Rain totals this afternoon and evening could be more than an inch, the National Weather Service says.

The Lehigh Valley and northwest New Jersey are in a flash flood watch until 2 a.m. Saturday, the National Weather Service reports.

Areas of Lehigh County are also in a flash flood warning until 5:45 this afternoon, the weather service said. A severe thunderstorm warning is in place until 2:45 this afternoon in Lehigh County, the weather service said. One to three inches of rain could fall within an hour in this storm, the weather service said. The storm is dangerous and could be in the Emmaus area by 2:45, the weather service said.

As much as 2.5 inches of rain have fallen in the region -- the official count at Lehigh Valley International Airport was about 1.25 inches since 7 p.m. Thursday. As much as another 2.5 inches could fall in Northampton, Warren and Hunterdon counties before the storms end late tonight, the weather service said.

A flash flood watch means conditions may develop that lead to flash flooding. A warning means flooding is imminent.

We're collecting updates from the region. Watch video

The Lehigh Valley and northwest New Jersey are in a flash flood watch and we're seeing the storm come through now.

We're sharing what we see in the box below. Show us what's happening by you on Twitter with #lvweather or upload it into the comments of this post. 

Learn more about the flash flood warnings here. 

Keep up on the power outage information here. 

Thousands of power outages are being reported as a thunderstorm batters the Lehigh Valley.

Thousands of power outages are being reported as a thunderstorm batters the Lehigh Valley.

3:30 p.m.

PPL reported outages:
Lehigh County: 2,990
Northampton County: 2,633

Met-Ed reported outages:
Northampton County: Fewer than 100

3:50 p.m.

PPL reported outages:

Lehigh County: 4,162, with bulk in Salisbury Township

Northampton County: 2,608, with bulk in Bethlehem

Met-Ed reported outages:

Northampton County: 101-500 outages reported in the area of Tatamy Road; same number reported in area of Easton's West Ward; smaller outages reported elsewhere

4:30 p.m.

PPL reported outages:

Lehigh County: Only 447 outages remain, including 275 in Allentown

Northampton County: 2,222 outages, with 2,134 in Bethlehem

Met-Ed outages:

Northampton County: Outages unchanged, with reported restoration times listed as 5:30-6 p.m.

JCP&L outages:

Outages reported across Warren and Hunterdon counties, with 501-1,500 reported in the area of Mansfield Township. Repair teams have been dispatched to some locations.

The bill would make bestiality a fourth-degree crime, punishable by up to 18 months in prison and a fine of up to $10,000.

A New Jersey Assembly committee has approved a bill that would make it illegal for people to have sex with animals.

New Jersey is one of 14 states that does not explicitly ban bestiality.

The bill's sponsor says the state's animal cruelty laws just don't cut it.

Assemblyman Jack Ciattarelli of Somerset County tells The Star-Ledger of Newark prosecutors had to drop animal cruelty charges against a Moorestown resident in 2009 who was accused of molesting cows.

The bill would make bestiality a fourth-degree crime, punishable by up to 18 months in prison and a fine of up to $10,000. The penalties would be upgraded if the animal dies.

The authority is looking for a company to provide fueling, ground handling and servicing of aircraft, Executive Director Charles Everett Jr. said.

The fates of Braden Airpark and Queen City Airport remain up in the air, but the Lehigh-Northampton Airport Authority is looking for companies to service them.

The authority is requesting proposals from companies that will provide fixed-based operator services. Those typically include the handling of fueling, ground operations and aircraft servicing, Executive Director Charles Everett Jr. said. An ad hoc committee formed in April to study the options for the airports suggested the request to see if there are companies willing to provide such services, Everett said. It's a potential alternative to their sale, he said.

Airport officials expect to see savings from having a fixed-based operator, and one of the reasons for putting out the request is to confirm that expectation, Everett said.

"It may not be the case, so that's why the committee is evaluating that as an option," he said.

Moyer Aviation used to provide the fixed-based operator services for Braden Airpark in Forks Township but stopped in spring 2013, he said. The company was on a month-to-month lease with the authority because its previous lease expired, and its operations relocated to Mount Pocono, Monroe County, Everett said.

Moyer Aviation paid the authority $55,000 a year to operate at Braden Airpark, which allowed the company to generate revenue, Everett said. The authority now provides limited service to Braden Airpark and full service to the Lehigh Valley International and Queen City airports, Everett said.

Forks Township Supervisor Erik Chuss said seeking proposals is a viable option that could save money for the airport authority in the long run. Selling the Braden Airpark, rather than maximizing revenues and minimizing expenses, will cost the authority millions of dollars, he said.

"It makes no sense to do that," Chuss said.

Supervisors decided against purchasing the airport for a nominal fee because of the financial obligations associated with it, he said. There was no asking price, Chuss said. Nonetheless, they recognize the airpark's importance to the Lehigh Valley's transportation infrastructure and the economic benefits to all of Northampton County, he said.

Everett said airport officials' goal now is to see if there are companies interested in serving as the fixed-based operator. Proposals are due by 2 p.m. July 16, according to a legal ad that ran in today's Express-Times. A pre-proposal conference and tour of the airports will be held 10 a.m. June 23 at Braden Airpark and 2 p.m. the same day at Queen City Airport, according to the ad.

The authority received two or three requests for information so far, Everett said.

Pilot Bob Kutzler said Braden Airpark is a mom-and-pop operation where parents and their kids can sit and watch the planes take off and land. A fixed-based operator who makes his livelihood running the small airport is more apt than the authority to do what's necessary to get the business back, he said.

