Running team empowers young girls in Bethlehem

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The Donegan Dashers is a new running team at Donegan Elementary in Bethlehem.


Every practice, 25 girls on the team hear their teachers and coaches cheering them on.


"I used to think about sad things that happened to me, but then I realized I shouldn't be thinking about those things," Donegan Dasher Melany Gil said. "I realized I should be thinking about what I would like to be when I grow up."


It is a group that's doing a lot more than teaching girls in 3rd 4th and 5th grade the fundamentals of the sport.


"I think that I can do anything," Donegan Dasher, Kendal Cheatum said.

Donegan Elementary School Principal, Sonia Vazquez, saw a need in her school to empower young girls through an athletic outlet.


"I knew if we found a passion for them, something would take," Vazquez said. "Whether it was letting the energy go, or just being part of a group."


She chose accomplished marathon runner and teacher Kathy West to lead the charge, taking the girls from recreational joggers to athletes training for an upcoming 5K.


"She has transformed these girls," Vazquez said. "It is not just the running, it is their entire lives."


Teachers, coaches and students alike have taken note of that transformation.


"We feel independent we feel strong now," Donegan Dasher, Melony Nonnemacher said.


"It makes me feel different than everybody else," Donegan Dasher Aiyana Rivera said. "I am proud to be a Dasher."


West dreams will continue to grow in the years ahead. And with the results she's seen so far, it doesn't seem like keeping the volunteer program running will be too much of a hurdle.






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Lehigh University athletes in trouble after drunken fight

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A trio of key players on Lehigh University's nationally ranked lacrosse program are now off the team and out of the school.



This all comes just days before the team ranked 16th in the nation is set to kick off their 2015 season.



According to Police, Alex Eaton, David "Tripp" Telesco ,and Patrick Corbett were involved in a snowball fight on the 200 block of East Fifth Street in the Bethlehem on January 24. One of the snowballs hit a passing car, the driver stopped, got out, than an argument broke out. Authorities say the driver was then punched several times.



That driver has not been charged.



The three players are being charged with disorderly conduct, harassment and public drunkenness. Lehigh University has since told 69 News that the three players are also no longer enrolled at the University.



Lehigh grad student Janelle Fortunato, was on an athletic team at a small school in South Carolina. She said coaches and administrators oftentimes hold student athletes to an even higher standard of conduct.



"They always expected a lot of us both in the classroom and out in the community. They expected us to act appropriately and how we would be presented to the public," said Fortunato.






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PennDOT proposes plan to finish 8th Street Bridge early

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A major construction project in Allentown could be completed sooner rather than later.


It depends.


At Wednesday's Allentown City Council meeting, PennDOT laid out an informal proposal that would reopen the Eighth Street Bridge within the year, if it was closed completely for construction.


Right now, the bridge only has one lane closed, and isn't scheduled to be completed until sometime in 2016.


No word yet on whether the city plans to take the proposal any further.






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Powerball players feeling lucky

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Many Powerball players are hoping to strike it rich.



Wednesday's Powerball jackpot was $317 million, the largest amount in almost a year. The cash prize was worth $220.6 million.



Stores in the Lehigh Valley were busy selling tickets.



"I'm feeling lucky. If I win then everything, all my debts will be cleared," said Tosh Francis of Whitehall Township. He was among the people buying tickets at Jordan Shell Mini Mart in Whitehall.



"It would be a change, a lifestyle change for the better," he said.



April Taylor of Emmaus said, "I would give $100 million to my kids and then to charity and then myself.



"I would probably buy everybody in my family a house and a new car and then probably try to give something back," said Bob Fortuner of Kempton.



People were also feeling lucky at Lump's Center Street Deli in Bethlehem, which has sold a number of winning lottery tickets in the past.



"We want to make people rich and smile and be happy," said Candy Stoll, whose father owns the store.



She has her own strategy from behind the register.



"I like to put a personal touch so I'll put your favorite number in out of one and 55 and quick pick the rest," she explained.



