Pennsylvania's Department of Environmental Protection has approved a plan to expand a local landfill. The decision paves the way for the Chrin Landfill in Williams Township to add an additional 32.7-acre disposal area on the east side of the existing landfill. Today's Morning Call says the landfill will not be accepting more garbage but can dispose of it in the expanded area for eight years. Nearby residents argued against an expansion, but the DEP says the benefits of an expansion clearly outweigh the known and potential environmental harms that may come from the project.
The Lehigh County coroner's office has identified the man who died on the job earlier this week. 64-year-old James Diefenderfer was killed when he crawled underneath his oil delivery truck and got caught in the truck's power machinery. The accident happened Wednesday afternoon in a parking lot next to D&D Quality Auto Service on Hoffman Lane in Lower Milford Township.
Roughly 1000 people jammed into a conference room at the Mountain Laurel Resort near White Haven Thursday night to learn more about a study that looks at using some of the water at the Francis Walter Dam for New York City drinking water. These Poconos residents do not like the idea. "I don't trust New York when they claim everything will be okay, nothing will change," one woman said. New York City gets some of its drinking water from the Delaware River and is pushing to use some of the dam's water to supplement the Delaware when water levels dip. The dam provides water to the Lehigh River, a river the Poconos tourism industry relies on. Those tourism-related businesses are concerned about what might happen to the Lehigh River and their businesses if water is diverted elsewhere.
Accu-Weather's Joe Lundberg says this weekend will feel a little like March. "We're headed close to 60 tomorrow and again on Sunday across the area," Lundberg says. Sunday's projected high is 64 degrees. The record high for that date is 65 set two years ago.
It's day seven of the Pennsylvania Farm Show in Harrisburg. Some of the highlights set for today include the pulled pork sandwich competition at the Culinary Connection Stage in the Main Hall this afternoon and the Milk A Cow event at the Equine Arena. The nation's largest indoor agricultural event runs through tomorrow at the Pennsylvania Farm Show complex.
Schools around New Jersey are going to have to keep the weather in mind before scheduling sporting events. A new law signed by the governor Thursday mandates that any school district that's a member of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association must consider heat and humidity when slating either practices or competitions. The length of such events must also include time for rest and water breaks and schools must buy a special tool that measures the effect of heat stress.
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy is praising the value of a new law that will allow jailed parents to stay in touch with their families. Murphy signed the Dignity for Incarcerated Primary Caretaker Parents Act Thursday, which he says will make sure imprisoned people get the support and services necessary to build and maintain strong connections with their families. The governor also says this will also prepare them to return to their communities.
The selling and buying of shark fins in New Jersey will soon be illegal. Gov. Phil Murphy signed a law Thursday that prohibits the sale, trade and distribution of shark fins, while also banning the possession of any shark fin that was separated from a shark that was then released. Murphy calls shark fishing inhumane and unnecessary and says the practice causes suffering to the fish. The new law goes into effect on New Year's Day in 2021.
The Philadelphia Eagles are making changes to their coaching staff. The Eagles have parted ways with offensive coordinator Mike Groh and wide receivers coach Carson Walch. The moves come less than a week after the Eagles' season ended in a 17-9 loss to Seattle in the NFC playoffs.
Philadelphia 76ers star center Joel Embiid is out with a torn ligament in his left hand. Embiid will undergo surgery today in New York and will be re-evaluated in one-to-two weeks. He suffered the injury in Monday's win over Oklahoma City.