nancy Werteen tells you how you can outshine the competion. >>Nancy: The same stats say the number of freelancers out there is more than the population of 25 states! Thats some pretty difficult competition. Freelancers include anyone from contract workers to temps. Hiring may be on the increase, but its still an employers market so you have to do everything you can if youre hoping to turn something part time into full time. >>nat sound (clicking on keyboard) (:01) >>nancy: freelancing may not be for everyone but it can get your foot in the door of your dream job giving you the chance to build your resume and a relationship with a company. first off, always meet and beat your deadlines.every week ask if there is anything you can help with.ask your managers for advice on how to improve.go to any and all company meetings you are invited to, even if its unpaid. always exude a positive attitude






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Nephew charged in fatal Bucks County stabbing

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Police in Bucks County say a 24-year-old man fatally stabbed his uncle just before midnight on New Year's Eve.


Kyle Simpson, of 124 N. Bellevue Avenue in Langhorne, was jailed without bail Thursday on charges of homicide and possession of an instrument of crime.


State police say Simpson stabbed Stanley Taylor in the abdomen at their home after Taylor asked him to put down a knife around 11:30 p.m.


Taylor was taken to St. Mary Medical Center where he died of his injuries around 8 a.m. Thursday.


Police told the Bucks County Courier Times that Simpson later threatened to stab himself and wanted troopers to shoot him. They say he was found holding a large hunting knife to his throat.


Taylor is Bucks County's first homicide victim of 2015.


Court records didn't list a lawyer for Simpson.






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Life Lessons: From freelance to full-time

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Out of 53 million Americans, 34 percent of the workforce is freelancing.


That’s more than the population of 25 states!


Freelancers include anyone from contract workers to temps.


Hiring may be on the increase, but it’s still an employer’s market so we have some tips on how to turn your freelance gig into a full-time opportunity.


Freelancing may not be for everyone, but it can get your foot in the door of your dream job, giving you the chance to build your resume and a relationship with a company.


First off, always meet and beat your deadlines.


Every week ask if there is anything you can help with.


Ask your managers for advice on how to improve. Go to any and all company meetings you are invited to, even if it’s unpaid.


Always exude a positive attitude; even if you don’t get the job, they could end up as a reference.


Also remind your supervisors of your value by contributing to company goals, and make connections and friends within the company.


Great workers, contract or part-time, could persuade a company to free up budgets to allow for full-time positions.


Treat the freelance gig as a probationary period and work as if the job were permanent.


According to the freelance union, freelancers add $715 billion to the economy through their work.






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WEBCAST: Winter Storms Slam Southwest

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A winter mess has been slamming at least eight states on this busy holiday weekend. More than a foot of snow fell in northern Arizona over new year's.. bringing joy to ski resort operators.....


From: ABC News

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Sinking Spring YMCA goes hi-tech with new equipment

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The Sinking Spring YMCA, located in South Heidelberg Township, is using state of the art technology to help members fulfill a popular New Year's resolution, to lose weight.


The gym just received new shipment of treadmills, ellipticals and bicycles, all with state of the art technology.


The machines are made by PreCor.


"As long as you know how to use an iPad, it's relatively easy," said Rick Wagner, manager at the YMCA.


You simply connect your smart phone to the machine, and it keeps track of your goals, and makes sure you meet them during your training sessions.


The new machines were a big hit with the clientele.


"I like them a lot. They provide an opportunity to get a different type of work out," said Steve George.


"I think it will help a lot of people, bring a lot of new customers to the Y, and attract a lot of new faces," said Peter Gass.


Management says with the arrival of the new machines, they hope to keep customers coming back well into the New Year.






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Most Memorable 2014: Hail Storm

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Countless cars were totalled and roofs were ripped apart as a result of an unrelenting hail storm that hammered Berks County.



The storm's impact is still being felt, and the damage is just as visible now as it was seven months ago.



Thousands of vehicles were dinged and pinged by tiny bricks of hail, and many shops are still backlogged.