"I bought two. It only takes one, " said customer Rich Meza of Bethlehem. "I'll take care of the family and friends."



Powerball is played in 44 states, Washington D.C., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.



Wednesday's drawing was at 10:59 p.m.



Pennsylvania has sold 17 jackpot-winning tickets since 2002.






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Liver transplant cures toddler's rare disease

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Three months ago we told you about a little girl from Lancaster County who was in desperate need of a liver transplant.



Now that girl is disease free thanks to a local firefighter's sacrifice.



Donya McCoy calls having liver transplant surgery for her daughter Kennedy a leap of faith.



"I wasn't going to stop until I found a way to help her," added McCoy. "I mean I think any mom in my shoes would have done the same thing."



We first introduced you to the two last November, while Kennedy was suffering from a rare metabolic disorder and in desperate need of a liver transplant.



After a plea by McCoy on Facebook, the surgery took place on November 11, 2014.



Thanks to McCoy's high school friend and Bethlehem firefighter Mike Thompson.



"I tell Donya this all the time, I really didn't play a big part in it, I just played a small part," said Thompson.



"To donate a piece of yourself to save to someone else I don't think humanity gets any better than that," added McCoy.



Kennedy spent two months in the hospital recovering.

A little while longer than Mike.



"I hoped it worked," said Thompson. "That was my biggest concern, making sure it would work."



Work it did.

The high spirited three year old is running around, playing, and is now disease free.



Donya McCoy remembers seeing the email from doctors.



"All the caption said from him in the email message was it worked with like one hundred exclamation points," added McCoy. "So in the middle of children's hospital hallway I immediately broke into tears.

It was just, it's just surreal."



They say with great risk, comes great reward.



"I'm glad I did it, I'm happy I did it, yes I would do it again if the opportunity arose, but I can't," added Thompson.



And for Kennedy a second chance at life.



"I just can't wait to see the woman she grows up to be and what she brings to the world," said McCoy. "Because she's already touching the world and she doesn't even know it."



Kennedy and Mike are still under the care of doctors, but surgeons are calling the procedure a medical breakthrough.






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Gold bars stolen in Carbon County

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Police are asking for the public's help after an unusual crime in Carbon County.


Authorities said six gold bars were stolen from a home on Tamarack Terrace in Penn Forest Township.


Investigators said the theft happened between January 26th and the 29th.


The bars are valued at $15,000 each. Police said cash and a set of keys were also taken.


If you have information about this crime, contact the State Police at Fern Ridge.






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Woman accused of stealing from scouts heading to trial

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A Montgomery County woman charged with stealing from Cub Scouts and Girl Scouts is heading to trial.


Heather Belford is accused of stealing more than $10,000 from two groups based in Upper Providence Township.


Police say she used ATM cards to pocket the cash. Belford was in the courtroom for a preliminary hearing Wednesday, where several charges were held for trial.


She is scheduled to be formally arraigned in April.






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Fire killed one in Norristown

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A fire overnight in Montgomery County has killed one person and injured at least three others.



Wendy davis: WFMZ's Chandi Lowry is here to tell us more. Exactly Rob Aroundand Wendy.. Close to two dozen families are when he coasted to their familieshomeless tonight... And one person is are homeless tonight now one person is dead dead after fire ripped through the building in after fire ripped through theNorristown.



Reporter: buildingFlames tore through this building overnight on Swede Street in Norristown.. Leaving thick black smoke billowing into the air... And one life lost.



TOM o'donnell 15:02:54"Heavy fire and heavy smoke conditions in the building."



REPORTER Norristown Fire Chief Tom O'Donnell says there are close to 30 apartments in the building that's more than a century old.And the flames spread quickly which made it a tough fight.



TOM o'donnell 15:04:30"Crews had their hands full, we had a lot of things to do in a short amount of time, with the hard work of police and firefighters a lot of lives were saved here this morning."



