Here's what's trending for October 19.

Because of a new lawsuit, Lehigh County won’t immediately have drop boxes available for the nearly 10,000 voters who have requested mail-in ballots. Those 10,000 people, roughly two-thirds of whom are registered Democrats, can still return their ballots in person to the elections board in Allentown or through the U.S. Postal Service. Lehigh County has previously deployed five drop boxes in government offices, including one available 24/7 at the county government center in Allentown. The county says it will not be able to deploy the drop boxes until the court renders a decision. Pennsylvania’s deadline to request mail or absentee ballots is Nov. 1.

A Bethlehem Township commissioner has died. Malissa Davis has passed away at the age of 78. Davis served on the Bethlehem Township Board of Commissioners for seven years and had held the title of vice president. Northampton County Executive Lamont McClure described Davis as "a wonderful colleague, friend and supporter."

State police say a Phillipsburg, New Jersey man will face DUI charges after crashing his Camaro and causing a pileup on Route 22 early Monday morning. 41-year-old Pavel Sanchez crashed around 5:15 a.m. in the eastbound lanes, just before Route 191. That caused a five-vehicle pileup, as cars had to swerve around the Camaro. Three SUVs, a sedan and a pickup truck were involved in that crash, with only minor injuries reported. Sanchez was taken into custody at the scene after failing a field sobriety test. Route 22 was closed for about two hours Monday morning because of the accident.

Two people are behind bars following a shooting in Carbon County. The incident happened Monday night in the 400 block of East Bertsch Street off of Route 209 in Lansford. Police say the shooting stemmed from an altercation between two men and Justin Mendez and Reinardo Mendez were both taken into custody. One victim underwent surgery at a local hospital.

Pennsylvania's Department of Environmental Protection has lifted its drought watch for 16 counties, including Lehigh. Other counties having their drought watch lifted were Berks, Bradford, Bucks, Delaware, Lackawanna, McKean, Monroe, Montgomery, Philadelphia, Pike, Sullivan, Susquehanna, Tioga, Wayne and Wyoming. Their are still counties remaining on the drought watch list. They are Cameron, Carbon, Centre, Clearfield, Clinton, Columbia, Dauphin, Juniata, Lebanon, Luzerne, Lycoming, Mifflin, Montour, Northampton, Northumberland, Perry, Potter, Schuylkill, Snyder and Union counties. Those remaining under a drought watch are asked to cut their individual water use by 3-6 gallons per day.

Gas prices continue to head closer and closer back above the $4 mark in both Pennsylvania and the Lehigh Valley. Across the commonwealth, the average price of a gallon of unleaded stood at $3.95 Tuesday, four cents more than the previous week and 48 cents higher than one year ago. In the Lehigh Valley, the average price also went up by four cents, to $3.88 a gallon, 43 cents more than last October 18th.

Officials with the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections say they're trying out a virtual reality program they say will allow for a better connection between prisoners and their children. Acting DOC Secretary George Little says it could prove to be better than in-person visits. "This particular project and the virutal reality allow for a safer, I think a more positive interaction, and it's a structured interaction," Little says. He says each VR interaction will be guided by a lesson plan and managed by corrections staff, who have the ability to adapt and customize the situations in real time.

Drivers are being urged to use caution during deer mating season. Experts say there are ways to minimize the risk of damage due to deer suddenly appearing on the road. One tip is to use your high beams in dark areas to reflect the animal's eyes. Also, rather than swerving if you encounter one, simply brake immediately.

New Jersey's casinos, gambling outlets, and online partners are doing well, winning nearly 485-million-dollars from bettors in September. Officials are saying that figure is a year-over-year increase of almost seven percent from September 2021. Atlantic City's nine casinos have also collectively pushed past figures last seen during September 2019, just before the coronavirus pandemic hit. Atlantic City gaming halls won nearly 252-million-dollars last month which stands as a nearly one-and-a-half percent jump from 2019, and internet gambling rose to roughly 135-million-dollars last month, which is a ten percent increase from last year's September figures.

New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy's administration is suing five fossil fuel companies for concealing the effects oil and gas has on global warming. The lawsuit alleges Exxon Mobil, Shell Oil, Chevron, B-P, ConocoPhillips and the American Petroleum Institute have known for many years that fossil fuels are a major contributor to climate change. The suit goes on to further accuse these companies of "sowing doubt" on the legitimacy of transitioning to lower carbon emission vehicles. New Jersey joins a group of states and cities that have filed similar lawsuits against fossil fuel companies including Delaware, Connecticut, Rhode Island and Massachusetts.

The Phillies grabbed a 1-0 series lead with a 2-0 win in San Diego in game one of the National League Championship Series. Starter Zack Wheeler was brilliant, allowing only one hit over seven innings. Manager Rob Thomson says Wheeler had it all working last night. "Zack's performance was outstanding. He threw 24 pitches in the first inning and then fell right in and got a lot of first pitch outs. All of his pitches were good," Thomson says. Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber both homered in the win. Game two is this afternoon at 4:37 in San Diego.


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