A little over a year after a loaded gun was found inside William Allen High School, it has happened again. One mom says she's not happy about it. "You'd think your kids are safe at school and they're not," she said. According to the Allentown Police Department, several students were caught smoking in a school bathroom around 9 o'clock Monday morning. One 15-year-old male student was found to have a loaded handgun as well as some marijuana. That 15-year-old boy was arrested and charged with one felony and four misdemeanors.
A man is recovering at the hospital following a fire in Monroe County. The blaze broke out at Pocono Mountain East School District's garage in Swiftwater yesterday. Authorities believe the fire was propane-fueled and the man suffered severe burns. His condition is unknown at this time.
Easton Police Department is looking for five officers to add to the force. The new officers are needed due to retirements and the need to fill three new roles focused on community patrol. Easton's applications are due October 6. Testing is October 13.
The Monroe County district attorney’s office is conducting a criminal investigation of a now-closed Stroudsburg real estate company. Investigators are asking anyone who lost money in dealings with Michael Baxter & Associates Commercial Real Estate and Property Management to contact its criminal investigation division. In a release from the DA's office it says investigators want to talk to people who experienced “financial loss as the result of a property transaction that was scheduled to take place and did not or a loss that was the result of a property management contract that was not honored.” Numerous Google reviews of the business accuse Baxter of illegal and unethical business practices.
With the Paxinosa Elementary School in Easton as the background, Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding unveiled the theme for the 108th Pennsylvania Farm Show next January. "The 2024 Pennsylvania Farm Show theme is 'Connecting Our Communities'," Redding announced. The Farm Show will run from January 6 through January 13 at the Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex in Harrisburg.
The Senate is reversing its new casual dress code and returning to its business-suit tradition. Last week, Democratic Majority Leader Chuck Schumer quietly relaxed dress requirements in the chamber to accommodate John Fetterman, the six-foot-eight senator from Pennsylvania who prefers to wear hoodies and gym shorts in the Senate. The new relaxed dress code triggered a bipartisan backlash, so on Wednesday the Senate unanimously approved a resolution that requires members wear formal business attire on the Senate floor.
One state lawmaker wants gas-powered lawnmowers to be a thing of the past. Pennsylvania St. Rep. Melissa Shusterman says she’s proposing a bill that would create a Zero Emissions Lawn Care Task Force, which would “would develop a plan to phase out gas-powered lawn and garden equipment in Pennsylvania.” Shusterman says the bill would also explore the affordability and accessibility for disadvantaged communities and establish an incentive program to switch to battery-powered equipment.
A House GOP member from Lebanon has introduced a measure that would bar candidates from running for two public offices simultaneously. St. Rep. Russ Diamond cites the start of this year's legislative session as evidence of the need for the measure. He says a successful run for two different offices can not only leave constituencies without representation but can also contribute to chaos in governing.
The Pennsylvania Game Commission has established some new rules about harvesting game as part of efforts to reduce Chronic Wasting Disease. Hunters who harvest a deer, elk, or some other game outside of Pennsylvania may take it directly to any Game Commission-approved processor or taxidermist anywhere in the state. Previously, Pennsylvanian hunters were forbidden from bringing "high risk" deer from other states back to Pennsylvania. Likewise, hunters were not allowed to move these parts from any Disease Management Area to anywhere else in Pennsylvania. The regulations also apply to deer killed in car collisions that are picked up for consumption.
A Pennsylvania Democratic lawmaker has announced his bid for state treasurer. State House Representative Ryan Bizzarro says he'll tie Republican incumbent Stacy Garrity to her extreme views on abortion rights and the January 6th attacks. Even though the treasury position deals with state finances, not common political issues, Bizzaro says he'll use the partisan issues to distance himself from his opponent. Garrity, an Iraq war veteran who defeated a Democratic incumbent in 2020, has also recently posted on social media about President Biden's policies as well as joined other Republicans to criticize John Fetterman's wardrobe choices in the Senate chambers.
The State Department of Conversation and Natural Resources releases its fall foliage map for Pennsylvania today. It's expected to forecast that the earliest color development will be in the area known as the Laurel highlands in southwestern Pennsylvania. The fall change is expected to start there in the second or third week of October. The color change happens annually when chlorophyll disappears from leaves and reveals their natural colors.
The Haverford Township police department in Delaware County is getting a new canine officer thanks to a Philadelphia Eagles player. Two-year-old Winnie has joined the Haverford police force through a partnership between Steve Kelce and Videon Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep & Ram. The two-year-old black Labrador Retriever was a gift to the department from the center for the Philadelphia Eagles, his family and the car dealership. Officials say Winnie is a single-purpose narcotics detection dog who very recently graduated from K9 Academy. She is already active and has been patrolling with her handler, Officer Anthony Patterson.
Survivors of the Tree of Life synagogue shooting and the loved ones of victims are sharing their experiences in Pittsburgh this week. Several people who were touched by the anti-Semitic attack spoke at the third annual Eradicate Hate Global Summit at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center yesterday. Survivor Audrey Glickman says she witnessed brutal murders in 2018 and has been unable to talk much about it until now, after the trial of gunman Robert Bowers and his conviction. Jodi Kart described her experience while participating in Bowers' trial, noting how it felt to look at the empty jury box and know that 12 strangers were going to decide what happened to the man who killed her father.
New Jersey Assembly Minority Leader John DiMaio plans to introduce a constitutional amendment that would suspend any elected official under indictment. The suspension would end once the official is either acquitted or convicted. DiMaio's proposal revives a proposal first floated almost 15 years ago that would allow public offices to be filled on a temporary basis. DiMaio is introducing his bill following Senator Bob Menendez' indictment on federal bribery charges.