Lafayette meets Villanova in NCAA Tournament

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Matters, Amy Unger, 69 News. >>>>>> It's time to take out the polish. Buff those dancing shoes to a mirror shine. And just go with the madness that is March. The Lafayette men gathered at Kirby Sports Center tonight to find out their seed and first opponent for the ncaa Tournament...The Leopards earned a 16-seed...and will square off with the second overall one seed and Big East champion Villanova.Lafayette coach Fran O'Hanlon...playing his alma mater... He was a standout basketball player for Villanova and is in their Hall of Fame.But his team... ecstatic to be in the field after catching fire and winning the Patriot League championship.The Leopards and Wildcats will meet Thursday out in Pittsburgh...a true in-state showdown.Lafayette knows what kind of opportunity it has against a program it greatly respects.>>>>>> Villanova is led by Liberty grad Darrun Hilliard...who's excited to be playing a team just up the road in the first round.He recognizes the roots between the two programs...but he's also wasting no time campaigning for fan support






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Lafayette earns 16-seed and will face Villanova in NCAA opener

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The Lafayette men's basketball team got hot at the right time this year. The Leopards ran through the Patriot League tournament en route to a championship and the automatic NCAA bid that comes with it.


Then comes Selection Sunday, where the Leopards learned their seed and who their first round opponent will be.



Lafayette earned a 16-seed. Their first round opponent will be the Big East champion Villanova Wildcats. The second number one seed in the tournament.



The all-Pennsylvania showdown will be played on Thursday, fittingly, in Pittsburgh.



It's Lafayette's first appearance in the NCAA Tournament in 15 years. A 16-seed has never defeated a one seed.






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Lafayette to face Villanova in NCAA Tournament opener

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22- thousand dollars raised during last year's race.>>>CHANDI LOWRY:sports with Dan.>>> The Lafayette men's basketball team got hot at the right time this year. The Leopards ran through the Patriot League tournament...en route to a championship and the automatic ncaa bid that comes with it. Then comes today...Selection Sunday, where the Leopards learned their seed and who their first round opponent will be...Lafayette...earning a 16 seed.Their first round opponent...the Big East champion Villanova Wildcats. The second number one seed in the tournament.The all- Pennsylvania will be played on Thursday, fittingly, in Pittsburgh.It's Lafayette's first appearance in the ncaa Tournament in 15 years.A 16 has never defeated a one...first






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Pennsylvania State Police Reading looking for missing Kutztown man

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Reading State Police say they are looking for a 24-year-old man who has been missing since Thursday.


Accord to a press release, Nathan William Gorkos "was last seen leaving Kutztown Bus Terminal on a Bieber Tour Bus. He is believed to be heading towards New York. He was last seen wearing tan khakis, a dark coat, with a backpack and a plastic bag."


Gorkos was reported missing Thursday around 3:00 p.m., according to the report.


Anyone with information is asked to contact Trooper Clugston at Pennsylvania State Police Reading at 610-378-4011.






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Fugitive heir and Lehigh graduate Robert Durst arrested in New Orleans

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A defense lawyer says Robert Durst, a wealthy heir to a New York real estate fortune, has been arrested in New Orleans on a murder warrant from Los Angeles.


Durst is the subject of a six-part HBO series detailing his life of wealth and privilege as well as suspected links to the deaths of his wife in New York and a friend in Los Angeles.


Defense lawyer Chip Lewis says Durst was arrested at J.W. Marriott hotel in New Orleans at 3 p.m. Saturday by the FBI on a warrant for the murder of Susan Berman.


Lewis says Durst will appear in court Sunday afternoon and will waive extradition so he can be transported to Los Angeles to face the charges.


The real estate heir was previously sentenced to nine months in prison on federal weapons charges back in 2004, stemming from a shoplifting incident at a Bethlehem Wegman's.


At the time, Durst was wanted for the 2001 dismemberment death of his Texas neighbor--a charge Durst was later acquitted of.


