Police in the Poconos are investigating a weekend crash that left two people dead. 75-year-old Joann Keifer and 55-year-old Cherylynn Frantz, both of Blakeslee, were killed in the crash that happened around 2:30 Saturday aftrenoon on Route 115 in Tunkhannock Township. It appears that the car the women were riding in was turning left into a driveway when it was struck by an oncoming vehicle. The driver of the second car was not injured, but the driver of the car containing the two victims was reportedly injured.
For the second time this year, the Transportation Security Administration says it has found a gun a Lehigh Valley International Airport's security checkpoint. It happened Saturday when a Palmerton man was found with a gun. Depending on circumstances, civil penalties for bringing a weapon into a checkpoint can reach up to $15,000. Last year, there were only three instances of a gun being detected at LVIA.
There is now just one Wind Creek Steel Stage act remaining to be announced at this summer's Musikfest. The Black Keys will be on Bethlehem on the festival's final night, Sunday, August 10th. Tickets go on sale to the general public this Friday morning. The Thursday, August 7th headliner is the lone one not yet announced.
Audio from 911 calls made following the murders of four University of Idaho students have been released. "Something has happened here. Something has happened in our house. I don't know what," one sobbing roommate told 911. DeSales University graduate and Poconos native Brian Kohberger has been charged with the four murders and faces a potential death sentence if convicted this summer.
PPL is reminding customers that the deadline to apply for a federal program that provides assistance with energy bills is approaching. The last day to apply for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program is April 4th. The program offers households up to two-thousand-dollars in grants to help with energy bills or pay off past-due balances. PPL says it wants to help ensure "all customers have access to the energy they need without unnecessary stress."
The Pennsylvania House is once again looking to ban hair discrimination. The State House of Representatives passed the CROWN Act on Monday for the second-straight legislative session. The bill would prohibit discrimination based on hairstyles commonly associated with race, including tightly coiled or curled hair, cornrows, braids, and locs. The CROWN Act is now headed to the State Senate, which did not consider it last term.
The parents of a missing University of Pittsburgh student are asking authorities in the Dominican Republic to declare her dead. The family of Sudiksha Konanki has submitted a formal letter to the Dominican National Police requesting a legal declaration of death. Konanki has not been seen since she walked onto a beach in Punta Cana while on a spring break trip with college classmates in the early morning hours of March sixth. In the letter, the young woman's parents also point out that the American man Konanki was last seen with, 22-year-old Joshua Riibe, has fully cooperated with investigators and there have been no signs of foul play, according to the report.
Jury selection is set for today in the federal bribery trial of Nadine Menendez, the wife of former New Jersey Senator Bob Menendez. The former senator criticized prosecutors for not delaying the trial because his wife just underwent re constructive breast surgery. Nadine Menendez was supposed to stand trial alongside her husband, but was postponed following her breast cancer diagnosis. She faces multiple conspiracy charges, and faces a maximum sentence of over 40 years in prison. Bob Menendez was sentenced to 11 years in prison for similar crimes after being convicted of accepting hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of bribes.
A state senator has introduced a bill to require cursive writing be taught in New Jersey elementary schools. Democratic State Senator Shirley Turner's bill would ensure that students could read as well as write in cursive by the end of the third grade. Supporters say cursive writing helps cognitive development and the ability to read historical documents such as the Declaration of Independence. If passed, it would take effect the next full school year.
The 76ers are pulling the plug on a nine-time All-Star for the rest of the season. ESPN reported on Monday that Paul George has been shut down with knee and left adductor injuries. The star forward received injections for the ailments as doctors considered options for George. The 34-year-old averaged just over 16 points and five rebounds in 41 games this season after signing a max deal with Philly last summer.