The House delivered its article of impeachment against former President Trump Monday evening and one of the House impeachment managers is promising she and her colleagues will present a strong case to senators during next month's trial. "We will put together a case that is so compelling because the facts and the law reveal what this president did," says Pennsylvania Congresswoman Madeleine Dean, who claims the ex-presdient sent supporters to the Capitol earlier this month, resulting in a riot and the deaths of five people. The Senate impeachment trial is set to begin the week of February 8th.
The woman facing charges of stealing House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's laptop during this month's riot on Capitol Hill is now accused of trying to delete her presence online. Prosecutors say Riley Williams had also told others to get rid of any messages from her. Williams' hearing resumes today in Harrisburg.
While a little bit of snow overnight never happened, Accu-Weather's Joe Lundberg says we're not out of the woods just yet. "I think it's a mixed bag. I don't think there's going to be much in the way of snow accumulation but there will be some problems with some icy spots across the area," Lundberg says. He says that snow, sleet, freezing rain and plain rain mix could continue into the overnight hours.
The local Goodwill donation center on Lehigh Street in Allentown has a pleasant problem: too many donations. Goodwill is actually closing its donation centers from tomorrow through the end of next month to allow its overwhelming inventory to be sorted through and distributed to its 44 stores in 22 counties. The inventory overload is also good news for people seeking work. Goodwill is hiring people to full- and part-time positions to help move inventory out. Goodwill has four Lehigh Valley store locations.
The Bethlehem Area School District is looking to discipline student-athletes who are breaking COVID-19 protocols. School board members say COVID will never end if people don't follow the rules as some have reported seeing photos on social media of the district's basketball teams not wearing masks. They add that those students breaking the mask rules should face consequences like being barred from play as some district teacher say such violations wouldn't be accepted inside the classroom.
Officials with the PA Department of Labor and Industry say unemployment benefits will resume for residents making claims under the pandemic unemployment assistance program. "The CARES Act extension provides an addition 11 weeks of payment for these workers. This is crucial because many of the industries that continue to be heavily affected by the COVID-19 pandemic are staffed by workers who are not eligible for traditional unemployment compensation," says Acting Secretary Jennifer Berrier. She says an estimated 400,000 Pennsylvanians are relying on the benefits.
We're in the midst of National School Choice Week and the organization's president says Pennsylvania does a pretty good job supporting the idea. "There are public magnet schools in the state. There are a lot of online public schools. The commonwealth also has several private school choice programs that help families afford tuition and the homeschooling law in Pennsylvania is flexible and allows families the opportunity, the right and the freedom to educate their kids at home," says Andrew Campanella. He says if Pennsylvania were in a classroom and he were the teacher, he'd give the commonwealth a 'B' grade on school choice.
A special election to fill the vacant 48th state senatorial district seat is getting an official date. Lt. Gov. John Fetterman says there will be a special election held on May 18th to fill the seat that has been vacant since the recent death of Sen. Dave Arnold. The Senate seat represents all of Lebanon County as well as parts of Dauphin and York. The winner of the election will hold the position for the rest of Arnold's term, which will run through November 2022.
Fishermen in Pennsylvania are going to be able to try to catch trout a little earlier this year. The Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission says this year's trout season will start on April 3rd. The opening day for trout season is scheduled two weeks earlier than normal because of a consolidated schedule that had to be made due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
An oversight body is asking Duquesne University to bring back a professor that was fired this past October for using a racial slur during a virtual lecture on race. The University Grievance Committee for Faculty released a report to the university's president Monday that asks for Dr. Gary Shank's reinstatement. The report claims Shank's use of the N-word during a virtual lecture was misguided but not malicious. Duquesne's president has until next Friday to accept the recommendation to rehire Shank.
New Jersey's coronavirus vaccination hotline is fielding tens-of-thousands of calls. Gov. Phil Murphy says the phone line received 17,000 calls within the first hour of opening Monday morning. The toll-free line is staffed with 250 state-based operators with a goal of answering questions about making vaccine appointments and registration. Residents can call 855-568-0545 from 8am to 8pm.