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The Alvernia men beat Albright 75-68 Wednesday night at Alvernia's Jack McCloskey Court, while the Albright women beat Alvernia 70-68 at the buzzer.
Harrison Deyo was one of four Crusaders in double-figures in the men's game, scoring 20 points to tie for the game-high.
Albright's DeJuan Smith also finished with 20 points.
In the women's game, Albright built a double-digit second half lead, only to see Alvernia battle back and tie the game with just 3.3 seconds left.
But Shannon Thomas hit a running shot at the buzzer to give the Lions the win.
Customers of Big Woody's in Forks Twp. can now order beer for delivery with their pizza and wings, starting Wednesday.
Big Woody's received its "transportation for hire" license on Tuesday and expects to receive a second license for its South Fourth Street location any day now.
A transportation for hire license allows stores to sell up to two six-packs of 16 oz beer with any delivery that goes out.
About a month ago, the State of Pennsylvania Bureau of Liquor Control Enforcement issued an opinion stating that so long as the sale is made on the premisses of a business, the delivery of beer is legal.
That ruling means that the sale must be paid for by credit or debit card beforehand and cannot take place where the beer is delivered.
Some local businesses called the ruling "a game-changer," hoping that the move will lead to a boost in sales.
The Hershey Bears blew away the Phantoms Wednesday night, cruising to a 7-2 victory at the PPL Center in Allentown.
The Bears scored three times in the first period and three more in the second en route to the easy win.
After Petr Straka scored the first goal of the game for the Phantoms, Hershey responded with seven unanswered goals.
The two teams racked up 95 penalty minutes in the game, including a number of fights.
The Phantoms fall six points behind the Bears in the AHL East Division standings, and fall to 3-4 against the rival Bears this season.
The Lehigh men beat Navy at Stabler Arena Wednesday night, while the Mountain Hawk women lost to Navy on the road.
Brandon Alston led the Lehigh offense, scoring 10 of his team-high 14 points in the first half.
Tim Kempton had 10 points and nine rebounds for the Mountain Hawks.
Lehigh evens its record at 9-9 overall and 3-4 in Patriot League play with the win.
The Lehigh women suffered a tough loss on the road at Navy, falling 47-44 in Annapolis, Maryland.
Lexi Martins had 13 points and 11 rebounds to lead Lehigh, while Kerry Kinek aded nine points and 11 rebounds.
The Mountain Hawks drop to 12-5 overall and 4-3 in Patriot League play.
The Lehigh men will visit arch-rival Lafayette Saturday afternoon, while the Lehigh women will host Lafayette Sunday afternoon.
A single car crash killed a passenger Wednesday in Pocono Township.
According to Pocono Township police, the driver of a Nissan Altima lost control while heading east on Cherry Lane Church Road at about 5:57 pm when and left the roadway.
The car struck a utility pole and some boulders, ejecting two people from the vehicle, including a passenger who died at the scene, police said.
The driver and a second passenger were taken to area hospitals, their conditions were not known late Wednesday, police said.
The identification of the deceased was pending notification of their next of kin, police said.
It's a growing problem around the country and right here in our area.
People are stealing sewer grates, causing taxpayer a lot of money and creating a dangerous atmosphere.
The grates weigh about 100 pounds, cost roughly $400 to replace, but only cash in for a few bucks.
That's not stopping thieves from stealing the grates and taking them to scrap yards.
Just this week, police say two brothers took nearly $500,000 worth of sewer grates from the Philadelphia area and sold them for pennies on the dollar.
Michael Alkahl is the director of public works for the city of Bethlehem and said, "They did a lot of work for not a lot of pay probably."
Police said the brothers sold them for $9 each.
Alkahl said there was a rash of sewer grate thefts in the city.
About 60 were stolen, leaving open holes in sidewalks and streets, creating a dangerous atmosphere and costing taxpayers about $15,000 to replace them.
Someone was arrested in that case, thanks to workers at H. Blinderman and Son, INC in Hellertown.
The scrap yard's system helped track down the thief for police.
Brian Kozlowski works at the business and said, "Somebody was stealing storm grates in the city of Bethlehem like crazy. Who caught them, look at me, I did."
When materials come into the scrap yard workers grade, weigh, and photograph them, then the customer must show a valid ID.
Kozlowski said without a picture, the customer will not get any money.
The ID is scanned and stays in the computer forever.
He said, "People didn't realize that they were going to have to give this kind of personal information to sell scrap and some of the stuff is very obviously stolen."
Alkahl said the city doesn't have a problem anymore, but leaders will look into the issue as needed.
