Cam Richardson commits to play at Lehigh

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For the last four years, football fans at Northwestern have been able to enjoy the exploits of Cam Richardson. He's been one of the area's most productive players, making plays in a number of different ways, and helping to make the Tigers a district championship team. Now, Richardson has decided to play his college football at Lehigh. Richardson follows in the path of his high school head coach Josh Snyder who also went from the Tigers to Lehigh and had a standout career. Richardson is a dynamic weapon, and should fit nicely into what Lehigh likes to do with the football. Richardson will make it official on National Signing Day February 4th.






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Lehigh men travel to Bucknell to finish first half of league

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The first half of the Patriot League basketball schedule wraps up tomorrow night, then it's on to round two of league play. Lehigh's men are making things interesting lately, they've earned some big wins and they have a chance to get another tomorrow. The Mountain Hawks travel to Bucknell to play at Sojka Pavilion where it's always tough to win. Bucknell is in a first place tie with Colgate, so Lehigh can make up some ground with a win. But that won't be easy against the Bison in their building, but the Mountain Hawks have done their homework and they think they have a game plan that will work.






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NY man charged in deaths of three teens killed in car crash

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Michael Ware, 53 of New York, waived his right to a preliminary hearing at Wayne County Court on Tuesday.



He is charged in connection with an August accident that killed three 15-year-old boys from Bucks County.



According to authorities, Ware was not in the car, but he did give his daughter permission to drive his car that day.



She drove 5 friends to a local BBQ joint in Paupack Township.



According to authorities the deadly crash happened on Goosepond Road, on the way home from the outing on August 30.



Ware says he didn't even know his daughter took the keys to the car that day.



Ware is facing charges of involuntary man slaughter and recklessly endangering another person.

Police say the 15-year-old daughter may also face charges. She is a minor, so these details are sealed to the public.






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Death camp liberator shares story of Holocaust experience

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At 21 years of age, Army Private Donald Burdick had already seen death.


A member of Patton's third division, he fought in the Battle of the Bulge and landed on Utah Beach in June 1944, but he said nothing could prepare him for what he saw when he liberated Dachau concentration camp outside Munich, Germany.


"I had no idea what had happened here. Couldn't stand the smell. It really got to you," said Burdick, who now lives in Forks Township, Northampton County.


Burdick said his convoy stopped outside the camp, next to a long line of railroad cars.


"All those railroad cars, roughly between 25, 30 cars, which was some of the pictures that I have, were all full of dead bodies," recalled Burdick.


Burdick had a camera with him.


"We had to go through those cars, seeing if any SS troopers were hid under any of those bodies, trying to get away," said Burdick.


Burdick said some of the troops were vomiting because of what they were seeing, and the farther they went, the worse it got. He said he will never forget what he found when he walked into the gas chambers.


"Blood, urine and feces all over the place. Dead bodies intermingled, and the smell, if you can imagine," said Burdick.


It was an experience Burdick shut away when he returned home. He got married, had a family and became a biology teacher, but all the while, the memories of Dachau were in the back of his head.


"For a while, I couldn't even talk about it, but then I got listening to people saying the Holocaust never existed, and that go a little bit under the skin," said Burdick. "I know it was real because I saw it. For me, that was the worst of the worst."


That prompted Burdick to start talking about what he saw, to share his memories with others as part of The Holocaust Resource Center of the Lehigh Valley's education program.


Burdick said his words aren't just a history lesson, but a life lesson on how to stand up and stop everyday cruelties before they metastasize into something horrific.


"People should know, know the signs of something like this when it's happening," said Burdick.


By spreading the word, Burdick said he hopes he can help ensure atrocities like those of Nazi Germany never happen again.






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New initiative exceeding expectations of some in Allentown

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Ditching the cash appears to be paying off for some businesses in downtown Allentown.


"We've sold $95,000 worth of cards in four months," said Mitch Hanna, manager, Allentown Main Street, referring to the AMP card.


Announced in September, the card is a downtown Allentown gift card that can be used at 40 different stores and restaurants. It has exceeded expectations.


"More convenient for them, more convenient for us," said Wafy Khoury, Bon Appetite Cafe, adding that as many as 15 AMP cards are used daily at the Ninth and Hamilton streets location.


