Armstrong stripped of 2000 bronze: IOC

LONDON (Reuters) - Lance Armstrong has been stripped of his 2000 Olympic cycling time trial bronze medal, an International Olympic Committee (IOC) official told Reuters on Thursday.

Lafayette College introduces Alison Byerly as its first female president

Alison Byerly plays the flute and sings, holds a doctorate from the University of Pennsylvania, spent time as a visiting scholar at MIT and Stanford, loves to run and has finished several marathons, and she is now the first woman to lead Lafayette College in its 187-year history.

Feds sentence man for role in Carbon drug ring

Sandusky to push Second Mile insurer for defense costs

Convicted child molester Jerry Sandusky will pursue a claim to have The Second Mile's insurance company pay for his legal defense after settling a suit with his homeowner's insurance company.

Freedom High student who brought pellet gun to class pleads guilty

A Freedom High School student who brought a pellet gun to school is no danger to society, his grandmother insisted Wednesday, days after he pleaded guilty in Northampton County Court.

Prosecutor: Former Lions Club treasurer to plead guilty in theft case

The former treasurer of the Lions Club in Wilson will plead guilty to stealing more than $45,000 from the organization, according to court testimony Wednesday.

Bethlehem police 'swatted' with hoax call about shooting

Bethlehem police shut down the 600 block of Hayes Street on the South Side following a report of gunshots fired Wednesday morning, but the call turned out to be a hoax, according to police.

Allentown police: Clerk forced to floor in Hess station holdup

Two men, one with a gun, robbed an east Allentown gas station Tuesday night, police said.

Police: Allentown man responds to online ad, robs seller of iPhone

An Allentown man responded to an online ad for an iPhone on Tuesday by robbing the seller at gunpoint, according to court records.

Tatamy police charge man with drugging, raping woman

Express-Times announces layoffs

The Express-Times newspaper in Easton is shedding about 5 percent of its workforce, which the company said was necessary due to declining print advertising sales and a sluggish economy.

Sands leads Pennsylvania in tables

The Sands Casino in Bethlehem continued its dominance in table games, shattering the state's annual record by pulling in more than $146 million in 2012.

Kelly named Eagles coach in stunning reversal

The Philadelphia Eagles have hired the University of Oregon's Chip Kelly to be their new head coach, replacing Andy Reid, the team announced Wednesday.

Bethlehem police investigate robbery at 7-Eleven

Bethlehem police are investigating a robbery Tuesday night at a 7-Eleven store.

Obama's sweeping gun control agenda: Assault weapons ban, mandatory background checks

President Barack Obama launched the biggest U.S. gun-control push in generations on Wednesday, urging Congress to approve an assault weapons ban and background checks for all gun buyers to prevent mass shootings like the Newtown school massacre.

Flu cases rise with 40 confirmed deaths in state

Laboratory-confirmed cases of influenza increased by more than 5,000 in Pennsylvania and an additional 18 people died of flu-related complications in the past week, the state Department of Health reported Tuesday.

Helicopter crashes in central London, killing two

LONDON -- A helicopter apparently crashed into a crane atop a high-rise building in central London during the morning rush hour Wednesday, falling to earth and killing at least two people, police said.

Family displaced after Upper Milford Fire

A family was displaced after a fire damaged their home in Upper Milford Township, authorities said.

Giant water park slated for the Poconos

Construction could begin within months on a $350 million water park resort near Mount Pocono.

Dad takes plea deal in son-stabbing case

An Upper Saucon Township man charged with attempted homicide last year after police say he stabbed his 21-year-old son in the chest with a steak knife agreed Tuesday to a plea deal.

National Penn named a Phantoms founding partner

National Penn Bancshares, whose early lending to a key city authority helped jump-start construction of Allentown's new arena, has been named one of the founding partners of the arena and the hockey team that will play there: the future Lehigh Valley Phantoms.

Penn State asks judge to throw out Mike McQueary whistle-blower suit

Penn State has asked a Centre County judge to throw out former football coach Mike McQueary's claims that the university wrongly fired him and damaged his reputation in the wake of the Jerry Sandusky sex-abuse scandal.

Police: Man lied about south Allentown carjacking

A man who reported he was carjacked by two armed men in south Allentown on Tuesday made up the story and was charged with filing a false report, police said.

Homeless man to plead in Northampton County machete attack

Although the victim and witness failed to show up at a hearing Tuesday, a homeless man will plead guilty to assault for slashing a man in the face with a machete, according to court testimony.

Police: Hanover Township hotel standoff suspect wanted for attacking woman in Emmaus

A 39-year-old man who surrendered Monday after a nearly six-hour standoff at a hotel in Hanover Township, Lehigh County, was wanted for attacking a woman in Emmaus two days earlier, authorities said.

St. Louis college student shoots school employee: police

ST. LOUIS (Reuters) - A student armed with a pistol opened fire at a college in downtown St. Louis on Tuesday, shooting a school employee and then turning the gun on himself, police said.

Man to plead in double-fatal crash

Woman faces trial on bathroom heroin charges

Mushing through the slush

The overnight storm produced little in the way of snow in the Lehigh Valley, but the morning drive could still be challenging especially on roads not previously treated with de-icing agents as the freezing rain was expected to continue through the morning.

Student charged with attempted homicide in Berks County school stabbing

A Berks County middle school student stabbed a classmate in their Spring Township school Tuesday morning in a dispute that had been brewing for days, police said.