Bethlehem Police say a man died in a Wednesday night crash. The single-vehicle accident happened around 8 p.m. on Pembroke Rd. near the intersection with E. Washington Ave. Arriving officers say they found a vehicle had gone into a tree near the intersection. The victim has been identified as 51-year-old Johny Roustic of East Allen Township.
Authorities in Easton say a car crashed into a home last night. Police said the collision happened on the 1000 block of Lehigh Drive, leaving a hole in the residence. It is unknown if anyone was injured. The crash remains under investigation.
Northampton County Council rejected a resolution concerning election integrity during its meeting Thursday night. The legislation calls for fair elections and that each legitimate vote is counted. The resolution cites an organization called "Keep Our Republic," with the bill's impetus. Keep Our Republic says it is a non-partisan organization "dedicated to protecting a republic of laws and strengthening the checks and balances of our democratic electoral system." In debating the measure, Commissioner John Goffredo said election issues in Northampton County remain. "We do have problems, and we're going to continue to experience problems until we fix them," Goffredo said. Commissioner John Brown said the resolution was not productive. "A resolution like this is, to me, kind of like fluff," Brown said. "I don't think we need to keep restating over and over and over again around elections." The measure failed by a 3-6 vote.
The owners of the Split Rock Resort have to pay a quarter-million dollars in restitution to timeshare owners who say they never got to use their vacations here in the Poconos. Pennsylvania Attorney General Michelle Henry announced a settlement with the resort's owner this week. A number of people who bought timeshares say they denied access to the property, and were charged excessive maintenance fees and illegal usage fees. Henry says people paid hard-earned money to take vacations that they were never able to use.
Tuition is not going up for Pennsylvania students at Pennsylvania's 10 state universities. The State System of Higher Education Board of Governors voted in favor of another tuition freeze on Wednesday. Board of Governors Chairperson Cynthia Shapira says they are able to keep tuition flat because of a 35 million-dollar bump in state funding. Shapira says the tuition freeze is equal to a 25 percent savings for students across the Commonwealth. Each of the state's schools may, however, raise tuition for out-of-state students.
Pennsylvania's six billion-dollar budget surplus is gone, and now the state is expecting a billion-dollar deficit by next year. The Independent Fiscal Office yesterday said Pennsylvania's new budget will put the state in the red for the 2025-2026 state budget. The IFO says Pennsylvania is spending more than it is bringing in. Their report says state revenues are expected to grow at about one-and-a-half percent, while spending is set to grow by over five percent. Lawmakers in Harrisburg say that means there will either be budget cuts or tax increases.
A push to ban smoking inside Pennsylvania casinos is underway in Harrisburg. Democrat State Representative Dan Frankel joined some Pittsburgh casino workers for a rally on the North Shore yesterday as they advocate in favor of an amendment to the state's Clean Indoor Air Act to end tobacco use at their jobs. Frankel is a co-sponsor of the amendment, saying it is meant to close loopholes in the 2008 law. Rivers Casino currently has designated smoking and non-smoking sections on the gaming floor, while restaurants and some other areas are smoke-free.
The Allegheny County Health Department is reporting the commonwealth's first human case of West Nile Virus in 2024. According to the health department, a Baldwin resident was hospitalized after beginning to experience symptoms including fever and weakness. The state's Department of Environmental Protection has placed more mosquito traps in and around Baldwin in reaction to the diagnosis.