It's a mixed bag, however, for many merchants in this section of Allentown. Businesses must pay a yearly fee of $75 to $150. More than a few said their investment hasn't exactly paid off. One restaurant told 69 News that an AMP card has been used only once since September.


"We're still in the beginning stages of it, and many not sure what it is," said Jesse Albertson, general manager, Allentown Brew Works.


Albertson said the restaurant is starting to see more and more of the cards. He's optimistic about its future.


"As more restaurants open up, more stores use the AMP card, the more people will be on board and the better it will be," Albertson said.


Easton launched a similar program in 2013. To date, $55,000 worth of cards have been sold, but Easton doesn't have corporate headquarters like PPL or National Penn Bank.


Hanna said the cards are helping to merge the old and the new of the city.


"The goal is to unite the businesses in downtown, " he added.






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State legislators schedule meeting about gas pipeline

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An informational meeting on the proposed 100-mile-long pipeline that would run through Northampton County has been scheduled for next week in Bath.


Co-hosted by State Reps. Marcia Hahn (R-Nazareth) and Julie Harhart (R-Northampton), the meeting will begin at 6:30 p.m. Feb. 5 in Covenant United Methodist Church, 2715 Mountain View Drive, Bath.


"Even though construction on this project is tentatively set to begin in 2017, the subject has caused a great deal of concern among our constituents," Harhart said in a news release.


"We want to provide a forum where information can be disseminated and residents in the construction area can get answers to their questions."


"A Power Point on the project will be presented, and a local attorney will discuss the rights of property owners," added Hahn.


"There will be plenty of time for questions to be asked. We're expecting a full house and anyone planning to attend can access the meeting area in the church as early as 5:30 p.m."


The controversial pipeline would transport natural gas from near Wilkes-Barre to Woodland, N.J., passing through Carbon and Northampton counties along the way.


It is estimated to take seven months to complete and create about 2,000 jobs.


Questions may be directed to Harhart's district offices in Northampton (610-502-2701) and Slatington (610-760-9805) or Hahn's Bushkill Township district office (610-746-2100).






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Berks lawmaker backs bill to legalize medical marijuana

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Gov. Tom Wolf gave an impromptu audience to parents of children who are suffering daily from debilitating seizures and is vowing to sign a medical marijuana bill that senators are writing.


Tuesday's greeting in Wolf's Capitol offices followed a news conference at which Sens. Daylin Leach, a Delaware County Democrat, and Mike Folmer, a Lebanon County Republican, said they plan to broaden their legislation that overwhelmingly passed the Senate last fall.


That bill was opposed by then-Gov. Tom Corbett and it died when the House didn't act on it at the end of the legislative session.


"This treatment is legitimate, its time has come, and our medical professionals ought to have the opportunity to prescribe it as they see fit for patients with many different kinds of illness," said Pa. Sen. Judy Schwank, D-Berks County, who spoke out in support of the legislation Tuesday.


The senators' new bill would expand the list of authorized medical conditions to give doctors more leeway. They also plan to expand drug delivery methods to include smoking and vaporization, as well as extracted oils, edible products, ointments and tinctures.


After visiting a medical marijuana dispensary in New Jersey last week, Schwank said her understanding deepened on how Tetrahydrocannabinol works and how it can be supervised and managed.


"What I learned is the use of medical cannabis can be done legally similar to any other pharmaceutical," Schwank said. "The chemical can be tracked from the growth stage all the way to dispensing. There can be state oversight, as required, to make sure that people are able to use this and... they get a safe dosage."


The bill has been referred to the Senate State Government Committee, in which Folmer serves as chairman.






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Police release list of items found in hangar

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>>> jaciel cordoba: Officials in Monroe County are releasing more information about Eric Frein's time as a fugitive. Police released the results this morning of a search warrant conducted on the airplane hangar in Monroe County where Frein was ught last week. The report details more than a hundred items recovered during the search ... including food, water, candles, flashlights and lots of other supplies. Police say they also found religious books, note pads and composition books with writings in them. Yesterday police say they found a laptop computer and two storage drives that he used to connect to the internet while he was at large. Frein is accused of killing one state trooper and wounding another during an ambush at the Blooming Grove barracks in Pike County on September






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Health Beat: Statins: A 2nd opinion

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"My legs were so sore that, by the end of the day, I could barely stand," said Katherine Gutman.


