The Pennsylvania Department of Health Thursday added another 3893 new cases of coronavirus to the statewide total, which now stands at 1,028,750 since the pandemic began. There were 27 COVID-related deaths also added to the total, which is now 25,120.
More than 800,000 coronavirus cases have been reported in New Jersey since the pandemic began. The milestone was hit Thursday as the state reported nearly 4700 new infections. 30 new coronavirus-related deaths were also reported Thursday.
Pennsylvania's COVID-19 vaccine allotment is increasing as the state moves to expand eligibility to everyone. The state is getting its largest shipment of vaccines on April 5th, with nearly 816,000 doses from Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson.
With the threat to residents from COVID-19 easing, Northampton County's Gracedale Nursing Home will allow visits again starting in May. 87-percent of Gracedale's residents and about half of the Gracedale staff have been vaccinated against the virus. Visits will be allowed in one of the Upper Nazareth Township facility's towers, in the gardens and in a tent, similar to what Gracedale did back in October. Federal rules bar Gracedale from asking visitors for proof of vaccination.
One of three winning tickets in the March 31st Cash 5 with Quick Cash drawing was sold in Lehigh County. That ticket was sold at Don's Food Market on East Harrison Street in Emmaus. The holder of that ticket wins $225,000 of the $675,000 jackpot.
We're learning more details about the suspect in a 44-year-old cold case in Carbon County. Earlier this week, police arrested 63-year-old Luis Sierra from New York for the killing of 15-year-old Evelyn Colon back in December 1976. Police say Sierra, who was 19 at the time, was Colon's boyfriend when he killed her. He was reportedly abusive toward Colon and would lock her in an apartment at times. Investigators say Sierra strangled Colon, shot her in the neck and then dismembered her before stuffing her remains into three suitcases. Colon was also pregnant with a nearly full-term daughter when she was killed.
The family of a fraternity pledge who died at Penn State has reached settlements with 25 of 42 defendants involved in the case. Timothy Piazza's family attorney says the other 17 have filed counter-claims. Piazza died in 2017 after he fell after a night of hazing and drinking at a frat house in State College.
The 156th meeting of the Lehigh-Lafayette football game has been rescheduled for April 10th at Lafayette. The game was originally slated for tomorrow, but was postponed after a positive COVID-19 test in the Lafayette program.
A North Carolina man is charged with killing a Lancaster County mother during a road rage incident last Thursday. Early Thursday morning 29-year-old Dejywan Floyd was arrested and charged with the death of Julie Eberly, whose husband said no confrontation led up to her fatal shooting by another driver. Ryan Eberly says he may have accidentally forced Floyd over to the shoulder of Interstate 95 southbound when he switched lanes but didn't escalate the situation. Robeson County Sheriff Bunis Wilkins says Eberly's death was completely unnecessary. "Even if you made a mistake, even if the other person made a mistake and went into the wrong lane, it's not worth killing someone over. In this case here, this guy lost his temper and went about it the wrong way," Wilkins says. The Eberly’s were going on a beach vacation to celebrate their anniversary.
Hersheypark opens for the new season today. Spokesperson Quinn Bryner says they still have their pandemic rules in place. "All the incredible safety enhancements we had in place last year are back for our guests. We have 300 hand sanitizers throughout the park, socially distancing markers throughout the park so you know where to stand before you get on rides. We're sanitizing everything often and all of our guests have to wear a face covering when they visit us," Bryner says. They're asking anyone wanting to head to Hersheypark this weekend to get tickets online and make a reservation.
New Jersey Policy Prospective is releasing a new report that shows NJ Transit is behind when it comes to putting electric buses on the roads. The report also says other agencies are ahead and will most likely meet New Jersey's Electric Vehicle Law, which aims for all electric buses by 2032. NJ Transit has been shopping around for environmentally friendly buses, but the report finds the agency is only allocating $15 million to the initiative over the next six years. That's only a fraction of the $1.8 billion needed to take the system completely green.