The widow of ex-Allentown Mayor Joe Dadonna has died. Ann Dadonna died Thursday at her Allentown home at the age of 90. Her husband, who was Allentown mayor for four terms, passed away back in June 2004.
Lehigh County Controller Mark Pinsley is running for Pennsylvania Auditor General. Pinsley calls himself "the only candidate who can flip the office back to the Democratic Party." Republican Tim DeFoor has held the office since January 2021. In a release, Pinsley says, "It’s imperative our nominee be best suited to be able to take on DeFoor. "I’m a veteran, small business owner, and incumbent controller in PA’s 10th largest county with a real record of results. Only I can stand on that stage and make the case against DeFoor." Pinsley joins a growing primary field consisting of state Reps. Malcolm Kenyatta and Mark Rozzi. The winner of this Democratic primary will likely face DeFoor in the general election on Nov. 5, 2024.
A Wind Gap man will spend 14 years in prison for his role in a fentanyl trafficking conspiracy. 36-year-old Tyrell Ravenell was also ordered to serve a term of five years of supervised release. He was indicted in June and pleaded guilty in August to distributing large amounts of fentanyl in Northampton and Monroe counties between 2018 through his indictment.
Police in Northampton County say two teens are in custody after breaking into a local school. The incident happened last Saturday, when 18-year-old Marcus Flowers and an unnamed 15-year-old male, allegedly broke into Saucon Valley High School. Police have not yet said if anything was stolen or damaged at the school during the break-in.
The incoming Northampton County controller is discussing audits for the company that provides the county's electronic voting machines. Tara Zrinski met with staff at the controller's office yesterday to talk about details on reviews of the contract with E-S-&-S and their procedures. The company has said human error was behind an issue during the general election earlier this month, when some paper printouts did not accurately reflect the votes in Pennsylvania Superior Court retention races. Zrinski says local officials are considering a procedural audit that would look into the training of poll workers and election judges, and the way that problems with voting machines are handled. Zrinski is officially taking over the county controller's office in January.
Former U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta is slated to speak at Lehigh University early next year. Panetta is visiting the school to discuss national security as part of the university's Compelling Perspectives program. He served as the secretary of defense from 2011 to 2013 during the President Obama administration. Panetta has also held the CIA director position and was chief of staff for President Clinton. The speaking session at Lehigh University is planned for January 30th.