But now, Gutman, 52, is eating healthy, exercising and painting again. Her doctor attributes her better health to getting off statin drugs.


"We went the statin route to try and lower my cholesterol," Gutman explained.


But according to Dr. Barbara H. Roberts, associate clinical professor of medicine at Alpert Medical School of Brown University and author of The Truth about Statins, the drugs can lead patients down a dangerous road.


"The truth about statins is that their benefits are vastly exaggerated and their dangers are highly underplayed," Roberts said.


Roberts said the side-effects, especially in women, include an increase in developing diabetes, muscle pain and weakness, kidney and liver damage, and cataracts, but the American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association recommend statins for millions who have or are at-risk for heart disease, saying in a news release, "No other cholesterol-lowering drug is as effective as statins."


"The vast majority of people who are put on statins, about 75 percent of them, are not put on it because they have vascular disease; they are put on it because they have risk factors," Roberts explained.


And Roberts argues those risk factors can be reduced by eating a Mediterranean diet, exercising, reducing stress, maintaining a normal weight and not smoking.


"I feel pretty lucky because my cholesterol really responded," said Gutman.


Without statins, Gutman's cholesterol levels went from 290 to 150, and she's feeling better than ever statin-free.


Roberts said the latest recommendations to put more people on statins are even more detrimental to women because they were under represented in clinical studies to evaluate statins.


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National Weather Service forecaster tweets apology for errant forecast

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The snowstorm that moved through the Northeast wasn't as bad as expected -- at least in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York -- and now, a top weather forecaster is apologizing.


Gary Szatkowski of the National Weather Service in New Jersey posted a message on his Twitter page that said, "My deepest apologies to many key decision makers and so many members of the general public."


He added, "You made a lot of tough decisions expecting us to get it right, and we didn't. Once again, I'm sorry."


Szatkowski was called a hero of Superstorm Sandy in 2012.


An official at the agency's office in Mount Holly said forecasters will take a closer look at how they handled the snowstorm, and, in his words, "see what we can do better next time."


Pennsylvania had activated 150 members of the National Guard, and New Jersey had put a statewide travel ban into effect as the storm approached.


Gov. Chris Christie said the latter action was "absolutely the right decision to make" in light of the dire forecast.


Some New Yorkers are wondering why the city shut down as the storm approached.


Susanne Payot, a cabaret singer whose rehearsal Tuesday was canceled, said she's "just surprised and laughing out loud." She said of the snow that fell, "This is nothing."


While the blizzard may have missed much of the Mid-Atlantic, it has been hammering parts of New England.






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Northampton County coroner called to Portland

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Northampton County's coroner has been called to Portland in the northeastern section of the county, where searchers have been looking for a missing person around the pedestrian bridge over the Delaware River.


State police have been looking for a missing person in that area Tuesday.


Stick with Channel 69 News and wfmz.com as this story develops.






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Confessed killer testifies against man with bodies in yard

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A key prosecution witness said Tuesday that he agreed to help a Pennsylvania man kill a pharmacist and the pharmacist's girlfriend as part of a robbery plot.


Paul Weakley took the stand in Hugo Selenski's homicide trial. He told a jury he agreed to help Selenski kill Michael Kerkowski and Tammy Fassett and bury their bodies in Selenski's yard.


Prosecutors said the pair robbed Kerkowski of tens of thousands of dollars he'd made from illegal drug sales. Weakley said Selenski needed the money to help his girlfriend cover a check she wrote to buy a house.


Weakley avoided a potential death sentence by pleading guilty to federal charges in connection with the case.


The defense said Weakley is the sole culprit.


Authorities found at least five sets of human remains on Selenski's property near Wilkes-Barre.






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Marshawn Lynch's Bizarre Super Bowl Press Conference: 'I'm Just Here So I Won't Get Fined'

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The Seattle Seahawks running back had one thing on his mind while talking to reporters.


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PennDOT to display plans for Route 222 intersection project near Kutztown

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Route 222 motorists are being given the opportunity to learn more about one of the highway's planned improvement projects.


