The owner of a Northampton County flight school says the 49-year-old man killed in a Wednesday afternoon plane crash in Salisbury Township was a student pilot. Today's Morning Call reports the owner of ProFlite Aero Services says the other person in the plane, who was seriously injured in the crash, is a flight instructor at the school. Due to the severity of injuries sustained, the coroner's office says dental records will be needed to officially identify the victim. The plane, which took off from Queen City Airport crashed just after 1:30 Wednesday afternoon in the yard of a home along Keystone Road, near the Little Lehigh Creek.
Lehigh County officials are considering giving more federal money to the IronPigs baseball team for upgrades at Coca-Cola Park. They say an additional three-million-dollars would help the team meet an April deadline to improve the ballpark in order to continue the team's affiliation with Major League Baseball and the Philadelphia Phillies. The three-million in American Rescue Plan funds would be in addition to the million-and-a-half dollars already earmarked for stadium renovations.
Police in North Catasauqua are warning residents after two dogs attacked people and killed a cat. On September 9, officers were sent to the area of Willow Drive for a report of a female who was attacked by two dogs. Police Chief Christopher Wolfer says while officers were searching for the dogs, police received another report, of a domestic cat that was attacked and killed by the same dogs. "I don't want these dogs loose. I don't want them in the community. I don't want people to be afraid to walk around. It's not appropriate. It's not fair to anybody," Wolfer says. Officers found the dogs' owner, who helped police find and contain the dogs. The dogs were placed in the borough kennel until the borough contacted the Pennsylvania State Dog Warden on September 12. The owner of the dogs declined to sign over possession. On September 24, the same dogs escaped their yard again, and aggressively charged multiple people and pets. Wolfer says they have no legal authority to remove the dogs from the community and that nothing more can be done until a court hearing.
Accu-Weather's Joe Lundberg says the leftovers of Hurricane Ian will arrive in the Lehigh Valley when many of us are asleep. "Rain, associated with Ian, arrives just after midnight and it sets up for a rainy start to the weekend," Lundberg says. He says we could end up with an inch-and-a-half to two inches of rain by the time the system leaves our area later Sunday.
Beltzville state park has closed its beaches for the season because of low water levels. Officials with the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources say the lower-than-normal lake elevation at the Carbon County park is related to drought control for the Delaware River Basin. Other activities at the park are still available including picnicking, fishing and hiking.
Democrat candidate for governor, Josh Shapiro out-fundraised his Republican opponent, St. Sen. Doug Mastriano, 8-to-1 over the summer, according to their latest campaign finance filings. Shapiro raised about $25.4 million between June 7 and Sept. 19, while Mastriano raised almost $3.2 million during the same period. The Pennsylvania attorney general also significantly out-spent Mastriano in the last few months, using about $27.9 million of his massive war chest compared to Mastriano’s less than $1 million in expenditures. While Shapiro is left with nearly $11 million for the last six weeks of the election, Mastriano has about $2.6 million remaining. Shapiro’s $42.7 million in campaign spending so far is a state record for a governor’s race.
Former Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge has endorsed Republican Mehmet Oz for U.S. Senate. Ridge's approval of Oz is seen as a bit of a surprise to some. Ridge went against his own Republican party to reject Donald Trump, who has publicly supported Oz and has come to Pennsylvania to stump for him. In a statement, the former governor said he spent time with Oz over the past year and has found him to be the right candidate.
Today is the deadline for eligible Pennsylvanians to take advantage of an offer from Governor Tom Wolf. The Pennsylvania Pardon Project offers pardons to Pennsylvanians with specific minor, non-violent marijuana offenses. Full details and application info can be found online at www.pa.gov/guides/mj-pardon.
A bill allowing for deceased Pennsylvania residents to be removed from voter rolls has passed the state House of Representatives. House Bill 143 passed with a unanimous vote of 201-to-zero Tuesday. The measure also mandates a monthly report of voters to be removed. Last year, the Pennsylvania Department of State settled a lawsuit that claimed there were 21-thousand deceased voters listed on active rolls.
The state senate has approved legislation to expand Pennsylvania's Right to Know Law for more access to public records at state-related universities. Senate Bill 488 would create an online, searchable database giving information about budgets and contracts approved by Penn State, Temple, the University of Pittsburgh and Lincoln University. The measure also increases the amount of university personnel salary information that would be subject to public disclosure.
Governor Wolf has launched an effort to help Asian Pacific Americans and Jews work together to fight discrimination. The governor says hate crimes against those two groups of citizens increased at alarming rates during the COVID epidemic and that hate crimes in general are on the rise. Wolf says the project will build ties between these communities and create opportunities to work together to eliminate hate.
The state is looking to fill two positions on its Trails Advisory Committee. The volunteer slots would include one person to represent horseback riders and another to represent members at large. The Department of Conservation and Natural Resources recently announced it is accepting letters of interest and resumes for the two open spots for three-year terms. More information can be found on the Trails Advisory Committee's website.
USPS consumers across the nation can expect to pay more to ship packages during the upcoming holiday season. The postal service is raising prices effective this Sunday. Officials say the increase will be based on the weight of the package and the distance it will be traveling. The price hike, they add, is designed to keep USPS competitive with other delivery options while providing the agency with the revenue to cover extra costs in anticipation of peak-season volume. The postal service says the price increase is temporary and will expire January 22nd.
The senate is approving Matthew Platkin Junior to be the 62nd attorney general of the Garden State. Platkin called it the "honor of a lifetime to earn the bipartisan support" of the state senate. He vows to continue working to end the scourge of gun violence, strengthen trust between authorities and the public, and protect residents' rights.
A New York City man is suing the Borgata, MGM Resorts International and its on-line partner Entain after alleging he was paid to not report issues to gambling regulators. The man claims the companies paid him bonuses of upwards of 30-thousand-dollars a month to entice him to play and not report the problems. In the suit, the man, who admits to being a compulsive gambler, says he was paid to not report being repeatedly disconnected while gambling upwards of 29-million-dollars online during a roughly nine month period. The suit also reports that the gaming centers knew of his gambling addiction. The filing accuses the defendants of fraud, racketeering and other violations.
If you're going to tomorrow's Penn State-Northwestern game at Beaver Stadium, you'll be able to buy a beer throughout nearly the entire stadium. Last week, Penn State's Board of Trustees approved the sale of 16-ounce cans of beer. The cost of a beer or what types of beer have not been announced yet. There's a two-beer limit per purchase. Sales will conclude at the end of the third quarter and there will be no beer sales near the student section.
The Philadelphia 76ers' Joel Embiid is now an American citizen. Embiid, who was born in Cameroon, says he was sworn in two weeks ago in Philadelphia.