The Allentown City Council is moving forward with a lawsuit against Mayor Matt Tuerk. The council voted 6-1 yesterday to sue the mayor, stating that he is obstructing their investigation into City Hall. Tuerk claims the council did not follow procurement law when hiring a former FBI investigator to look into allegations of discrimination. Councilmembers say they do not want to go to court, but believe there is no other option.
Allentown City Council voted 5-2 Wednesday night to reject a proposed resolution making a declaration of rights for homeless people. The resolution had been proposed by Councilmember Ce-Ce Gerlach, but only Natalie Santos would join her in voting in favor of the declaration. Councilmembers said it came down to numerous constituents who had contacted them in opposition to the resolution. The declaration basically stated that every person, regardless of housing status, has rights to housing, the ability to enjoy public spaces, fair employment, medical care, voting, personal property and privacy, personal safety, the ability to sit and rest, social exchange, housing fairness and education.
There are formal charges for the two men arrested for the kidnap and rape of four women in Smithfield Township. Monroe County prosecutors yesterday filed kidnapping, robbery, rape, terroristic threats, sexual assault, unlawful restraint, false imprisonment, and other charges against Davaun Jackson. They charged Isaiah Rogers-Keeney as an accomplice. The Pennsylvania State Police arrested the two on Monday after finding them with two kidnapping victims at the Poconos' Walmart. Troopers found two other women inside a storage container in Smithfield Township. The State Police say their investigation is ongoing.
Police are investigating a fatal pedestrian accident in Allentown. Allentown Police say it happened Tuesday around 10 p.m. in the 2000 block of Hamilton Blvd. Officials say when officers arrived they found an adult male with serious injures. The Lehigh County Coroner's Office identified the victim as Li-Qiang Hu, 42, of S. Arlington Twp., Lackawanna Co. Police say the driver of the vehicle stayed at the scene of the accident and is cooperating with the investigation.
The Lehigh County Coroner's Office has been called to the scene of a multi-vehicle crash on I-78 in Allentown. Emergency crews responded to the crash in the EB lanes near Summit Lawn around 11:45 a.m. Wednesday. Pennsylvania State Police report the crash involved a tractor-trailer and a motorcycle.
A Hellertown woman had a small, loaded handgun in her purse while going through a checkpoint at Newark Liberty International Airport on Tuesday, according to the Transportation Security Administration. The TSA said in a news release that the woman went through the checkpoint with the gun in her bag. She rarely uses the gun, and meant to hand it to her husband before she and her daughter went to the airport for their flight, but forgot to do so, authorities said. A TSA officer spotted the handgun when the purse entered the checkpoint X-ray machine. The woman was arrested by Port Authority Police, and she and her daughter were escorted to a police station, according to the release. She did not have a permit to carry the gun, but TSA noted that is still not legal to carry a firearm through a checkpoint even with a permit. The woman, who was not identified, faces a civil penalty of up to $15,000, according to the TSA.
A woman from Easton that went missing in Ohio last weekend is safe. Authorities in Sylvania Township announced yesterday that 19-year-old Ellie Garren has been located, four days after she was reported missing. Garren was traveling with an AmeriCorps group when she disappeared. No other details are known at this time.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is praising Democratic Senator John Fetterman for his support of Israel. Fetterman met with Netanyahu in Israel today and reaffirmed his support for the country in its fight against Hamas. Netanyahu said that Israel "has no better friend than John Fetterman." The Pennsylvania Democrat has been one of the most vocal supporters of Israel among Democrats, which has isolated him from many of his progressive supporters.
People all across the nation know the traffic is bad in Philadelphia. In fact, the software company INRIX says that Philly is the sixth worst city for traffic delays in the country. Data shows the average local driver loses about 69-hours each year stuck in traffic. New York City and Chicago were the worst.
A jeweler has testified in the federal bribery trial of Senator Bob Menendez that the senator's wife cashed out almost a quarter-million dollars in gold bars ahead of a search of their home by federal investigators. Yesterday in a Manhattan courtroom, the jeweler -- Vasken Khorozian -- said Nadine Menendez told him she needed the cash to pay bills. Menendez and his wife are accused of accepting cash, gold bars and a Mercedes in exchange for political favors for the Egyptian government.
The New Jersey legislature is busy working on a state budget that totals 56-point-six billion dollars -- an increase of 728-million dollars over Governor Murphy's proposal. It's also two-point-three billion dollars higher than the 2024 budget. The budget has drawn criticism from several quarters, including the New Jersey Business and Industry Association. The group's leadership criticized the added spending in the bill and called it bad for taxpayers and bad for job creators. A vote on the budget is expected tomorrow.
The Philadelphia 76ers selected Jared McCain with the No. 16 overall pick in round one of the NBA Draft on Wednesday night. McCain spent one season with the Duke Blue Devils. He averaged 14.3 points per game.