Lewis says Durst, a Lehigh University graduate, has maintained his innocence in Berman's killing for years.






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Carbon monoxide leak in Reading sends one woman to the hospital

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One person was taken to the hospital following a carbon monoxide leak in Reading.


It happened around 9:30 p.m. Saturday in a nine-unit apartment complex at 200 North 11th Street.


Fire crews responded to the scene and proceeded to call UGI, according to a UGI spokesperson.


UGI officials say the leak was caused by a woman running unsafe equipment that was not properly maintained.


The building was temporarily evacuated while crews fixed the problem.


The woman who was not feeling well was taken to an area hospital for evaluation and has since been released.


No other injuries were reported and carbon monoxide readings have stabilized.






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SWAT teams descends on Berks County home Saturday night

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There were some tense moments in a Berks County community Saturday night when a SWAT team descended on a home.


It happened around 9:30 p.m. in the area of Mount Laurel and Kutztown Roads in Muhlenberg Township.


Officers remained there until after midnight.


A neighbor tells 69 News that authorities were using a megaphone to order someone out of the home.


The area was temporarily closed off to traffic but has since been reopened.


At this point, police are not providing any details other than saying it was a domestic incident.


Berks County District Attorney John Adams says he is aware of the incident, but cannot release any more information at this time.






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UGI reports gas outage in Upper Nazareth Township

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UGI officials are reporting a gas outage in Upper Nazareth Township, Northampton County.


UGI spokesperson Becky Eshbach says the area of Upper Nazareth Township near El Reno Avenue has been experiencing issues since early this morning.


Eshbach says about 134 customers have been affected by the outage.


According to officials, water migrated into the gas main due to melting snow, which caused low pressure readings and numerous equipment failures.


Crews on scene had to turn off the gas supplies to each of the homes affected.


UGI officials say crews on scene have isolated the malfunctioning section of the main and plan to empty out all the water and gas.


Eshbach says customers should expect to have their gas turned back on by 5:00 p.m.


Upper Nazareth Police say they are unaware of the incident and no potential dangers have been reported.






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69 News Week in Review

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Here's a look back at the stories that made headlines this week in the 69 News "Week in Review."


Monday: Convicted killer Miguel Torres was sentenced to life in prison nearly 10 years after gunning down his estranged wife in Reading.


Prosecutors said Miguel Torres shot Barbie Torres execution style in downtown Reading in 2005.


He had been on the run until his capture in Italy in 2013.


Torres' attorney said he plans to file an appeal.


Tuesday: The trial was set for a man accused of killing a co-worker over an apparent prank in Montgomery County.


Prosecutors said Peter Atem admitted to stabbing 25-year-old Danny Vazquez to death at the MOPAC meat processing plant in Franconia Township.


Police said the stabbing was in retaliation to Vazquez tying to pull a chair out from under Atem as a prank.


Atem's attorney said his client will plead not guilty during his arraignment next month.


Wednesday: A man was murdered at a hotel in the heart of Easton.


Police said 32-year-old Andrew White of Easton was found dead inside a room at the Quality Inn on Third Street with a bullet wound to the head.


Police have identified a person of interest in the case, 25-year-old Jeffrey Knoble, who was arrested after a stand-off with police.


Thursday: A jury cleared a Bethlehem firefighter of wrongdoing and any liability in a crash that killed a man.


In 2008, 60-year-old William Samer was killed when he crashed into a fire truck that firefighter Frank Dashner was driving to an emergency call.


The truck was stopped on 8th Avenue, but was in the wrong lane.


Criminal charges were never filed and a jury sided with the city in the civil case.



Friday: In Allentown, a homeless man was crushed to death inside a garbage truck.


Officials said the garbage truck driver heard 53-year-old Tony Lee Graham screaming from the back of the truck while driving in the 600 block of Court Street Friday.


