There's a new poll out on a potential rematch between President Biden and former President Trump and as expected, it's tight. The new Franklin & Marshall College Poll show Biden with 43% support, one point more than Trump. The previous F&M poll had Biden up two points on the ex-president. When third-party candidates are added into the mix, Biden’s lead expands to five points, 42-37%. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. earned 8% and Jill Stein had 2%. Neither Trump nor Biden are overly popular, with 53% of respondents giving Trump a strongly unfavorable rating, while 45% did likewise with Biden.
After hours and hours of interviews and a dozen votes spread over two meetings, Northampton County Council has decided to let Northampton County Court decide who will replace Tara Zrinski on Council. Back on January 18th, Northampton County Council voted ten times on who should replace Zrinski, who resigned last month to become County Controller. None of the 25 applicants for the job earned the required five votes needed to win. Thursday night, Council held two more votes and once again, the best any candidate could do was four votes. Council finally voted 5-3 to send the vacancy to the Northampton County Court. The Council's solicitor will present a petition to the court to choose the ninth member today and then the court then has 15 days to choose the next council member. The only qualification is that person must be living in the county for at least a year.
A January 7 burglary at a North Whitehall Township home saw more than $65,000 in property stolen. Police say at least two people waited for a resident to leave the home before prying open a slide window with a screwdriver and gaining entry. One person burglarized the home while another person waited inside a getaway vehicle parked in the driveway. Police said the incident is believed to be connected to multiple burglaries across the region.
It looks like a Topgolf is a go in Lower Macungie Township. The Lower Macungie Township Board of Commissioners granted preliminary/final land development approval for a Topgolf to be built at Lehigh Valley Town Center at Schantz Road and Cedarbrook Road. The 72-bay, two-story golf driving range will be on 11.5 acres within the Lehigh Valley Town Center.
The Northampton County Coroner has identified a 31-year-old Bethlehem man who was killed in a Nazareth car crash. Andrew Mitchell died Tuesday night after state police say he rear-ended a car at the intersection of Newburg Road and West Mayfield Circle. The coroner says there's been no report released on the condition of the two people who were in the other car. They were taken to the hospital after the accident.
Union workers at the Morning Call walked off the job Thursday, demanding the newspaper's parent company pay them more. The journalists gathered outside of the paper's former Allentown headquarters, which was torn down last year. The union says it has been bargaining for a contract since 2019 and that the paper's owner has not offered any pay increases and wants to cut their 401k match. Seven Tribune Publishing newspapers participated in the 24-hour walkout on Thursday.
The world's most famous groundhog has made his call. All eyes were on Punxsutawney Phil this morning. "What this weather did not provide, is a shadow or a reason to hide. Glad tidings on this Groundhog Day. An early spring is on the way," Phil's handler screamed to his fans. That's a rather unusual forecast from Phil, who has seen his shadow 108 times and only failed to see his shadow 21 times now. The most recent 'early spring' forecast came in 2020.
Election officials say now's a good time to look at the candidates for the upcoming primary elections in Pennsylvania. As soon as ballots are ready, you can request, receive, vote and cast your mail-in or absentee ballot all in one visit to your county election board. Check with your county or go to the state website at www.votepa.gov for more information. April 16th is the last day to vote in person by mail ballot. The primary election is set for April 23rd.
The NBA's reigning MVP is dealing with a major injury. The Philadelphia 76ers announced on Thursday that Joel Embiid has a meniscus injury in his left knee. ESPN reports the team is uncertain with how to treat the knee going forward, and doctors will weigh options over the weekend. Embiid missed several games last month with soreness, and re-injured the knee this week during a game against the Golden State Warriors when Jonathan Kuminga fell on it inadvertently. It's unlikely Embiid will defend his MVP title as the big man missed his 13th game of the season. Players eligible for end of season awards are not allowed to miss more than 17 games.
Six Philadelphia Eagles are on the roster to play in the Pro Games this weekend. The National Football League says running back D'Andre Swift, wide receiver A.J. Brown, left guard Landon Dickerson, and center Jason Kelce will be playing in the Pro Bowl games Sunday in Orlando. Outside linebacker Haason Reddick and right tackle Lane Johnson are also expected to suit up for the game. The players were chosen from votes by fans, players, and coaches.