Chopper Crashed After Filming Christmas Lights: 5 Must-Read PA Stories

Good evening, Pennsylvania Patch readers! We've assembled some of the most share-worthy stories from the state for today, just for you.

Here are the top five stories from Pennsylvania:

1. The secretary of a Pennsylvania borough is facing criminal charges after allegedly killing a canine and leaving the body in a dumpster, authorities said. (Read more on Patch.)

2. Three women from Philadelphia will be competing on the upcoming season of ABC's hit series "The Bachelor." And two of them are bringing a twist to the show. (Read more on Patch.)

3. A man has been charged with sexually assaulting four boys multiple times almost two decades ago, while he worked at an after-school children's program and as a babysitter. Investigators believe there may be more victims, the Bucks County District Attorney's Office said. (Read more on Patch.)

4. As families gather for the winter holidays, there is a new COVID-19 sub variant that is responsible for an increasing share of coronavirus hospitalizations in Pennsylvania, health experts said. (Read more on Patch.)

5. Questions still remain about what caused a news helicopter to crash on its way back to Philadelphia, killing the two men on board. Pilot Monroe Smith and photographer Christopher Dougherty were on assignment to get footage of Christmas lights for 6ABC, and the flight path shows them circling a Jersey Shore neighborhood before going down in a state forest. Both are Montgomery County natives. (Read more on Patch.)