More than 200 athletes and 70 coaches and staff will represent Team Pennsylvania in the games that open today and continue through June 21.

A torrential downpour could not dampen the spirits of Lehigh Valley athletes heading to the 2014 Special Olympics USA Games.

Amid a thunderstorm, 11 athletes from around Lehigh and Northampton counties boarded a bus Friday in South Whitehall Township to head to the nationals in Mercer County, New Jersey.

Family and supporters gathered for a boisterous sendoff that featured cowbells clanking and cheers of "Team PA!"

More than 200 athletes and 70 coaches and staff will represent Team Pennsylvania in the games that open today and continue through June 21. Some 3,500 total Special Olympics athletes from throughout the United States will compete in 16 sports in front of thousands of spectators.

Zarrah Vitale, 31, of Bethlehem, will participate in her first national event in gymnastics. She has been practicing her routine for months at Parkettes Gymnastics in Allentown. Her father, Pat Vitale, said she constantly watches a video of her routine on her iPad and practices whenever she gets a free moment, even when she's in the kitchen.

"I'm a little scared and a little nervous," said Zarrah Vitale. "It's a big deal."

Many athletes benefit in a variety of ways from participating in Special Olympics programs and the training can be as rewarding as the competitions.

Elmer Williams' daughter, Simone, enjoys the freedom and independence that come along with her gymnastics training. He said she loves going so she can be active and do something apart from her parents.

Williams found out last week that she has been invited to the 2015 World Games in Los Angeles, where she will compete against international athletes.

While the competitions are important, the focus of the games is to teach sportsmanship and cooperation, according to Joe Talavera, whose daughter, Joni, is a powerlifter.

"This has been great for Joni," said Talavera. "She's learned that there is more to sports than winning. The Special Olympics do a great job at accentuating fair play. Scoring high is not the most important thing."

Eighteen-year-old swimmer Michael Semler, of Northampton, is so determined that he shaved his head this week to make sure nothing impedes him from gliding through the water quickly.

Seven players from the Lehigh Running Rebels five-on-five soccer team are headed to the nationals. Member Tarre Apreala's father, Tony, likes their chances to do well.

He said they picked up a key player last year who was a perfect fit for the team, which has been playing together for years.

"When Brandon Krekeler joined, we went from good to great," said Apreala.

The events will take place at a variety of venues, including the campuses of Princeton and Rider universities. Visit 2014specialolympics.org for schedules.

So much of the focus of the Special Olympics is not on results but on simply doing your best. However, Zarrah Vitale had a moment of bravado as she waited to board the bus.

"Nothing but gold!" she predicted.

***

SPECIAL OLYMPICS NATIONALS

The 2014 Special Olympics USA Games get underway today in Mercer County, N.J. Participants from Lehigh and Northampton counties are:

Athletes

• Michael Semler, of Northampton, swimming.
• Joni Talavera, of Bethlehem, powerlifting.
• Zarrah Vitale, of Bethlehem, gymnastics.
• Simone Williams, of Bethlehem, gymnastics.

Members of the Lehigh Running Rebels five-on-five soccer team

• Tarre Apreala, Brandon Batres, Jose Delgado, Nicholas Lacko and Tyler Mickle, all of Allentown.
• Gregory Jackson, of Bethlehem.
• Brandon Krekeler, of Whitehall Township.

Coaches

• Frederick Knauss, of North Catasauqua, aquatics.
• Alice Moat, of Orefield, aquatics.
• Casey Skoglund, of Tatamy, gymnastics.

Authorities in Warren, Hunterdon and Northampton counties are seeking these suspects.

Warren County authorities seek Nicholas P. Flynn

Hunterdon County authorities seek Patrick Spencer

Northampton County authorities seek Jacob Boyd

Lilliam Zawarski's attorney said she's incredibly remorseful about what happened and has paid back every dollar that was owed to the IRS.

A well-known Lehigh Valley real estate agent willfully avoided paying more than $130,000 in federal income taxes during the course of three years, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

Federal officials say Lilliam Zawarski, of Palmer Township, reported $640,489 of income on federal tax returns submitted to the IRS between 2007 and 2009. With interest and penalties for nonpayment, her taxes amounted to $164,466 for those years, according to court documents.

She earned a commission for each sale she brokered working as a real estate agent for Nic Zawarski and Sons Realty, according to court documents. Officials say she only paid $33,117 by January 2014 for the years in question, leaving her with $131,349 of outstanding taxes.

She was charged Friday in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania with one count of tax evasion, according to a news release. If convicted, the 60-year-old faces a maximum of five years in prison, three years' supervised release, a $250,000 fine and a $100 special assessment, the release states.  

Lilliam Zawarski said today that those taxes have been paid in full and directed further comment to Philadelphia attorney Evan Hughes.

Hughes said Zawarski accepts responsibility for what she's been accused of and made full restitution months ago.

"My client is incredibly remorseful about what happened," Hughes said. "She has already paid back every dollar that was owed to the IRS."

As part of her attempt to evade taxes, Zawarski bought luxury goods and services, making the money used for the purchases unavailable to the IRS, U.S. Attorney Zane David Memeger alleges. She also immediately converted the bulk of her paychecks to cash, leaving little in her bank account, according to court documents.

She avoided using her name in the May 2003 purchase of her family's home, which made it untouchable by the IRS, according to court documents. She's been living in the house since its purchase, personally made mortgage payments on the house and claimed an income tax credit for the mortgage interest deduction, court documents state.

Northampton County property records indicate John Zawarski owns the Palmer Township home, purchased in 2003 for $540,000.

