Sleet, freezing rain wreak havoc on morning commute in Berks

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An icy blast created chaos on the roads in Berks County as many people headed out the door Monday morning.


Sleet and freezing rain made way for a messy Monday, which triggered several accidents. Cars struggled to gain traction as the ice covered area roads.


"It's weird. You just sit there and the brakes are on, but the truck just moves on its own," said Rocco Cipolla, whose van ended up in a ditch.


Cipolla was on his way to 24-7 Electric in Sinking Spring when he lost control. He was coming around a curve on Wheatfield Road in Spring Township when he hit a sheet of ice.


"I was coming down real slow and was practically stopped, but the truck just slid on its own uncontrollable," said Cipolla.


Minutes later, the slick street claimed another victim. Scott Heydt was headed from Lancaster to Sinking Spring when he ran into a detour. Part of Grings Hill Road was shut down because of the icy conditions. As Heydt made his way onto Wheatfield, he saw Cipolla's van and started to slide.


"You just feel helpless. It's a total loss of control and you're at the mercy of gravity at that point," said Heydt, who feared his car would end up in the creek.


Both vehicles barely missed a tree, and luckily the drivers were not hurt. Salt trucks were called in and a tow truck had to pull the vehicles out.


"Snow doesn't really bother me, but ice you can't do anything about," said Nathan Welker.


Several other accidents were reported around the county due to the conditions.






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Teen charged with assault, attempted robbery

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Police in Lehigh County have arrested a man in connection with an attempted robbery and assault at a local shopping center.


Officials say they stopped 18-year-old Zefon Davis in Allentown for an unrelated incident on Saturday night.


During the course of their investigation, police say they determined that Davis assaulted and tried to rob a person in the parking lot of the Crest Plaza Shopping Center in South Whitehall Township on January 5th.


Davis was arrested and charged with attempted robbery, theft and simple assault.






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WFMZ team earns honors at Ice Cream Wars 7.0

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WFMZ took home the "Best In Class" award at a record-breaking day at the Da Vinci Science Center’s Ice Cream Wars 7.0 this weekend.


Several teams brought their own flavor combinations to the center at 3145 Hamilton Boulevard Bypass in South Whitehall Township, Lehigh County, on Saturday.


The "Best In Class" award was judged by a panel of local "foodies" and was given to the team with the best recipe. The WFMZ winning recipe was "Nutella Loves Pretzel."


The WFMZ team -- along with eight other teams from regional and global companies -- created instant treats for visitors using liquid nitrogen.


The event was also hosted by WFMZ's very own Will Lewis!


The team from ATAS International, Inc. took first in the event with its winning recipe called "Leonardo da Minty."


The top treat included brownies, mint M&M candies, and mint chocolate flavoring.


It was a popular event, bringing in a new single-day attendance record at the center.


the Center set a new single-day record for visitation.


According to Da Vinci officials, a total of 1,345 visitors packed the center on Saturday.


The previous record was 1,256 visitors on Feb. 17, 2013.






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Freezing rain causes accidents across region

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at Noon starts right now. >>>eve tannery: First at Noon...sleet and freezing rain are causing a messy Monday across the region. Some roads turned into a sheet of ice.>>JACIEL cordoba: It came at the worst possible time...during the morning commute.>>>JACIEL cordoba: WFMZ's Ryan Hughes is live in Spring Township, Berks County with the latest on the conditions. Ryan? Accidents all across the area. Skating rink Road crews out salting. >> nat: >> reporter: Cars were slipping and sliding...struggling to gain traction as a blast of ice covered area roads.>> rocco: "It's weird you just sit there the brakes on and the truck just moves on it's own." >> reporter: Rocco Cipolla's van ended up off the road in a ditch on his way into the office. He was coming around a curve on Wheatfield Road in Spring Township when he hit a sheet of ice...and lost control.>> rocco: "i was coming down real slow practically stopped and the truck just slid on its own uncontrollable.">> reporter: Minutes later...the slick street claimed another victim. Scott Heydt was heading from Lancaster to Sinking Spring when he ran into this detour. Part of Grings Hill Road was shut down because of icy conditions. And as he made his way onto Wheatfield..he saw the van...then started to slide.>> scott: "You just feel helpless it's a total loss of control and you're at the mercy of gravity at that point.">> reporter: Both vehicles barely missed hitting a tree.>> nat: >> reporter: Salt trucks were called in and a tow truck had to pull the vehicles out.>> nathan: "Snow doesn't really bother me..ice you can't do anything about. You just never know? Yeah." Luckily they were not hurt. Schools closed. >>>jaciel cordoba: It was a slippery start to the work week here in the Lehigh Valley as well. Lots of folks started the morning by salting the sidewalks and scraping off their cars. a number of schools were closed for the day...including here at Donegal Elementary in Bethlehem... And people everywhere were taking it






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Police: three men shot at Pocono motel

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Police in the Poconos are trying to piece together a shooting that landed three men in the hospital.


