Lehigh County DA Gavin Holihan says on January 13th a missing person's report was made on David Hittinger of Slatington. A search warrant was issued for Hittinger's residence at 699 West Franklin Street. Inside, investigators found blood in the basement. The investigation then led to the Fairview Cemetery where Holihan says physical evidence was found. "That physical evidence including dismembered boy parts of David Hittinger's," Holihan says. More body parts were found Thursday on the D&L Trail and in a quarry off of Welshtown Road. Holihan says Hittinger's roommate, Joshua Moser killed and dismembered Hittinger. Moser was arrested in Monroe County Wednesday on an unrelated charge and now faces murder charges in Lehigh County as well.
One person is dead in Bethlehem after a fire in the 1700 block of Johnston Drive. It happened just before 9 o'clock Friday morning. Fire crews were called to a home and when they arrived, they determined a fire had occurred earlier and a body was found. The cause of the fire is unknown and is currently under investigation. Authorities have not released the ID of the deceased.
It's a big weekend for college graduations across the Lehigh Valley. Both Lehigh University and Lafeytte College will be holding ceremonies Saturday and Sunday. DeSales University's graduation is Saturday and Muhlenberg College students will be getting their diplomas in Sunday morning ceremonies.
For the seventh straight month, Pennsylvania's unemployment rate remained unchanged in the month of April. The Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry says the jobless rate was 3.4% last month, which in addition to be identical to the previous month, is also identical to the number from April 2023.
The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board says April's gaming revenue totaled more than $504 million, up almost 5.9 percent from April 2023 numbers. Valley Forge Casino Resort pulled in the biggest numbers at $85.3 million, which is a 33 percent increase from the previous year. Wind Creek Bethlehem earned $46.3 million last month, good for the fifth most across the commonwealth. However, it was nearly three percent less than last April's numbers.
Several lawmakers are reportedly considering expanding bans on smoking ban in state casinos. Democrat Dan Frankel of Allegheny and Republican Representative Kathy Rapp are considering the idea in the House. The renewed push to close loopholes in Pennsylvania's Clean Indoor Air Act would end smoking in casinos - one of the last places smokers can light up inside. The current law allows up to 50 percent of the gaming floor in casinos to be designated for smoking, although Parx Casino has a complete indoor smoking ban at its facilities. Frankel says the idea is positioned for action by the full House but he still want to try to address concerns raised by opponents.
A new report shows Pennsylvania drivers are paying some of the highest tolls in the country. According to Lendingtree, PA has the second-highest average maximum fee on interstate toll roads. Mark Compton, the Turnpike CEO, says while tolls will continue to go up the rate of those hikes will be dropping a bit. "Within the next couple of years, we'll work to get closer to three percent. Next couple years, we'll get to four percent and then three percent, but I know that nobody like toll rate increases," Compton says.
Political analysts are closing watching Robert F. Kennedy Junior's efforts to get on the ballot in Pennsylvania. The Independent presidential candidate needs to get 5000 registered voters' signatures to file, as well as to pay the state fee of $200. But the analysts say his ballot access is expected to be challenged as third-party candidates are seen as taking away votes from main-party supporters. Third-party nominees must file petitions for ballot access by August first.
Democratic Senator John Fetterman wants the U.S. Senate to create a federal commission on mental health. The junior lawmaker from Pennsylvania introduced a bill on the matter last week. The proposed panel would study coverage of mental health services under federal health plans as well as reimbursement rates. He also wants it to provide policy recommendations to Congress and the president about improving access and costs for mental health care. Fetterman, who was treated for depression for about six weeks after he first came to Washington, told CNN that mental health should be viewed as part of healthcare as a whole.
Kindergarten classes in Pennsylvania will have many students called Olivia, Charlotte, Noah or Liam in the next few years. The Social Security Administration says those names were some of the most popular choices for newborns in the Commonwealth in 2023, The new state-by-state data was released Thursday. Nearly 700 male babies were named Noah, while about 560 newborn girls were named Charlotte. Other popular girl names were Olivia, Emma and Sophia. For boys, Oliver, Henry and Benjamin rounded out the top five.
OTA's are just around the corner. The Eagles begin their offseason program on Monday. Philly will hold another session on Wednesday and Thursday before taking a week off. The team will resume OTA's on May 28th, 30th and 31st before mandatory minicamp kicks off on June 4th. No holdouts are expected.