Lilliam Zawarski made substantial use of credit cards in her name and the names of family members, according to court documents. She paid off her creditors while leaving her taxes unpaid and gave her family members cash for the bills she amassed, according to court records.

More than 96 percent of Pascack Valley Regional High School District students and all of the district's staffers logged in from home on Feb. 13.

New Jersey education officials say a school district's decision to have student's log on for a "virtual school day" during a winter storm earlier this year was innovative.

But it won't count as an official school day.

The Record reports the state issued its decision this week. That came about four months after more than 96 percent of Pascack Valley Regional High School District students — and all of the district's staffers — logged in from home on Feb. 13.

Education officials said it couldn't count as one of the required 180 school days because districts must have their facilities available to meet the requirements of a true school day.

The district has already made up the day — and another snow day that occurred on Feb. 14 — by having students came in for two days over spring vacation. District officials say they didn't try to hold a second "virtual school day" on Feb. 14 because at the time the initiative was "so new."

Pascack Valley Superintendent Erik Gundersen told the newspaper that the district wants to improve on its virtual school day — which was hailed as a success by local officials and educational organizations. It also hopes the state can work with districts to develop a protocol for working from home in severe weather events.

During the "virtual school day," students logged in to their district-issued laptops and worked on class assignments, conducted research and even participated in physical education. They communicated with their teachers over forums, social media and email.

Some students said the workload felt more than normal. But many enjoyed the opportunity to work at their own pace.

K-9 officers in Easton and Bethlehem say their four-legged partners are indispensable and tougher laws to protect them are always welcome.

Though they didn't know him, officers in Lehigh Valley K-9 units feel for Phil Lerza, handler of Rocco, the Pittsburgh police dog mortally stabbed by a suspect in January.

"I don't know the officer, but I know how I would feel," said Easton police Sgt. Steve Homoki. "When you go home, they're your family. Whatever you're thinking about the big, tough cop persona — these guys love their animals. My heart goes out to them."

Rocco's death prompted a bill, dubbed Rocco's Law, which would intensify the penalties for those convicted of injuring or killing a police dog. Crimes against the canines would warrant a second-degree felony, carrying a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a $25,000 fine.

Senate Bill 1261 passed unanimously in the state Senate on Wednesday and is on its way to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives for consideration. House Bill 2026, meanwhile, was unanimously passed by the House in mid-March and is being considered now by the Senate.

The two bills are necessary since laws pertaining to the criminalization of torturing or killing police dogs are listed in separate areas of the commonwealth law.

Bethlehem Patrolman Jason Ebert, the handler for K-9 officer Rexo, said the relationship that forms between a handler and his dog is powerful.

"You're with them all the time. You react to each other," Ebert said. "You know when he's having a bad day and he knows when you're having a bad day. It all travels down the leash.

"As long as I wanted to be a police officer, I've wanted to be a K-9 officer."

View full sizeThe late Madjo, a veteran of the Bethlehem K-9 unit, enjoys a break and a treat. The K-9 was put to sleep at 14. Photo Courtesy John Isaac 

K-9 unit creates special bond

Ebert's sole partner since he joined the unit six years ago has been Rexo. He hopes he's got a few more years on the job with the 8-year-old German shepherd.

"He's not showing any signs of slowing down," Ebert said.

Homoki's attraction to the unit started early, too. His father, Steve, worked in the city's K-9 unit — which got its start in the 1960s. When a spot opened up in 2004, Homoki applied immediately.

"For me personally, it was something I grew up with, loved it and couldn't wait to get the opportunity," he said.

Homoki's first K-9 partner, Ute, is 12 and happily retired. He still lives with Homoki. The newest pup is Jax, an energetic 2-year-old that seems ready for anything.

Bethlehem police Sgt. John Isaac, a 14-year veteran of Bethlehem's K-9 unit that started in 1989, has also been through two K-9 partners. His first, Madjo, was put down at 14 after a long career on the force and a pleasant retirement at Isaac's home.

Isaac now works with Roko, a 4-year-old dog who specializes in narcotics searches.  

"I spend more time with Roko than I do with most guys in the department," Isaac said. "You're always counting on that dog. They give us so much."

'They don't take a day off'

K-9 officers have some distinct advantages over their human partners.

They have an incredible sense of smell and the unique ability to separate different odors, said Isaac. And the dogs are fast — capable of completing searches with an unmatched speed and efficiency, according to Homoki.

"What a dog can do in seconds to minutes can take officers minutes to hours," the Easton sergeant said. "It's a lot of work, but they're invaluable."

The animals operate on intense training, but also remarkable, reliable instincts. And they work every day at their hardest — asking only for praise, toys and the occasional treat in return.

"They don't take a day off," Isaac said.

The animals' super senses — always alert and watching an officer's back — are a huge part of their benefit. But their formidable look is just as essential.

"People will challenge a human," said Isaac. "They usually don't want to mess with a dog."

Bring a K-9 to a South Side Bethlehem bar fight and see what happens.

"All you had to do really (is) pull up with the car and roll down the window with the dog going nuts," Isaac said. "That clears about 80 percent of the people out."

All three officers said they worry about their partners, but they all understand that the dog has a job to do and part of it is meant to protect human life.

"Even though they're a living, breathing animal — they're a tool we use to ensure human officers don't get injured," Homoki said. "That doesn't make it any less painful when something happens. But that's how you have to look at it."

Law will provide closure, consequences

While officers hope Rocco's Law will deter violence against their canine partners, they know that anyone in the position to harm the animal is unlikely to rethink it on account of stiffer penalties.