PennDOT will hold an open house from 5 p.m. until 7 p.m. Wednesday in the Georgian Room of the Old Main Building, 15200 Kutztown Road, on the campus of Kutztown University.


On display will be plans for a project that is designed to improve the intersection of Route 222 and Long Lane in Maxatawny Township.


The current proposal is to replace the existing traffic signal-controlled intersection with a roundabout, officials said.


PennDOT officials and design consultant engineers will be on hand to provide information and answer questions about the project.






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Postponed improvement of Route 61 intersection in Muhlenberg to begin Wednesday

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A two-year project that will improve a busy intersection in Berks County is set to get underway Wednesday.


Work on the Route 61 and Tuckerton Road interchange in Muhlenberg Township was set to begin Jan. 22, but it was delayed because of inclement weather.


Starting Wednesday, Route 61 motorists should allow extra time to pass through the area as they encounter changing traffic patterns and sporadic lane restrictions between Huller Lane and Witman Road, according to PennDOT.


The nearly $9 million project includes widening Route 61 for a second through lane northbound and southbound, adding a second left-turn lane from eastbound Tuckerton Road to Route 61 North and adding a right-turn lane from westbound Tuckerton Road to Route 61 South, officials said.


Traffic signals will also be upgraded and drainage improved at the intersection, which averages nearly 18,000 vehicles passing through it each day, according to PennDOT.


The work is expected to be complete in May 2017.






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Gov. Wolf vows to support Pennsylvania Senate's medical marijuana bill

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Gov. Tom Wolf gave an impromptu audience to parents of children who are suffering daily from debilitating seizures and is vowing to sign a medical marijuana bill that senators are writing.


Tuesday's greeting in Wolf's Capitol offices followed a news conference at which Sens. Daylin Leach, a Delaware County Democrat, and Mike Folmer, a Lebanon County Republican, said they plan to broaden their legislation that overwhelmingly passed the Senate last fall.


That bill was opposed by then-Gov. Tom Corbett and it died when the House didn't act on it at the end of the legislative session.


"This treatment is legitimate, its time has come, and our medical professionals ought to have the opportunity to prescribe it as they see fit for patients with many different kinds of illness," said Pa. Sen. Judy Schwank, who spoke out in support of the legislation Tuesday.


The senators' new bill would expand the list of authorized medical conditions to give doctors more leeway. They also plan to expand drug delivery methods to include smoking and vaporization, as well as extracted oils, edible products, ointments and tinctures.


After visiting a medical marijuana dispensary in New Jersey last week, Schwank said her understanding deepened on how Tetrahydrocannabinol works and how it can be supervised and managed.


"What I learned is the use of medical cannabis can be done legally similar to any other pharmaceutical," Schwank said. "The chemical can be tracked from the growth stage all the way to dispensing. There can be state oversight, as required, to make sure that people are able to use this and... they get a safe dosage."


The bill has been referred to the Senate State Government Committee, in which Folmer serves as chairman.






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Strausstown man jailed on sexual assault charges in Wyoming County

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A Berks County man has been jailed in Wyoming County on charges that stem from inappropriate relationships he allegedly had with three underage girls.


Fred Roberts, 19, of Strausstown, has been charged with statutory sexual assault and multiple counts of aggravated indecent assault, corruption of minors, indecent assault.


Police outlined the allegations against Roberts in three separate affidavits of probable cause, one for each alleged victim.


The first, a 15-year-old girl, came forward on Nov. 5, 2014, telling police that she and Roberts went to his house after school that day. It was in his bedroom, she said, where he inappropriately touched her below the waist, according to court documents.


The second girl, also age 15, called police on Nov. 14 and told an officer that she and Roberts had sex about a month earlier. After breaking off the relationship, which began on Facebook, the girl said Roberts began sending her text messages that made her nervous and prompted her to notify police, according to court documents.


The third girl, age 14, met with police on Dec. 4 and reported being inappropriately touched by Roberts while watching a movie at his grandmother's house several weeks earlier, investigators said.


At the conclusion of their subsequent interview with Roberts, investigators said his parents told them they had spoken with their son in the past about having sexual contact with underage girls, "but it did no good," according to court documents.


Roberts was committed to the Wyoming County Prison on $50,000 bail.






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