A Lehigh County farmer is burying thousands of hogs which perished in a barn fire over the weekend. Investigators are still trying to determine the cause of the blaze which broke out at the Billig Farm in Lynn Township Saturday. It took fire companies from Berks, Lehigh and Schuylkill counties around eight hours to get the fire under control, but not before two barns burned and around 4000 hogs died. The state Department of Environmental Protection and the U.S. Department of Agriculture are involved in the cleanup due to the size and nature of the incident.
There are five confirmed cases of the mumps at Moravian College. Sue Madeja, with the Bethlehem Health Bureau, says she wouldn't be surprised if more cases pop up but they'll do their best to prevent it. "There's always a risk that it could go outside the community. But our role is to try to keep it contained within the community at Moravian," Medeja says. The Bethlehem Health Bureau is holding free vaccination clinics on campus today. However, Madeja acknowledges vaccines against the mumps are only about 80 percent effective.
An Allentown woman is behind bars for allegedly hitting a friend with a tomahawk. Police were called to St. Luke's Hospital-Allentown over the weekend to investigate how a woman was stabbed in her chest and liver. Police say the victim was at the Dixon Street apartment of Carol Lofland around midnight Saturday into Sunday when Lofland hit her with what she described as a tomahawk during an argument. Lofland is in jail for assault and related charges.
A man faces charges after allegedly throwing dishes out of a window high above a crowd of people in Allentown. Police were called to Queen City Barbecue on North Seventh Street early Sunday after someone was tossing glass plates out of a ninth-story window above the city's ArtsWalk. Robert Wolters has been arraigned on numerous related charges. There were no injuries reported.
Wind Creek Bethlehem is giving $25,000 to a local non-profit organization as part of its October grand opening ceremonies. The public can vote on the recipient today through the end of this month. Ten organizations are eligible for the money. They include ArtsQuest, the Hispanic Center Lehigh Valley, Hogar Crea Women's Center, Junior League of the Lehigh Valley, St. Luke's University Health Network, The Foundation for the Bethlehem Area School District, Turning Point Lehigh Valley, Via of the Lehigh Valley, Victory House of Lehigh Valley or the Bethlehem YWCA. To vote, visit www.windcreekbethlehem.com.
A bill attempting to improve the commonwealth's Do Not Call List is headed to Gov. Tom Wolf's desk for his signature. The state Senate unanimously approved House Bill 318 allowing people to permanently register their phone numbers on the list instead of having to re-register every five years. The measure would also allow businesses to register phone numbers for the first time as well.
A Senate committee is advancing a measure to require drivers to remove ice and snow from their vehicles. The full Senate is next for the proposal that would give drivers 24 hours after the storm to get their vehicles clean. This version would find drivers $75 if police believe the ice or snow on the vehicle poses a threat to other drivers while the current version only targets those who have it fall from their vehicle and strike someone else.
A state lawmaker is proposing all state-owned buildings have at least one adult changing station. Rep. Dan Miller says people with disabilities struggle to find adequate space in restrooms to accommodate their needs. Caregivers often have to change them on a blanket spread on the restroom's floor. The bill would mandate state buildings, plus any auditoriums, convention centers, sports arenas and amusement parks that have a maximum occupancy of more than 2000 to have the adult changing station. California already has that legislation on the books and three other states are currently considering it.
A hearing at the Capitol Monday in the wake of the federal government's new standards for hemp farms. Each state must come to a new agreement with the feds about how they'll allow the crop to be produced. Farmers say hemp could become the new cash crop in Pennsylvania. "Pennsylvania was ready on this and they had a plan and they committed to it. So right away we got involved in doing that. This really gives us farmers an opportunity to grow the CBD oils, to grow the feed for it, the fiber for it and all the different kinds of products and uses that we have," says farmer Steve Groff.
Beto O'Rourke is planning to stump in Pittsburgh this week. The former Congressman from Texas and Democrat candidate for president will hold a town hall tomorrow morning. The event will urge action on so-called gun violence. O'Rourke's last Pennsylvania appearance was in State College in March.
New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker's 2020 presidential campaign is struggling. Booker's campaign manager issued an urgent appeal for funding over the weekend, saying the Democrat hopeful needs to raise nearly $2 million by the end of the month to stay in the race.
A Morris County car burglar is behind bars after falling asleep mid-burglary. Hackettstown Police say they came upon Kyle Sallie sleeping in a car Friday morning. The problem is, the car doesn't belong to Sallie. Police say Sallie was removing items from the glove compartment when he decided to catch 40 winks. Already wanted in Morris County for burglary, Sallie was jailed on related charges.
The National Weather Service is saying the risk level of dangerous rip currents remains high for Jersey Shore today. Strong rip currents can draw swimmers away from shallow water quickly and can prove deadly.