Probe of deadly Pennsylvania chocolate factory blast focuses on gas pipeline

Carson Briere, the 23-year-old son of Gatineau hockey great Daniel Briere, has been officially removed from the Mercyhurst University men’s hockey team, a Division 1 team in the NCAA.Briere was temporarily suspended from the Mercyhurst Lakers hockey team shortly after security footage of him shoving an unoccupied wheelchair down a staircase at a bar in Erie, Pa., went viral.Two weeks ago, Erie County pressed charges against Briere and Patrick Carrozzi, another Mercyhurst athlete, for the stunt after the wheelchair’s owner filed a complaint listing extensive damage to her chair. Read more: Donald Trump pleads not guilty to 34 felonies On Monday night, Mercyhurst Athletics announced that Briere “has been removed” from the university’s hockey team.“Mercyhurst cannot comment further on this matter,” the statement concluded.A statement on behalf of Mercyhurst University and Mercyhurst University Athletics.

LEHIGH COUNTY, Pa. - A man in custody for a string of indecent assaults has also been charged for possessing child sexual abuse materials.Ogonna Chuwudaalu Ofoma, 30, is accused of at least eight indecent assaults in retail and grocery stores throughout Lehigh County.Pennsylvania State Police say multiple victims, including one under the age of 16, have been uncovered in several municipalities.MORE HEADLINES:Two of the incidents were reported in Lower Macungie Township; one at a Walmart in December 2022 and one at a Target in February this year.An investigation also led troopers to find child sexual abuse materials on the suspect's phone.Ofoma is charged with child pornography and 8 counts of indecent assault.

NORTHAMPTON COUNTY, Pa. - A massive fire has erupted at a warehouse in Northampton County Tuesday morning, prompting a heavy response from emergency crews.The blaze broke out at a warehouse on the 1500 block of Lehigh Drive in West Easton around 5 a.m. as fires spread throughout the building.SkyFOX was live as heavy smoke and flames engulfed the warehouse.

HAVERFORD, Pa. - The ongoing trend of catalytic converter thefts appears to be victimizing a new type of vehicle in one Pennsylvania community, according to local police. Officers in Haverford Township say there were nearly a dozen catalytic converter thefts over the weekend, and many of them the vehicles were Volkswagens. "This is really the first big spike we’ve seen in quite some time, we’ve had a few sporadic here and there, but it’s not just us it’s regionally," Haverford Township Police Chief John Viola said.Investigators in Haverford believe the thieves are coming from outside the town.

PHILADELPHIA - A man is dead, and a person is in custody after police say a deadly midday shooting that erupted on a South Philadelphia street may have been sparked by road rage.Officers from the Philadelphia Police Department were called to the 2000 block of Mercy Street around 11 a.m.

Los Angeles, CaliforniaSept. 26, 2022 Gas prices are going up in Southern California on Sept.

The TikTok logo is seen in this photo illustration on 31 March, 2023. (Jaap Arriens/NurPhoto via Getty Images) WASHINGTON - Rep. Jeff Jackson of North Carolina has used it to explain the complex fight over raising the debt limit.

MONTGOMERY COUNTY - Monday morning commute just got a even more difficult for some drivers in Montgomery County after Saturday's severe storms shut down part of a major highway.Route 422 near King of Prussia is closed in both directions from Pennsylvania Route 23 Valley Forge exit and PA 363 at the Audubon/ Trooper exit, PennDOT says.The highway was closed after a string of thunderstorms pummeled the Delaware Valley Saturday night, causing damage to roads and properties.Officials say a utility pole was knocked down on Route 422, leaving power lines along the highway.MORE HEADLINES:PECO crews have been ‘feverishly’ working to erect a new pole and make necessary repairs since Sunday, according to authorities.Although the hoped to have the highway open by Monday morning, officials say they now expect it to be closed beyond Monday rush hour.FOX 29's Steve Keeley was on the scene as several cars and buses were forced to turn around and find alternate routes.

Read more: Plagiarism wars put rhythm and beats under the legal microscope Then came the internet and the illegal filing-sharing that began in the late 1990s. People went nuts, accumulating as much free music as they could. Others began ripping their CDs to digital files where they lived alongside purchased downloads from storefronts like iTunes.