But Homoki said it will provide a valuable service in paying homage to the loss of a K-9 and closure for the dog's human colleagues.

"I think it will give a sense of comfort knowing the dog's life wasn't in vain, it was worth something," he said. "Whoever does something like that will have to live with the consequences."

Homoki said it's impossible to know how many crimes the dog has helped prevent just by being there and how many times it might have kept an officer from an even more dangerous situation.

"Potentially it could be a daily event where you're thankful that they're there," he said. "I may never know what that dog has done for me."

A weekly roundup of awards, promotions and recognitions.

S. Graham SimmonsCourtesy photo 

S. Graham Simmons and Lauren L. Sorrentino, attorneys with Allentown law firm Norris McLaughlin & Marcus P.A., have been named 2014 Pennsylvania Rising Stars by Pennsylvania Super Lawyers Magazine. The Rising Stars list consists of less than 2.5 percent of Pennsylvania lawyers age 40 and under or who have been practicing for fewer than 10 years.

Simmons, of Easton, focuses his practice on business law, mergers and acquisitions, real estate and land use, banking and financial services, and health care law. He was named to the Lehigh Valley Business Top 40 Under 40 list in 2013. He serves as assistant solicitor for the City of Easton Parking Authority and the Northampton County Gaming Revenue and Economic Redevelopment Authority. He serves on the board of directors of the Greater Easton Development Partnership, the Easton Area Chamber of Commerce, the Greater Valley YMCA and Renew Lehigh Valley.

Simmons earned a bachelor's degree from Roanoke College and a law degree from Villanova University School of Law.

Sorrentino, of Allentown, focuses her practice on matrimonial and family law including divorce, prenuptial and property settlement agreements, child support and child custody.

Lauren L. SorrentinoCourtesy photo 

Sorrentino serves on the council of the Pennsylvania Bar Association's Family Law Section and its programming and rules committees. She has served on the executive committee of the Philadelphia Bar Association's Family Law Section and co-chaired the Section's Domestic Violence Committee. She has had several articles published on family law topics and has served as a panelist at family law educational programs.

Sorrentino earned a bachelor's degree from Columbia University and a law degree from the Boalt Hall School of Law, University of California at Berkeley.

Beth Barry and Dan Lasko have joined integrated communications and public relations firm Sahl Communications Inc. in Bethlehem.

Barry was named director of marketing. She will focus on strategic planning.

Barry has more than 15 years of marketing management experience in the financial services and retail sectors. She earned a bachelor's degree in business administration with a concentration in marketing from Lehigh University and a master's degree in international business studies from the University of South Carolina.

Lasko was named director of government relations. He will help clients navigate the government landscape.

Lasko served in the U.S. Marine Corps, retiring as corporal. He was awarded the Purple Heart Medal, Navy Marine Corps Achievement Medal and the Afghanistan Campaign Medal for his service.

Since returning home to Pennsylvania, Lasko has held positions and volunteered for veterans organizations including the Injured Marine Semper Fi Fund, America's VetDogs and Northampton County while pursuing his education.

He last served with the Wounded Warrior Fellowship Program as a veterans constituent service representative for Congresswoman Allyson Schwartz in Philadelphia.

William E. Redmond Jr. has been named to the board of directors of Avantor Performance Materials, a global manufacturer and supplier of high-performance chemistries with corporate headquarters in Upper Saucon Township.

Redmond serves as chief executive officer of General Chemical Corp. and its predecessor, GenTek Inc., leading the company's transformation from a public entity to a private equity partnership. He also serves as a director for Rotech Healthcare and GT Technologies Inc.

Before that, he served as a chief executive officer or director of more than 20 companies in various industries including chemicals, automotive supply, health care, port/logistics operations, wireless communications and retail.

Redmond earned a bachelor's degree in marketing from Siena College in Loudonville, New York.

Todd H. Lahr, attorney and founder of the law firm Lahr & Lahr in Allentown, has been named president of Onslow Holdings Inc., an international business focusing on mining, energy and real estate acquisitions.

Lahr has been listed in Who's Who among Practicing Attorneys and Who's Who in American Law. He earned a bachelor's degree from Colorado State University, a master's degree from Drake University College of Business and Public Administration and a law degree from Drake University Law School.

Kelly StrattonCourtesy photo 

Kelly Stratton, director of digital marketing at Altitude Marketing in Emmaus, has completed Internet media company Mediabistro's Social Media Certificate program. The program provides hands-on training on use of social platforms to develop and implement an integrated brand strategy.

Stratton completed training in managing Facebook, LinkedIn, Google+, Foursquare, YouTube and Twitter.

Somerset County Children's advocate Colleen Carolonza and local attorney Eliot Goldstein have been named to the board of trustees of Washington-based Court Appointed Special Advocates of Somerset, Hunterdon and Warren Counties. CASA advocates for children in the foster care system and helps raise community awareness of their needs.

Caitlin HarveyCourtesy photo 

Caitlin Harvey has been named curator of collections and exhibits at Historic Bethlehem Museums & Sites.

Harvey helped with the renovation of the Allentown Art Museum. She then served with the Mennonite Heritage Center, Schwenkfelder Library & Heritage Center and the Goschenhoppen Historians.

Harvey earned a bachelor's degree in history from the University of Washington in Seattle and a master's degree in the history and culture of fashion from the London College of Fashion. While working on her master's thesis she interned at the Robert and Penny Fox Historic Costume Collection at Drexel University.

Harvey is supervisor of Historic Bethlehem Museums' new exhibition, ''Colors'', a showcase of historic examples of glass, textiles, furniture, clothing and ceramics.