REPORTER:And we have video of some lives being saved.Firefighters climbed up ladders to rescue people from all floors of the burning building.



TOM o'donnell 15:03:17"Initially when fire and police crews arrived we found multiple residents trapped within the building."



REPORTER:The four alarm fire burned out of control for hours.. Leaving several people hurt.. Including a firefighter who suffered a minor hand injury.Another person was sent to the hospital for smoke inhalation.And another was treated for some type of medical condition. And while those people are recovering.. Structural engineers are looking into how the partially collapsed building can be repaired.



TOM o'donnell: 15:03:23"We had heavy fire conditions on all four levels from the basement all the way up to the floor five."



REPORTER:And the people who have no where to go.. Are leaning on others for help.



SOT:15:41:10"We're putting up the shelter at norristown high school, we have mental health care there medical teams, specialty care." The person wh anywher was killed had & Now the personbeen rescued and who was killed had been rescued and taken to the hospital... But died a short time later. Taken to the hospital but Firefighters say the fire started in the basement area. Back to you. Died a short time later firefighters say the fire started in the basement area backing rather.






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Serial robber targeting Bucks County

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The search is on for a serial burglar in Bucks County.



Police said a thief is hitting homes and stealing jewelry during the morning and early afternoon hours of the day.



One community in particular seems to have been hit the hardest.



Since early Fall, police in Hilltown Township claim nearly 10 homes have been broken into.



The thief, police said, is forcing his or her way into the home with a crow bar, going into the master bedroom, and concentrating on jewelry.



"The subject is going into the master bedroom, taking whatever jewelry he can, and taking it by pillow case, bedspread, or dresser drawer," said Chief Christopher Engelhart, Hilltown Township Police.



Though the thief is concentrating mostly on jewelry, Engelhart said two firearms have also been reported stolen.



Most of the homes that were targeted did not have alarm systems, Engelhart said. Police said evidence so far indicates the thief is acting alone.



The most recent incident within the township was reported January 29th.



Police said a man, believed to be in his 40s or 50s, approached a township resident asking for directions to Route 611 in Doylestown.



But, the man described as having olive skin, got into a beige colored Honda sedan and drove off into the wrong direction.



A burglary was reported a few hours later about a mile away, police said.



Police could not provide an estimate on the total worth of the jewelry reported missing.



But, investigators have reached out to local pawn shops to be on the lookout.



They're also working with other departments in the area, after similar incidents were reported in Doylestown, Buckingham, Solebury, and Plumstead.



Central Bucks Regional Police Chief James Donnelly said officers responded to a reported burglary on January 24th.



A home on Forest Drive in Doylestown had been raided while the family was away for the weekend.



"They came home and found their front door open. And then they found about $13,000 worth of jewelry missing," Donnelly said.



Prescription drugs were also taken in the incident, Donnelly said.



The family had accidentally left the front door unlocked, according to Donnelly.



Police said there is also a chance other communities in Montgomery County and beyond were also hit, but would not elaborate beyond that.



Anyone with knowledge on any of the incidents, or suspicious of any activity, should contact their local police department.






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Allentown schools launch dropout prevention program

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A new program in the Allentown School District is taking aim at dropouts..


The initiative, implemented in partnership with Communities in Schools, Lehigh Valley, kicked off this week at Allen and Dieruff high schools.


The nationwide organization has worked with the ASD for the past 25 years in providing support to students who need it most, via after school programming and alternative education.


This week, CIS kicked off a program called "Graduate Allentown," in which workers will work one-on-one with at-risk students, along with connecting students and, if needed, their families, to appropriate resources.


"A lot of times, these students need all kinds of support, academic and non-academic. Sometimes, there's a home situation that we can be of help. It might be housing, it might be an employment issue, it might be just a student who doesn't have the kind of stability,” said Timothy Mulligan, president and CEO of CISLV.


Mulligan added he and district officials are thinking of adding a second phase to the program, which would focus on re-engaging kids who've already dropped out of high school.