LANCASTER, Pa. - A woman who was among a dozen people arrested during civil disorder that followed a fatal police shooting in September 2020 has been sentenced to 18 months on probation.Kathryn Patterson, 23, was also fined and ordered to do 100 hours of community service after pleading guilty Thursday to charges related to failing to leave the area when ordered during the Lancaster demonstrations.Prosecutors and defense attorneys acknowledged that Patterson, a Franklin & Marshal College student at the time, wasn’t among those who threw rocks and frozen water bottles at police during the protest around police headquarters in September 2020, LNP reported. She told the judge in a faltering voice that "I have a heart for justice and in the last 2 1/2 years I have really tried to show that." Her attorney said she had no idea the protests would turn violent.RELATED COVERAGE:Patterson pleaded guilty to failure to disperse, obstructing highways, disorderly conduct and trespassing.

U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is urging travelers to Guinea and Tanzania to be mindful of contracting the deadly Marburg virus.

carbon price is set to go up starting Saturday.The fuel charge is rising by 30 per cent from $50 per tonne of emissions to $65 on April 1. This will translate to an increase of roughly three cents per litre for gas, reaching a total of 14 cents per litre.The scheduled increase will apply in Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, Yukon and Nunavut.Meanwhile, the carbon price jump will go into effect in Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island on July 1.

WEST READING, Pa. - A woman pulled alive from the rubble of a Pennsylvania chocolate factory after an explosion that killed seven co-workers says flames had engulfed the building, and her arm, when the floor gave way beneath her. That might have been the end, if she hadn’t fallen into a vat of liquid chocolate.The dark liquid extinguished her blazing arm, but Patricia Borges wound up breaking her collarbone and both of her heels. She would spend the next nine hours screaming for help and waiting for rescue as firefighters battled the inferno and choppers thumped overhead at the R.M.

WEST READING, Pa. - The West Reading community held a vigil to honor the seven people who died in the R.M. Chocolate Factory explosion one week ago. Officials with the Berks County Coroner's Office identified all seven victims as 30-year-old Xiorky Nunez, 63-year-old Susan Halvonik, 62-year-old Michael Breedy, 44-year-old Diana Cedeno, 55-year-old Judith Lopez-Moran, 49-year-old Amy Sandoe and 60-year-old Domingo Cruz.

HARRISBURG, PA - JANUARY 17: U.S. Senator John Fetterman (D-PA) and his wife, Gisele Barreto Fetterman, stand during the singing of the National Anthem before Josh Shapiro was sworn in as Governor of Pennsylvania at the State Capitol Building on Janu ((Photo by Mark Makela/Getty Images))HARRISBURG, Pa. - Pennsylvania Sen.

WEST READING, Pa. - The Reading community is preparing to honor the seven people who died in the R.M. Chocolate Factory explosion one week ago. Officials with the Berks County Coroner's Office have only identified 49-year-old Amy Sandoe and 60-year-old Domingo Cruz, with five victims pending identification.  Related Days after the deadly explosion at the R.M.

WYOMISSING, Pa. - Pennsylvania State Police are investigating a police shooting that left a suspect dead on Thursday. Limited details were released by officials who say the shooting occurred on the 900 block of Spring Street in Wyomissing. No additional details were released by law enforcement authorities.Pennsylvania State Police are expected to release more information at a press conference scheduled for 2 p.m. You can watch the press conference live on FOX29.com. 

WASHINGTON - President Joe Biden on Friday will visit a Mississippi town ravaged by a deadly tornado even as a new series of severe storms threatens to rip across the Midwest and the South.Last week's twister destroyed roughly 300 homes and businesses in Rolling Fork and the nearby town of Silver City, leaving mounds of wreckage full of lumber, bricks and twisted metal. Hundreds of additional structures were badly damaged. The death toll in Mississippi stood at 21, based on deaths confirmed by coroners.

Recalled Jetson Rogue Self-Balancing Scooter/Hoverboard (side view) (CPSC/ Jetson Electric Bikes) Jetson Electric Bikes is recalling 53,000 scooters/ hoverboards over fire hazards following the death of two kids, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). The lithium-ion battery packs in the 42-volt Jetson Rogue self-balancing scooters/hoverboards can overheat and pose a fire hazard, according to the recall notice posted by the CPSC. In April 2022, a 10-year-old girl and her 15-year-old sister were killed in a fire that broke out in Hellertown, Pennsylvania. HYUNDAI AND KIA TO RECALL MORE THAN HALF MILLION VEHICLES OVER FIRE CONCERNAlthough the cause of the fire is still undetermined, the "Hellertown Borough Fire Marshal determined that a 42-volt Jetson Rogue was the point of origin of the fire," according to the notice. "The fire then spread from the room of origin to other portions of the house, resulting in the deaths of the two girls and smoke inhalation injuries to the girls’ parents," the recall continued. There has also been several other reported incidents where the product was burning sparking or melting.

