Official tallies from the statewide recount for the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate in Pennsylvania have been released. The formal results Wednesday show Mehmet Oz narrowly defeating David McCormick. State election officials say Oz won by 951 votes out of more than 1.3 million cast in the May 17th primary election.
Even though David McCormick conceded to Dr. Mehmet Oz on Friday, the recount to confirm Oz’s narrow vote margin still had to be finished by Tuesday and it was. Acting Secretary of State Leigh Chapman says the cost to Pennsylvania taxpayers is more than $1 million, with that cost being covered by the state department, with counties being reimbursed for their efforts. Chapman says that final total could be from anywhere from $1.1 million to higher.
The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board has received a mitigation plan from the Wind Creek Casino in Bethlehem to help find children who've been left alone by their gambling parents. Wind Creek says it will spend more than $4 million to improve security throughout its property. The Gaming Control Board says the number of kids being left on their own at casinos has risen in recent years and at Wind Creek there were 147 incidents involving 268 children between 2018 and 2021 and an additional 43 between April 2021 and April of this year. Those unattended children were between 2 months and 17 years of age. Wind Creek says it takes the problem seriously and acknowledges it's been an issue since the casino opened 13 years ago.
Air Products is asking the Upper Macungie Township zoning board for a special exception and approval of a warehouse project at the company's former headquarters. The company wants to three warehouses totaling 2.6 million square feet at the site of its former corporate headquarters at 7201 Hamilton Blvd. They would occupy roughly 61 acres of the former Air Products 235-acre campus. Air Products says commercial real estate company Prologis (pro-lodge-iss) has been selected to develop, own and operate the facility. Prologis already manages 13 million square feet of properties in Upper Macungie Township, 30 million square feet in the Lehigh Valley and 50 million square feet in Pennsylvania.
A judge will be giving a verdict on the Michael Horvath case soon. Horvath is being accused of stalking, kidnapping and killing Allen Organ co-worker Holly Grim in 2013. While Horvath maintains his innocence, prosecutors say some of her bones were found on his property in Monroe County. The Monroe County District Attorney's office confirmed the verdict will be given on June 17th at 9:30 a.m.
A 35-year-old Pottsville man has been charged with using rewards cards from more than two dozen people to steal more than $2500 in credits and win more than $1400 at the Wind Creek Casino in Bethlehem back in January. State Police say the man was charged earlier this week with 63 third-degree felonies.
Easton City Council has approved spending $170,000 to purchase what some people are calling a 'tank'. Mayor Sal Panto says those opposed to the purchase need to get their facts straight. "They're calling it a tank. It's not a tank. They're saying it's militaristic. It doesn't have any weapons on it," Panto says. He says it's an armored vehicle, similar to one Easton has been borrowing from Bethlehem for the past 11 years. Police say the armored vehicle would be used in specific threatening and high-risk scenarios, making it safer for police to respond.
A newly revamped golf course is celebrating its grand opening in North Whitehall Township. The Club at Twin Lakes, formerly called Iron Lakes Country Club, officially opened for business Wednesday night. Golf Channel anchor and Lehigh Valley native Rich Lerner was among those who spoke at the event.
A bill has passed the state Senate that would let police in many areas confiscate illegally operated all-terrain vehicles and dirt bikes. Proponents say it would help stop swarms bikers and ATV drivers from scaring motorists and ignoring traffic laws. The bill would make the vehicles subject to the state's asset forfeiture law and give police a variety of options to keep them off the streets, including destruction. The measure now heads to the state House for consideration.
A bill that would remove some children's access to state-funded healthcare has passed through the PA House. House Bill 398 would require all recipients of state-funded health care assistance to cooperate with the Department of Human Services in securing medical support through private insurance from a noncustodial parent, when available. As of May, there were nearly 139,000 children enrolled in the CHIP program through the DHS.
A group of activists is asking for the state to remove some candidates' names from the November voting ballots. They demonstrated at the state Capitol Wednesday calling on the Secretary of the Commonwealth to remove Republican governor candidate Doug Mastriano and Congressman Scott Perry from the November ballot. They say the duo's alleged involvement in the January 6th U.S. Capitol riot should disqualify them from elected office.