New details are being released about a March 2nd train derailment in Northampton County. The National Transportation Safety Board says seven crew members of the three Norfolk Southern trains that derailed suffered minor injuries in the accident that happened on tracks along the Lehigh River in Lower Saucon Township. Nine railcars and a pair of locomotives ended up derailing, with one of the locomotives tumbling into the river. Investigators say a train hit another train on the same eastbound track. The train that was hit derailed and was then hit by a westbound train according to the report. The NTSB says the accident caused about $2.5 million in damages to the tracks and trains. A final report from the NTSB could take one to two years to complete and release.
We're learning more about a Carbon County killing. "Edward Whitehead Jr. was struck multiple times with a knife and a battery-operated chain saw," says State Trooper Anthony Petroski. He says say 30-year-old Zak Moyer was the man who killed his next door neighbor in Lehighton Monday afternoon. Petroski says Moyer was dressed in a mask and black cloak, like seen in the horror movie, "Scream" when he murdered Whitehead. Investigators say after killing his neighbor, Moyer walked back home and watched a movie until police showed up. Moyer told police he killed Whitehead because of crimes Whitehead had committed. Police say there's no record of Whitehead having committed any crimes.
Police say an unnamed Oklahoma resident sent a suspicious package that caused a Lehigh County warehouse to be evacuated and surrounding roads to close. State Police were called to Ryder Logistics in Lower Macungie Township Monday afternoon for a report of a suspicious package. An employee opened that package and there was another box inside that had threats written on it. Investigators eventually determined the package did not pose a threat and after several hours employees were allowed back in and surrounding roads reopened. Police aren't saying who the suspect is or why they sent the package.
Three Lehigh Valley homes were damaged in an early Tuesday morning fire. It was reported just before 1 a.m. in the 5900 block of Main Street in Upper Saucon Township, off of Route 309. The fire damaged three homes, however no injuries were reported.
The old Sears Appliance & Hardware store at Northampton Crossings that has been empty for about five years may be getting new life. Ross Dress for Less is reportedly planning on moving into the Lower Nazareth building, however a move-in date has not been announced. Ross is also planning to bring a store to the old Bed, Bath & Beyond store at Southmont Plaza in Bethlehem Township.
The state House has advanced a bill that would ban the TikTok app from state-owned devices. The wording on the measure was also expanded to include any video app controlled by a quote "foreign adversary." TikTok is owned by the Chinese company ByteDance. The measure would only affect state devices and not those owned by the general public. It was introduced by Senator Kristin Phillips-Hill of York.
A federal judge has dismissed a case brought by the Pennsylvania House Freedom Caucus against the state's voter access policies. Judge Jennifer Wilson found on Tuesday that the plaintiffs failed to specify any harm that would give them standing to challenge Governor Josh Shapiro's and President Biden's policies. She says the 27 lawmakers' claims that elections will be undermined also were too vague or broad to give them federal standing. The Republican legislators had challenged an executive order from President Biden instructing federal agencies to come up with plans to improve voting access. The lawsuit also challenged the governor's "motor voter" method, which allows residents to automatically register to vote when they complete their driver's license form.
Pennsylvanians today will have the chance to begin the bidding in an online auction of unclaimed merchandise. State officials say the items going up for bids include jewelry, currency, precious metals and other items that have gone unclaimed in the state treasury's vault for three years or more. Should the owner of an item that gets sold ever come forward, they will always have the opportunity to collect the proceeds from the sale. The bidding begins today at www.live.pookandpook.com.
Ocean City, New Jersey is getting ready for summer crowds by making parking easier. Mayor Jay Jillian puts it this way. "Our campaign is 'There's Always a Spot in Ocean City,'" Jillian says. The town is installing 840 parking sensors in six municipal lots to help direct summer visitors where to stow their ride. The plan is to screw sensors into existing parking blocks which will then relay parking availability information to a networked system.