The Lehigh Valley Health Network has been the target of a cyberattack from a suspected Russian ransomware group. In a statement issued Monday morning, LVHN President and CEO Brian Nester said, “Lehigh Valley Health Network has been the target of a cybersecurity attack by a ransomware gang, known as BlackCat, which has been associated with Russia. As of today, the attack has not disrupted LVHN’s operations. Based on our initial analysis, the attack was on the network supporting one physician practice located in Lackawanna County." Nester said BlackCat demanded a ransom payment, which LVHN refused to pay.
Catasauqua Borough Council has voted to remove Paul Cmil as a member of council. Council learned that Cmil moved out of the borough just before Christmas, without giving any notice of the change in his residency. Monday night, council read a letter to Cmil from the borough solicitor, which stated that Cmil lied about still living in the borough when he changed his borough direct deposit on last month to a North Carolina financial institution. Citizens who have resided in the borough for at least one year are invited to apply for the vacant council seat in writing by 4 p.m. on March 3. The applicants will be discussed at a committee meeting, and council expects to vote on a replacement at its March 20 meeting.
Catasauqua Borough Manager Glenn Eckhart says there are at least a half dozen parties interested in developing the abandoned 12-acre Crane Iron Works industrial site. Eckhart says the names of the parties remain private at this time, but the goal is to have an agreement in place within the next six weeks to 12 weeks.
Authorities are investigating the cause of a fire that damaged a home in Monroe County. The blaze broke out yesterday afternoon at a home located along Route 390 near Cresco. Authorities say nobody was hurt by the fire as it was put out quickly.
The State House is set to re-convene Tuesday and once operating rules are approved, House Speaker Mark Rozzi hopes lawmakers will work quickly to pass his legislation for victims of childhood sexual abuse. When he was elected speaker in January, Rozzi made it clear the House would not consider any other measure until it passed the victims' bill. Rozzi says since Democrats will have a majority for the first time in 12 years, he hopes they should be able get a set of operating rules passed and then quickly consider the two-year window vote.
A state Republican lawmaker says he wants to nip a potential measure in the bud that could ban gas stoves. Bradford County Republican Martin Causer is looking for support for legislation that would keep state or local authorities from banning appliances based on the type of energy they use. He says he wants to appeal for sponsors ahead of time after word came out last October that a gas stove ban was under consideration. CNN reports that 20 states have passed such preemption laws.
The Pennsylvania Milk Marketing Board wants to study what may happen if the state's minimum milk pricing structure is removed. The idea comes as consumers in the state are forced to pay some of the highest milk prices in the country even though PA is sixth in the nation for milk production. According to the Milk Marketing Board, just under 20 percent of the retail cost of milk goes to the store; just over 30 percent goes to the processor and just half of the cost goes to the producer. There are more than five-thousand dairies in Pennsylvania.
The state Department of Environmental Protection is hosting a study on possibly using old mine lands for solar energy projects. The assessment would focus on converting more than 200-thousand acres of abandoned coal mine land and comes as the state's getting ready to receive just under four-billion-dollars in federal money to clean up abandoned mine land. Officials say using this kind of land for solar projects can take pressure off using farmlands and wooded areas.
DreamWorks Water Park at the American Dream Mall in New Jersey will remain closed until Thursday after four people were hurt at the water park on Sunday. A decorative helicopter broke loose from a ceiling Sunday afternoon, crashing into a pool at the East Rutherford mega mall. This man says he saw it happen. "All of the lifeguards were telling everyone to leave. Everyone was crying and shocked and everyone was trying to run out, trying to leave because they didn't know what was happening," the witness says. An investigation into the cause of the accident continues.
A statue of Bobby Rydell, a 1960's rock n' roll teen sensation, could be heading to the Jersey Shore. Ten months after the singer's death, Rydell's estate announced the creation of the Bobby Rydell Foundation memorialize the teen idol with Philadelphia roots. The foundation announced plans for a six-foot-tall bronze statue to be placed in one of the singer's favorite places and the setting for one of his hit's, "Wildwood Days." The exact location and debut date for the statue will be announced sometime this year, according to N-J-dot-com.