The Federal Aviation Administration has released a preliminary report on the plane that crashed near the Brethren Village Retirement Community in Manheim Township. The report says the plane crashed into the retirement community Sunday shortly after taking off, striking cars and causing a post-crash fire. Five people were on board at the time of the crash, including one member of the flight crew and four passengers with all suffering minor injuries. The FAA classified the crash as an "accident" and said the aircraft was destroyed.
The pilot of the plane that crashed in Lancaster County on Sunday is identified as an executive board member of a private aircraft company. Venture Jets says board member Matt White was piloting a privately owned plane when it went down with four other passengers in the parking lot of a retirement community. The company noted the plane was being used for personal family travel. The investigation into the crash is ongoing.
The U.S. Department of Education is threatening sanctions against dozens of colleges, including three in the Lehigh Valley. The Education Department's Office of Civil Rights sent letters to 60 institutions Monday warning them of "potential enforcement actions" if they do not "fulfill their obligations under the Civil Rights Act to protect Jewish students on campus." Among the schools that received letters were Lafayette College, Muhlenberg College, and Lehigh University. The department said those colleges are currently under investigation for Title Six violations relating to anti-Semitic harassment and discrimination.
A man will spend up to a decade in prison for a deadly Lehigh County crash in 2021. Forty-five-year-old Juan Sierra was sentenced to between five-to-ten-years behind bars Monday after pleading guilty to DUI homicide in the wreck that killed 41-year-old Jessica Rivera. Authorities said Rivera was a passenger in Sierra's vehicle when he veered off of Route 22 in Whitehall Township and hit a pole. Sierra reportedly tested positive for amphetamines, THC, and meth after the wreck.
Perhaps the greatest country music band of all-time is coming back to the Great Allentown Fair this August. For the tenth time, but for the first time in 23 years, Alabama will be on the Grandstand stage on the night of August 28th. Tickets for Alabama are $84 and $94 and go on sale to the public starting at 10 a.m. on Friday.
Musikfest now only has two openings left on the Wind Creek Steel Stage this summer. The Black Crowes are the latest act booked for Musikfest. They'll be in Bethlehem on Monday, August 4th. Tickets, priced from $39 to $109, go on sale to the general public this Friday. The August 7th and August 10th Steel Stage shows remain open.
Beginning this September, Penn State's football team will be playing at West Shore Home Field at Beaver Stadium. That change comes after the Penn State Board of Trustees approved the name change after the CEO of West Shore Home offered a $50 million donation to the school 'if' the name change was approved. Penn State fans have mixed reactions. "I think it's the day and age of sports where you have to be as competitive as you can be with everybody else in the Big Ten and everybody else across the nation," one man said. A woman is not a fan, saying, "I feel bad about it. I hope they change their mind." West Shore Home is a Cumberland County-based home improvement company. Company CEO B.J. Werzyn is a 1999 Penn State graduate. Penn State's Board of Trustees approved the change in a 22-8 vote.
Pennsylvania Congressman Scott Perry says no one "legitimately on Medicaid" will lose coverage due to GOP budget cuts. The Republican says the program is for "Americans that are struggling," and suggested the cuts will affect "millions" of illegal immigrants. He went on to claim that Medicaid is losing money due to fraud, waste, and states "gaming the system."
A survey of New Jersey accountants paints a pessimistic view of the impact they believe Governor Phil Murphy's budget plan will have on the state's economy. Most members surveyed feel the governor should have made more budget cuts. Of the members of the New Jersey Society of Certified Public Accountants who were surveyed, 47 percent feels the economy will become significantly worse under the budget plan while 33 percent believes it will become marginally worse. Only a little more than ten percent feels the economy will improve under the plan. Areas the organization feels the governor should have focused on include cuts in spending for non-core services and not paying out on unused vacation time for lawmakers when they retire.