Community Corner

4 Dead in Duplex Fire, Brazen Home Invasion Top Lehigh Valley News

No criminal charges for driver who killed trick-or-treater and murder-suicide at hospice also made headlines.

A ferocious fire killed four people—a mother and her son and boyfriend, and another woman—as it consumed an Emmaus duplex at 36-38 S. Fifth St. on Sunday. 

Home Invasion: 2 Residents Held at Gunpoint

Police are searching for three men who broke into a Northampton County home early Wednesday, held the residents at gunpoint and robbed them.

An elderly man shot and killed his wife, a hospice patient, at Lehigh Valley Hospital-Allentown then killed himself Tuesday, according to Lehigh County District Attorney Jim Martin. The shooting was confined to the woman's hospital room.

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No criminal charges will be filed against a driver who struck and killed a 14-year-old boy on Oct. 26 along Schantz Road in Upper Macungie, Lehigh County District Attorney Jim Martin announced Tuesday. But the driver, Christopher Lee, 29, of Whitehall Township, has been cited for driving without insurance and without a properly registered vehicle. The boy, Jordan Steinmetz, had been trick-or-treating when he was struck and killed.

Jaindl Spring Creek Court Battle Ends

Six objectors to David Jaindl's Spring Creek Development plan signed an agreement Thursday that ends their battle after almost three years of litigation. 

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Man Charged in Christmas Eve Killing

Easton police filed homicide charges in the case of a man who was beaten to death Christmas Eve on Northampton Street. Andres Ruiz-Avelizapa, 52, was beaten unconscious on Dec. 24, 2012, and never recovered. He died in January, and his death was ruled a homicide.

Residents of Hellertown in Northampton County are on high alert for rabid animals following recent cases involving five skunks and a raccoon.

A 64-year-old woman and owner of a Northeast Bethlehem home where a suspected methamphetamine lab exploded and caught fire 10 days ago was arrested Monday and charged with multiple drug-related crimes. Two others also were arrested in connection with the case.

Employees and customers at  joined in a Wegmans cheer at the opening Thursday morning of the new Market Cafe. The grocery store, which was built in 1998, just completed a 15,000-square-foot addition with more than 200 seats on the main floor. The beer section has expanded from 700 offerings to 1,200.

'Exposing Easton' Facebook Sex Page Under Investigation

Easton police are investigating "Exposing Easton Hoes," a now-defunct Facebook page claiming to chronicle the sexual exploits of young women from Easton.

In a March Madness Pool? You're Breaking the Law

A Lehigh Valley lawmaker wants to decriminalize small sports betting pools such as NCAA bracket office contests that may seem innocent but are actually illegal under Pennsylvania law


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