Five people have died in a late Thursday night house fire in Kunkletown, Monroe County. Firefighters were called to the fire in the 5100 block of Brook Road just before 11:30 last night. No further details have been released.
Allentown police are investigating a Thursday morning murder. Police were called to the 500 block of Allen Street Thursday morning just after 10 o'clock. They found a man suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. He was rushed to a nearby hospital where he died. Local clergy and community leaders gathered Thursday evening in what they say is a "call to action" to address the violence.
A five-person committee of Allentown's Neighborhood Improvement Zone has recommended funding for public improvement projects that will cost a total of $10 million. The plans will replace sidewalks and add trees, benches and bike racks along the east and west ends of Hamilton Street, on the blocks surrounding Sixth and Linden streets and around the future site of the Da Vinci Science Center. It would also bring more than 100 street lights and trees, new sidewalks, and benches to the far west end of the Hamilton Street corridor. The Neighborhood Improvement Zone authority will vote on final approval for the projects next month and if approved, construction could begin in April.
Fire investigators are trying to discover the exact cause of a huge blaze at the J.F.R. Salvage Yard on Thursday. At least six fire companies responded to the fire at the business in the 6500 block of Sullivan Trail just after 6:30 p.m. There are no reports of any injuries.
Days after saying she was running for the 137th District House seat, Northampton County Commissioner Tara Zrinski now says she'll run for the state Senate in the newly formed 14th Senate District, which covers parts of Lehigh and Northampton County. The change comes after Zrinski dropped her bid for the Pennsylvania House after new district lines put her outside the 137th House District.
We're expecting some snow Saturday night into Sunday morning, but Accu-Weather's Joe Lundberg doesn't expect more than an inch to fall. "It just looks like that's the most realistic amount of precipitation from this particular system and then it moves away later Sunday," Lundberg says. Whatever snow we get won't melt for about 48 hours as both Sunday and Monday are expected to be quite cold with daytime highs not above freezing.
The string of robberies at Ulta Beauty shops that twice hit a Lehigh County store has spread to another Pennsylvania store. Police say the Ulta store in Chester County has had $10,000 in goods stolen by a pair of females. The Ulta Beauty store in Hamilton Crossings In Lower Macungie Township has been targeted twice, once in November when $20,000 in items were stolen and a second time last month when merchandise worth $3,000 was stolen.
The oldest cold case in Pennsylvania has now been solved. On March 18, 1964 nine-year-old Marise Chiverella was walking to school in Hazleton when she was kidnapped, raped and murdered. For nearly 58 years her killing went unsolved, until new technology was used to identify James Forte as her killer. Ronald Chiverella is Marise's brother. "Now that we know the individual, it gives us a sense of closure. Not full closure. We'll never have that, but a sense of closure that we know the individual who did it and that the individual isn't out committing the same crime and hurting other young girls like Marise," Chiverella says. Forte died in 1980. Investigators used DNA profiles to identify him as the suspect. They then exhumed Forte's body on January 6 and earlier this month, DNA from the body was confirmed as a match to DNA samples taken from the girl's clothes.
The Great American Outdoor Show is continuing this weekend in Harrisburg. It's taking place at the Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex and Expo Center. Though it was cancelled last year due to the pandemic, the show draws thousands of hunters, fishers, and outdoor enthusiasts from all over the region.
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy has extended the statewide public health emergency another month, only days after he said he would let the statewide mask mandate expire next month. The order lets the governor unilaterally extend his emergency executive orders during the pandemic. New Jersey is also able to continue distributing the COVID-19 vaccine, collect coronavirus data and put into effect any recommendations from the CDC to mitigate the pandemic. State health officials yesterday said 2654 new cases of the virus have been confirmed, almost 20,000 fewer cases than last month when the governor first implemented the order.
Former Philadelphia Eagles head coach Dick Vermeil is among eight men elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He tells NFL Network he achieved that honor on the shoulders of others. "An unbelievable gift from so many people in my coaching career. From ownership, to management teams, to personnel departments to coaching staffs, to wonderful players that provided me the opportunity and moved me into a position to get elected to the Hall of Fame," Vermeil says. Vermeil's record with the Eagles was 54-47 and 126-114 overall with the Eagles, Rams and Chiefs. His Rams won Super Bowl 34.
The Philadelphia Flyers have informed season ticket holders that prices will not increase next season for all non-premium seats at the Wells Fargo Center. That freeze though will not, however, include all-inclusive and premium seats in the club and suite levels. Flyers governor Dave Scott said in a statement that the team has taken a large financial hit from the impact of covid but adds that the fans are more important to the franchise in honoring the legacy of the organization. The hockey team has tested fans' support this season as the team encountered a franchise record 13-game losing streak. Before COVID hit, the Flyers ranked third in attendance, with over 20,000 fans per game for the 2018-19 season.