A grand jury in New York has voted to indict Donald Trump on a felony charge related to hush money payments made to silence claims of an alleged sexual affair, according to multiple major U.S. media reports, in a historic and highly consequential move against a former U.S. president.

HILLTOWN, TOWNSHIP, Pa. - Police say they are seeing an increase of thefts of ATVs, dirt bikes and motorcycles from homes across Southeastern Pennsylvania, specifically targeting vehicles listed for sale on social media sites like Facebook Marketplace.Hayden Flanagan says six hours after communicating with a potential buyer who agreed to meet him in a public spot, his 2022 BMW motorcycle was taken from his Perkasie home.Surveillance video shows a white van driving by the home three separate times around 2:00 a.m. on March 17th, he says, and the video cuts out because the crew put an Amazon box over the cameras.He saved up for years to purchase the dream bike, but bills added up, so he put it on Facebook Marketplace to see what he could make back."I’m in college.

NORTH PHILADELPHIA - New surveillance footage in the deadly shooting of a 15-year-old boy just released Thursday. In the video, four suspects police say are involved in the death of Devin Weedon.

PHILADELPHIA - Officials from Pennsylvania State Police and the Philadelphia Police Department say a missing two-month-old baby has been found safe after being reported missing. Authorities asked for the public's help searching for the missing baby and a 26-year-old suspect after they were last seen in the fashion district on Tuesday morning. According to officials, the suspect volunteered to watch the baby but then later could not be reached by the child's mother or family. Police say a witness told investigators the suspect was observed sleeping in a U-Haul in Philadelphia. Information about the missing baby was publicly released by law enforcement on Thursday afternoon. Shortly after Philadelphia Police said the child was found safe and reunited with her mother. No additional details have been made available by police. 

Pennsylvania State Police are searching for missing Ajah Lloyd (left) who was last seen with Kadijah McKee (right) in Philadelphia.  (Pennsylvania State Police)PHILADELPHIA - Officials from Pennsylvania State Police and the Philadelphia Police Department are asking for the public's help to find a missing two-month-old baby. Authorities have also identified a suspect, 26-year-old Kadijah McKee, who offered to watch two-month-old Ajah Lloyd while shopping at the fashion district. Police say McKee was last seen heading north on 16th Street towards Lehigh Avenue around 11:30 a.m. on Tuesday. According to officials, the suspect borrowed her cousin's car saying she would leave a Chevrolet Malibu in exchange for it. The vehicle is a black 2003 Nissan Maxima with blacked-out tinted windows and a Dallas Cowboys sticker on the rear, and the Pennsylvania tag LZJ-0488, authorities say. The car's owner and the baby's mother looked for the Malibu in the location McKee said she would leave it but did not find it, Philadelphia Police say. According to law enforcement, a witness told authorities they saw the suspect sleeping in a U-haul truck parked on the street. Officials say McKee has not responded to calls or social media messages. The baby was last seen wearing a gray sweater with a bear on it, pink tights, a pink and white headband with a flower, and pink and white socks.

SHARON HILL, Pa. - A Delaware County family dog had quite an adventure. The little pup disappeared from home more than a year ago and a 14-year-old boy lost his best friend and emotional support dog.FOX 29 first met Christina Bolar and her then 14-year-old son with special needs in February 2022. They were desperate to find Amari’s emotional support dog, Rusteze.

PHILADELPHIA - As of March 28, there have been just over 100 homicides in Philadelphia.Technically, that number is down from this time last year. But, following the disturbingly high trend the city has seen in recent years, the goal of the Philadelphia Police Department’s Homicide Unit is to bring closure in as many of those cases as possible.The new Commanding Officer of the unit talked about how they are solving cases.15-year-old Devin Weedon is the latest child to become a victim of the senseless, surging gun violence in the city of Philadelphia.

John Fetterman campaigns in Montgomery County. HARRISBURG, Pa. - Pennsylvania Sen.

