Four teens were taken into custody after Whitehall Township police and state police responded to Whitehall High School for a disturbance Tuesday night. The incident began when a school administrator asked a juvenile to leave the property. The juvenile refused and then police were then requested to ask the juvenile to leave. After the teen refused numerous requests to leave, officers went to take him into custody. At that point juveniles then surrounded the officers and physically tried to prevent them from making the arrest. Last night's basketball games at the high school were cancelled as a result.
In an email statement, Lehigh University says it's putting a "pause" on the university's Greek life after complaints over hazing and alcohol use. The university says it received reports from parents, new members, and anonymous sources about excessive alcohol consumption, drug use and hazing. The pause would involve the suspension of all new member activities; no contact between organizational members and new members; no chapter events unrelated to chapter business; and dry houses, including individual rooms.
Flames gutted a home in East Penn Township, Carbon County around 1:30 Tuesday afternoon. Flames shot from the windows and front door of the home on West Sunset Road and thick smoke poured from the building. Authorities have not said what may have started the fire.
Victims of a devastating October 20th fire have been given money to help restore their lives. The Community Action Committee of the Lehigh Valley says more than $155,000 in donations have been distributed to eight families who lost nearly everything in a fire that destroyed half a block of row homes on Fountain Street in Allentown. The money given to families ranged from about $7700 to more than $24,000 based on family need. $130,000 of the money was collected by the United Way and another $25,000 was also given.
Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf is again calling for the state's minimum wage to be more than doubled. He says he tried that a year ago. "Last year I proposed raising Pennsylvania's minimum wage to $12 an hour with a pathway to $15 an hour. In the meantime 21 other states raised their minimum wage on January 1st, bringing the total number of states that have a higher minimum wage than Pennsylvania to 29," Wolf says. The governor is again pushing the idea of raising the minimum wage from $7.25 an hour to $15 an hour by 2025. There are reports that a deal with Senate Republicans to hike the minimum wage to $9.50 an hour by 2022 is now off the table.
The Pennsylvania Senate is expected to vote today on a bill requiring insurers to cover breast MRIs and ultrasound screenings for women with dense breasts and women at high risk. The founder of the Pennsylvania Breast Cancer Coalition, Pat Halpin-Murphy, says the legislation will allow thousands of women to have affordable access to the breast cancer screenings. If it becomes law, Pennsylvania will be one of the first states in the country to require insurance coverage for those critical screenings.
Pennsylvania voters are a step closer to not casting a ballot for lieutenant governor. A proposed amendment would allow the candidates for governor to select a running mate similar to the presidential election. The state Senate voted overwhelmingly to pass the measure already approved in the state House last year. All that's left is the OK from the General Assembly during the 2021-2022 term and a majority of voter support.
Wawa is urging its customers to monitor their credit card accounts once again. The chain says it has received reports that customer information stolen in a data breach last year is being sold on the dark web. People who may be affected can obtain free credit monitoring and identity theft protection. Last month, Wawa revealed that malware affected payment portals at nearly all of its stores.
The man wanted for stealing around $500,000 worth of jewelry from former Philadelphia 76ers star Allen Iverson is now in custody. Police in Philadelphia say Christopher Daniel surrendered to them Tuesday. Daniel allegedly took about $500,000 worth of valuables from Iverson's backpack Monday while at a Philadelphia hotel. That happened after one of Iverson's friends apparently left the backpack in this hotel's lobby.
President Donald Trump is taking credit for the employment rate in New Jersey. He spoke In Cape May County Tuesday night and among the many claims made, he said under his administration New Jersey families are achieving "historic victories." The president said the unemployment rate in New Jersey is now the lowest it has ever been.
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy is appearing with former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords today in Jersey City. Neither has said what their joint announcement concerns, but Giffords has commended Murphy in the past for his stance on gun violence prevention. Giffords, who survived an assassination attempt in 2011, said last September that New Jersey shows the nation that strong gun laws and innovative solutions save lives.
New Jersey's Department of Health is opening a hotline for the public to ask questions about the current international coronavirus outbreak. While the current risk posed to New Jerseyans is low according to officials, the general public still has questions. The hotline is available for use around the clock. The outbreak first emerged in China last month and now globally includes thousands of cases and more than 130 deaths.