For information, visit HistoricBethlehem.wordpress.com.

Rich Ramaci has joined Residential Home Mortgage Corporation in Hampton as regional sales manager.

Ramaci, of Clinton Township, has 12 years of experience in banking, customer service and technology. He is licensed in New Jersey, New York, Connecticut and Pennsylvania.

Robert Dolansky Jr.Courtesy photo 

Dr. Robert Dolansky Jr. has been named president of the Pennsylvania Osteopathic Medical Association, an organization for physicians holding the doctor of osteopathic medicine degree.

During his one-year term, Dolansky will represent more than 5,000 physicians and 2,000 student physicians throughout the state. His responsibilities will include development of POMA's positions on pending medical-related legislation, visiting Pennsylvania's two osteopathic medical schools and encouraging physician involvement in POMA activities.

Dolansky serves as director of osteopathic medical education of St. Luke's University Health Network, director of medical education at St. Luke's Allentown Campus and medical director of St. Luke's walk-in care centers, including St. Luke's CareNow centers in Wind Gap and Allentown. He is also co-director of St. Luke's Family Health Center in Allentown.

Dolansky joined St. Luke's Hospital as a resident 18 years ago. He completed an internship and family practice residency at Allentown Osteopathic Medical Center, now St. Luke's Allentown Campus. He is a graduate of Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. He is a fellow of the American College of Osteopathic Family Physicians and serves as a delegate to the American Osteopathic Association.

Yvonne L. ReitemeyerCourtesy photo 

Yvonne L. Reitemeyer, financial adviser with Frailey Insurance and Financial Services in Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, has been awarded the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors' Quality Award.

Reitemeyer was recognized for excellence in service to her clients, pursuit of education and training and adherence to the association's code of ethics.

Petrina Calantoni and Craig A. Sachse have joined Keller Williams Real Estate in the Lehigh Valley as real estate agents.

Petrina CalantoniCourtesy photo 

Calantoni joined the Northampton County office April 1. She is an experienced general contractor and founded the Calantoni Family Limited Partnership construction firm. She owns and rents several Lehigh Valley commercial properties in partnership with her husband.

Calantoni earned a bachelor's degree in business arts from Georgia State University, where she majored in real estate. She worked for five years at Lehman Brothers in New York before earning a Pennsylvania real estate license.

Craig A. SachseCourtesy photo 

Sachse joined the Lehigh County office April 28. He has more than 17 years of experience as an architect. He has worked for several design firms including DWKCB in Hatfield, Pennsylvania, Bohlin Cywinsky Jackson Architects in Wilkes-Barre and Hemmler & Camayd Architects in Scranton. He opened Craig A. Sachse Design Consulting in 2003.

Sachse earned a bachelor's degree in architecture from Temple University and was selected to study at Temple University in Rome in 1995.

Jillian Harper has been named director of the Mattioli Recreation Center at East Stroudsburg University effective July 1. She will be responsible for the comprehensive recreational program that includes league sports, group fitness, personal training, club sports and special events. She will supervise more than 75 student staff. The Mattioli Recreation Center opened in 2003.

Jillian HarperCourtesy photo 

Harper last served as associate director of the recreation center at ESU for eight years, where she was responsible for assisting with the operation of the two recreation facilities, overseeing the group fitness program, creating and maintaining personal training services, developing student staff and creating fitness outreach programs.

Harper earned a bachelor's degree in physical education with a concentration in adult fitness from Montclair State University and a master's degree in human performance and recreation from the University of Southern Mississippi.

She is a member of the National and Pennsylvania Intramural and Recreational Sports Associations and the American College Personnel Association. She holds several fitness certifications including American Council on Exercise personal trainer and Aerobics and Fitness Association of America certified group fitness instructor. She is a volunteer for the American Red Cross.

Tough policing has driven the highly toxic superlabs south of the border where meth is manufactured outside the sight of U.S. law enforcement.

In methamphetamine's seedy underworld, traffickers are disguising the drug as a liquid to smuggle it into the United States from Mexico.

Dissolved in a solution, it's sealed in tequila bottles or plastic detergent containers to fool border agents and traffic officers. Once deep in California's Central Valley, a national distribution hub, meth cooks convert it into crystals — the most sought-after form on the street.

Tough policing has driven the highly toxic superlabs south of the border where meth is manufactured outside the sight of U.S. law enforcement, but the smaller conversion labs are popping up domestically in neighborhoods, such as one in Fresno where a house exploded two years ago.

People inside the home had sealed it tightly so the tale-tell fumes didn't give them away.

"These guys, they don't have Ph.D.s in chemistry," said Sgt. Matt Alexander of the Fresno County Sheriff's Office. "They're focused on not getting caught."

Investigators say it's impossible to know how much liquid meth crosses the border, but agents in Central California say they have been seeing more of it in the past few years.

A California Highway Patrol officer in late 2012 pulled over a 20-year-old man on Interstate 5 who said he was headed to Oregon from Southern California and seemed nervous. The officer found 15 bottles in the trunk full of dissolved meth but labeled as Mexican tequila.

The man pleaded guilty to drug trafficking and received a federal prison sentence of 46 months.

Three men were indicted in late 2013 and await trial after a drug task force found 12 gallons of liquid meth in a Fresno house along with 42 pounds of the drug ready for sale, four guns and 5,000 rounds of ammunition.

Officers raided a Madera home earlier this year, finding a lab used to convert liquid meth into 176 pounds of crystals with a street value over $1 million. Nobody was arrested, but agents said the bust dealt a blow to the organization behind the lab.

