Animal welfare workers save 71 beagles crammed in small home
ALLENTOWN, PA. >> Animal welfare workers say 71 beagles have been removed from “deplorable conditions” in a Pennsylvania home.
Barbara Morgan, an officer with the Lehigh County Humane Society says she expects to file charges against the owner of the home near Allentown where the dogs were discovered.
Many of the dogs were sickly and underweight. Morgan says they range from weeks old to senior-aged.
Staffers were called to the home over noise complaints.
Morgan she’d never seen so many dogs squeezed into such a small space.
The Lehigh County Humane Society says in a Facebook posting the dogs are being evaluated and information on adoption will be available in coming days. Until then, they are in need of donations to help care for them, including wet food, towels, sheets and leashes.
Philadelphia makes it easier to host block parties
PHILADELPHIA >> Philadelphia residents can return to an easier format of submitting applications online to host a block party after a summer rule change made it more difficult.
Over the summer, it became more difficult to host a block party as residents who wanted permission needed approval from a local police station alongside approval from the city Streets Department. Philly.com reports on Wednesday the city reverted to the old policy of submitting two forms online after obtaining support from other members of the block.
Philadelphia 3.0 Director of Engagement Jon Geeting worked with neighbors to petition the city so the old process could return. Geeting says making people coordinate with two different city departments felt like a step too much.
Firefighters battle fire in vacant warehouse
ALLENTOWN, PA. >> Firefighters battled an intense and smoky fire in a vacant warehouse that had been burning for several hours.
The fire in the former storage building in Allentown was reported around 6:30 p.m. Sunday. Hundreds of people watched as flames shot high in the sky and heavy, dark smoke billowed from the building’s windows.
One firefighter was being treated at a hospital for burns to his hands, but no residents were injured. One nearby home was evacuated as a precaution, while several streets were shuttered for several hours.
It’s not clear what sparked the fire in the four-story building.
The building had been slated for redevelopment as 60 apartments before the fire. The developer told The Morning Call of Allentown the building was frequently vandalized and entered by trespassers.
Jury selection begins for trial in woman’s Lake Erie death
ERIE, PA. >> Jury selection has begun for the homicide trial of a man accused of shooting his wife and tossing her into Lake Erie and then reporting she’d accidentally fallen overboard from his commercial fishing boat.
The Erie Times-News reports that prosecution and defense are selecting jurors from a pool of 150 people for the trial of 49-year-old Christopher Leclair.
Erie County prosecutors say Leclair reported 51-year-old Karen Leclair missing in June 2017 but dock surveillance images showed the two leaving and him returning alone.
Authorities say her body was found in July with an anchor attached and an autopsy concluded she had been shot in the head.
Prosecutors are seeking a first-degree murder conviction as well as aggravated assault, abuse of a corpse, evidence tampering and false reports convictions.