A music teacher in the Poconos, accused of having sex with a former student, turned himself in on Wednesday morning.
Brandon Flatley, 39, appeared before a Monroe County judge for his arraignment on 12 felony charges.
The elementary school teacher is accused of having a sexual relationship with a now 17-year-old high school girl.
According to police, Flatley met the girl during his first year of teaching at Stroudsburg Intermediate Elementary School in 2007.
The female student was 10.
According to court records, the 4th grade teacher became Facebook friends with the girl in April 2013, when she was 15.
The pair reportedly exchanged more than 90,000 messages in an 18-month period. Police say Flatley repeatedly told the girl he loved her and wanted her sexually.
From there, police say it transpired to inappropriate photos and audio recordings over the social media site.
Flatley is also accused of having a FaceTime conversation with the girl while he was in the shower.
Three months ago, police say the father-of-two and teenage girl started a physical relationship.
The pair allegedly had oral sex in Flatley's on campus office in Stroud Township during school hours.
Investigators say it happened more than once.
It also allegedly happened at a home in Hamilton Township.
"A lot of kids in school are talking about it. We all used to have him, it's just mind-blowing," said Andrew Valentin, a former student of Flatley's.
The allegations aren't sitting well with parents either.
"I'm very upset about it. It was not right," said Dawn Mckerna.
"Shocked, speechless. You'd rather have your kids home-schooled than sending them to school," said Amy Hallinan.
In court Wednesday, a district judge ordered Flatley to stay off the internet except for work purposes.
He's also not allowed to communicate with the victim or other minors other than his kids.
Bail is set at $75,000.
Flatley passed a criminal background check and child abuse clearance prior to his hiring as the strings music instructor, according to school district officials.
Flatley was in charge of about 120-students. He was also involved with the music program at the junior high and high school.
The Stroudsburg School District placed Flatley on unpaid leave shortly after the allegations came to light in December 2014.
The school board is expected to vote on his permanent termination at a regularly scheduled meeting in February.
The Oley Valley wrestling team has spent this season surprising Berks County wrestling fans.
The Lynx have a new coach and were supposed to be in a rebuilding mode.
Instead, they've lost only one league game all year, and have knocked off perennial powers Brandywine and Wilson.
And if Oley Valley can beat Schuylkill Valley on Thursday, it will lock up the No. 2 seed in Berks II in Saturday's BCIAA tournament.
The Freedom wrestling team is putting together the greatest season in school history.
The Patriots have posted a 21-0 overall record, including a perfect 6-0 mark in the EPC.
But that undefeated record will be tested in a huge 24-hour span this weekend.
Freedom will wrestle at perennial power Easton Friday night before facing Liberty in a rivalry matchup on Saturday.
On average, Americans eat about a pound of chocolate a month, so about 12 pounds a year.
To get to the bar, you have to go back to the bean.
"Chocolate: The Exhibition" at the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University in Philadelphia starts in the rainforest, where you'll find the tropical cacao tree and its pods, better known as chocolate.
As soon as you walk in, you'll smell it. They pump in the sweet smell of chocolate.
While you try to take a whiff, let's get back to basics.
"I think a lot of people don't even know that chocolate comes from a plant, and especially a crazy plant like this one," said Mary Bailey, special exhibits education coordinator. "I just think it's fascinating that we ever took something like this and turned it into a chocolate bar."
Records date back 5,000 years, and in MesoAmerica, warriors would drink it before battle. Mayans would whip up the bitter concoction for their kings and queens, and you can blame your modern day chocolate habit on monkeys.
"The reason why we think that they even started consuming it is because they saw monkeys eating it and they weren't poisoned, so they knew it was safe to eat," Bailey explained.
From consumption to currency, the Aztecs even used cacao seeds to pay their taxes. Eventually, sugar was added and Europeans made chocolate mainstream.
Chocolate houses predate coffee houses.
In all this time, the process to get to the good stuff remains relatively the same.
Perhaps, it's even more important then to know how it all began and how to keep it going.
Plans are moving forward for the St. Joseph Regional Health Network to become part of the Penn State Health system.
Officials from each entity met to discuss their vision on Wednesday afternoon at the St. Joseph Medical Center in Bern Township.
"I know this, Berks County will be a better place to live, work and play because of [the acquisition]," said Bruce Smith, chairman of the St. Joseph Regional Health Network Board of Directors.
Smith and other medical leaders noted that the acquisition will improve health care and provide it more affordably by combining resources.
