Thursday morning the Pennsylvania Department of Health added 3451 new cases of COVID-19 to the state's overall total, which now stands at 1,259,775 since the pandemic began. 22 new COVID-related deaths were also reported. Pennsylvania's death count is now at 28,040. Right now, 1307 people are hospitalized with COVID-19. 338 of them are in the intensive care unit.
The coronavirus caseload in New Jersey continues creeping up. The Garden State reported 1641 additional infections yesterday and confirmed ten new deaths. It comes as nearly 5.5 million people are now fully vaccinated in New Jersey.
As the United States is working to get its citizens and Afghan translators who assisted the US out of Afghanistan as the Taliban establishes control Lehigh Valley Congresswoman Susan Wild tells Fox News she doesn't have an issue with the decision to withdraw troops from Afghanistan, only the execution of the plan. "I absolutely think it was time to Afghanistan. I think we should have a long time ago. The manner in which this was executed was clearly not a success story and to say anything other than that is a disserved to the servicemen and women," Wild says. She says Congress will get to the bottom of what has gone wrong during the withdrawal.
By adding a four-story patient care tower to its campus in Stroud Township, Monroe County, St. Luke's is doubling the size of that hospital. Construction on the $85 million project is scheduled to start in spring 2022, with opening expected in early 2024.
A tornado touched down in Tilden Township, Berks County for three minutes on Wednesday night, according to the National Weather Service. The EF-1 twister was on the ground during downpours and thunderstorms in the passage of the remnants of Tropical Storm Fred. The twister packed winds of 95 mph and carved a 125-yard path for about 1 mile from 9:15 to 9:18 pm.
A state lawmaker is looking to expand school choice opportunities for families across the state. St. Rep. Andrew Lewis' Excellent Education For All Act would create a state fund that would provide families with Keystone Hope scholarships for homeschooling or private school tuition. Lewis says this bill will be a game changer for families across the state and ensure for the first time in our history that every child regardless of their zip code or unique personal learning needs will be guaranteed access to an excellent education.
The Pennsylvania Department of Health is calling for more Pennsylvanians to donate blood. Blood banks have been dealing with a dramatic drop in donations since the start of the pandemic and officials emphasized that safety measures are in place to keep donors safe at facilities. Officials say donating blood is a safe environment, probably safer than going to the store as measures are in place like masking and social distancing. Blood banks are hoping to get more younger donors as a large chunk of donations come from people over the age of 60.
The Yardley police chief who was shot during a standoff situation on Wednesday is now home resting with his family. Chief Joseph Kelly was released from the hospital yesterday afternoon. He was providing backup assistance to a probation officer when he was shot in his hand and ear by a suspect. The 24-year-old suspect is being charged with attempted murder.
A man who pleaded guilty to killing an 18-year-old Amish woman will serve more than 17 more years for violating parole. Justo Smoker got the maximum sentence for the violations and is also serving between 35-and-a-half to 71 years for killing Linda Stoltzfoos. He entered a guilty plea in July for that. Authorities say he will be 87 before he can be paroled.
The commonwealth now allows dairies to print "best by" dates on milk that extends beyond the traditional 17-day pasteurization window. St. Sen. Judy Schwank says it's perfectly safe and is also good for business. "When consumers go to that dairy case as I do and I know many of you do at the store, you look for the date that's going to give you the longest shelf life. Now this allows Pennsylvania milk to be just as competitive as milk is from other out-of-state processors," Schwank says. Processors must still submit samples of their products for testing to make sure they are safe to drink.
Organizers of the annual Never Forget Walk will be in Shanksville tomorrow as the group continues its trek to New York City. This year's event began three weeks ago in Washington D.C. and will pass through Somerset County on Saturday as part of a tribute to honor those that died on 9-11. The event is a project of the Tunnel to Towers Foundation that supports first responders, veterans and their families. A breakfast will be held at the Shanksville Fire Hall before a walk to the Flight 93 National Memorial.
The latest weather pattern could cause rip currents across the Jersey shore throughout the weekend. The New Jersey Office of Emergency Management is asking swimmers to stay in areas where a lifeguard can see you. Swimmers who get caught up in a current should remember not to fight it and instead try to swim out of the current and then parallel to shore.