Tuesday, the Pennsylvania Department of Health added 4021 new cases of COVID-19 to a statewide total that now stands at 1,601,086. 77 new COVID-related deaths were also reported Tuesday, leaving the state with 31,992 since the pandemic began. Right now, there are 2559 people hospitalized with COVID-19, 591 of whom are in the intensive care unit.
Pfizer vaccines are now available to local children in the five-to-11 age bracket. If you'd like to get your youngster a shot, Broughal Middle School is hosting a clinic Thursday from 4-to-6:30pm. Appointments must be made on the Bethlehem Area School District website. The Lehigh Valley Health Network hosts a clinic November 15th from 3-to-6 at Allen High School and St. Luke's University Health Network hosts a clinic at its West End Medical Center on Cetronia Road today and every Wednesday from 5-to-8.
Republican St. Sen. Doug Mastriano is proposing a bill that would prohibit the state and employers from forcing workers to take the covid vaccine. "It's not about the vaccine. It's about your choice. Informed consent or informed refusal. It's as simple as that," Mastriano said. His comments came during a rally in support of his bill on the steps of the state Capitol Tuesday.
Two men were arrested Tuesday morning on charges related to a shooting on Oct. 24 in Bethlehem. Warrants were served early Tuesday in the 500 block of East Locust Street resulting in Jeremiah Sivonda being taken into custody there. That series of events led to a 30-minute lockdown at Liberty High School and Northeast Middle School. Also Tuesday morning, Palmer Township police arrested Malachi Williams on Park Avenue. Both had been wanted for an incident in the 500 block of Durham Street that involved gunshots but no injuries.
AAA East Central reports Pennsylvania's average price for a gallon of gas was at $3.57 as of Tuesday, less than a cent more than the previous week, but more than $1.24 higher than one year earlier. Here in the Lehigh Valley, he average price also went up by a fraction of a penny to $3.54 a gallon, which is $1.02 more than November 2020.
Allentown says tickets for the 2021 Lights in the Parkway season go on sale Monday at www.lightsintheparkway.com. Typical vehicles containing eight people or fewer get in to the Lehigh Parkway to see the displays for $16. All tickets must be pre-purchased and there will be no tickets sold on site. The 25th anniversary season of Lights in the Parkway will run every night, except Christmas Day, from November 26th-December 31st.
A 36-year-old Bethlehem man died Monday afternoon after a weekend crash. Peter Rodriguez died from injuries suffered when the vehicle he was driving left River Drive in Allentown just before 8:30 Sunday morning and rolled over. Police are still investigating the cause of the accident.
Pennsylvania's state Senate has approved two firearms bills, including one that would let people carry a loaded gun openly or concealed, without a permit. Another would punish cities and towns that impose firearms ordinances that are stricter than state law. After three hours of impassioned debate, the bills passed with nearly complete Republican support as well as backing from at least one Democrat. Gov. Tom Wolf is expected to veto both bills.
Television personality Dr. Mehmet Oz is reportedly laying the groundwork to enter the Pennsylvania Senate race as a Republican. There are reports the celebrity doctor has begun hiring staff for a campaign. A show spokesperson says Dr. Oz has lived and voted in Pennsylvania where he attended school and has had deep family ties. She went on to say that he's been encouraged to run but is currently focused on the show and "has no announcement at this time."
A recent study has ranked the NFL fan bases most likely to start a fight and the Philadelphia Eagles are topping the list. WWW.usbets.com reports Eagles fans were also most likely to win a fight among the 32 fan bases after surveying fans and compiling data on weekly incidents in the stands. Rounding out the top five for those likely to start a fight are the Raiders, Steelers, Patriots and Cowboys. Seahawks fans were found to be most likely to stop a fight.