Accu-Weather's Joe Lundberg says a mix of snow, sleet, freezing rain and plain rain begins tonight and continues for roughly 12 hours. "There's going to be lots of slippery travel across the area starting before midnight and lasting through the morning hours tomorrow and then it tapers off to a little rain and drizzle and temperatures will reach the upper 30s tomorrow," Lundberg says. A Winter Weather Advisory will be in place from 7 tonight through 1 tomorrow afternoon.
Pennsylvania’s Supreme Court has chosen a new map of congressional districts that generally follows the outlines of current districts. The 4-3 decision is in favor a 17-district map that had been proposed by a group of Democratic-aligned voters who sued last year. The map provides eight Republican-leaning districts, six Democratic-leaning districts and three closely divided districts, according to an analysis by the FiveThirtyEight website. Based on the new district lines, candidates can begin gathering signatures this Friday through March 15th to be placed on the ballot.
Pennsylvania’s Supreme Court has chosen a new map of congressional districts that generally follows the outlines of current districts. The Lehigh Valley's 7th District is largely unchanged, but does now include Carbon County. Incumbent Congresswoman Susan Wild says every community has the same issues and she'll meet with Carbon County voters to find out what their concerns are. Republican Lisa Scheller's campaign says district lines don't change the fact the race will be a referendum on policies supported by Wild. Fellow Republican Kevin Dellicker says he's pleased the new map keeps the Lehigh Valley under one congressional district.
Property owners on Hamilton Street between Fifth and 12th streets can apply for grants to improve the look of their buildings. Allentown Mayor Matt Tuerk says the work to be done is more than a fresh coat of paint. "This is a grant that will help property owners invest in improvements like brick and stone masonry, signage upgrades, architectural improvements, concrete walkways, awnings, and even streetscape improvements along Hamilton Street," Tuerk says. The work will be partially funded by $390,000 from the Downtown Allentown Community Development Initiative. Any property owner looking for some of the grant money must pay at least 25-percent of the total cost and be up-to-date on their taxes. Tuerk says Hamilton Street is a gateway into the city and he wants visitors to be impressed by what they see.
The City of Allentown has lost at the state Supreme Court. The court Wednesday upheld a Commonwealth Court ruling that the city cannot tax nonprofits for their revenue-generating activities within the city. The city taxed Phoebe Services for the more than $235,000 on revenue earned over the previous ten years. A Lehigh County judge ruled Phoebe wasn't trying to make a profit, but rather lower its costs. Commonwealth Court and now the state Supreme Court agreed.
Pennsylvania has reached a new milestone in vaccinations against COVID-19. Gov. Tom Wolf says at least 95 percent of Pennsylvania residents ages 18 and older have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. In all, health officials say more than 28-million doses have been given to residents across the commonwealth.
Gas prices just continue going higher across Pennsylvania, with the average price at $3.73 as of Tuesday, up four cents from one week earlier and 83 cents from 2021. According to AAA East Central, in the Lehigh Valley, the average price is also at $3.73, up two cents from a week ago and 86 cents higher than one year ago.
New Jersey drivers are feeling pain at the gas pump. According to AAA, the average price of each gallon of gas in New Jersey costs $3.61. That's nearly ten cents higher than the national average, which stands at $3.53. Essex and Cape May counties currently have the highest gas prices in the Garden State, ringing in at $3.69. Sussex and Warren counties are slightly cheaper than the state's average with a price of $3.56.
The Russians began attacking several parts of Ukraine overnight. Before that happened, Pennsylvania Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick told Fox News President Biden should have slapped severe sanctions on Russia and Vladimir Putin sooner. "We have a weak president. These sanctions should've been issued incrementally months ago," Fitzpatrick says. President Biden is planning to announce additional sanctions on Russia, while Putin threatens that if other countries interfere with the invasion, they will face consequences.
Convenience store chain Sheetz plans to hire 3,500 employees company wide. Sheetz officials say it will host several hiring days across the states it operates starting this March. Sheetz operates stores in six states, including Pennsylvania. Learn more at www.jobs.sheetz.com.
During this Highway Safety Law Awareness Week, PennDOT's acting executive deputy secretary says every driver can do something about the rise in traffic-related fatalities in the state. Melissa Batula says in a statement that safety on the roadways is everyone's responsibility. According to data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, traffic deaths in Pennsylvania were up ten-percent in the first nine months of 2021 from where they were in 2020. Batula says 94-percent of unbelted occupants who were killed in 2020 could have survived if they had a seatbelt on. Other major factors include distracted and aggressive driving, especially speeding.
The Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association has announced it is leaving Hersheypark Stadium after hosting state high school football championships for nearly 25 years. Cumberland Valley High School in Mechanicsburg will become the host of state's high school championships in football, soccer and field hockey for the next four seasons. PIAA Executive Director Bob Lombardi says Cumberland Valley's proposal documents were "very, very competitive and very attractive." Included in that attraction was the group's involvement with the Cumberland Valley Visitors Bureau and making what Lombardi called "a very nice financial package for us." Cumberland Valley beat out Altoona High School, Hersheypark Stadium and Penn State's Beaver Stadium for the hosting duties.