Newtown Area Criminal Cases Increase

District Judge Mick Petrucci, who presides over the court in Newtown, Bucks County, says there are some alarming trends within the community that he is hoping to address with increased education. According to data provided by Petrucci, underage drinking cases that went through Newtown District Court, spiked by roughly 400 percent from 2016 to 2017. Petrucci calls underage drinking “the biggest issue that I believe we are facing within our Council Rock community.” "We had a very busy summer with juveniles in this district court," Petrucci said. As a result, he's working to support educational resources for the children in the community, including Council Rock Coalition for Healthy Youth. Education is key to ensuring juveniles don't make the same mistake twice, Petrucci said. It's not just the youth that are coming into court at higher rates. There was a 20 percent increase in drug cases at Petrucci's court from 2016 to 2017. DUI cases rose 20 percent over the same time period. The higher numbers may not mean the problem is increasing but could be an indicator that the police are being very vigilant. "I think the officers are patrolling it more, and they're doing a great job," Petrucci said. Overall, criminal cases went up about 20 percent.

In Other News California coffee shops may soon be forced to warn customers about a possible cancer risk linked to their morning drink. The state keeps a list of chemicals it considers possible causes of cancer, and one of them, acrylamide, is created when coffee beans are roasted. A lawsuit first filed in a Los Angeles County court targets several companies that make or sell coffee, including Starbucks, 7-Eleven and BP. The suit alleges that the companies "failed to provide clear and reasonable warning" that drinking coffee could expose people to acrylamide. The court documents state that, under the California Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986, also known as Proposition 65, businesses must give customers a "clear and reasonable warning" about the presence of agents that affect health -- and that these stores failed to do so. It is important to note that human exposure to acrylamide still needs "future studies." Coffee has been much studied over the years, and research has shown that it provides several health benefits, including lowering your risk of early death. It may reduce your risk of heart disease, multiple sclerosis, type 2 diabetes, Alzheimer's and even some cancers like melanoma and prostate cancer. Longtime NBA forward Rasual Butler and his wife, Leah LaBelle, died in a car crash Wednesday morning in Los Angeles. Butler apparently lost control of the vehicle he was driving around 2 a.m. and then the car "struck a parking meter and slammed into a wall." The LAPD said the 2011 Land Rover flipped over twice. The Philadelphia native played for La Salle and was selected by the Heat in the second round of the 2002 draft. He also played for the New Orleans Hornets, Chicago Bulls, Toronto Raptors, Indiana Pacers, Washington Wizards and San Antonio Spurs across a 13-year NBA career. The last group of North Korean athletes arrived for the Pyeongchang Olympic Games in South Korea. The Koreas have been planning things for the Olympics, which South Korea sees as an opportunity to revive meaningful communication with North Korea after a period of animosity and diplomatic stalemate over the North's nuclear weapon and missile programs. The Olympics start on Feb. 9.