Allentown's first homicide of 2023 occurred over the weekend. Police say they were called to the 1000 block of Union Boulevard around 4:15 Sunday morning, where a man and woman had both been shot. That woman, 28-year-old Blessing Taveras, of North Whitehall Township, died about an hour later at the hospital. A 28-year-old man was also shot but is expected to recover. So far, there is no word on any arrests or a motive for the shooting and Allentown police are asking anyone with information to contact them.
There's a death investigation underway in Easton. A body was discovered in a home in the 1000 block of West Lafayette Street early Saturday morning. There is no word yet on how the person died, but police says there is no danger to the public.
The Lehigh Valley Health Network will soon be shutting down COVID vaccine clinics around the area. LVHN will be closing five COVID vaccine clinics which include the ones in East Stroudsburg, Whitehall, Easton, Hazleton and Pottsville. You can schedule a COVID vaccine appointment by calling any Lehigh Valley Primary Care practice.
A new candidate is going to challenge Senator David Argall for his seat. Libertarian candidate Eddie Wenrich announced recently he's running for the state Senate seat that represents District 29. District 29 covers Carbon County and parts of Luzerne. Wenrich says his campaign is based on lower taxes, smaller government and more individual freedom.
National School Choice Week began Sunday. Andrew Campanella is the president of the National School Choice Awareness Foundation and says if parents are considering choosing a different school next year for their children, they should take action now. "If they want something different for their kids, now's the time to start looking into those options in advance of the next school year. Because if you wait too long and wait until summer break, for example, you'll find that there are fewer options available, because seats will be taken in schools," Campanella says. He says Pennsylvania grades out in the middle to top of the pack for school choice options for families.
The Pennsylvania General Assembly is at a complete standstill. Last week, the state Senate recessed until February 27th because of a legislative hold-up in the House, which hasn't set rules or even selected committee chairs as both parties struggle for power. Each claim a razor-thin majority that won't change until after special elections February 7th. That House inactivity will be extended soon as new Speaker Mark Rozzi says he's conducting a "listening tour" around the state. The first session will be Wednesday night in Pittsburgh.
People in Harrisburg have joined demonstrators from across the country for an annual women's march. The event Sunday at the state capitol marked the 50th anniversary of Roe versus Wade when the Supreme Court decided women had the right to choose to have an abortion. That historic ruling was overturned last summer.
Customers may notice increased costs this week at their local post office branch. The USPS on Sunday bumped up the cost of a first class forever stamp from 60 cents to 63 cents. Other price hikes include the cost of sending a domestic postcard from 44 cents to 48 cents, an international postcard from $1.40 to a $1.45 and the certified mail fee has gone from $4 to $4.15-cents. Officials say the increases are part of a plan to bring financial stability to the postal service and that customers can expect to begin seeing price hikes twice each year.
The Powerball lottery's top prize sits now at an estimated $502 million. No players matched all of the numbers drawn Saturday night and no one has done it since November 19th. Local players will find out if they are holding a winning ticket when numbers are drawn tonight at 11.
New Jersey is expanding healthcare access to children of immigrant families. Gov. Phil Murphy says the state will work to enroll roughly 16-thousand children whose families are eligible for Medicaid but have been excluded because of immigration status. "A healthy start, and we all know this, is among the very least we know to the next generation of New Jerseyans," Murphy says. It's all part of New Jersey's Cover All Kids family healthcare program first introduced in 2021, which has already enrolled more than 47,000 children.