The Pennsylvania Department of Health Thursday added 3978 cases of COVID-19, bringing the statewide total to 884,269. Another 115 coronavirus-related deaths were also reported Thursday. That overall number is now 22,860. To get more pandemic news and numbers, enter the keyword 'COVID'.
The City of Allentown is launching a call center to help city and county seniors register for COVID-19 vaccinations. The center is open to those Lehigh County residents 65 and older who are having difficulty scheduling a vaccination online. The call center will be open Monday through Friday from 9am to 6pm. The number to call is 610-890-7069.
New Jerseys' confirmed coronavirus death toll has surpassed 20,000. That number was reached after 79 new coronavirus-related deaths were reported Thursday, pushing that figure to 20,083. New Jersey also reported just over 3000 new infections.
Dozens of Rite Aid pharmacies in New Jersey are starting to take appointments for the coronavirus vaccine. The pharmacy's registration link will be found at www.covid19.jo.gov. Rite Aid is joining CVS, which began offering slots Thursday, filling up in just hours. CVS is offering the vaccine at about two dozen locations while Rite Aid is offering the shot at almost 70 pharmacies.
A Laurys Station man faces numerous charges nearly a year-and-a-half after being involved in a serious crash. 32-year-old Alfredo Delgado allegedly had a blood-alcohol level exceeding the legal limit when he was driving at least 117 miles per hour early on the morning of September 19, 2019 and slammed into the rear of another vehicle on Route 22 near Airport Road. A passenger inside Delgado's car suffered serious injuries.
Several people are in police custody after a Thursday afternoon shooting in Allentown. Police were called to the 700 block of South 8th Street around 2:30 yesterday afternoon. When they arrived, they found a man with a gunshot wound to the leg. He was taken to the hospital and is expected to survive. Shortly after they arrived at the scene, police were able to identify the vehicle the suspects escaped in and once they located it, police were led on a pursuit. The chase was brief and several suspects were arrested.
The fate of a suspended Allentown School District teacher was a popular topic during Thursday's night's school board meeting. Jason Moorehead has been under a paid suspension after attending the January 6th rally in Washington DC which preceded the riot at the U.S. Capitol. Some community members told the school board they want Moorehead gone. "This man is teaching history to an almost 80-percent minority district. How is this even acceptable?" one woman said. While others say he did nothing wrong. "Taking part in assembly is an important part of our rights. So my point is you have no right to deny his constitutional rights," said one man. The Raub Middle School social studies teacher remains suspended until the district completes its investigation.
Removing more than 30 inches of snow is hitting the city of Easton squarely in the wallet. Mayor Sal Panto has told Easton City Council that the cost of removal was more than $250,000. The city budgeted only $60,000 for snow removal, according to Panto. He says he'll provide actual totals for snow removal, as well as a plan for making up the difference, in the next two weeks.
Allentown Mayor Ray O'Connell has nominated Freddie Agosto Jr. to be the city's next fire chief. Agosto joined the department in 2003 and has served since August 2018 as deputy fire chief, the number two position in the department. If confirmed by City Council, Agosto would succeed Fire Chief Jim Wehr who retired last week after 27-years with the department.
If you want to have special plans with your valentine this weekend, Accu-Weather's Joe Lundberg says you may want to do it either early in the weekend or at the tail end of it. "Late tomorrow and into early Sunday, we're talking about a 15-hour period where there could be some precipitation. It starts as snow and ends as ice and in between I don't think we'll get a big accumulation but it's going to lead to some slippery driving conditions Saturday night into early Sunday," Lundberg says. He says there's more opportunities for wintry mixes on both Monday and Tuesday as well.
The Pennsylvania Game Commission is investigating the killing of a bald eaqle in Berks County. The dead bird was discovered in a parking area in Tilden Township late last month. Fragments consistent of a gunshot wound were found in the eagle during an x-ray.
A Pennsylvania state trooper is one out of a group of four to be arrested Thursday for their alleged involvement in a prostitution and gambling ring in Lackawanna County. Police say Trooper Robert Covington Jr. partially owned and operated a strip club in Lackawanna County. The club, investigators say, was used for illegal gambling, prostitution and money laundering. Investigators say Covington and the three others used the club to promote their illegal activity and some employees say customers would pay employees for sexual favors and the owners would split the money. Covington has been placed on administrative leave.