A lawsuit alleging harassment and discrimination against a former Lehigh Township police officer has been settled. Ex-officer Jessica Edwards sued Chief Scott Fogel and Lehigh Township, claiming she was forced to resign because of what she called a hostile, toxic and intolerable work environment. She claims she was sexually objectified, denied opportunities for job growth and retaliated against for complaining about it. A Lehigh Township solicitor says an outside investigation did not find evidence of sexual harassment. The lawsuit has been settled and the case dismissed. Details of the settlement have not been released.
There was plenty of uneasy tension during Wednesday night's Allentown City Council meeting. Councilman Ed Zucal said Mayor Matt Tuerk has violated the city charter by purchasing a $45,000 vehicle without council approval. "This is the kind of thing that gets people in trouble. There's a reason for the charter and the reason why we follow the charter. If there had been a proper RFP process, we could have gone to three different dealers, got quotes and perhaps got under the $40,000 mark, but that wasn't done," Zucal says. Earlier, Zucal said Tuerk sent council a memo complaining that President Cynthia Mota and Vice President Santo Napoli were not running council meetings properly and if it didn't improve, city department heads would stop attending those meetings. Zucal says that stemmed from comments made to the city's finance director and that if Tuerk was so upset, he should be man enough to protect his cabinet member. Tuerk said he wouldn't comment on comments that don't warrant a response.
Allentown City Council voted Wednesday to authorize a five-year contract with the Allentown Rescue Mission Clean Team to provide maintenance services for the city's Central Business District. The cost for the first year is estimated at $349,127 and the estimated five-year total is $2.13 million. The cost includes special events assistance, snow cleanup and special cleanup projects on an as-needed basis. The resolution was tabled at the last meeting because some councilmembers raised questions regarding the religious affiliations of the Allentown Rescue Mission.
Easton councilwoman and state House candidate Taiba Sultana could have her record cleared after being approved Wednesday for the accelerated rehabilitative disposition program. Sultana was charged with slapping, punching and head-butting her then-19-year-old son in a July 2023 incident at her home. She was also accused of injuring her son's foot in a later incident. Now, if she completes program requirements, including check-ins with probation officers, her record will be scrubbed. Sultana said her son didn’t want to see her prosecuted.
Developers who want to build 488,000-square-feet of warehouses on the Southmoore Golf Course say they'll appeal this week's court ruling that blocked the project. Northampton County Judge John Morganelli says the Moore Township Zoning Hearing Board acted appropriately in giving the project a thumbs down. The attorney for Water's Edge at Wind Gap says the developer will appeal to a higher court.
A bipartisan group of House lawmakers is proposing a bill to spur movement in Congress on sending aid to foreign allies and securing the southern border. Pennsylvania Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick helped to write the bill. "We felt that we needed to step up and offer a solution to show the intersection of where Democrats and Republicans, reasonable members of this chamber can agree. Both on border security and on funding our allies overseas," Fitzpatrick says. The Defending Borders, Defending Democracies Act would step up the removal of migrants, boost border patrol's abilities, and provide over $66 billion in defense funding for Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan.
A reduced sentence is being requested for a Harrisburg woman who's serving time for her role in U.S. Capitol riots. Riley Williams is serving three years in federal prison in West Virginia and her attorney is asking for six months to taken off the sentence due to new sentencing guidelines and her good behavior. Williams was accused of stealing former house speaker Nancy Pelosi's laptop but was acquitted on that charge. However she was convicted of disorderly conduct and other charges.
There are dollars devoted to supporting Pittsburgh's Jewish community in a new federal spending plan. The U.S. House passed a $460 billion measure yesterday to keep the government operational until the next fiscal year. The package includes $1 million to rebuild the Tree of Life educational space and more than half-a-million for counseling and programs through the 10.27 Healing Partnership. The bills will now move on for votes in the Senate.
A Jersey Shore town will begin offering digital beach tags for the first time this season. Sea Isle City in Cape May County thinks it's the way to go in 2024. Communications Director Katherine Custer says you'll be able to download the tag on your smartphone and then show it to a beach tag inspector. That means no more holes in your beach coverup or strange tan lines, unless you still want a pinned-on beach badge. Custer says going digital will be optional and that the type of tag you get will be up to you.
A new poll of New Jersey voters shows First Lady Tammy Murphy is the most recognized name in the race for the U.S. Senate seat up for election this year. However, the Monmouth University Poll finds Congressman Andy Kim has slightly higher favorable ratings with voters as a whole as well as among his fellow Democrats. The poll shows eight of ten New Jersey voters have heard of Murphy and two of three have heard of Kim. Kim has higher ratings among Democratic women than Murphy -- 42 percent are favorable for Kim versus 26 favorable for Murphy.