"We're still fixing hail cars," said Trevor Glass, with Glass & Sons Collision Center in Reading. "We have quite a bit in the shop now and we have quite a bit scheduled to come in through January and February."



It's been non-stop inside the shop on Lancaster Avenue. For the past seven months, workers have spent six to seven days a week repairing hail damaged cars, which is on top of their regular customers.



It all started May 22, 2014. Storm clouds appeared out of nowhere and then chunks of ice rained down over Berks County.



"When it first came it sounded like a train, it sounded like a train," said Jeff DeWald, who spoke to 69 News moments after the storm hit.



In the 700 block of Reading Avenue in West Reading, windshields were decimated and a strip of homes had their front windows blown out.



"My front window is smashed and then I looked out and I saw my car, and I was like please don't tell me that's what's happening and it was," said Sarah Pepe.



Skylights were shattered inside the Berkshire Mall in Wyomissing, and golf ball sized hail could be found on streets and sidewalks throughout the county.



The storm also had some expensive taste. Four-hundred Mercedes and BMW's were destroyed at a dealership on Lancaster Avenue in Reading, which totalled more than $10 million in damage.



Catastrophe tents were set up at several locations to help make repairs, and paintless dent repair workers were called in from across the country to keep up with demand.



Ever since the storm, roofers and construction crews have been cashing in. 69 News revisited the 700 block of Reading Avenue in West Reading, and it's now almost back to normal.



"It took awhile, it took a long time, every roof had to be done and windows had to be done, it was crazy," said DeWald.



The work continues, and it doesn't look like business will be slowing down any time soon.



"I think we're still going to be fixing hail cars through the summer of 2015," said Glass.






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Family rebuilds after devastating fire

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It is New Years Day, a time where families normally reflect on what they want to change in the new year.


But for the Reitnauers, they just want everything back to normal.



That is because just days before New Year's Eve last year, they suffered a devastating loss.



Flames ravaged their home in the 1700 block of Mt. Laurel Road in Muhlenberg Township.


They lost all of their belongings including their family pets; two dogs, two cats and a rat.



Investigators say an air conditioning unit sparked the fire.



"It was just total pretty much devastation. We we got there, when we saw the house, we don't even have a toothbrush," said Erin Reitnauer, the homeowner.



Watching it go up in flames was especially hard for Erin.


It was a home her grandfather had built in the late 1940s.


That is why they were determined to rebuild.



"There was a lot of ups and downs financially.


The community really came out and supported us.


We had a lot of help," said Jeffrey Reitnauer, the homeowner.



Help they say poured in from community members and local organizations like the Muhlenberg Police and Red Cross.



Most of 2014 was spent rebuilding.


They just got back into their house about three months ago.


Jeffrey loves the new wrap around porch.


But for Erin, it has been hard getting used to the new home because it is so different from what was there before.



"There is one spot in the basement that looks exactly the same as it did before.


So I would have to say that is my favorite spot," said Reitnauer.



Now the Reitnauer family is looking forward to a new year, in a new home with a fresh start.



"We are home now and we are starting off this new year as everything is fresh.


We are just going to go at it and keep going at it," said Reitnauer.






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Traditional Pennsylvania Dutch meal brings good luck for the New Year

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It's a dinner time Pennsylvania Dutch tradition on New Year's day.


Pork and sauerkraut, I know some people who were having that tonight!



Some people were eating it for good luck and some have other reasons.



If you want to keep moving forward and prosper in 2015.


This needs to be your dinner on January 1st.



"It's tradition." said Dan Heist as he ate at Allentown Brew Works. "It's Pennsylvania tradition and it's a good way to start off the new year."



Some have been eating pork and sauerkraut since they were children.


The sauerkraut according to tradition will bring blessings and wealth.



Eating pork brings good luck and well-being.


Also, the pig roots forward, which signifies moving forward in 2015.



Heist came back to Pennsylvania from New England to get his meal.



"They eat fish because it's the same kind of argument," added Heist. "Fishes keep moving forward so it's good luck. Instead of eating something from a cloven hoofed animal that scratches backwards."



For others it wasn't about tradition.



