Police are investigating after a man was shot in Allentown. Police were called to South Ninth Street to find an unidentified male victim who had been shot. The man was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening wounds. No arrests have been made.
An Allentown man is facing charges for pouring acid on two people earlier this week. Arnold Bell is behind bars after allegedly splashing an undescribed acidic liquid on the victims on Monday. Both are believed to be acquaintances of Bell and both are now being treated in the burn unit at Lehigh Valley Hospital-Cedar Crest. Bell's preliminary hearing is scheduled for next Monday.
It's going to cost drivers more to use the Pennsylvania Turnpike in 2020. Tolls will rise six-percent in January for both E-Z Pass and cash customers. That means cash tolls will jump up by about 20 cents while E-Z Pass will go up about a dime, starting on January 5th. The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission says the increase is necessary to meet growing costs of operation.
Hundreds of women flocked to King of Prussia for the first Women for Trump rally of the 2020 election cycle. Among those women was the Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel who told the crowd what separates them from female Democrats. "The difference between our party and the Democrats is we treat women as the whole voter. Women care about health care. We care about education. We care about our military. We care about our economy and yes, we do care about the unborn," McDaniel said. Trump campaign officials say Pennsylvania women could sway the entire 2020 race.
The Reading Pride organization is filing a discrimination complaint against Reading Mayor Wally Scott's office after he refused to allow a pride flag to fly at City Hall. Representatives with the group say they don't believe the mayor's office supports their efforts. The mayor says he views the flag as a political movement and says he doesn't think it should be on display at City Hall. Scott says he has nothing against the LGBT community. Lt. Gov. John Fetterman is urging Scott to change his mind.
Children across the state are about to get a healthy boost as the state is sending cash to schools for the purchase of fruits and vegetables. Gov. Tom Wolf says more than 200 elementary schools, including some in Allentown and Bethlehem, are going to get around $5.5 million so they can provide fresh fruits and vegetables during the school day to students. The grants are part of the federal Department of Agriculture's Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program, which first launched in Pennsylvania back in 2004 and is now available in all 50 states. The funding is to be prioritized to schools with the highest rates of students eligible for free and reduced-price meals and must also involve future plans to create other cost reduction partnerships.
The state is going to dedicate millions of dollars toward stopping the spread of the spotted lanternfly. As part of the recently signed PA Farm Bill, the state's Rapid Response Disaster Readiness Account will provide $3 million while the USDA is contributing $6 million toward the fight. The spotted lanternfly was first found in Pennsylvania in 2014 and has since spread to 15 counties.
The federal government is outlining its plan to shut down Three Mile Island this September. If approved, Exelon Generation will use what's called SAFSTOR to store nuclear waste until 2073. After that, crews will begin preparation to dismantle the site in September 2079. The site will have annual NRC inspections to make sure the waste is properly being stored.
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy has signed new gun safety laws including a measure aimed at promoting smart guns. "Our law will require firearms dealers to offer at least one smart gun for sale once that gun has been approved for sale by a newly created commission," the governor says. Murphy says the goal is to spur research and development, hopefully leading to more smart guns on the market. Those guns utilize technology that personalizes the weapon, in that only the gun's owner can fire it.