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Jillian Pikora

Senior Assistant Managing Editor

jpikora@dailyvoice.com

Jillian is an editor and reporter based out of Pennsylvania's capital city of Harrisburg. She has a degree in Political Science and is a former political campaign manager. For over a decade, she has worked as a staff reporter and freelance writer at Sisters Magazine, The Tempest, Huffington Post, CairoScene, and several other outlets. Before joining Daily Voice, Jillian worked as a digital news editor at Hearst's local NBC affiliate, WGAL News 8. She currently assists in managing Virginia, Maryland, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Massachusetts; as well as reporting stories in Pennsylvania for Daily Voice.

Jillian Pikora's Contributions

News
Mugshot Released Of Florida Suspect In Pennsylvania After-Hours Club Murder (UPDATE) Mugshot Released Of Florida Suspect In Pennsylvania After-Hours Club Murder (UPDATE)
Mugshot Released Of Florida Suspect In Pennsylvania After-Hours Club Murder (Update) A Florida man accused of killing a woman and injuring two men at an after-hours club in Pennsylvania will face all charges in Lehigh County Court, authorities announced on Friday, May 9. Alberto Jose Rios-Santiago, 26, of Deltona, Florida, is charged with felony criminal homicide, two counts of felony aggravated assault, and one count of misdemeanor possessing an instrument of crime, according to the Lehigh County District Attorney’s Office. Following a preliminary hearing before District Judge Rashid Santiago on April 25, 2025, all charges were held for court, authorities said. Rios-Sant…

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by Jillian Pikora
Traffic
Jackknifed Tractor-Trailer Shuts Down I-81 North In Lebanon County (DEVELOPING) Jackknifed Tractor-Trailer Shuts Down I-81 North In Lebanon County (DEVELOPING)
Jackknifed Tractor-Trailer Shuts Down I-81 North In Lebanon County (Developing) A jackknifed tractor-trailer brought traffic to a standstill on Interstate 81 in Lebanon County, officials announced on Friday, May 9. The big rig jackknifed across all northbound lanes of the highway around 11:30 a.m., near Exit 85 for Route 934/Annville/Fort Indiantown Gap in East Hanover Township, Pennsylvania Department of Transportation officials said. The crash forced the closure of I-81 north between Exit 85 and Exit 89 for Interstate 78/Allentown. As of 12:08 p.m., all lanes remained blocked, and it was unclear when the interstate would reopen. Southbound lanes were also impacted d…

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by Jillian Pikora
News
Couple Pleads Guilty In Deadly Allentown Bridge Robbery Shooting Couple Pleads Guilty In Deadly Allentown Bridge Robbery Shooting
Couple Pleads Guilty In Deadly Allentown Bridge Robbery Shooting An Allentown couple has pleaded guilty in connection with a 2020 armed robbery that ended in the fatal shooting of a 21-year-old man on the Hamilton Street bridge, Lehigh County District Attorney Gavin P. Holihan announced on Thursday, May 8. Jose Santiago, 42, pleaded guilty to felony third-degree murder and felony conspiracy to commit robbery during a hearing before Judge Anna-Kristie M. Marks on May 8. The open plea carries a possible sentence of 30 to 60 years in prison. He is scheduled for sentencing at 1:30 p.m. on June 16, 2025. His wife, 36-year-old Latasha Santiago of Allentown, pl…

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by Jillian Pikora
News
Guns, Fentanyl, Ecstasy Seized In Allentown Raid, 4 Arrested: Police Guns, Fentanyl, Ecstasy Seized In Allentown Raid, 4 Arrested: Police
Guns, Fentanyl, Ecstasy Seized In Allentown Raid, 4 Arrested: Police A major drug and gun bust in Allentown led to four arrests after police raided a home packed with illegal narcotics and high-powered weapons, authorities announced on Thursday, May 8. Allentown Police Vice, Emergency Response Team, and Patrol officers executed a search warrant at a home in the 900 block of Gordon Street at approximately 6 a.m., according to Captain Daniel Gross. Inside, officers found Ricky Schlott, Felix Luna, Raymond Rodriguez, and Arianna Abreu. Police say they recovered a stolen handgun, two assault-style rifles, a bolt-action rifle, a shotgun, firearm parts, loaded mag…

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by Jillian Pikora
Police & Fire
Puppy Dies After Being Rescued From Hicksville Home, Woman Charged With Animal Cruelty Puppy Dies After Being Rescued From Hicksville Home, Woman Charged With Animal Cruelty
Puppy Dies After Being Rescued From Hicksville Home, Woman Charged With Animal Cruelty A Long Island woman is facing animal cruelty charges after a severely malnourished puppy died hours after being rescued from her Hicksville home, authorities announced on Friday, May 9.  Gisela Rodriguez, 32, was arrested on Friday, Feb. 7, 2025, after Town of Hempstead Animal Control officers and Nassau County detectives responded to a disturbing tip, police said.. An anonymous individual had sent in photos showing a visibly emaciated puppy, prompting animal control officers to contact Rodriguez, who allowed them to retrieve the animal from her home on Spindle Road around 4:50 p.m., o…

