Brrr! February brought record cold, snow to Northeast

February 2015 was one for the record books in the Northeast--the coldest month ever for four cities in New York and the snowiest ever for Boston.


The Northeast Regional Climate Center at Cornell University says the New York cities of Buffalo, Syracuse, Binghamton and Ithaca shivered through their coldest months ever.


The average temperature was 10.9 degrees in Buffalo, beating the 1934 record of 11.4. The monthly average was 9.0 in Syracuse, 12.2 in Binghamton and 10.2 in Ithaca.


Boston's 64.8 inches of snow easily beat the city's old record of 41.6 inches.


The month also set February records elsewhere. Record lows for the month were also set in Hartford, Connecticut, at 16.1; Harrisburg, Pennsylvania at 20.9; and Portland, Maine at 13.8.


Providence, Rhode Island, had a February record 31.8 inches of snow.






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UGI investigating gas odor in Reading; residents evacuated

A spokesperson for UGI says officials are carrying out a gas odor investigation in Reading.


The odor was detected in the 300 block of Miller Street early Sunday afternoon.


Three homes, totaling 13 people, have been evacuated as a precaution.


UGI spokesman Joe Swope says crews are still at the scene working to identify the source of the odor.


According to Swope, crews will remain there until the issue is resolved.


Crews on scene say the source of the gas odor remains unknown, and that it could take hours until residents are allowed to return to their homes.


The 300 block of Miller Street will also remain closed until further notice.






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Fatal fire at Phillipsburg, Warren County residence

A fatal fire in Phillipsburg, Warren County has left one man dead.


The fire broke out at a home near the intersection of Henderson and Hudson Streets.


Police say they were called to the scene around 10:20 p.m. Saturday.


Due to heavy smoke and fire, police say no one was able to enter the residence until fire personnel arrived.


The victim, 44-year-old Albert Nunez, was announced dead at the scene.


Officials say no one else was in the home at the time of the fire.


Police say the incident is currently under investigation. A cause has not been named at this time.






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Kerry asks for benefit of the doubt on Iran nuclear talks

The Obama administration is trying to ease tensions with Israel before Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks to Congress on Tuesday.


But the administration still insists its diplomatic record with Iran means it should get "the benefit of the doubt'' while working to complete a long-term nuclear deal.


Secretary of State John Kerry was heading to Switzerland for more meetings with Iran's foreign minister. Netanyahu arrives later Sunday in Washington, and the two men talked by telephone on Saturday.


Kerry tells ABC's "This Week'' that Netanyahu was welcome to speak in the United States and that the administration didn't want the event ``turned into some great political football.''


That's a step back from some of the sharp rhetoric between the allies in recent weeks.






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Police investigating fatal multi-vehicle crash in Tamaqua

Police are investigating the scene of a fatal crash in Tamaqua Borough, Schuylkill County.


Officials say the accident happened Sunday around 8 a.m. on Route 309.


According to officials, the coroner was called to the scene.


At least one person is dead and one person was taken to an area hospital for unknown injuries.


No other information has been released at this time.






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Wolf administration to show how it'll challenge gas industry

The coming days will provide the first glimpse at how Gov. Tom Wolf's administration wants to regulate the natural gas industry.


Wolf's Department of Environmental Protection is expected to release its plan next week to toughen rules over how the industry prevents methane leaks and how it stores toxic drilling wastewater in open-air pits.


Wolf's nominee to head the department says Wolf wants the industry to succeed. But John Quigley also says Wolf was elected because he was viewed as a candidate that would best respond better to public concerns over the impact of drilling on health and the environment.


The president of industry advocacy group the Marcellus Shale Coalition says the industry is closely watching for the administration's proposal to update regulations.






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Phantoms rally to beat Senators in overtime

The Lehigh Valley Phantoms rallied for a 3-2 overtime win over the Binghamton Senators at the PPL Center on Saturday night.


Brandon Manning blasted his second overtime game-winner of the season midway through the overtime period.


Kevin Goumas and Brett Hextall also netted goals for the Phantoms.


Lehigh Valley resumes play on Sunday evening at Hershey. The Phantoms trail Providence by nine points for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.






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