Mike Prado, resident agent in charge of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Investigation's Fresno office, said law enforcement agencies are always on the lookout for creative ways cartels smuggle meth.

"We've become better at detecting certain things," Prado said. "When they catch on to that, they modify their methods."

The superlabs driven south to Mexico are notoriously toxic to people and the environment, but Prado said the small conversion labs in the Central Valley are more dangerous. His agents have found them in densely populated apartment buildings and foreclosed homes in quiet neighborhoods where children play on the street.

In the conversion process, cooks evaporate off the liquid and use highly combustible chemicals such as acetone to make crystals. The fumes are trapped inside. "A spark can turn this into a fireball," Prado said.

That's what happened in 2012, when a home in a middle-class area of Fresno was blown off its foundation. The blast shot the air conditioner into a neighbor's yard; another neighbor had to replace a roof rippled by the concussion. Two men ran from the home, and investigators said a third was seriously injured.

Central California's interstates and proximity to Mexico make it an attractive distribution hub for cartels, officials say.

John Donnelly, until recently in charge of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration's Fresno office, said agents all over the country have tracked meth to California's Central Valley. "We're the source point for Seattle, Portland, Alaska and as far east as the Carolinas," Donnelly said.

Not all the meth traveling north makes its way to Central California. Two men were arrested last month in San Bernardino when investigators found a conversion lab, 206 pounds of crystal meth and 250 gallons of the liquid capable of producing 1,250 pounds of crystals.

The seized drugs, which investigators suspect came from Mexico, were valued at $7.2 million.

Not all liquid meth makes it across the border. Last year, a 16-year-old from Mexico was stopped at the crossing near San Diego. He volunteered to take "a big sip" to convince inspectors the liquid he had was only apple juice, not meth. The teenager began screaming in pain and died within hours.

Eric L. Olson, a Latin America researcher at the Woodrow Wilson International Center in Washington D.C., said he witnessed agents seize liquid meth disguised in soda bottles during a 2012 tour of the border crossing at Laredo, Texas.

Liquid meth is just the latest innovation for transporting drugs for profit, he said. Smugglers have used tunnels, submarines, drones and once, Olson said, a 90-year-old farmer was used as a decoy.

"There's no end to the creativity to getting the drug to market when there's demand," he said of the turn to liquid meth.

Police declined to comment on what led to the death of the man, who they did not identify.

A middle-aged man was found dead Saturday evening along a railroad trestle in Upper Mount Bethel Township, state police in Belfast say.

State police say the man's body was found between 8:30 and 9 p.m. Saturday near the Slateford trestle off Slateford Road. Police did not identify the man, pending notification of family members.

Police declined comment on what led to the death of the man and said the incident remains under investigation. Additional details are expected later today, police said.

Police said the bridge was old and abandoned.

Kasem, the internationally famous radio broadcaster with the cheerful manner and gentle voice, died this morning.

Casey Kasem, the internationally famous radio broadcaster with the cheerful manner and gentle voice who became the king of the top 40 countdown with a syndicated show that ran for decades, died today. He was 82.

Danny Deraney, publicist for Kasem's daughter, Kerri, says Kasem died this morning. A statement issued by the family says he died at 3:23 a.m. surrounded by family and friends.

Kasem's ''American Top 40'' began on July 4, 1970, in Los Angeles. The No. 1 song on his list then was "Mama Told Me Not to Come," by Three Dog Night.

The show continued in varying forms -- and for varying syndicators -- until his retirement in 2009. In his signoff, he told viewers: ''And don't forget: Keep your feet on the ground and keep reaching for the stars.''

In recent years, Kasem was trapped in a feud between his three adult children and his second wife, former actress Jean Kasem. In 2013, his children filed a legal petition to gain control of his health care, alleging that Kasem was suffering from advanced Parkinson's disease and that his wife was isolating him from friends and family members. Kasem also suffered from Lewy Body Disease, a form of dementia.

A judge in May temporarily stripped his wife of her caretaker role after she moved him from a medical facility in Los Angeles to a friend's home in Washington state.

Jean Kasem said she moved her husband to protect his privacy and to consult with doctors. Casey Kasem developed a severe bedsore while in Washington and was in critical condition by the time he was hospitalized in early June.
It was a sad, startling end for a man whose voice had entertained and informed music lovers worldwide.

His show expanded to hundreds of stations, including Armed Forces Radio, and continued in varying forms into the 21st century. He stepped down from "American Top 40" in 2004 and retired altogether in 2009, completing his musical journey with Shinedown's ''Second Chance.''

While many DJs convulsed their listeners with stunts and "morning zoo" snarkiness, Kasem would read "long distance dedications" of songs sent in by listeners and introduce countdown records with sympathetic background anecdotes about the singers.

"The idea from the beginning was to do the type of thing on radio that Ed Sullivan did on television, good, honest stories with human interest," he told the Los Angeles Times in 1975.

Succeeding him at the main "American Top 40" show in 2004 was multiplatform star Ryan Seacrest, who has said he had been a fan of Kasem since boyhood and would imitate him in pretend countdown broadcasts at age 9.

Kasem's legacy reached well beyond music. His voice was heard in TV cartoons such as "Scooby-Doo" (he was Shaggy) and in numerous commercials.

"They are going to be playing Shaggy and Scooby-Doo for eons and eons," Kasem told The New York Times in 2004. "And they're going to forget Casey Kasem -- unless they happen to step on his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. I'll be one of those guys people say 'Who's that?' about. And someone else will say, 'He's just some guy who used to be on the radio.'"

