>>Harrisburg PD's New On-Line Reporting System Now Active

(Harrisburg, PA) -- Harrisburg police are now offering a new way to help citizens report non-violent crimes online. The new Desktop Officer Reporting System, or DORS, began Wednesday and lets Harrisburg residents file their own police reports without speaking directly to an officer. Officials say the system has several advantages including officers responding to incidents in progress and citizens being able to get a report initiated at their own convenience. A release on the department's website says reporting can be done from a phone, computer, iPad or any other device at any time of day. The program is accessible on the department's Crimewatch website, under the tab "Online Reporting."

>>Sens. Toomey, Blumenthal Introduce Legislation to Increase Food Donations

(Washington, DC) -- U.S. Senators Pat Toomey from Pennsylvania and Richard Blumenthal from Connecticut are introducing a bill that would expand food donation efforts for manufacturers, restaurants, and grocers. The Food Donation Improvement Act would encourage donations by extending liability protections to food donors when food is either given directly to a person in need or when a recipient pays a deeply reduced cost. They say restaurants and retailers are hesitant to donate their leftover and unused food because of potential lawsuits. The senators say nearly 40 percent of the country's food goes to waste.

>>Two Corrections Officers Resign over Prisoner Escaping Incident

(Harrisburg, PA) -- Two corrections officers who were assigned to guard a Dauphin County Prison inmate who escaped from custody have resigned. A county spokesperson says Tuesday the officers had been suspended since Autumn Flowers escaped November 22nd. She'd was in medical custody at hospital where she'd been taken after a medical emergency. The spokesperson says the district attorney is reviewing how Flowers slipped out of her shackles and walked out of a hospital room without the officers seeing her. She was returned to custody on November 28th.

>>Grandmother Lashes Out at Killer in Courtroom Outburst

(Harrisburg, PA) -- A grandmother of a murder victim has not been reprimanded for her outburst in a Dauphin County Courtroom. Pennlive.com reports Margaret Rucker shouted out at her grandson's killer in court on Wednesday afternoon, calling him a coward and a telling him she wanted him to rot in hell. Police say 28-year-old Jabri Brown was arrested nearly four years after 23-year-old Jalil Smith's murder. Harrisburg deputies said they determined Smith had been texting Brown to meet him just before he killed him. Brown accepted a plea deal as opposed to going before a jury for trial, accepting a sentence of 15-to-30 years in prison.

>>Gas Energy Costs Increasing As Much As 10% Starting This Week

(Lancaster, PA) -- UGI is one of eight Pennsylvania utilities that have increased their energy prices as of Wednesday. Officials say it's a reflection of the higher cost to produce natural gas. Energy charges account for about half of a residential bill, according to the company. If you're serviced by UGI, expect to see your costs increase about ten percent a month for a gas heating customer. Energy executives say their costs are increasing because fuel prices for power generators are going up and that's driven mostly by natural gas. The change is also pushing up electricity prices in wholesale power markets.

>>Reading Homicide Suspect Captured in Puerto Rico

(Reading, PA) -- A Reading homicide suspect is now being held in the Berks County jail after his arrest in Puerto Rico last month. Alberto Rivera-Vázquez was arraigned in Reading late Tuesday night on charges that include first- and third-degree murder and aggravated assault. He was taken into custody in Puerto Rico on November 10th, three days after police say he fatally shot José Rodríguez-Bultron after a bar fight. Police say another man also was wounded in the shooting, but he has recovered.

>>Lancaster Tree Lighting Ceremony Held Thursday

(Lancaster, PA) -- Lancaster's holiday tree will be lit in a celebration on December 3rd in Penn Square. The 25-foot, 15-hundred-pound spruce arrived November 22nd from Kelly Rhineer's front yard in Quarryville. Kelly and her husband, Bill, bought the tree at auction 15 years ago, but after he passed away last year, Kelly offered the tree to the city in honor of her husband. The Mayor will flip the switch for the ornaments during the lighting ceremony.

>>Man Arrested at LVIA After TSA Finds Gun In His Carry-On Bag

(Allentown, PA) -- A man from Texas has been arrested at Lehigh Valley International Airport after a gun was found in his carry-on luggage. A news release from the Transportation Security Administration says officers spotted the nine-millimeter handgun at a security checkpoint. TSA says the gun was not loaded, but it was with a gun magazine that was loaded with 15 bullets. Passengers are permitted to travel with guns in checked baggage if they are properly packed in a hard-sided, locked case and packed separately from ammunition. The locked case also needs to be declared at an airline's ticket counter.

>>Hospitals Near Capacity

(Philadelphia, PA) -- Hospitals in Philadelphia are nearing full capacity. That's the concerning message from Health Commissioner Dr. Cheryl Bettigole and city health leaders as COVID-19 cases are on the rise. She said that even children's hospitals are running out of beds to treat patients. Dr. Bettigole is urging unvaccinated people to avoid gathering with other people while indoors. Anyone who has already been vaccinated is being urged to get their booster shot as soon as possible.

Ken Matthews

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