One person is dead after a reported shooting in Bethlehem Tuesday night. A shooting was reported shortly before 10 p.m. in the area of Saucon Park off William Street. The victim died at the hospital. Details are scarce, but the Bethlehem Police Department says it's an ongoing investigation, but they don't believe there is any danger to the public. The Lehigh County Coroner's Office has identified the victim as 17-year-old Aiden Toussaint, of Whitehall.
Attorney General Josh Shapiro is recommending charges against Bethlehem Dr. Ajeeb Titus for allegedly "freely prescribing" opioids to patients. "The patient who suffered from opioid-related substance abuse disorder told or agents that Titus was known as 'a script writer who ruins lives'," Shapiro says. He says the alleged illegal script writing goes back ten years and from 2017 to 2019, Titus prescribed nearly 500,000 doses of drugs like oxycodone, morphine and fentanyl. Shapiro says a typical family practitioner in that area would prescribe less than 1/10 of that overall amount.
The most-recent coronavirus case report shows 988 new cases, which brings the overall Pennsylvania total to 157,814. 16 new coronavirus-related deaths were also reported, leaving the state's death toll at 8123.
Lehigh University is halting all athletics trainings and practices after identifying 60 people who were in close contact with individuals infected with COVID-19, including people from multiple athletic programs. School officials say two students from the campus community tested positive for the virus and many student-athletes have to quarantine after being in close contact with them. Close contact is defined by the CDC as being within six-feet for 15 minutes or longer of an infected individual. Officials added that there is no other known exposure or other contact connected to the two positive cases and no details were given on when the athletic programs may resume.
Gov. Tom Wolf is cracking back on a request by several Republican lawmakers to let fans in the stands at sporting events above the 250-person outdoor limit. A spokesperson for the governor essentially said that group should focus on health care and a stimulus bill instead of sports. The delegation, which includes several state lawmakers and U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey, sent Wolf a letter requesting to allow more people in to see the games.
Two staff members at Monroe Career and Technical Institute tested positive for coronavirus over the weekend, prompting the school to close through Wednesday for cleaning and disinfecting.
Lehigh Valley Scream Park won’t be able to open for the season after a Monday night fire destroyed a storage building containing its props. The haunted Halloween attraction near Orefield was supposed to open for the season on Friday. The fire broke out around 8:30 Monday night and while the building and everything inside are a total loss, no one was injured.
The Lehigh Valley's August unemployment number dipped to 10.3-percent, down from 12.6-percent in July. Pennsylvania's coronavirus-inflated jobless rate also came in at 10.3-percent last month.
"The road to victory goes straight through Pennsylvania," Vice President Mike Pence told supporters at a Tuesday night debate watch party in Lititz, Lancaster County. Pence told supporters he and President Trump are confident they'll take the Keystone State again in November. "I know come November 3rd Pennsylvania is going to say yes to four more years," Pence said. The Vice President told the crowd the election isn't about whether America is liberal or conservative, but rather whether America will remain American.
Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden is scheduled to tour western Pennsylvania by train today. After two stops in Ohio, Biden's train is expected to make campaign stops in five western Pennsylvania communities. The Biden campaign says the former vice president plans to highlight how he will build the economy back for working families, not the wealthy and corporations.
Yuengling Hershey Chocolate Porter has returned in time for the holiday season. And this time, thirsty fans can have it in bottles as well as on draft. Yuengling said the beer is made by combining Hershey's chocolate syrup, Hershey's cocoa powder, and cocoa nibs with its nearly 200-year-old Dark Porter recipe.
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy is counting on the 2021 budget to help the state's recovery from the COVID-19 fallout. He signed the spending plan Tuesday, noting it reinstates the millionaire's tax, while also providing a tax rebate for some families with children. Murphy says the budget makes key investments into areas of infrastructure such as mass transit, while maintaining funding for public education and schools.