Pennsylvania was found safe on Monday after police pinpointed her location by pinging her iPad, according to the Westmoreland District Attorney’s Office.Keith Lilliock, 43, is behind bars after police found the missing girl inside a home in Latrobe, Penn. He has been charged with luring a child into a motor vehicle and interference with the custody of children, the district attorney’s office said.The young girl told police that she was riding her bike to Pittsburgh to visit her sister on Sunday — an approximately four-hour bike ride — when she stopped at a gas station to take a break.

HARRISBURG, Pa. - Officials with Pennsylvania State Police say the agency is investigating a series of fake threats against schools across the state. According to troopers, a "series of phone calls" made to 911 centers were made involving threats of active shooters or bomb threats. "These phone calls were made to several schools in different counties," the agency said. "All calls have had similar content.

WILMINGTON, Del. - A woman is in police custody after she stole a car and led law enforcement on a chase into another state, according to Delaware State Police. Troopers say the incident began with an investigation into a carjacking at a detox center in Wilmington on Tuesday afternoon. According to officials, troopers responded to the Kirkwood Recovery Center on the 3300 block of Kirkwood Highway just before 3 p.m.

WEST READING, Pa. - The Reading community is preparing to honor the seven people who died in the R.M. Chocolate Factory explosion last Friday. Officials with the Berks County Coroner's Office have only identified 49-year-old Amy Sandoe and 60-year-old Domingo Cruz, with five victims pending identification.  Related Days after the deadly explosion at the R.M.

BRISTOL, Pa. - Quick actions from those in charge of a water treatment facility near a chemical spill along the Delaware River prevented the harmful toxins from entering the plant. Health officials in Bucks County said Sunday that between 8,100 and 12,000 gallons of a water-based latex-finishing solution spilled into the river late Friday because of a burst pipe at the Trinseo Altuglas chemical facility in Bristol Township.The midnight spill happened at low tide less than half a mile upstream from the AQUA Pennsylvania water treatment facility. AQUA President Mark Lucca said by the time he heard about the spill the plant had already been shutdown thanks in part to early warning sensors that helped them decide to shut off water intake from the river. "The first thing people are asking us is ‘is my water safe to drink?’ It absolutely is safe to drink, how do we know? Because it never got into the plant" Lucca said. RELATED COVERAGEAQUA's local water reserves were fairly high, so Bristol's water supply was never threatened.

PHILADELPHIA - Pennsylvania's Department of Transportation said it will close a heavily trafficked exit ramp on I-95 in Philadelphia to improve traffic flow and reduce accidents. Exit 27 will permanently close on April 18 and I-95 traffic headed to Bridge Street and Harbison Avenue will use exit 26 to access Aramingo Avenue. Likewise, Betsy Ross Bridge traffic will no longer use I-95 North to access Aramingo Avenue and motorists will instead continue straight onto the new Aramingo Avenue ramp. According to PennDOT, from 2017-2021 there were 30 crashes on the northbound side of Aramingo Avenue between Margaret and James strees. "Part of the goal of the I 95 reconstruction is to take exits that currently take you down onto one lane streets or residential streets and remove those," PennDOT consultant Paul Shultes said."To prepare for that we have been working now for 15 years on improving the more major streets like Aramingo Avenue and Tacony Street to handle the traffic directly from the interstate."The $267.9M project will also improve surface roads on Tacony, Bridge and James Street as well as modify traffic signals to improve traffic flow.

CLEVELAND (AP) - Two men accused of stuffing fish with lead weights and fish fillets in an attempt to win thousands of dollars in an Ohio fishing tournament last fall pleaded guilty Monday to charges including cheating.The cheating allegations surfaced in September when Lake Erie Walleye Trail tournament Director Jason Fischer became suspicious when the fish turned in by Jacob Runyan, of Broadview Heights, Ohio, and Chase Cominsky, of Hermitage, Pennsylvania, were significantly heavier than typical walleye.A crowd of people at Gordon Park in Cleveland watched as Fischer cut the walleye open and found weights and walleye fillets stuffed inside.RELATED: Ohio fishing scandal: 2 men caught cheating at tournament charged, prosecutors sayAs part of a plea deal, Runyan and Cominsky pleaded guilty to cheating and unlawful ownership of wild animals and agreed to three-year suspensions of their fishing licenses. Cominsky also agreed to give up his bass boat worth $100,000.Prosecutors agreed to drop attempted grand theft and possessing criminal tools charges.Both men are scheduled to be sentenced May 11.

