The parents of a two-year-old Bethlehem boy who died last summer are under arrest. Bethlehem police say 45-year-old Nicole Stauffer, of Bethlehem, and 25-year-old Christian Brewster, of New York were both arrested in New York and will be extradited back to the Lehigh Valley. They're both charged with involuntary manslaughter and child endangerment for the July 5th death of their little boy. Investigators say the child died from fentanyl toxicity in a home on Stefko Boulevard.
The nearly complete makeover of the Westgate Mall means at least half-dozen businesses there are getting the boot. The mall owner plans to demolish about 50,000 square feet of the shopping center's interior in order to construct about 8,000 square feet of new retail spaces. As a result, Onyx Equities has told six tenants they will need to leave. Those tenants are Amateur Athlete, Fashion Nails, Hawk Music, Subway and Westgate Jewelers, all of which are being forced out of the shopping center within the next few months. Salon chain Holiday Hair already closed Wednesday.
A Christmas Eve house fire in Easton that killed a 91-year-old man has been ruled accidental. The fire in the 100 block of Lachenour Avenue began in Joseph Franco's living room. While the fire is being ruled accidental, investigators have not released details on what caused it.
Another Grandstand show at the Allentown Fair has been booked and it's another country show. Tyler Hubbard, of Florida Georgia Line fame, will headline the Fair on the night of August 31st. Tickets, which cost $$52, $62 or $72, go on sale February 3rd. He joins Keith Urban as the country Grandstand shows announced so far. REO Speedwagon and Styx are the third Grandstand show announced to date.
Pennsylvania U.S. Sen. John Fetterman has now received his committee assignments. He's been appointed to several panels that oversee agriculture, banking and the environment. He's also been assigned to both the Senate committee on banking, housing, and urban affairs as well as the special committee on aging, which governs programs that include Medicare and Social Security. The chairman of that committee is fellow Pennsylvania Sen. Bob Casey.
York County officials have released the names of three family members who reportedly died in a suicide pact in their backyard Wednesday. Coroner Pamela Gay said Thursday the bodies found in the 2000 block of Loman Avenue in West Manchester Township have been identified as James Daub, who was 62; 59-year-old Deborah Daub and Morgan Daub, who was 26. Investigators have determined the Daubses "pre-planned their deaths," based on evidence at the scene. The coroner also says the parents died by homicide and the daughter Morgan killed herself. They had lived at the home for over 20 years.
The National Transportation Safety Board says it is continuing to investigate the 2022 collapse of the Fern Hollow Bridge. Ten people were injured when the span fell in January of last year. The NTSB yesterday put out a new public report including steel test results dating back to the 70s and say they have conducted interviews with city officials, PennDOT and folks who performed maintenance and inspections on the bridge. The cause of the collapse has yet to be determined. A new Fern Hollow Bridge opened to traffic in December.
Reese’s announced that they are introducing a brand-new snack. Reese’s is introducing their new snack option, Reese’s Dipped Animal Crackers. The bite-sized animal crackers are covered in peanut butter candy and dipped in milk chocolate. There will be a total of 13 different animal shapes. The new treat is available now.
Lehighton is leaving the Schuylkill League for the Colonial League. In a unanimous vote, the Lehighton Area School Board has approved the move, which takes effect in all sports for the 2024-25 scholastic season. Lehighton will become the 14th full-time member of the Colonial League.
It's the Eagles and 49ers Sunday afternoon for the NFC title. Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni is counting on Eagles fans on helping push his team to Super Bowl 57. "The reputation of having to come into Philadelphia and play is the reputation we have because it's loud, it's intimidating and it's hype," Sirianni says. Kickoff is at 3 o'clock. The winner will play the winner of the Chiefs/Bengals game in the Super Bowl.