Back in August, 31-year-old Amanda Ritter pleaded guilty to charges from a January 2020 crash that killed another woman. Monday, she was sentenced to 17 years and four months to 36 years behind bars. Ritter was driving 81 miles per hour in a 35 miles per hour zone and had a blood-alcohol level of .18 when she slammed her car into another at overlook and Mauch Chunk roads in Allentown. A passenger in the car Ritter hit, 22-year-old Yasmine Woodruff of Allentown, was killed. Three other people inside Woodruff's car were injured as were two passengers in Ritter's car.
A Lehigh County fire was put out quickly Monday morning in Upper Macungie Township. It happened on Cricklewood Cove around 8:30 Monday morning. No injuries were reported but firefighters had to pull a dog from the blaze. The dog was taken to a nearby vet for treatment.
The bomb squad was called to North Catasauqua late Monday morning, after a suspicious device was found. Allentown's bomb squad was called around 11:30am to a home on Locust Street. Investigators say a suspicious device was found, but Northampton County DA Terry Houck says it was not a bomb. However, Houck says they're not sure exactly 'what' it was and are still trying to figure that out.
A crash in Northampton County sent at least two people to the hospital. It happened shortly after 5 o'clock Monday afternoon at Route 512 and Brodhead Road in Hanover Township. At least two people were taken to the hospital and more people were treated at the scene. At this point, it's unclear what may have led to the crash.
One person is dead after an early-Monday morning house fire in Schuylkill County. The fire was reported around 2:30 a.m. Monday at a home in the 100 block of East Grand Avenue in Tower City. 28-year-old Jonathan Murray died at the scene. The investigation into the fire is ongoing.
The leaves will really come down today according to Accu-Weather's Joe Lundberg. "It's still going to rain and rain hard on occasion today, but I don't think we're going to get another inch of rain in total from this point forward. So we'll probably end up just shy of two inches in our immediate area. Areas to our north and northeast though could see those higher totals," Lundberg says. Combine that rain with winds expected to gust up to 30 miles per hour and Lundberg says the leaves will certainly be falling today.
New Jersey is under a state of emergency as heavy rains continue making their way through the region. Gov. Phil Murphy made the declaration yesterday, expecting this noreaster to impact the state for at least the next two days. The storm is not only drenching the state, but is expected to bring flash flooding, coastal flooding, and wind gusts. Murphy is urging residents to stay off the roads, remain vigilant, and follow the proper safety protocols.
The Pennsylvania Department of Health Monday added 10,412 new cases of COVID-19 spread out over a three-day reporting period. That leaves the commonwealth's total at 1,540,721 since the pandemic began. There were 73 new COVID-related deaths reported over those same three days, leaving the state with 30,976 deaths attributed to the virus. Right now, there are 2783 people hospitalized with COVID-19, 675 of whom are in the intensive care unit. Statewide percent positivity rate for the seven days ending October 21st was 9.2-percent.
Time is winding down for people who want to cast their ballot ahead of election day. Today marks the last chance for voters to participate in early in-person voting. Each county has a designated place for residents to vote in-person. In most cases, that is your county election board. Check your county's website for more information on where your drop boxes are located.
Today is the deadline for folks wishing to request a mail-in ballot. Applications for a mail-in or absentee ballot must be received by 5 o'clock today by your local election board. Those ballots must be received by your county's election board by 8 p.m. on election day in order for it to count. Postmark dates will not count in this case. Visit www.vote.pa.gov for details.
The Philadelphia Eagles have traded quarterback Joe Flacco to the New York Jets for a sixth round draft pick in the 2022 draft.