According to Dr. Craig Hillemeier, CEO of Penn State Hershey Medical Center and Health System, jobs are not expected to be cut. In fact, he told 69 News the expansion will likely result in more hiring, particularly for IT positions.
Further, he noted that physicians won't be shuffled around, although the acquisition will provide "opportunities to grow their practices."
After discussions, medical leaders were taken on a tour of the medical center's newly renovated and expanded cancer/infusion center, the product of a long-standing relationship between the two health systems.
The improvement, according to officials, is just an example of those to come with the official partnership.
"This will really be a major, significant move for Berks County," said John Morahan, CEO of St. Joseph Regional Health Network.
Officials did note, however, that there are challenges ahead.
In order for the acquisition to become official, it must still be approved by the Pennsylvania attorney general and the Federal Trade Commission.
That is expected to take place in the coming weeks, according to Hillemeier.
The Lafayette women fell to Holy Cross 64-46 in a Wednesday morning matchup at the Kirby Sports Center.
Anna Ptasinski had 13 points to lead the Leopards offensively.
Emily Homan had 12 points and 10 rebounds, while Maddie Peabody added 10 points.
The loss drops the Leopards to 10-8 overall, 3-4 in the Patriot League, and 6-2 at home.
Bob Benner loves taking an active role in his son's sports. Right now, Benner, 53, is sidelined, recovering from a life-threatening condition.
"Pounding headaches. The sun hurt. Hit a bump in the car, it hurt. Headaches all the time," Benner said.
Doctors diagnosed Benner with cancer in his back, and another tumor deep in his brain. The idea of brain surgery was frightening.
"Are you going to be able to talk afterwards? Walk?" said Benner. "Are you going to lose your sight?"
A new tool is now giving surgeons options where none had existed before. The brain path allows doctors to reach deep areas in the brain, without disturbing critical nerves and tissues.
Using computerized mapping of the brain, surgeons make a small opening and insert the tube.
"The brain is not a smooth surface, so we then go through one of the valleys of the brain," said Dr. Jeroen Coppens, department of neurosurgery specializing in vascular neurosurgery and neurooncology at St. Louis University Hospital.
Doctors can see the tumor using cameras in a port. The brain path also allows doctors to remove the lesion.
"The tumors can be anything from the size of a pea to the size of a golf ball," Coppens explained.
When doctors remove the tumor and the brain path, the brain tissues move back into place leaving just a small scar.
Benner's cancer is in remission. Now, he's looking forward to cheering on his son next season.
Doctors said the brain path can also be used effectively for patients with hemorrhagic or bleeding stroke, which can result in brain damage, paralysis, or death.
DOWNLOAD and VIEW research summary and an in-depth interview with the doctor
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie is introducing himself to Washington lawmakers as he considers jumping into the presidential contest.
Christie attended a meet-and-greet with House Republicans on Capitol Hill early Wednesday morning.
Attendees at the event said he spoke about a range of issues, including national security and the economy. They said he also encouraged members to pass legislation, even if they don't believe the president will sign it.
Christie was in town to attend the swearing-in of Maryland's new Republican Gov. Larry Hogan. Christie introduced Larry Hogan on Wednesday before Hogan delivered his inaugural address outside the statehouse in Annapolis.
Christie said Hogan will work to help people keep more of the money they earn. Christie also said he likes Hogan because he's blunt and direct but also able to bring people together.
The appearance marked the last stop of Christie's victory tour celebrating candidates he helped elect in his former role as chairman of the Republican Governors Association.
Hogan was one of the most unexpected winners.
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A verdict has been reached in the trial of former Philadelphia Sportscaster Don Tollefson.
The jury began deliberations Tuesday night, and Wednesday afternoon, it reached a verdict. Tollefson was found guilty on all counts.
Tollefson has represented himself in the fraud trial that started in early January in Bucks County.
He is accused of pocketing hundreds of thousands of dollars meant to be donations.
Tollefson says he was battling drug and alcohol addictions.
WFMZ's Bo Koltow will have more coming up tonight on 69 News at 6:00.
Two people are under arrest and a third is being sought on murder charges in the deadly shooting of a man in Reading last year.
Hector Mattei-Santiago and Ayannia Martin were apprehended early Wednesday morning; Raymond Martinez III remains at large.
All three suspects stand accused in the shooting death of John Villarreal inside a first floor apartment at 817 Green St. in Reading on Nov. 7, 2014.
Anyone who knows of Martinez's whereabouts is asked to call Crime Alert Berks County at 877-373-9913. A cash reward is being offered for information that leads to his arrest.
