We don't know where or when yet, but a local lawmaker says Democrat presidential candidate Kamala Harris will be in Allentown Monday. Democratic State Rep. Mike Schlossberg posted on social media that Harris is expected to visit the city sometime Monday afternoon. The campaign has not officially confirmed the visit. It would be Harris’ first visit to Allentown this campaign cycle, although her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, has visited the Lehigh Valley two times.
When will we know who the winners and losers are on election night? Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schmidt says, in the highest profile races, quite possibly not on election night itself. But, he says that's not out of the ordinary. "Pennsylvania has never had final results on election night, regardless of when media outlets and others announce who they've declared as the winner or loser on election night," Schmidt says. Complicating the issue in Pennsylvania is the state law that prohibits mail-in ballots from even being opened until polls open at 7am on Election Day. Schmidt says counties have also had access to $45 million in grant funding since 2022, which has been spent on better equipment or hiring more people to open and process more ballot envelopes faster.
Authorities are investigating the submission of fraudulent voter registration forms in Pennsylvania. State Attorney General Michelle Henry says the fraudulent forms were found in Monroe, York, Berks and Lancaster Counties and were subsequently defeated. Henry stresses that the phony documents involved were registration forms and not ballots. She says the offenders who perpetrated these acts of fraud will be held accountable under the law.
A lawsuit over Elon Musk's million dollar giveaway for registered voters is being put on hold. A Pennsylvania judge said on Thursday that he would not move forward with the lawsuit while a federal court decides if it will take up the case. Musk's political action committee has vowed to award a million dollars every day until the election to a registered voter in swing states who sign a petition pledging support for free speech and the Second Amendment. He introduced the giveaway at a rally in Harrisburg last month. The lawsuit by the Philadelphia District Attorney's Office calls the giveaways an "illegal lottery" to entice Pennsylvania residents to share personal data.
According to the U.S. drought monitor, most of the Lehigh Valley and Berks County are now under severe drought conditions. Chester, Montgomery and Bucks counties are pretty much completely severe as well. October went down as the Lehigh Valley's driest month since records began being kept.
Southbound lanes on the Pennsylvania Turnpike Northeast Extension will be closed late Friday night and early Saturday morning between the Pocono (exit 95) and Route 903 (exit 87) interchanges. The closure of Interstate 476 will begin at 11 p.m. tonight and end at 6 a.m. Saturday. Crews are scheduled to work on the Hawk Falls bridge in Carbon County. Detours will be posted.
The investigation continues into a fire that destroyed a twin home in Coplay on Wednesday. Authorities say the blaze started in the back of the structure on Catherine Drive but quickly spread to both homes. All residents were able to get out of the building safely, but two pets were killed. Two firefighters were treated at the scene for injuries then released.
It's that time of year again. Lehigh Valley Health Network is offering a pair of drive-thru flu shot clinics this weekend. "On November 2nd, we're going to be at Dorney Park from 9am-to-3pm and on Sunday, we're going to be at Lehigh Valley-Hecktown Oaks campus from 9-to-3," says LVHN's Terry Burger. She says flu vaccines will be available to everybody ages 6 months and older. To expedite your visit, Burger encourages you to fill out the consent form in advance for everybody in your car who's getting the flu shot. While it's not mandatory, you're asked to bring along non-perishable food items which will be turned over to local food banks.
The Monroe County Veterans Association will stage its Veterans Day parade this weekend. The parade will step off from Stroudsburg High School at 1:15 p.m. on Sunday and end at Dansbury Park.
Daylight Saving Time is ending across Pennsylvania and most of the U.S. this weekend. Clocks will "fall back" one hour at 2 a.m. on Sunday morning, giving many people more time to sleep. The current system used across the country was established with the Uniform Time Act of 1966. There have been numerous efforts to end the practice at the federal level over the years but none of them have been adopted so far.
More than 100,000 people will be inside Beaver Stadium for Saturday's Penn State-Ohio State football game, but former President Donald Trump won't be among them. Trump will reportedly not be attending this Saturday's marquee matchup at Beaver Stadium between Penn State and Ohio State. Last week, reports emerged that the former president and his campaign were making plans to attend the game, but now the university says Trump is not expected to attend and his campaign website indicates he'll hold a rally in Virginia that afternoon.
A superstar player on the 76ers is on the verge of returning. Joel Embiid completed several five-on-five scrimmages and is progressing toward a season debut. The seven-time All-Star is dealing with a knee issue and the team has been "managing" the injury. The NBA fined the organization $100,000 for public comments made surrounding Embiid's health, but did not find evidence of the Sixers violating the league's player participation policy. Fellow star Paul George is also working through a knee injury and hasn't played this year. Philadelphia is 1-and-3 and will host the Grizzlies on Saturday.