A local university has agreed to take action after anti-Semitic incidents on campus. The U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights says in response to antisemitism incidents during the 2022-2023 and 2023-2024 school years, Lehigh University has agreed to take action. Lehigh says it will review and revise its policies and procedures; review its response to those reports of antisemitism; and provide annual training to those responsible for investigating complaints. A statement from Lehigh says, "The safety and wellbeing of our campus community is our top priority and we remain committed to an equitable environment free from hate and discrimination of any kind.”
In an effort to bring different races together, the City of Allentown will hold so-called healing sessions today with groups separated by race. Kumari Ghafoor-Davis is the city's People and Culture Specialist and says it's not unusual to separate races in these sessions. "We're trying to mitigate harm. It's about insuring that people are able to speak in a safe space, speak their truth and not do any harm," Ghafoor-Davis says. Today, city workers will have the option to attend the first of two sessions. Each session will last two hours and is capped at 60 people. Ghafoor-Davis expects the sessions to be full and lead to a single collective session.
Easton's newest apartment building is now beginning to lease apartments. The $80 million Marquis on South Third Street is a seven-story structure with 264 studio, one- and two-bedroom apartments and is the biggest residential project ever in Easton. It features retail space, parking, a pool and a dog park. Rent ranges from $1450 to $2150 per month. While leasing is underway, the Marquis is not ready for renters to move in just yet.
The bail hearings for Allentown Police Officers Jason Krasley and Evan Weaver that had been scheduled. They were originally scheduled for Friday, January 17, and now are rescheduled to take place on Thursday, January 23, 2025. A spokesperson for the Lehigh County District Attorney's office says the hearings have been continued to next week because one of the defense attorneys is in Federal Court.
The search for a man missing out of Monroe County is over. Sixty-six-year-old George Johnson had not been seen since January 7th in East Stroudsburg Borough and police had asked for the public's help as they investigated. Stroud Area Regional Police are now reporting that Johnson has been found safe.
The number of guns confiscated at TSA checkpoints at Pennsylvania airports was down slightly last year, but it was still close to 100. Three of the guns confiscated at Pennsylvania airports were found at Lehigh Valley International Airport.
Lehigh Valley Congressman Ryan Mackenzie is being named to the House Homeland Security Committee. The Republican has announced he will be part of the committee that focuses on border security, counterterrorism, and cybersecurity. Mackenzie said securing the border, supporting law enforcement, and ensuring communities are safe are his top priorities. Chairman Mark Green said Mackenzie will be an "important voice" on the Homeland Security Committee.
After getting an inch of snow Thursday, Accu-Weather's Joe Lundberg says a bigger snowfall is coming Sunday, When should we expect the snow to begin? "I think by midday or early afternoon, like noon to 2 o'clock time frame is when it breaks out and I think it should be done by midnight," Lundberg says. When the last flurries leave the area, Lundberg expects 2-to-4 inches of snow will have fallen.
Incoming Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday is being accused of politicizing his office before he is even sworn in. Consumer Advocate Patrick Cicero claims he was forced to resign last weekend because of what he called an "open, vocal and public campaign" led by investor-owned utilities. He stepped down after Sunday said he would seek someone else for the position. The Office of Consumer Advocate is an agency that represents the interests of Pennsylvania utility consumers before the state Public Utility Commission.