Pennsylvania's Department of Health reported 5676 new COVID-19 cases Tuesday. That brings the total number of cases here to 367,140 since the pandemic began. Tuesday's announcement added 180 new deaths related to coronavirus complications, pushing the state's death toll to 10,563.
Gov. Tom Wolf is expanding COVID-19 testing across the state through mobile COVID-19 strike teams. Those mobile units begin operating today. "Free testing will begin in four counties with recent rapid increases in COVID case numbers. Those counties are Bedford County, Mifflin County, Tioga County and Northampton County," Wolf says. The local site will offer walk-in and drive-thru testing from 9am to 6pm at the William Penn Highway Park & Ride on Emrick Boulevard. No appointments are necessary. Anyone being tested is asked to bring a photo ID or insurance card for identification purposes. The sites will be able to test up to 450 people a day on a first-come, first-served basis. The fifth location will launch Friday in Butler County.
The Parkland School District will continue to provide virtual and hybrid options to students during the COVID-19 pandemic. District officials say they've been able to mitigate the transmission of the coronavirus in their schools.
New Jersey's coronavirus cases are jumping once again. The state reported 4661 new infections Tuesday and 90 COVID-19-related deaths. New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy says his state needs all hands on deck to beat back the second wave.
Restaurants in New Jersey that want to keep seating people outdoors need to get permits. New Jersey Department of Community Affairs says eateries must get permits for tents, which need to be strong enough to deal with snow. Owners need to get a permit from the local construction office in order to keep using tents through the cold winter months. The state has encouraged cities not to charge for the permits as restaurants continue dealing with financial fallout.
Two more men have been arrested for a shooting last Friday morning along MacArthur Road in Whitehall Township. 33-year-old Miguel Delanuez, of Allentown, and 55-year-old Hector Mercado, of Bethlehem, are both in custody for their alleged roles in an incident that happened outside the Latest Food Trends Restaurant. One person was shot and a second person was injured in the incident. A York man was arrested Monday.
An Allentown man faces several charges for allegedly chasing a woman last week with a samurai sword and a BB gun. Police say Julio Santos lured the woman and then threatened to kill her. The woman says Santos somehow dragged her vehicle to the middle of an alley between North Sixth and North Seventh streets and then chased her with the sword in one hand and BB gun in the other as he screamed, "I'm going to kill you." Santos is currently in Lehigh County Jail under $50,000 bail.
A badly decomposed body was found Tuesday morning in Hanover Township, Northampton County. Landscapers found the body of an unidentified adult male in a wooded area along Schoenersville Road. Colonial Regional Police say there's no evidence of foul play, but the investigation continues.
A Bethlehem man is dead after a car accident from two weeks ago. 79-year-old James Sisko was pronounced dead Monday. He died from his injuries after hitting another vehicle at the intersection of Route 61 and Grand Street in Hamburg.
The National Weather Service confirms an E-F-0 tornado touched down in Montgomery County Monday afternoon. Officials say it quickly went through near Route 309 and the 202 Parkway in Montgomeryville, causing minor damage, knocking down some trees and sending furniture flying into the air. Nobody was injured. The National Weather Service says the twister was only around for less than a minute.
VF Outlet in West Reading is closing its doors for good. The store's owner made the announcement Tuesday that it will be closing the shopping area permanently on Christmas Eve. Until then, the stores are offering discounts as part of a statewide liquidation sale.
A Republican state lawmaker is going to introduce a bill that would repeal the expansion of mail-in voting in Pennsylvania. St. Rep. Jim Gregory of Blair County says the bill would undo provisions which gave all Pennsylvanians the ability to request a mail-in ballot without citing a reason why. Gregory said he previously voted in favor of expanding mail-in balloting, but he didn't vote for an activist state Supreme Court and secretary of state who changed the election rules in the weeks leading up to Election Day.
The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission is reminding anglers that 2021 fishing licenses are on sale. The licenses and permits can be purchased at the Commission's website as well as nearly 700 retail spots and are good for the rest of this year as well as all of 2021. The price of an annual resident fishing license in 2021 remains at $22.91.