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by Jillian Pikora
News
Harrisburg Symphony Ex-Concertmaster Takes Deal To Avoid Life Sentence For Child Rape (UPDATE) Harrisburg Symphony Ex-Concertmaster Takes Deal To Avoid Life Sentence For Child Rape (UPDATE)
Harrisburg Symphony Ex-Concertmaster Takes Deal To Avoid Life Sentence For Child Rape (Update) The 58-year-old former Harrisburg Symphony concertmaster has taken a plea deal rather than life behind bars for the abhorrent rape of a child that lasted over a decade. Odin J. Rathnam, the former Harrisburg Symphony concertmaster who sexually abused a child for over a decade, accepted a plea deal that spares him a life sentence, according to court documents. A "written no contest/guilty plea colloquy" was filed on Wednesday, May 8, 2025, indicating that Rathnam accepted the plea without admitting guilt to avoid a potential life sentence. The document was submitted ahead of his schedu…

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by Jillian Pikora
News
Allentown Football Player Killed Over Bag Of Chips, Teen Murderer Sentenced: DA Allentown Football Player Killed Over Bag Of Chips, Teen Murderer Sentenced: DA
Allentown Football Player Killed Over Bag Of Chips, Teen Murderer Sentenced: DA A teenager who shot and killed 15-year-old Treshawn Tracy over a bag of chips at an Allentown park has been sentenced to 50 years to life in state prison, authorities announced on Thursday, May 8. Elijah Patterson, now 19, was convicted in March of First-Degree Murder, Firearms Not to be Carried Without a License, and Possession of a Firearm by a Minor, according to Lehigh County District Attorney Gavin Holihan. Tracy, a William Allen High School sophomore and junior varsity football player, was gunned down at Stevens’ Park on Sunday, Sept. 25, 2022. He was pronounced dead at the scene with…

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by Jillian Pikora
Police & Fire
2-Month-Old Baby's Bones Broke By Mount Joy Dad Lands Him Prison Sentence: DA 2-Month-Old Baby's Bones Broke By Mount Joy Dad Lands Him Prison Sentence: DA
2-Month-Old Baby's Bones Broke By Mount Joy Dad Lands Him Prison Sentence: DA A Mount Joy dad who broke his 2-month-old daughter's ribs and caused internal bleeding has been sentenced to state prison, prosecutors announced on Thursday, May 8. Bryan Garcia-Almanza, 26, of Marietta, pleaded guilty in January to two counts of aggravated assault of a child and one count of endangering the welfare of children. He was sentenced on Friday to 33 months to eight years in state prison by Lancaster County Judge Merrill Spahn. “The injuries that your child suffered are absolutely horrific,” Judge Spahn told him during sentencing. Garcia-Almanza violently abused his infant daugh…

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by Jillian Pikora
Police & Fire
Single Mom Of 3 Killed In Lititz Skateboard Fall Was ‘Amazing Mother,’ Employer Says Single Mom Of 3 Killed In Lititz Skateboard Fall Was ‘Amazing Mother,’ Employer Says
Single Mom Of 3 Killed In Lititz Skateboard Fall Was ‘Amazing Mother,’ Employer Says A 43-year-old Lititz woman killed in a tragic skateboard accident has been identified as Magnolia “Maggie” Wintjen, a single mother of three who was remembered by her employer as a devoted mom with a radiant spirit. Wintjen was found unresponsive in the roadway near her skateboard at the intersection of Laurel Avenue and East Fourth Avenue around 12:04 a.m. on Sunday, May 4, according to the Lititz Borough Police Department. She had suffered severe injuries and was rushed by ambulance to Penn Medicine Lancaster General Hospital, where she was pronounced dead at 4:30 a.m., authorities said. …

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by Jillian Pikora
News
Shots Fired At Officers In Hershey Before Wild Foot Chase: Police Shots Fired At Officers In Hershey Before Wild Foot Chase: Police
Shots Fired At Officers In Hershey Before Wild Foot Chase: Police Gunshots shattered the quiet streets of Hershey before dawn when a Harrisburg man fired shots during a domestic fight—then turned the gun on officers and bolted, police said in a release on Thursday, May 8. Frazier Author Matthews, 48, is accused of firing multiple shots after a dispute with a woman early Thursday morning, according to Derry Township Police. The pair had stopped their vehicle near the Rosedale Apartments and were walking along West Governor Road when Matthews pulled a handgun and began shooting. The woman was not hit, and officers were quickly dispatched to the area. When t…

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by Jillian Pikora
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