Officials said the man was likely sleeping in a dumpster when the unit was lifted into the truck, with him in it.


The death was ruled an accident.






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To kill or to cut? Wolf's property tax plan has competition

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The success of Gov. Tom Wolf's plan to make Pennsylvania's school funding system fairer could hinge on this: Whether he can convince enough lawmakers that his plan would end the days of rising school property taxes.


Wolf, a Democrat, has proposed raising state income and sales taxes to carry out a $3.2 billion cut to school property taxes, about one-fourth of the total collected.


His goal is to boost the state's share of public school costs to 50 percent, up from one-third.


But a key group of Republican lawmakers wants to abolish school property taxes completely and they say Wolf's plan wouldn't solve the real problem of more property tax increases.


Wolf, however, says he's committed to ensuring that property tax increases don't eat away at the tax cuts.






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High court race draws a dozen candidates for three seats

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The candidates for the Pennsylvania Supreme Court outnumber the open seats by a 4-1 ratio.


State officials say never before have three seats on the court been up for grabs in the same election year. And the fact that a dozen candidates qualified for the May 19 primary ballot attests to the power that the seven-member court wields in shaping everything from criminal laws to legislative redistricting.


The candidates--six Democrats and six Republicans--are mostly state appellate or county judges.


For many candidates, the top priority is repairing the court's image, which was stained by recent scandals that forced two justices to resign.


Another concern is a requirement that judges retire at 70, which could prevent four candidates from completing full 10-year terms if they're elected.






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March Pet of the Month: Nautilus

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Our featured Pet of the Month for March has wandered near and far, spending time in homes and shelters.


Now, he's looking for a permanent place to call home.


Nautilus is an adult terrier mix from the Center for Animal Health and Welfare, a no kill shelter in Easton.


Nautilus is an adult terrier mix originally picked up as a stray.


After spending some time at a New Jersey shelter, where he was known as "Tank," Nautilus was transferred back to Easton where he has been waiting for a new home ever since.


Janice Kulischenko, a volunteer at the Center, says Nautilus is a sweet, older terrier mix who would do best in a home with no other pets.


He loves people and is a "snuggle buddy" and "play monster" eager to find his way into your heart.


For more information on Nautilus and the Center for Animal Health and Welfare, visit healthyanimalcenter.org or call 610-252-7722.






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The Lehigh Valley Amputee Support Group spreads hope in the region

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Lehigh Valley Hospital helped spread hope in the region Saturday.


The Lehigh Valley Amputee Support Group held an amputee awareness event Saturday morning at Lehigh Valley Hospital-Cedar Crest.


The event hosted dozens of vendors and services available for amputees, as well as inspirational speaker Cameron Clapp.


Clapp was struck by a train in 2001 and lost both legs and his right arm.


He is now an athlete and travels the country spreading positivity.



Clapp says, "Regardless of limb loss, you have the ability and the power within yourself to do anything and to live your life to the fullest."


Organizers say they hope the event draws attention to amputees' needs.


For more information on the the Lehigh Valley Amputee Support Group, visit amputee-coalition.org.






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Da Vinci Science Center celebrates Epic Pi Day

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There's nothing like a good pie to the face to celebrate Pi Day at the Da Vinci Science Center.


The Center held a once-in-a-century Epic Pi Day event in Allentown Saturday morning.


Pi Day is celebrated each year to commemorate the mathematical concept of pi, which starts with 3.14.


But, Saturday was "epic" Pi day since the concept goes farther than that, extending to 3.1415926.


The Center's "Epic Pi Day" celebration kicked off at precisely 9:26 a.m. to coincide with the concept.


Da Vinci Science Center Executive Director and CEO Lin Erickson opened "Epic Pi Day" by taking a pie to the face from Tom Cox, the Center's Director of Exhibit Experiences.


Visitors spent the rest of the day doing Pi activities, including making a Pi memory bracelet.






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