"I've been coming here for the last 3 or 4 years," said Adam Dunn from New Tripoli. "I just come for the all you can eat pork and kraut."



Jeffrey Mann is from Fairbanks, Alaska and didn't even know the meal he was eating will bring him good luck in 2015.



"Sounds good," said Banks. "Sounds like it fits with the day. We've already had an auspicious beginning to 2015."



No matter if you are eating one plate or four like Adam Dunn.


Eating the meal does invoke a feeling of hope and good fortune as the year goes on.



"I would want a healthy baby," said Dunn. "Because my wife is pregnant, she's due on February 25, so that would be what I want."






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Fire forces couple to start over in the New Year

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In the blink of an eye, the home Robert Rodriguez and Gianna Gambirini shared together in an apartment complex on Market Street in Bangor, was destroyed by raging flames.


The fire broke out on Wednesday morning at around 4 am, according to offiials. Four families are now displaced.


" We were like, oh my god, the house is on fire," said Gambirini.


When the fire first broke out, Gambirini and Rodriguez first grabbed their two young children, before heading out of the building.


"We just knew it was spreading fast," said Gambirini.


Gambrini and Rodriguez then noticed the family, living next door with young kids, was nowhere to be found. Rodriguez then went into the home to rescue the family.


No one was injured. The cause of the fire is still unknown.


Rodriguez and Gambirini lost everything, and are now forced to start over in the beginning of the new year.


"We have so much love coming to us," said Rodriguez. "So we will be ok."


The Red Cross is assisting all four displaced families.






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Abduction of a mother and children ends in a crash on the turnpike

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State Police in Wyoming have a suspect in custody who led police on a chase down the Pennsylvania Turnpike after allegedly abducting a mother and her two children from Luzerne County.


The chase began in Luzerne County Thursday afternoon when State Police from the Wyoming barracks were alerted to the abduction.


Luzerne County 911 Center said it is its policy not to release any information to the media and refused to disclose the time or location the initial incident call.


The chase ended in Carbon County at 4:23 pm when the suspect's vehicle crashed into the center concrete median along the southbound turnpike in Penn Forest Township, according to Carbon County Communications Center.


There were no injuries and the mother and children were safe Thursday evening, according to Wyoming State Police.


Check back for more information on this developing story.






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NJ minimum wage hike goes into effect

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The New Year is bringing with it several changes.. And a little more change in the pockets of New Jersey workers who make minimum wage. But will the hike hurt business owners?>> wendy davis: WFMZ's Will Lewis joins us now in the studio with more. People will see an increase in this year's minimum wage... And every year after.. thanks to legislation that was passed in 2013. The question now is will business owners be able to keep up?>> reporter It's a little more money to take to the bank for workers earning minimum wage in New Jersey. The hourly rate jumped from $8.25 and hour to $8.38..>> richard prisco, phillipsburg RESIDENT"It's better than nothing, but still people that make three or four hundred dollars a week can't afford to live off of that.">> stem"a increase is always good i think. It's low enough as it is.">> reporter The voter ballot initiative passed in 2013 is expected to help 176 thousand workers according to the New Jersey Policy Perspective.. But some businesses, like Shammy Shine in Phillipsburg, say they are already paying more than the minimum.>> michael stem, manager, shammy SHINE"It gives a little more incentive to do a good job.">> reporter The increase in minimum wage should be the first of many. The pay rate will increase each year as long at the Consumer Price Index rises. For the last five years the c-p-i has gone up at least one and a half percent. In 2011 the index jumped three percent. Meaning business owners already paying more than minimum wage now may have to give bigger raises down the line. If their budget allows it.>> STEM'We're always going up a little bit because as prices and the cost of living goes up, wages have to go up. It's just how it is." Those earning minimum wage won't get an increase if the Consumer Price Consumer Price Index stays the Index stays the same or we experience a year of deflation.>>> rob vaughn: living goes up, wages have to go up. It's just how it is." Those earning minimum wage won't get an increase if the Consumer Price Index stays the same or we experience a year of deflation.






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