In a unanimous vote, the Lehigh Valley Transportation Study has approved a $2.4 billion, 25-year transportation plan. Becky Bradley is the executive director of the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission and says this is an important decision. "This is a 25-year strategy to help the Lehigh Valley move in the direction that people want it to," Bradley says. While the plan doesn't allocate money for any projects, it prioritizes projects that would become eligible for federal money.
Police in Whitehall Township are looking for the person behind shots fired outside an area restaurant. Police were called early Wednesday morning for gunfire at the Latest Food Trends on MacArthur Road. They found no damage or victims. Whitehall detectives are still pursuing leads and are asking anyone with information on the incident to contact them with details.
A Georgia man is wanted for gunfire in Allentown. Police say Shawndarryl Daniel faces numerous charges after allegedly firing shots in the air on September 21st after getting kicked out of the Chicago Sports Bar on Airport Road for having marijuana on him. Daniel is currently not in custody and police aren't saying if they know where he is.
A Monroe County man is being charged for his role in the "Mike's Candy Shop" drug trafficking ring. Ariel Tavarez, of East Stroudsburg, is one of several people arrested Wednesday on charges of conspiring to distribute heroin and cocaine. The "Mike's Candy Shop" ring allegedly let customers have drugs delivered to their homes in New York City simply by texting a business number. Tavarez was the alleged leader who accepted orders and would arrange for drug deliveries. The alleged drug couriers are all New York-based. If convicted, they all might end up in prison for life.
It looks like the Lehigh Valley will be getting a new Harley-Davidson dealership next year. Today's Morning Call reports the owner of the Harley-Davidson dealership in Carbon County will move that dealership to Eberhart Road in Whitehall Township next year. Construction on the new dealership is expected to begin next month. The Lehigh Valley hasn't had a Harley-Davidson dealership since Crossroads Harley-Davidson in Center Valley closed eight years ago.
A federal judge is saying a Philadelphia nonprofit's plan to open the nation's first supervised drug injection site doesn't violate federal law. U.S. District Judge Gerald McHugh ruled Wednesday that Safehouse's attempt to help opioid abusers in a medical facility doesn't infringe the Controlled Substances Act. He wrote, "The ultimate goal of Safehouse's proposed operation is to reduce drug use, not facilitate it." The Department of Justice says they're disappointed with the ruling and will take any available steps "to pursue further judicial review."
St. Rep. Russ Diamond is announcing his candidacy for the open 48th state senatorial district seat. Diamond is currently serving his third term in the state House and said he believes he is the most qualified to fill the vacancy. A special election will be held in January to fill former Sen. Mike Folmer's seat following his resignation after being charged with possessing child pornography.
The ACLU is threatening to sue over Lebanon County's policy preventing anyone under court supervision from using medical marijuana. It's reported the ACLU sent Lebanon County's president judge a letter saying the commonwealth's medical marijuana law prohibits the punishment of anyone legally using the drug for medicinal purposes. The county's policy went into effect September 1st with the organization's lawsuit expected to be filed next week.
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy is announcing today the recommendations of the state's Electronic Smoking Device Task Force. Murphy's announcement follows the first death in New Jersey being attributed to vaping. Tuesday, it was announced a woman from northern New Jersey died from lung disease that allegedly stemmed from the use of either e-cigarettes or vaping products. The task force was formed by the governor to create a strategy to protect residents from the dangers of electronic cigarettes.