A well-known Allentown restaurant owner has died. 76-year-old Louis Belletieri, owner of Louie’s Italian Restaurant, died Thursday from cancer. Belletieri and his family operated Louie's Italian Restaurant for five decades. It last operated on 31st St. in Allentown, before closing in 2019.
The Northampton County Coroner’s Office has identified the woman killed Tuesday afternoon in a Bethlehem Township crash. 84-year-old Irene Lewis, of Bethlehem Township, died in the crash on Freemansburg Avenue near 13th Street in the township. Lewis was a passenger in a white 2018 Chevrolet Trax being driven by her 89-year-old husband, who was injured in the crash. Lewis' vehicle was heading east on Freemansburg Avenue when it was hit by a white 2016 Subaru Legacy driven by a 20-year-old man from East Allen Township. Police said the Subaru was traveling west when it crossed into oncoming traffic. The driver of the Subaru was also injured. The crash is under investigation.
PPL Corp. reported fourth-quarter adjusted earnings Friday of $209 million, or 28 cents per share, matching Wall Street estimates. In the year-ago quarter, adjusted net income was $163 million, or 22 cents per share.
Two Pennsylvania state representatives plan to propose a bill that would lower the legal driving age from 16 to 15. Philadelphia Democrat Stephen Kinsey and Westmoreland County Republican Eric Nelson claim the current legal driving age prevents teens from working. The bill would lower the eligibility for a junior driver’s license to 15 and establish an age of eligibility of 15 for a learner’s permit.
Penn State has proposed an increase of about $448 per year in room and board costs for students taking the most common housing and meal plans at the University Park campus in State College. The proposed increases would push the annual room and board costs for those main campus students to $13,030 for the 2023-24 school year. That’s a year-to-year jump of just under 3.6 percent. For the first time, trustees are being asked to consider a slightly smaller increase for students attending its undergraduate commonwealth campuses. Residential students at those sites will pay from $12,760 to $12,852 next year, depending which campus they attend. All the proposed rate increases face final ratification by the full board of trustees Friday.
New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy is in Germany right now but on the way, he made a surprise trip to Ukraine. Murphy and First Lady Tammy Murphy flew to Poland Thursday night and crossed into western Ukraine, Lviv Oblast, where they met with refugees, displaced children, orphans and local officials. The side trip was not on his official agenda due to security concerns. The Democrat was en route to Germany for an international security conference where he's leading a panel discussion on foreign policy. The Governor is a former ambassador to Germany.