The son of Lebanese immigrants, Kasem was active in speaking out for greater understanding of Arab-Americans -- both on political issues involving the Mideast and on arts and media issues.

"Arab-Americans are coming out of the closet," Kasem told The Associated Press in 1990. "They are more outspoken now than ever before. People are beginning to realize who they really are, that they are not the people who yell and scream on their nightly newscast."

Kasem was born Kemal Amin Kasem in 1932 in Detroit. He began his broadcasting career in the radio club at Detroit's Northwestern High School and was soon a disc jockey on WJBK radio in Detroit, initially calling himself Kemal Kasem.

In a 1997 visit with high school students in Dearborn, Mich., home to a large Arab-American community, he was asked why he changed his name to Casey.
"It didn't sound like a deejay; it wasn't hip. So we decided I'd be 'Casey at the Mike' — and I have been since," Kasem said.

In the 1975 Los Angeles Times interview, he said he had been doing "a regular screaming DJ show" in San Francisco in the early 1960s when his boss suggested he talk about the records instead.

He was unconvinced, since his screaming routine had brought him top ratings. But he said he had learned "after a particularly unpleasant situation in Buffalo never to argue with general managers."

The shooting is under investigation, according to city police.

A man was rushed to the hospital after being shot in the area of Yosko Park in Bethlehem this morning, city police say.

The man was shot early this morning near the park, which is located along Hayes, East Sixth and Pfeifle streets, police confirmed. The man has been transported to a local hospital; his current condition is unknown.

Police Chief Mark DiLuzio said the shooting is under investigation.

Police say he had trouble getting into his parked car.

A 48-year-old North Whitehall Township man has been charged with public drunkenness after walking around a bank parking lot and having trouble getting inside his parked vehicle, Colonial Regional Police say.

Police charged Daniel Getter following the incident at 10:43 p.m. Saturday at the parking lot of Wells Fargo Bank in Bath.

Police had a family member come and pick up Getter, according to a news release.

Pennsylvania is the only state in the U.S. that prohibits local officers from enforcing speeding laws with radar.

A growing number of municipalities in Pennsylvania want the state to allow their police officers to use radar guns.

Pennsylvania is the only state in the U.S. to prohibit local officers from enforcing speeding laws with radar.

Wilson Borough Council last week passed a resolution urging the state to adopt Senate Bill 1340 and House Bill 1272 that would enable municipal police departments across the state to use the same vehicle speed-timing devices as Pennsylvania State Police.

Palmer and Whitehall townships passed similar resolutions this year. Forks Township police Chief Greg Dorney raised the issue at a recent board of supervisors meeting. The board asked the chief to provide more information and it may vote on a resolution to support the House and Senate bills at the next meeting Thursday night.

"We see a lot of residents complaining about people speeding through neighborhoods," said Forks supervisors Chairman John O'Neil. "It puts our police at a disadvantage not having a radar gun. I think it's a move in the right direction. Anything that provides more safety for township residents I am in support of."

The Pennsylvania State Mayors Association, Pennsylvania Chiefs of Police Association and Pennsylvania State Association of Boroughs all support radar gun use at the municipal level.

Pennsylvania had the third highest number of speeding fatalities in the country, according to a 2012 report by the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration. Forty-seven percent of those speed-related fatalities occurred on roads posted at 50 miles per hour or less.

Wilson police currently use a Visual Average Speed Computer and Recorder, or VASCAR, which borough police Chief Steven Parkansky described as a digital stopwatch that calculates the time a car travels a certain distance.

However, he said VASCAR is extremely limiting in its application. Radar would greatly improve the ability for police to keep the streets safe for the public, Parkansky said.

"It's ridiculous," said Parkansky. "This will make it a little bit easier to do our job."

Councilman James McGowan cast the sole dissenting vote for the Wilson Borough resolution. He fears that municipalities will use speeding tickets as a means to raise money.

The House bill was designed to answer critics by allowing police departments to keep only 50 percent of fine money.

"Obviously, there's a risk of abuse in any enforcement but we don't make that much," Wilson Councilman Louis Starniri said, "which goes to show it's not a money thing. It's a safety thing."

Wilson officials planned to send the resolution to state Sen. Lisa Boscola and state Rep. Robert Freeman, both Democrats representing Northampton County. Freeman is a co-sponsor of the House bill.

Anthony Elonis make threats about his wife and Dorney Park in the form of rap lyrics; he was convicted and served out his sentence.

View full sizePhoto | FACEBOOKAnthony Douglas Elonis

The U.S. Supreme Court , in a case involving a Lower Saucon Township man, will consider the free speech rights of people who use violent or threatening language on Facebook and other electronic media where the speaker's intent is not always clear.

He was convicted in 2011 in federal court of four violations of the interstate communications law and sent to prison for nearly four years. He was released Feb. 14.

A federal appeals court rejected Elonis' claim that his comments, one under the moniker "Tone Dougie," were protected by the First Amendment. He says he never meant to carry out the threats. He claims he was depressed and made the online posts in the form of rap lyrics as a way of venting his frustration after his wife left him.

At his trial, the jury was instructed that Elonis could be found guilty if an objective person could consider his posts to be threatening. Attorneys for Elonis argue that the jury should have been told to apply a subjective standard and decide whether Elonis meant the messages to be understood as threats.

Elonis's lawyers say a subjective standard is appropriate given the impersonal nature of communication over the Internet, which can lead people to misinterpret messages. They argue that comments intended for a smaller audience can be viewed by others unfamiliar with the context and interpret the statements differently than was intended.

