The Lehigh County District Attorney's office says it has solved a winter murder in Allentown. 25-year-old Roberto Gonzalez is now charged with the February 17th murder of 33-year-old Miguel Dalmasi outside a birthday party for a one-year-old child. Officials say before the Alburtis man was killed, several unknown men wearing ski masks gathered at the hall where the birthday party was being held at East Walnut and South Dauphin streets and a dispute began. They say Dalmasi went outside to calm things down and that's when Gonzalez allegedly pulled out a gun and killed him.
An employee for Bushkill Township was reportedly killed in a riding mower accident yesterday. Officials said 74-year-old Louis Nagy was cutting grass at Albert Ponds Preserve when the mower tipped over and pinned him under water. The accident remains under investigation.
Crews battled a house fire in Bethlehem Tuesday afternoon. Crews were sent to the 1800 block of Norwood Street shortly before 5:30 p.m., according to Northampton County dispatchers. Multiple homes were affected by the fire. Nobody was injured. No word yet on what caused the fire.
The construction of a Sheetz in the borough took another step forward Tuesday night. The Hellertown Planning Commission's unanimous vote to recommend conditional approval of the land development plan moves the Sheetz closer to construction at 85 Kichline Ave. and 1706, 1730, and 1740 Main St. The proposed Sheetz site is on the west side of Main Street, just north of Kichline Avenue. Currently, it houses a Star Pre-Owned used car dealership and spans four parcels.
Congresswoman Susan Wild says her comments on President Biden's re-election campaign were taken out of context. The Lehigh Valley Democrat told WFMZ-TV that what she said during a closed-door meeting last weekend reflected how things stood in her district. CNN reported that Wild was among several Democrats that voiced concerns about the president's chances of beating Donald Trump. In the interview yesterday, Wild said the Democratic nominee will be "the person she supports."
Governor Josh Shapiro has unveiled new Pennsylvania license plates and “Welcome to Pennsylvania” highway signs. According to the Governor’s Office, the new license plates and welcome signs show off the new “Let Freedom Ring” design meant to celebrate Pennsylvania as the birthplace of American Democracy and highlight the state’s leading role in the celebrations of the United States in 2026.
It continues to cost more at the gas pump in both the Lehigh Valley and across Pennsylvania. According to AAA East Central, the average price of a gallon of gas in Pennsylvania cost $3.68 as of Tuesday, up three cents from the prior Tuesday and a nickel more than one year ago. In the Lehigh Valley, the price was $3.61 a gallon, up nearly six cents from last week and four cents more than a year ago.
Pennsylvania State Police say they handled 774 crashes over the July 3-7 holiday driving period. Those crashes resulted in 11 fatalities and 244 injuries. 64 of those crashes involved drunk driving, four of which resulted in death. Last year's Independence Day holiday driving period saw 668 crashes, 194 injuries and three deaths.
Prosecutors have finished their closing arguments in the corruption trial of New Jersey Senator Bob Menendez and the defense has begun its summation. Prosecutors told the jury the case represents corruption "on a massive scale," involving hundreds-of-thousands-of-dollars in alleged gold bars and cash payoffs. They said that he's a politician that put his office up for sale and the defendants, three New Jersey businessmen, were willing to buy. However, the senator's defense team pushed back in its closing statements, saying prosecutors never actually showed Menendez accepting cash and gold. They argued he kept cash and gold at home because of his upbringing. The defense continues its closings today.