Officials say it happened Friday night, at the Travel Lodge on Route 611 in Paradise Township, Monroe County.


When police arrived on the scene, they say they found two men who had been shot. The first victim, a 20-year-old man from Lumberton, N.C., had been shot in the abdomen. The other man, a 39-year-old, also from Lumberton, had been shot in the lower back.


Both men were taken to Pocono Medical Center for treatment.


While at the scene of the shooting, police were alerted that a third victim, a 41-year-old male from Lumberton, had walked into the hospital with a gunshot wound to the chest.


Police say the men all worked together, and had been doing construction for the new Kalahari Water Park.


Police say all parties involved in the shooting have been accounted for, but the investigation is ongoing.






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Berks lawmaker to host child abuse prevention seminar

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A Berks County lawmaker who has shared his story of being sexually abused as a child will host a seminar in hopes of preventing others from becoming victims.


Pa. Rep. Mark Rozzi will host the free event on Jan. 22 from 6:30 p.m. until 8:30 p.m. at the Muhlenberg Middle School, 801 Bellevue Ave., Laureldale.


The seminar, Rozzi said, will teach parents how to prevent, recognize and react to child sexual abuse.


Offered by Darkness to Light and the Berks County YMCA, the training session will feature a combination of survivor stories, expert advice and practical guidance, Rozzi said.


"I am proud to partner with Darkness to Light to open the conversation on this tragic topic. As difficult as it is to discuss, we have to bring it to the forefront to better protect children from abuse and to help those who have been abused," Rozzi explained. "Prevention education is essential to breaking the cycle of abuse."


Rozzi came forward in 2009 to share his own experience of being sexually abused by a priest when he was 13 years old. Since his election to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives in 2012, he has fought to help other victims of child sexual abuse.






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Health Beat: MRI movie goggles for kids

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Koral Del Mar Rivera is learning about MRI. The imaging test can sound scary, but once kids are prepared, it doesn’t have to be.


The "MR-I Am Ready" program teaches kids and their parents what to expect.


"When she got here, she was nervous. I was super nervous, too," Yvonne Fernandez, Koral's mother, said.


Now, the dreaded experience can be fun, thanks to new MRI movie goggles.


"I think it's making a huge difference. There's a lot of noise and banging," explained Suzanne Scott, multi-modality technologist of pediatric imaging for Wolfson Children's Hospital.


Scott said the Cinemavision goggles help immerse kids in a movie and stay still without sedation.


"Around four to five years old, we're seeing some children can get through their MRI for that at that age, which is huge, because pretty much they were looking at sedating anyone under 10," Scott explained.


"I heard noises and I heard the movie," Koral Del Mar said.


The goggles helped Koral Del Mar's mom, too.


"I started crying when I saw her in the donut hole, but when I saw her relax, I said, OK. I'm good now,'" said Fernandez.


An MRI can sometimes last up to three hours. The MRI Cinemavision goggles are now being made available to adults who suffer from claustrophobia in some centers around the U.S.






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Health Beat: Stroke care on the go: tPA

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Every 40 seconds, someone in the United States suffers a stroke.


"My left arm and part of my face were numb and tingling, and when I went to stand up to dress myself, I fell right to the floor," Brad Fahrenkamp recalled of his stroke.


"It never occurred to me that it could possibly be a stroke. It didn't even cross my mind," said Jessie Porter, another stroke patient.


But getting treatment quickly can make all the difference.


Dr. Peter Rasmussen, a neurosurgeon at the Cleveland Clinic, said the life-saving drug tPA must be delivered within four-and-a-half hours or less of a stroke, and the sooner the better.


"Unfortunately in the United States, only between three- and eight-percent of Americans get tPA if they're having a stroke," Rasmussen said.


Doctors at the Cleveland Clinic are trying to change that with a new mobile stroke unit. It travels to the emergency scene when a stroke is suspected.


"I can't really think of a faster way that you could deliver stroke care to a patient," Rasmussen said.


The unit is equipped with a CT scanner. The mobile team can scan a patient's brain and perform lab tests right away. The results are sent to a neurologist at the hospital, who can make a diagnosis via a broadband telemedicine link. The on-board staff can then deliver treatment before the patient even gets to the emergency room.


"We're able to initiate therapy at the scene immediately," Rasmussen explained.


Preliminary studies show the mobile unit is working. Less than 10-percent of patients nationwide receive tPA. With the mobile unit, more than 30-percent are getting the drug.


"I'm convinced this is a better way to deliver stroke care to the people of this country," Rasmussen said.


It's stroke care on the go that could save lives.


The Cleveland Clinic implemented the mobile stroke unit after visiting a hospital in Berlin that used a similar technique. That hospital was able to cut down on the time it took to deliver tPA by more than 30 minutes.