"Right now, we're working on preventative measures, the kids who are still in school but struggling, but we also have visions of working with the kids who have already dropped out and bringing them back," he said.


Just last year, Mulligan said CIS implemented a similar program at Easton Area High School, where all 22 at-risk seniors they worked with graduated.


"Our success is because we create those caring one-to-one relationship with these kids and we tell them we believe in them, and you can do this and we're going to be there to support you," he said.






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Report of man with gun puts 3 Reading schools on lockdown

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The Reading School District didn't let anyone in or out of three schools after the report of a man walking with a gun.


Police said they were told about a man with a gun around Northeast Middle School on North 13th Street on Wednesday afternoon.


Northeast and 12th and Marion and 13th and Union elementary schools were all put on a precautionary lockout.


Dismissals were delayed at the schools.


There's no word on the identity of the man with the gun.






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Police recover homicide victim's stolen car in Reading

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Police have located a stolen vehicle in connection with a double homicide in Reading.


RPD officers found Johnny Branford's car in the city, according to police, who have been looking for the car since Branford and his mother, Mary, were found dead in their home in the 600 block of North 11th Street on Saturday.


Police said they're looking for a person of interest in the killings, but they have not released that person's identity.






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Berks County busy on National Signing Day

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National Signing Day is one that high school athletes circle on the calendar. It marks the beginning of the next chapter, while offering a time for reflection over the last several years. As always, Berks County had a strong contingent on Wednesday.


The following schools honored their athletes for signing or already signing their National Letters of Intent:


Wilson -


Madison Curran - Water Polo & Swimming - Virginia Military Institute


LeAnne Davis - Soccer - Monmouth


Madison Klee - Lacrosse - University of Michigan


Hannah Larkin - Soccer - Misericordia


Paige Pachuilo - Soccer - Misericordia


Johanna Rice - Soccer - McDaniel


Austin Rosa - Football - Rutgers


Ian Roth - Baseball - Eastern University


Adrianna Swinehart - Soccer - Eastern University


Joseph Warker - Swimming & Diving - Rider University


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Exeter -


Jackson Ehlert - Lacrosse - University of Tampa


Daniel Leskowicz - Niagara


Keara O'Brien-Pol - Volleyball - Shippensburg


Shannon Restrepo - Volleyball - Kutztown


Dylan Richards - Baseball - Lock Haven


Elizabeth Schultz - Volleyball - West Chester


Dyllon Scott - Football - IUP


Gabbie Stick - Volleyball - Lock Haven


Sara Wesley - Volleyball - Canisius


Chase Yocum - Football - Shippensburg


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Reading High -


Jaivon McMiller - Football - Cheyney


Dontae Owens - Football - Rutgers


---


Muhlenberg -


Vinny Filippini - Swimming - Bucknell


---


Fleetwood -


Michael Allen - Football - Bloomsburg


Tyler Emge - Football - Shippensburg


---


Governor Mifflin and Brandywine Heights will hold ceremonies over the next five days.






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Berks County busy on National Signing Day

