A quite large Lehigh County home has burned this morning. Fire crews were called around 6 this morning to a home on Barrington Lane in Salisbury Township. The nearly 37,000-square foot home, which had just been sold yesterday, included six bedrooms, 22 bathrooms, a wine cellar and a ballroom. We're told two firefighters suffered minor injuries. The cause of the fire is undetermined.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported this week that 95 percent of adults in Pennsylvania had received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine but the real number of vaccinated adults is lower. That's according to acting Pennsylvania Health Secretary Allison Beam. A so-called data cleanup by the state discovered that the CDC has consistently overcounted the number of adults who have received their first doses and slightly undercounted the number of fully vaccinated adults. Beam says that the CDC's data is inaccurate and that the state's information gives a better representation of vaccination rates.
Pennsylvania Physician General Dr. Denise Johnson continues to encourage parents of 5-to-11 year old children to get them vaccinated against COVID. "Just to reassure parents and others that the vaccine really does give superior protection. We really want to make sure that our kids are protected and protected for themselves but also protected for their community as well," Johnson says. She says the more time that goes by, the greater the chance a child could be infected.
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy says more kids ages five-to-11 are getting vaccinated against COVID-19 now that eligibility has expanded. The state is now closing in on 50,000 children in that age group vaccinated. "47,390. The good news is that's more than five times what it was a week ago today," the governor says. Murphy says as vaccination numbers increase, he'll be more willing to lift the indoor mask mandate for Garden State schools.
A Monday night incident has resulted in one person being taken into custody. The trouble began around 7:30 last night in the 800 block of North Clewell Street in Fountain Hill. There was an apparent standoff and the road was shut down, and there was a heavy police presence at the scene. Authorities have not yet said what prompted the incident or if the person will face any charges. Police say they would release more information on the incident Tuesday.
A tractor-trailer crashed into a house in Maxatawny Township, right at the Berks-Lehigh county line. The crash happened on Route 222 and Church Road. Crews removed the truck's driver, who appeared to be unhurt. A man and woman were inside the home at the time of the crash and investigators say both appear to be okay. It's still unclear what caused the truck to crash.
Police in Allentown are investigating multiple weekend incidents. One happened just after 2:00 a.m. Sunday at the Wawa in the 900 block of Union Boulevard. Officers found a male victim who had been shot. He is expected to recover. Not long after, officers were called to the area of Hamilton and Race streets for a reported stabbing. Also Sunday morning, police responded to reports of shots fired near Big Woody's in the 1300 block of Hanover Avenue. Authorities have not commented on what happened in either of the most-recent incidents.
Christmas season in Allentown will begin with the annual tree lighting on December 4th. Phantoms mascot MeLVin will be there, along with Santa and Mrs. Claus and characters from the Nutcracker performance at Miller Symphony Hall. There will be live music, horse and carriage rides and plenty of holiday crafts. The celebration will run from 4-7 p.m. at the Allentown Arts Park on N. Fifth Street.
Beginning today, parts of two busy Allentown streets will be closed to traffic for the next two months as work on a road for The Waterfront development continues. North Front Street will be closed to through traffic from Hamilton Street to 201 N. Front St and West Linden Street will be closed to through traffic from North Front Street to Railroad Street.
The results of a performance audit of the Pennsylvania Department of Revenue's security measures for the state lottery are in. Auditor General Timothy DeFoor says the lottery currently doesn't have the authority to prevent winners from skirting the system. "If a person owes back taxes and wins $900 playing a lottery game, they sell their ticket at a discounted rate to someone else to cash in at a retailer. They get a piece of the winnings and avoid paying the $600 threshold for paying taxes on the winnings," the auditor general says. DeFoor is recommending the lottery team with an agency that has the authority to prevent that sort of activity. The audit showed from July 2017 to March 2020 there were 17 people with 50 or more wins of more than $600 each. Those "winners" had 1344 claims totaling almost $2.7 million.
State officials say a ban on the sale of a popular landscaping shrub will go into effect by 2023. Japanese Barberry has been added to the state's list of noxious weeds because it attracts ticks that can carry Lyme disease. The colorful plant was brought to the U.S. in the 1800s and has become popular with landscapers because deer do not eat it. A two-year rollout plan on its removal goes into effect this month, with the shrub no longer allowed to be sold in Pennsylvania by the fall of 2023.
Hershey's has unveiled what could become a new favorite dessert for Thanksgiving, and it's already sold out. The company's giant 9-inch Reese's Thanksgiving Pie is the largest Reese's peanut butter cup ever and contains over three pounds of peanut butter and chocolate. Only 3000 pies were available. Each cost about $45.
Jahan Dotson of Penn State has been nominated as one of the ten semi-finalists of the Biletnikoff award. It is given each year to college football's most outstanding receiver. The Nazareth High grad is one of only two FBS receivers with at least 80 receptions, 990 yards and 9 touchdowns in the first 10 games of the season.