It looks like there will be a November rematch in Northampton County. Ex-judge Stephen Baratta won the Democratic primary for district attorney over incumbent Terry Houck. However, Houck says he won the Republican primary via a write-in vote campaign. If that's the case, Houck will have one more chance to keep his job this fall in a rematch against Baratta. In the race for Easton mayor, incumbent Sal Panto easily defeated Easton City Councilman Peter Melan. No Republican was on the ballot, which means Panto is almost certainly going to serve a fifth consecutive term as mayor and seventh overall.
State Democrats have retained their narrow majority in the Pennsylvania House after their candidate won a special election in the Philadelphia suburbs Tuesday. Heather Boyd won the seat in Delaware County, beating Republican Katie Ford. The house seat became vacant in March when Democrat Mike Zabel resigned after a lobbyist accused him of sexually harassing her. In a second special election Tuesday, Republican Michael Stender defeated Trevor Finn in the 108th Legislative District. The results leave Democrats with a 102-101 edge in the state House.
Current state Superior Court Judge Dan McCaffery has won the Democratic primary to fill a vacant judge seat on the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. He will face Republican Carolyn Carluccio this fall. Carluccio is a judge on the Montgomery County Court of Common Pleas. In the race for Superior Court Judge, Jill Beck and Tamika Lane won Tuesday on the Democratic side and will face Republicans Maria Battista and Harry Smail this November for two seats. Tuesday's election for Commonwealth Court saw Democrat Matthew Wolf and Republican Megan Martin win.
The Lehigh County Coroner's Office has released the name of the Bethlehem man who was shot to death Sunday night in Allentown. 27-year-old Jose Tirado-Ramirez was killed around 9:30 Sunday night in the 400 block of Tilghman Street. Two arrests have been made in the shooting. 45-year-old Adalberto Morales-Ortiz, of Bethlehem, and 21-year-old Axel Fontanez-Morales, from Whitehall, have both been arrested.
A man was shot on the Tilghman Street Bridge in Allentown on Tuesday. Police were called to the bridge around 6:15 Tuesday evening. A short time later, they were notified that a shooting victim arrived at a local hospital seeking treatment. The man told authorities that he was shot on the bridge. Police say the man's injuries appear to be non-life-threatening. There's no word on if there are any suspects.
Uline is looking to add more workers to its Lehigh Valley warehouse. It's holding a warehouse hiring event this afternoon from 3-6 p.m. Uline hopes to fill nearly 75 warehouse positions at the facilities in Allentown and Alburtis. Available positions include associate, supervisor, department manager, manager and safety coordinator. Starting pay is $25 an hour.
Accu-Weather's Joe Lundberg says if you have plants already in the ground, you may want to keep them warm tonight. "It's going to get cold. I think temperatures tonight are going to be down into the mid-30s," Lundberg says. And he says that could well lead to frost forming tonight into Thursday morning.
The ten Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commissioners are expected to take a vote this morning on whether to raise license fees again next year. They last were increased at the start of the 2023 fishing season. Commission Director Executive Director Tim Schaeffer says the hikes are needed because his agency doesn't get any money from the state's general revenue fund. The price for a resident's annual license would go up to $26 while out-of-state fishers would pay $59. The fee for a lifetime senior's license would also jump by ten bucks, increasing to a onetime fee of $85.
A federal judge has handed pro-gun advocates in New Jersey a victory as he struck down parts of the state's conceal carry law. Judge Renee Marie Bumb ruled that significant parts of the law Governor Murphy signed into law in December were unconstitutional. She says those parts of the law were aimed not at people who unlawfully possess firearms but at law-abiding citizens. Her ruling means residents with proper permits are allowed to carry guns at such places as beaches, bars and restaurants. Attorney General Matthew Platkin condemned the ruling and says he plans to appeal the judge's decision.
One New Jersey Assemblyman wants to ensure seniors stay put. It's one of Speaker Craig Coughlin's main concerns as he and other lawmakers work on New Jersey's budget. Coughlin says property taxes are the number one issue senior citizens deal with and he wants the state to come up with a plan to reduce seniors' property taxes in a meaningful way. Coughlin says doing so will even help people who aren't seniors plan for their future.
The Philadelphia 76ers are firing head coach Doc Rivers. This comes after the Sixers lost in game seven to the Boston Celtics in the second round of the NBA playoffs. Rivers led the Sixers to the Eastern Conference Semifinals in each of his three seasons as head coach of Philadelphia. Rivers has now lost five straight game sevens as a head coach.