A 35-year-old woman was shot to death in a Lehigh County park around 7 o'clock Tuesday evening. The shooting was reported at the West Catasauqua Playground in Whitehall Township and police say multiple victims were taken to the hospital. The Lehigh County coroner was called to the scene and police taped off much of the park's parking lot and focused their attention on a SUV parked there. Police have released no further information on the incident.
Salisbury Township police say a home invasion happened June 8th on Fairfield Drive. Police say two people entered a home and began rummaging through belongings before homeowners screamed out. That prompted the burglar to flea in a Jeep Wagoneer, which was found a short distance from the crime scene. The men are both described as dark-skinned males between six-feet and six-feet-two-inches tall. It's unknown yet what, if anything, was taken from the home. Police are saying there's no indication the public is in danger.
We got a lot of much-needed rain on Monday and Accu-Weather's Joe Lundberg says we'll probably see more today. "We're going to get rain. The question is how much we're going to get. I think it's going to be a quarter-inch or less for most of the area. A bit farther west, those folks could get to a third-to-a-half-inch range," Lundberg says. He says thunderstorms are possible and they could include damaging winds and hail. More rain is possible on Friday as well.
While several longtime Lehigh Valley hot dog businesses have closed this year, a new one is on its way. The first Nathan’s location in the Lehigh Valley will open June 22nd. It'll be a unique venue however. Nathan's will be in a temporary trailer at 328 W. Linden St. in Allentown until the city of Allentown gives the green light to build a permanent restaurant. The menu includes Nathan’s beef hot dogs as well as burgers, chicken tenders, sandwiches, onion rings and fries. Nathan’s was established more than 100 years ago in Coney Island, New York.
Police in the Poconos are warning drivers of an SUV with red and blue lights that has recently stopped drivers. Pocono Mountain Regional police said there were two recent separate incidents where a vehicle with lights in the dashboard stopped drivers on Route 447 in Barrett Township. The vehicle may have been an older Ford Escape or pick-up truck with a cap, with out of state registration. Authorities say in any legit traffic stop, a police officer will identify themselves and their law enforcement agency. If you have any question whether the stop is legit, you're encouraged to call 911.
There's not a lot of movement on the gas price front this week. According to AAA East Central, the average price for a gallon of gas in the Lehigh Valley dropped a penny to $3.59 as of Tuesday. That's $1.46 below where it stood one year earlier. Across the state, the average price was $3.65, also done one cent from the previous week and $1.41 less than one year ago.
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg was at the site of the I-95 collapse in Philadelphia Tuesday and was asked if any design flaws may have caused Sunday's collapse. "There's a certain level of damage, there's a certain level of heat and fire and stress on a structure that no bridge or highway can tolerate. Whether there are any issues that we can learn from for the future, that's exactly what the investigation will teach us more about," Buttgieg says. That section of I-95 handles about 160,000 vehicles every day. About eight-percent of those are trucks, which could mean the cost of goods could be impacted.
The 17th annual Right to Keep and Bear Arms rally has been held outside the state Capitol. Among those attending was Republican St. Sen. Chris Dush who says the appetite for conceal-carry permits is way up. "Applications for conceal-carry permits are skyrocketing from about 11,000 annually to well over 70,000 in just a few short years," Dush says. Dush criticized a pair of House-passed gun control bills saying, "Our sacred right to arm and protect ourselves, our loved ones and our property is non-negotiable, and we will defend it.”
Pennsylvania's Republican Congressmen are voicing support for former President Donald Trump following his indictment on federal criminal charges. U.S. Rep. Mike Kelly doubled down on his belief in the former president Tuesday, tweeting "Where's the outrage, America?" The former president pleaded not guilty to the charges Tuesday in federal court in Miami. Pennsylvania Representatives Glenn Thompson and Guy Reschenthaler also say they oppose Trump's indictment, saying the political maneuverings in the case exclude due process and the former president's rights under the law.
Pennsylvania's House lawmakers have passed a measure that will get rid of two taxes on cell phone service. It would eliminate sales tax and the gross receipts tax, a move Governor Josh Shapiro had said would save Pennsylvanians $124 million a year. Republicans who opposed the bill say that over time, any savings to consumers will be offset by proposed increases in the state's 911 surcharge. The bill now goes to the Senate for consideration.
A measure being considered by the House Education committee to allow Pennsylvania teachers to wear faith items has advanced to the full House. The panel on Tuesday unanimously approved the bill that would remove a section of the education code prohibiting teachers from wearing clothing, emblems, or jewelry that reflect their religious beliefs. Pennsylvania is the only state that still has this ban.
Jurors in the trial of Robert Bowers on Tuesday were presented with more witness testimony concerning the defendant's social media activity. Bowers is accused of killing 11 people in a mass shooting at the Tree of Life synagogue in October of 2018. An FBI analyst called to the stand by prosecutors yesterday read hundred of messages posted by the defendant on the social media platform Gab-dot-com with many of them having been posted in the week before the shooting. In his testimony, analyst Evan Browne told jurors that Bowers' messages included the word 'Jews' more than 150 times and a slur for the word 'Jews' nearly 90 times.
Pennsylvania shoppers might want to check their kitchen for packages of frozen fruit that are now the subject of a recall. The Willamette Valley Fruit Company of Oregon is recalling select packages of frozen sliced strawberries, mixed fruit, and an antioxidant fruit blend sold under the Great Value brand at Walmart stores in Pennsylvania and more than 30 other states. The fruit company says there are concerns about possible hepatitis A contamination though no illnesses have been reported from the affected products. The products were sold between January 24th and June 8th of this year. More info on the recall can be found at fda.gov/food.
Researchers have created robots that could help with Pennsylvania's Spotted Lanternfly infestation. Leaders at Carnegie Mellon University's Robotics Institute say their autonomous robots use an all-electric tractor, a robotic arm, and computer vision to detect and destroy the bugs' egg masses in fields and forests. It identifies them and scrapes them off surfaces. Officials say the insects have the potential to cost the state economy as much as 300-million-dollars each year for destruction of economically important crops that include apples, grapes, hops, walnuts, and some hardwood trees.
State officials have launched a new database they say will provide information on people arrested for serious crimes for the last six years. The program is called the Criminal Justice Data Dashboard. It will identify the demographics of the people listed, the crimes they allegedly committed and the outcomes of their cases in court. The state Office of Justice Data compiled information for the dashboard. It's called the state's first comprehensive database on arrests. It's available on the state Attorney General's website.
A key player on the Eagles defense is showing no hard feelings for his former head coach. Darius Slay told the Detroit Free Press that he and Matt Patricia have been "cordial" through the offseason. Slay played under Patricia with the Detroit Lions back in 2018. The five-time Pro Bowler was traded two seasons later and the cornerback said he "lost all respect" for Patricia at the time. Philadelphia added Patricia as a senior defensive analyst in April after his second stint with the New England Patriots came to an end.