State police say a pedestrian was killed last night in Lehigh County. 55-year-old William Adams of Upper Milford Township was killed just after 8:30 Thursday night in the 4700 block of Vera Cruz Road in the township. State police are not releasing any additional information at this time.
An Allentown man is being charged with abusing three people suffering from mental and physical issues. The alleged assaults happened at two Lehigh Valley residential group homes where Antonio Montoya worked as a caretaker through a non-profit organization. The 33-year-old man faces numerous charges and is being held in Northampton County Prison under $100,000 bail. Police suspect there may have been more victims and are continuing to investigate.
There's a flag flap in Allentown. Mayor Ray O'Connell says the city will not raise the Syrian flag outside city hall because of a U.S. policy recognizing Syria as a supporter of international terrorism. Aziz Wehbey is the president of the Syrian American Amarian Club and he says he's not buying the mayor's reasoning. "Honoring different communities and not honoring the Syrian community is discrimination against the Syrian-American community," Wehbey says. He says he has contacted an attorney about the issue. City Council hopes to reach a compromise.
Allentown is set to hold its first ever Cinco de Mayo celebrations. Festivities will take place May 3rd through May 5th. Events include a themed pub crawl and a block party. The Arts Park will also hold a "Tastes of Mexico" event as part of the celebration.
Lt. Gov. John Fetterman's statewide recreational marijuana listening tour comes to the Lehigh Valley this weekend. Fetterman is a Muhlenberg College Saturday afternoon from 1 to 2:30. Sunday, Fetterman will be at East Stroudsburg University also from 1 to 2:30 and later Sunday the lieutenant governor will be at ArtsQuest Center at SteelStacks in Bethlehem from 5 to 6:30. Fetterman is visiting every Pennsylvania county to get public input on the idea of legalizing marijuana for personal use.
The Great Allentown Fair has filled its Friday night Grandstand slot. Country star Miranda Lambert brings her "Roadside Bars and Pink Guitars Tour" to the fair on Friday, August 30th. Lambert appeared at the 2006 fair, but this is her first appearance as the headline act. Tickets go on sale next Friday.
Gov. Tom Wolf has observed the one-year anniversary of the Overdose Information Network and says it appears it is working. "These are preliminary numbers, but we are likely to see a reduction in the deaths from opioid use and abuse in 2018 compared to 2017. The formal numbers aren't in at this time, but this is the first time. We have a lot of work to do but we have begun to turn the corner and that's a good thing," Wolf says. The governor says the network coordinates overdose-releated information and allows healthcare professionals to share information on opioid abuse in their communities.
ROTC cadets are training at Fort Indiantown Gap. 28 in total got on a Chinook helicopter at East Stroudsburg University's rugby field Thursday. The cadets learned how to load and unload the aircraft prior to take-off. Their training lasts for four days.