The unit costs a little less than $1 million, and it will likely cost about $1 million a year to staff it, but doctors say it may actually be a money-saver if it can help prevent more stroke patients from needing rehabilitation or life-long nursing care.






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Health Beat: Ebola: What you need to know

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There's been just a handful of Ebola cases in the United States, but they've led to near hysteria in some places. Now, at the height of flu season, experts believe there could be even more concern, but just how concerned do we really need to be?


To find out, we caught up with Dr. Robert Finberg, an infectious disease expert at UMass Medical School.


"We're obviously quite concerned about controlling it, but I think we are prepared to do that," Finberg said.


There are many questions and speculations surrounding the virus, like can you catch Ebola by breathing it in?


"If people want to be reassured, it's spread by contact," Finberg explained. "It's not airborne, so therefore being on a plane with somebody with Ebola is not a big risk."


Finberg said you must have direct contact with someone's bodily fluids in order to contract Ebola.


"Flu, on the other hand, you can get because somebody sneezes on you in a plane," he said.


In reality, the flu is a lot more common than Ebola.


"In terms of the magnitude, 50,000 to 100,000 people will die every year of flu in the United States," Finberg said.


So far, two people have died with Ebola in the U.S., but could Ebola mutate and become airborne?


"Any virus could do anything, and frankly, we're all at risk for some new virus, but there's no particular reason to be worried that this one will all of the sudden mutate and become much more virulent," Finberg said.


Something else you may not know is that Ebola can be sexually transmitted and survive up to 90 days in a man's semen, even after he's recovered from the virus.


DOWNLOAD and VIEW research summary and an in-depth interview with the doctor






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Police arrest 8 in Schuylkill drug sweep

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Eight people are facing multiple charges after a drug sweep in Schuylkill County Monday morning.


Around 7 a.m. officers from the Tamaqua Police Department, along with the Schuylkill County Drug Task Force, Rush Township Police and a Pa. state police K-9 unit conducted a bust after a six-month investigation, which ran June-November 2014.


According to police, the following were arrested:


Sara R. Lucykanish, 20, Lehighton, Carbon County

Derek M. Hunsicker, 26, Tamaqua, Schuylkill County

Joel T. Vermillion, 24, Tamaqua

Francisco Aponte Jr., 24, Tamaqua

Elizabeth Tansley, 26, Tamaqua

Kevin J. Tansley, 28, Tamaqua

Zachary D. Hoffman, 23, Tamaqua

Daniel M. Fink, 31, Lehighton


Each one faces charges including delivery of a controlled substance, possession of a controlled substance, possession with intent to deliver a controlled sbustance and criminal use of a communication facility.


The drugs involved were heroin and methamphetamine.






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Music Monday: New West Guitar Group

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For 10 years, New West Guitar Group has been performing their original compositions and arrangements of popular songs across the globe!



They're in Pennsylvania because they're gearing up for a big gig in the Poconos.



WFMZ's Eve Tannery welcomed them to our studio for Music Monday to give us a little preview.



Click the video link attached to hear the guys perform LIVE.


(See New West Guitar at Mauch Chuck Opera House on Saturday, January 17!)






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Crayola apologizes for Facebook hack

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Crayola is apologizing after hackers filled its Facebook page with off-color content.


The Forks Township, Pennsylvania-based crayon and marker manufacturer regained control of the page late Sunday and removed the offending posts.


Instead of burnt sienna and cerulean blue, the page's 2.4 million followers saw cartoon breasts and sophomoric sex jokes.


Crayola tweeted at 6:42 p.m. Sunday that it was aware of the hack and ``making every effort to stop the unauthorized posts.''


The company tweeted an apology at 9:19 p.m. and posted to Facebook at 10:17 p.m. that it had restored the page to its usual family friendliness.


"Our sincere apologies to our Facebook community for the inappropriate and offensive posts you may have seen here," the post said.


Crayola LLC is a subsidiary of Hallmark Cards, Inc.






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College Football Championship 2015: Quarterback Cardale Jones vs. Marcus Mariota

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Cardale Jones and Marcus Mariota, two quarterbacks, compete tonight for the championship. One's a Heisman winner, the other is an unlikely starter. University of Oregon will play Ohio State...


From: ABC News

Views: 10


1 ratings

Time: 02:18 More in News & Politics






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PennDOT reduces speeds on area roadways

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PennDOT is helping remind motorists to slow down by reducing speed limits on area roads Monday.


Due to Monday's freezing rain, PennDOT is temporarily cutting the speed on highways in the Poconos.


In addition to speed limits of 45 mph for Interstates 80, 81, 84 and 380 in Lackawanna, Luzerne and Pike counties, there's also restrictions on I-380 in Monroe County.


Officials urge motorists to avoid unnecessary travel.


PennDOT will continue to treat roadways throughout the storm until precipitation stops and roads are clear.


According to WFMZ meteorologists,there's a Winter Weather Advisory for Carbon, Monroe and Sussex counties in effect until 5 p.m.






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