PHILADELPHIA - An innocent animal was found injured and terrified after local animal advocates say its was left for dead in an Overbrook shooting Monday night.Reports of a dog hit by a car prompted a response to the 1200 block of South 54th Street.

Officials said at least nine people were still missing hours after the explosion that leveled a building in West Reading. PHILADELPHIA - Investigators looking for the cause of a deadly explosion that leveled part of a Pennsylvania chocolate factory faced an even more difficult task Monday as they combed through wreckage that was extensively picked apart and moved around during the intensive weekend search for victims and survivors.Seven people were killed and several others wounded in the powerful blast at the R.M Palmer Co. plant in West Reading, Pennsylvania, about 60 miles (96 kilometers) northwest of Philadelphia.

PHILADELPHIA, PA - JULY 07: Philadelphia Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto (10) behind home plate during the Major League Baseball game between the Philadelphia Phillies and the Washington Nationals on July 7, 2022 at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, DUNEDIN, Fla. - Philadelphia Phillies catcher J.T.

PHILADELPHIA - Child care services in Philadelphia and beyond are being impacted by staffing shortages that have left classrooms empty and working parents desperate to find alternatives. Kyesha Moody, the Director of Brightside Academy in Southwest Philadelphia, said finding qualified staff that understands child development and the difficulties facing the profession has been hard.The school, located on Woodland Avenue, had nine empty classrooms when FOX 29's Monica Evans visited the building on Tuesday. Mai Miksic from Children First advocacy group said on average a kindergarten teacher will earn $40k a year, which is double the amount of what an early childhood education teacher with similar skills makes. She believes the low pay for qualified staff, paired with childcare fees billed to parents is putting a burden on our economy. The costs for a child and infant, Miksic explained, can cost as much as $1,600-$1,700 a month, or $20k per year. "Parents work in every sector from healthcare to education to restaurants, so the economy isn't going to recover fully unless we solve this child care crisis," Miksic said.

Fred and Betty Abdon enjoyed the special occasion with a lunch date and limousine ride courtesy of a Chick-fil-A in South Park Township, Pennsylvania. The couple, married for 72 years, was picked up from their senior center and driven to the restaurant. A couple celebrated their 72nd wedding anniversary at a Chick-fil-A in Pennsylvania. (Photo courtesy of Chick-fil-A Cranberry/South Park Township, PA) While enjoying their free meal, the Abdons were entertained by a singing quartet at the popular eatery. RELATED: Woman remarries husband with dementia after he forgot first weddingEvery Saturday, the couple orders their favorite menu items at Chick-fil-A, and they find a parking spot to eat together, Chick-fil-A Cranberry shared on their Facebook page. their 72nd wedding anniversary at a Chick-fil-A in Pennsylvania.

WEST READING, Pa. - The governor of Pennsylvania has ordered commonwealth flags flown at half-staff in honor of seven people whose bodies were recovered from the site of a powerful explosion at a chocolate factory."West Reading, we stand with you — and we’ll continue to provide all the support your community needs," Gov. Josh Shapiro said in a Twitter post Monday, referring to the borough about 60 miles (96 kilometers) northwest of Philadelphia where the R.M. Palmer Co.

WEST READING, Pa. - An explosion inside a Pennsylvania chocolate factory left seven people dead and a community shaken by the tragedy. The blast took place at the R. M.

PHILADELPHIA, PA - NOVEMBER 16: Governor of the Philadelphia Flyers Dave Scott speaks during a press conference for 2021 Flyers Hall of Fame Inductees Paul Holmgren and Rick Tocchet prior to a pregame Hall of Fame induction ceremony at an NHL game be PHILADELPHIA - Dave Scott will retire as chairman of the Philadelphia Flyers' parent company Comcast Spectacor and be replaced by Dan Hilferty.Hilferty, who was recently named CEO of Comcast Spectacor, will succeed Scott as chairman of the company on April 17 and as the team's governor on July 1.Scott joined Comcast Spectacor in December 2013 and the Flyers have struggled under his reign. They will miss the playoffs for a third straight season and haven’t won a Stanley Cup since 1975."Our number one goal for the Flyers will be to consistently compete for the Stanley Cup," Hilferty said.