The Allentown School District will be getting not one, but two, new middle schools in the not-too-distant future. The Allentown School Board has okayed designing a new 750-student middle school to be located right behind the Mosser Elementary School. That school is expected to cost $82.8 million to build. Construction is expected to begin in 2023 and the school is scheduled to open in 2026. The second middle school will be built on the current Harrison-Morton Middle School site. The current middle school will be torn down and replaced with a new school, a project expected to cost $95.4 million. That project is expected to begin in 2027, with students expected to begin learning there in 2029. The district will first use the Mosser Woods building as a transitional space for students of Harrison-Morton Middle School, after it's torn down.
An 18-year-old faces charges in the stabbing of a 15-year-old in Bethlehem over the weekend. Tyler Vargas is accused of stabbing the teen multiple times in the 1000 block of East Market Street shortly after 3 o'clock Saturday afternoon. The victim told police he was walking on Market Street when Vargas, who he didn't know, pulled in front of him multiple times in a vehicle and demanded he get into the car so he could give the victim a ride. The victim said Vargas then got out of the vehicle and tried throwing him in front of moving traffic, before pulling out a folding knife and chasing the victim. A fight ensued, resulting in the victim being stabbed. Vargas then ran into traffic and climbed onto the roof of a moving vehicle, where he was found a short time later and arrested.
Monday, two fishermen spotted something you don't see every day in the Lehigh River. A small alligator. Christina Obrecht, owner of Christina’s Reptile and Animal Sanctuary, was called and she says capturing the three-foot-long gator wasn't all that difficult because of the weather. "Alligators can withstand cooler temperatures, however once it gets too cold, they become severely inactive. So we knew he wouldn't be completely wild," Obrecht says. She suspects the gator had been somebody's pet until they decided to get rid of it. The gator will be sent to an exotic animal facility for additional care.
Fire caused heavy damage to a building at a salvage yard in Northampton County. The fire broke out over the weekend in the 5900 block of Adams Lane in East Allen Township. There were no reports of injuries.
One of the biggest acts in the history of country music will be on the Wind Creek Steel Stage at Musikfest next August. Alabama, which has sold more than 80-million albums, will be at Musikfest on Saturday, August 13. Tickets go on sale to the public on Friday at 10am.
Former Congresswoman Melissa Hart is launching her bid to become Pennsylvania's first female governor. She'll make a formal announcement in January, but wants to get the word out now. She says her combined experience as a state and federal lawmaker, coupled with her last 14 years as an attorney in the private sector will help her standout among the other 12 declared Republican candidates. All of the previous 13 announced candidates for governor are men.
Starting in the new year, it's going to cost more for drivers passing through tolls on the Garden State Parkway and the New Jersey Turnpike. a three-percent jump will go into effect on January 1st, 2022. Tolls on the Garden State will jump to $2 for those paying cash and $1.96 for those using E-ZPass. Tolls on the Turnpike will go up roughly 15 cents, from $4.80 to $4.95. Drivers were hit with a toll hike around the same time last year.
New Jersey is expanding access to abortion. the state Board of Medical Examiners unanimously voted to adopt new rules last month, which were published on Monday. Under the changes, a doctor is no longer the only medical personnel who can terminate a pregnancy, but physician assistants, advanced practice nurses, and certified midwives can also perform the procedure. Officials say by clearing this barrier, access to health care immediately opens up across the state.
Alain Vigneault is out as the head coach of the Philadelphia Flyers. Management made the decision to make the change one-day after the Flyers notched their eighth-consecutive loss. Vigneault spent three seasons in Philly compiling a record of 74-54-and-19. Mike Yeo will take on the role as interim head coach. The flyers lost yet again last night, 7-5 to Colorado, and will return to the ice tomorrow night against the New Jersey Devils.