The Obama administration says requiring proof of a subjective threat would undermine the purpose of the federal law prohibiting threats.

The high court said it will consider whether conviction of threatening another person under federal law "requires proof of the defendant's subjective intent to threaten."

For more than 40 years, the Supreme Court has said that "true threats" to harm another person are not protected speech under the First Amendment. But the court has cautioned that laws prohibiting threats must not infringe on constitutionally protected speech. That includes "political hyperbole" or "unpleasantly sharp attacks" that fall shy of true threats.

The federal statute targeting threats of violence is likely to be used more often in the coming years "as our speech increasingly migrates from in-person and traditional handwritten communication to digital devices and the Internet," said Clay Calvert, a law professor at the University of Florida.

Calvert, one of several free speech advocates who submitted a legal brief urging the court to use a subjective standard, said people mistakenly seem to feel that they can get away with more incendiary speech on the Internet, in tweets and in texts.

Elonis' estranged wife testified at his trial the postings made her fear for her life. One post about his wife said, "There's one way to love you but a thousand ways to kill you. I'm not going to rest until your body is a mess, soaked in blood and dying from all the little cuts."

FBI agents visited Elonis at home after the amusement park in South Whitehall Township that fired him contacted law enforcement officials about his posts.

After the agents left, Elonis wrote: "Little agent lady stood so close, took all the strength I had not to turn the (woman) ghost. Pull my knife, flick my wrist and slit her throat."

The case is Elonis v. United States, 13-983.

The 35-year-old was in a Pennsylvania State Police vehicle after being arrested on drunken driving charges.

A central Pennsylvania man has been jailed on charges that he assaulted and tried to disarm a Pennsylvania State Police trooper who tried to keep the man from hanging himself using a seat belt following his arrest on drunken driving charges.

Online court records don't list an attorney for 35-year-old Gary Jasper, of Winburn, Pennsylvania, who was stopped Saturday for alleged drunken driving in Snow Shoe Township.

Police say Jasper tried to harm himself by wrapping a police cruiser seat belt around his neck as a trooper was driving him to a hospital. Police say Jasper head-butted a trooper and tried to grab the officer's firearm.

Jasper remained today in the Centre County Jaill. He faces a preliminary hearing Wednesday.

The eventual owner of the Glock 19 handgun is a Bethlehem man, online records show.

A divided U.S. Supreme Court sided with gun control groups and the Obama administration today, ruling the federal ban on "straw" purchases of guns can be enforced even if the ultimate buyer is legally allowed to own a gun.

The justices ruled 5-4 that the law applied to a Virginia man who bought a gun with the intention of transferring it to an uncle at a licensed firearms dealer in Easton; the uncle, who online records show lives in Bethlehem, was not prohibited from owning firearms.

The ruling settles a split among appeals courts over federal gun laws intended to prevent sham buyers from obtaining guns for the sole purpose of giving them to another person. The laws were part of Congress' effort to make sure firearms did not get into the hands of unlawful recipients.

Writing for the majority, Justice Elena Kagan said the federal government's elaborate system of background checks and record-keeping requirements help law enforcement investigate crimes by tracing guns to their buyers. Those provisions would mean little, she said, if a would-be gun buyer could evade them by simply getting another person to buy the gun and fill out the paperwork.

Kagan's opinion was joined by Justice Anthony Kennedy, who is often considered the court's swing vote, as well as liberal Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Stephen Breyer and Sonia Sotomayor.

In dissent, Justice Antonin Scalia said the language of the law does not support making it a crime for one lawful gun owner to buy a gun for another lawful gun owner. He was joined by the court's other conservatives — Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito.

The case began after Bruce James Abramski Jr. bought a Glock 19 handgun in 2009 in Collinsville, Virginia, and later transferred it to his uncle, Angel Alvarez, in Easton. Abramski, a former police officer, had assured the Virginia dealer he was the "actual buyer" of the weapon even though he had already offered to buy the gun for his uncle using a police discount.

Alvarez today did not immediately return a phone message.

Abramski purchased the gun three days after his uncle had written him a check for $400 with "Glock 19 handgun" written in the memo line. During the transaction, he answered "yes" on a federal form asking "Are you the actual transferee buyer of the firearm(s) listed on this form? Warning: You are not the actual buyer if you are acquiring the firearm(s) on behalf of another person. If you are not the actual buyer, the dealer cannot transfer the firearm(s) to you."

Police later arrested Abramski after they thought he was involved in a bank robbery in Rocky Mount, Virginia. No charges were filed on the bank robbery, but officials charged him with making false statements about the purchase of the gun.

A federal district judge rejected Abramski's argument that he was not a straw purchaser because his uncle was eligible to buy firearms and the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed.

The Obama administration had argued that accepting Abramski's defense would impair the ability of law enforcement officials to trace firearms involved in crimes and keep weapons away from people who are not eligible to buy them. The administration said that even if the purchase is made on behalf of someone eligible to buy a firearm, the purpose of the law is frustrated since Congress requires the gun dealers — not purchasers — to run federal background checks on people buying guns.

Abramski claimed Congress' goal was to prevent guns from falling into the hands of convicted felons and others barred from owning firearms. He said that goal is not furthered if the gun is transferred to someone legally allowed to own guns.

The National Rifle Association sided with Abramski, asserting that the government wrongly interpreted the law and improperly expanded the scope of gun regulations. Twenty-six states also submitted a brief supporting Abramski's view of the law, while nine states and Washington, D.C., filed papers bolstering the Obama administration.

Northampton County District Attorney John Morganelli said his office was not involved in the investigation against Abramski but called the high court's ruling responsible.