A man was convicted yesterday of firing gunshots at a playground in Catasauqua. Police said 21-year-old Kian Deater fired several rounds at a playground in the 500 block of American Street on Father's Day 2022, when the park was full of adults and children. He was found guilty on several charges including aggravated assault. Deater faces up to 51 years in prison.
A teenager is in custody for a shooting in Bethlehem earlier this year. Eighteen-year-old Jahmell Grimes is accused of shooting a woman in the neck on February 28th. He was recently arrested in New York. Grimes is charged with attempted homicide.
Pennsylvania lawmakers ground through a flurry of votes Thursday to approve a budget deal, nearly two weeks into the new fiscal year after being slowed by disagreements during closed-door negotiations over Democrats' push for more public schools aid. The $47.6 billion plan for the fiscal year that started July 1 represents a 6% increase over last year's approved spending, with most of the new money going toward public schools and human services to boost pay for direct care workers. Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro signed the legislation late Thursday after the main spending bill passed the House 122-80 and the Senate 44-5.
Race fans who bring at least one canned good to Pocono Raceway today will get 20 percent off a general admission grandstand ticket. "We put the call out and lots of our fans show up and help our community and their community and the community down there that Philabundance supports," says Ben May, who's the president of the track. He says the most needed items are peanut butter and jelly; cooking oil; canned tuna or meat; and canned fruits and vegetables.
A new report says Pennsylvania's Department of Environmental Protection has made a serious dent in its permitting backlog in less than a year. Deputy DEP secretary John Ryder this week said his department has cut the permit backlog by 60 percent. In December of last year, there were over two thousand permits waiting for approval at DEP. Now, that number is down to 970. Ryder said the department sees about 40 thousand permit requests each year. He said that's a "crushing workload."
Jury deliberations are expected to begin today in the Senator Bob Menendez corruption trial in New York. The defense wrapped up closing arguments yesterday, followed by the prosecution's rebuttal. Prosecutors deflected accusations that Menendez' wife Nadine took piles of cash and gold bars in exchange for helping local businessmen secure deals with Egypt and Qatar and in one case, to try to stop a criminal investigation. Two businessmen also face charges, along with Nadine Menendez, who's being tried separately. All have pleaded not guilty.
The back-to-school tax holiday that helped families save on their school supplies is officially dead in New Jersey. The decision to kill the tax holiday is the result of adjustments to the fiscal 2025 budget. Critics of the decision say families are losing a valuable financial break but supporters say they understand the need to compensate to fund critical state programs.