Lehigh Christian Academy is blaming the building's HVAC units for two incidents that forced the school to be evacuated and students and staff feeling sick. In a letter to parents, the school says the building's HVAC units were not properly opening to allow for circulation of fresh air, causing a buildup of higher levels of carbon dioxide. The school says that buildup caused some students and staff to feel lethargic, headaches and dizziness. The first incident happened back on Halloween and the most recent problem happened last Thursday. Lehigh Christian Academy says the problems have now been fixed.
Allentown City Council has unanimously approved several changes to the city's parking enforcement ordinances. Among them are increasing the distance a car can be parked from a curb from 6 inches to 9 inches; allowing council, to provide an exemption to parking in front of a private driveway; and allowing impounded vehicles to be released if the owner is in compliance with a payment plan. The Allentown Parking Authority has also made changes as well. "One of the changes is the authority is giving a one month grace period," says Councilman Santo Napoli, who is also on the Allentown Parking Authority. He says that means if a ticket is written for an expired inspection after the 30-day grace period, the vehicle owner will have a 15-day grace period to allow the car to get inspected. Other changes include free parking in the government deck for those attending City Council meetings; reducing active parking patrols from 7am to 10pm Monday-Saturday; and giving drivers double-parked for deliveries 90 seconds to move the vehicle.
PPL customers should see smaller bills this summer. The power company says its default rate for customers will drop by 17 percent on June 1, 2023. Customers will now save $25 on a bill that used to be $150.
Legislation regarding a vote on the Fairness Act is now headed to the Republican-controlled state Senate. The legislation would ban discrimination in employment, housing and public accommodations on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. It would also allow anyone in the Commonwealth to file complaints with the state Human Relations Commission. The bill narrowly cleared the Democratic-controlled state House earlier this week on a vote of 102 to 98.
A measure that would change the state constitution to allow workers the right to organize is now on its way to the state Senate. Currently, the Pennsylvania Constitution does not guarantee workers the right to organize and collectively bargain. The House bill proposes to amend Article I of the constitution to guarantee those rights. To be adopted, constitutional amendments must pass both chambers of the General Assembly in two consecutive sessions. They can then go before the voters for approval or rejection.
New data from the United Way suggests more Pennsylvania families are falling behind economically. 39-percent are below what's called the ALICE threshold which stands for Asset Limited, Income Constrained and Employed. Kristen Rotz heads up the United Way of Pennsylvania. "They're going to work every day. They're earning an income that is higher than the federal poverty level, but they are not yet earning enough to provide for the basic needs of their families," Rotz says. To break above the ALICE threshold, a family of four needs to bring home more than $66,000 per year.
West Reading officials are letting residents know a bit more about what to expect in the future, now that the investigation into the explosion at the R.M. Palmer Candy Factor is being moved off site. Borough leaders says the properties affected will soon be returned to the owners, who will be responsible for the remaining cleanup efforts. Security is expected to remain in place as those efforts continue. The National Transportation Safety Board says its full investigative report will take anywhere from 12-to-24 months.
Every New Jersey municipality is getting a piece of a national opioid settlement with pharmacies and drug makers. The nationwide lawsuit against CVS, Walgreens, Walmart, Teva, and Allergan yielded more than $20 billions. New Jersey could receive more than $508 million since all its counties and municipalities have signed up to participate in the settlement.
Wendy's is bringing back a popular Frosty flavor as part of their summer menu. The hamburger chain is now featuring a strawberry version of their famous frozen treat at stores nationwide. Company leaders say they decided to once again offer the flavor after seeing a positive response when it debuted last year. The cold, creamy, and fruity snack may be a great way to soothe the taste buds after trying Wendy's Ghost Pepper Ranch Chicken Sandwich or Ghost Pepper Fries, two other limited-time items on their summer menu.