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Seattle Seahawks. >>> rob vaughn: Now Berks Sports.>> wendy davis: Here's Dan Moscaritolo. National Signing Day is one that high school athletes circle on the calendar. It marks the beginning of the next chapter...while offering a time for reflection over the last several years. As always, Berks County had a strong contingent today...we'll begin the whip-around in West Lawn... >>> ...where the Bulldogs honored ten athletes who will continue their careers at the next level.It's an even split for Wilson this year...five Division I's and five Division III's....with soccer players making up nearly half the honorees.All-state defensive end Austin Rosa...a huge part of the Wilson team that went to the state semis ... has committed to d-i Rutgers as a preferred walk-on.A decision he calls euphoric...>>>>>> Here's the complete Wilson list...Madison Curran...D-1, Virginia Military Institute for Water Polo and Swimming. LeAnne Davis, d-1 Monmouth for soccer.Lacrosse standout Madison Klee will don the Maize-and-Blue...continuing her career in Ann Arbor, Michigan.Hannah Larkin and Paige Pachuilo will both attend Misericordia to play soccer.----Jo-hah-nna Rice - to McDaniel and A-drianna Swinehart to Easton for soccer. Ian Roth, also to Eastern for baseball.Joseph Warker...continuing his Swimming & Diving career at the d-1 level...he's going to Rider.And there's Austin Rosa...to Rutgers.>>> Speaking of Kyle Flood and the Scarlett Knights...Rosa will be joined by Reading High's Dontae Owens. The playmaker was a walking triple hot nominee this season if you watch Big Ticket.Owens' team mate Jaivon McMiller also signed today...he'll be a psac player, inking with Cheyney. Owens...itching to get started in Piscataway.>>>>>> Heading over to Exeter, where the Eagles also recognized ten athletes today.The girls volleyball team...dominating the list, comprising of five of the signees...justifiably so, they've been even more dominant on the court over the last few seasons.Among the entire flock...two division i products and eight division ii. Matt Bauer...seeing two of his football players continue at the Division ii level...>>> We'll get to those young men shortly...here is the complete Exeter list.Jackson Ehlert taking his lacrosse skills down to warm Tampa.Division i swimmer Daniel Leskowicz...signing with Niagara.There straight future psac competitors...Keara O'Brien-Pol to Shippensburg and Shannon Restreop to Kutztown, both volleyball. Dylan Richards...will take the baseball diamond at Lock Haven. ---Another volleyball standout, Elizabeth Schultz...heading down ot West Chester.Dyllon Scott..will strap on the helmet pads at IUP.Gabbie Stick has inked with Lock Haven for volleyball...while team mate Sara Wesley will take her game to d-1 level...she will play at Buffalo and Canisius College.And Chase Yocum...the Eagles outstanding quarterback over the last two years...will continue playing at Shippensburg. >>> And at Muhlenberg...swi mmer Vinny Filippini signed with Division i Bucknell. Filippini holds three school records






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Charter school for arts 'tops off' roof with final beams

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Construction crews are putting the finishing touches on one part of a charter school's new home in Bethlehem.


The final pieces of the roof were put in place at Third and Polk streets Wednesday.


The building is the future home of the Lehigh Valley Charter High School for the Arts, which has outgrown its current location on East Broad Street.


The new facility will house a research library, a digital laboratory and a 360-seat auditorium.



Classrooms and studios will also be updated.


The new location will be ready for students in the fall.






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Lehigh Valley students compete at SkillsUSA

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Students from around the Lehigh Valley met at Allentown's Agri-plex on Wednesday to put their talents on display at Skills USA.


Students took part in competitions spanning 53 different trades.


They competed against each other in categories ranging from crime scene investigation to early childhood education.


The annual competition helps students link up with local businesses to master real-world skills.


More than 400 students participated in this year's event.






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Mark Zuckerberg Founds Social Network Old News

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Eleven years ago today, Mark Zuckerberg lunched TheFacebook.com in his Harvard dorm. Now the social network has over 1 billion active users. Mark Zuckerberg talked about his early vision...


From: ABC News

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Prosecution rests in trial of man with bodies in yard

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The prosecution has rested its case in the trial of a man accused of strangling a Pennsylvania pharmacist and the pharmacist's girlfriend and burying them on his property next to several other bodies.


Hugo Selenski is charged with killing Michael Kerkowski and Tammy Fassett as part of a plot to steal tens of thousands of dollars made from illegal prescription drug sales.


Prosecutors called their last witness Wednesday. A jeweler testified that Selenski bound him with plastic ties during a 2003 robbery, the same kind of ties that prosecutors said Selenski used to strangle Kerkowski and Fassett.


Kerkowski had pleaded guilty and was about to be sentenced when he and Fassett were reported missing in May 2002. Their bodies were among at least five found on Selenski's property a year later.


Selenski has pleaded not guilty.






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