One man is under arrest and another wanted on charges they're responsible for shooting off booming fireworks in Pen Argyl for the past several months. 57-year-old Joseph Zanette is charged with numerous offenses and sent to Northampton County Prison under $125,000 bail. Police are also looking for 32-year-old Justin Taylor, who is facing similar charges. The most recent incident happened overnight Friday into Saturday when loud explosions were heard in the area of East Laurel Avenue. Police say video surveillance identified Zanette and Taylor and a search of homes turned up a large amount of illegal fireworks.
Police believe a Sunday night rollover crash in Northampton County was caused by a drunk driver. The crash happened Sunday night around 9:30 on the ramp from Route 22 west onto Route 33 north in Bethlehem Township. Investigators say one SUV rear-ended another SUV, causing each vechile to flip over. No injuries are being reported.
Whitehall Township Treasurer Tina Koren will be on the ballot this May. Koren defeated a challenge against her ballot petition for Whitehall mayor, meaning she will be listed as a Republican candidate in the May primary. Kade Marx filed the challenge alleged that Koren filed a statement of financial interests with the Lehigh County Board of Elections, but didn’t do so with Whitehall Township. A judge ruled that evidence shows Koren submitted a statement to Whitehall's executive secretary on March 1, six days before the filing deadline. Marx also noted that Koren didn’t check the “candidate” box in her financial statement, but the judge said he didn’t properly object to that concern in his challenge. Marx is the son of Whitehall commissioners President Joseph Marx, a Democratic mayoral candidate.
Winter officially ended late Monday afternoon. Ski season officially ended 24 hours earlier at Bear Creek. Gary Kline says his resort couldn't rely on Mother Nature to provide the real snow for skiers this winter. "We've only had amount six inches of natural snow for the entire year," Kline says. He says despite the lack of real snow, the resort was able to provide 80 days of tubing and skiing for winter sports fans.
ArtsQuest is adding a new festival next month. Spring Beer Fest will welcome two dozen local breweries on April 15th. There will be two sampling sessions for the festival: the first from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. and the second from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Making its second appearance this summer will be One Earth ReggaeFest, which returns to the Steel Stacks campus on July 1. The free festival is a day-long celebration of reggae music and culture featuring a ton of musical performances, authentic Jamaican food and vendors.
Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw testified again on Monday about February's toxic train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio. This time before a state Senate committee in neighboring Pennsylvania. Once again, the Norfolk Southern boss vowed to make safety changes to prevent another disaster. "I want to begin today by expressing how deeply sorry I am for the impact this derailment has had on the residents of East Palestine and the communities of western Pennsylvania," Shaw said. Pennsylvania residents living near the Ohio town have expressed the same health concerns as the people of East Palestine.
State Representative Rob Kauffman of Franklin County wants to stiffen penalties for stealing plastic products. Thieves steal the plastic from cafeteria trays, delivery trays and other products made of heavy-duty plastic then grind it down and resell it as recycled material. A memo from Kauffman sent to his fellow lawmakers seeking support for legislation says the losses to the food industry can be as much as 500-million-dollars a year.
A bill that would soften language in New Jersey's law governing license plates has passed overwhelmingly in the state Senate and goes to Governor Phil Murphy for his decision. The bill would allow license plate frames that obstruct or conceal parts of the plate, as long as the state's name can still be reasonably viewed by police. Supporters say the bill will eliminate hundreds of thousands of dollars of what they call unnecessary fines against motorists each year.
The New Jersey Senate has passed a massive campaign finance overhaul bill that critics charge gives Governor Phil Murphy too much control over the elections watchdog agency. The bill is a slightly altered version of another bill that was pulled from the state Senate three weeks ago. It makes substantial changes to how money flows into New Jersey politics and -- among other things -- increases limits on donations. It also sheds more light on certain so-called dark money donors. The bill requires a full Assembly vote before it goes to the governor for his signature.
The Philadelphia Eagles reportedly are signing safety Justin Evans to a one-year deal. The former New Orleans Saints player committed to the team Monday, according to the NFL Network. The 27-year-old's signing came one day after the Eagles lost starting safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson to the Detroit Lions.