After a brief video of a Saturday incident involving Allentown police was released over the weekend, the Allentown PD has now released a nearly ten-minute long version of the incident. In the video, shot from a camera across the street from St. Luke's Sacred Heart Hospital, a man is seen vomiting, staggering and struggling to remain on his feet. Police officers at the hospital for a different reason are seen talking with the man for several minutes and appear to encourage him to walk inside the hospital to be looked before they eventually move in. At that point, there's a struggle with the officer and man falling together. During the struggle, an officer is seen putting his knee on the man's head and neck area while other officers handcuff him. Officers are then seen lifting the man to his feet and walking him into the hospital where he was treated and released. The Lehigh County DA's office says it's investigating.
Saturday's police incident outside St. Luke's Sacred Heart Hospital in Allentown led to protests over the weekend and then again on Monday. "We're saying it could happen here. Please fix this before somebody gets hurt," one protester said. Roughly 100 protesters marched from 7th Street to Linden, then to City Hall before ending in front of the Lehigh County Jail.
More coronavirus testing is being done in Pennsylvania and Pennsylvania Health Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine says that's leading to more confirmed cases. "Comparing the last seven days to the previous seven days, we have seen case counts increase in 43 counties in Pennsylvania for a 14.4-percent increase statewide," Levine says. Despite that, Levine says there are no plans to reinstitute statewide shutdowns. Levine says Pennsylvanians over the age of 65 now make up only about half of the confirmed coronavirus cases. The number of cases in 19-to-49-year-olds has jumped up to 45 percent.
Northampton County says it'll fund a new coronavirus testing center in Bethlehem Township. The county says it's teaming up with Lehigh Valley Health Network to have the testing location at Coordinated Health's facility on Emrick Boulevard up and running by the end of this month.
Republican state lawmakers are pushing legislation to limit the governor's powers over the state's disaster declaration. Emergencies in the commonwealth can last up to 90-days. St. Rep. Seth Grove says disaster declarations were designed to allow a governor to act when the general assembly was not able to meet. "During the timeframe, we have been in session a lot. I'm trying to think of weeks we haven't been in session and only can come up with a handful, so we've been active and engaged in trying to partner with the governor on managing the crisis moving forward," Grove says. Grove and fellow Republicans are hoping to cut the length of a designated emergency to 28 days or so.
The number of confirmed deaths related to COVID-19 has climbed to 13,613 and confirmed cases in the Garden State have risen to 175,522. However, state health officials say they're encouraged that the transmission rate has been dropping.
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy disputes the idea that crowds flocking to the Jersey Shore are causing COVID-19 cases to increase. Instead, Murphy says indoor graduation parties are more likely to blame. Murphy says, in general, compliance with social distancing and face mask guidelines has been good with some exceptions.
New Jersey officials say the delay in receiving COVID-19 test results is growing longer because of a surge in cases nationwide as well as supply shortages. They say this could result in delays in contact tracing and further lifting restrictions in New Jersey. State Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli says they had seen turnaround times for test results of between two and four days but now it's closer to five days.
Under an executive order Gov. Phil Murphy has signed, New Jersey Transit can return to full capacity tomorrow but staff and passengers must wear face masks. The order takes effect tomorrow night beginning at 8 o'clock. The order also includes private-carrier buses, trains, light-rail vehicles and Access Link vehicles.
Police in Lancaster County are making another push for information in the search for a missing Amish teenager. The Lancaster County DA's office is looking for information on a car that may have been involved in her disappearance. Police say the car in question belongs to 34-year-old Justo Smoker, who is under arrest and charged with kidnapping 18-year-old Linda Stoltzfoos. Police say she was walking home from church on June 21st when she was abducted. She hasn't been seen since.
New Jersey has joined 16 other states in a lawsuit against the Trump administration's visa rule for international students. The rule requires all international students to take all or most of their courses in-person or face deportation. The lawsuit contends that mandating in-person courses during a pandemic can pose a health risk. New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir Grewal calls the rule reckless, immoral and illegal.
Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeSean Jackson says he'll visit Auschwitz. This comes after Jackson took to social media last week and made a post with anti-Semitic statements. Auschwitz is a World War II concentration camp in Poland. Jackson agreed to pay a visit after speaking with Holocaust survivor Edward Mosberg on a recent Zoom call. Jackson also accepted an invitation from New England Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman to tour the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, DC.
The Patriot League, which includes Lehigh and Lafayette, will not be having fall athletics this year. Patriot League commissioner Jennifer Heppel says that the decision was made because health and well-being is not improving in the country. The league announced that winter sports will be evaluated at a later date.