Lehigh County District Attorney Jim Martin wants an Allentown constable booted from office. Martin says Steven Wiggs, who was elected constable for the 16th Ward last November, does not live in that ward, or for that matter in the state. When running, Wiggs claimed to live on South Woodward Street in Allentown. However, Martin says cameras installed in that neighborhood have never shown any of his three registered vehicles there. The DA says Wiggs regularly parks his vehicles at an address on Fernor Street and has slept in one of them at that location several times. Martin says surveillance shows Wiggs driving to his real residence in Newark, New Jersey. The DA also alleges Wiggs asked the homeowner at Wiggs' alleged South Woodward Street address to allow Wiggs to use that for constable paperwork. Martin says all of the allegations makes Wiggs ineligible to serve as constable.
Police in Allentown are cracking down on the illegal use of dirt bikes and ATVs and have made a series of arrests over the last week. In one of those arrests, police say an officer was dragged behind an all-terrain vehicle when he tried to take the driver into custody. The officer was not seriously hurt. Police conducted an operation Monday that focused on the quality-of-life issue as its affected by the illegal use of these vehicles. Three dirt bikes and an ATV were impounded in the Monday operation.
The pedestrian struck and killed along with two Pennsylvania State Police Troopers in Philadelphia early Monday morning was from Allentown. That pedestrian is identified as 28-year-old Reyes Oliveras who was walking in the southbound lanes of I-95 near the sports complex just after 12:30 Monday morning. State troopers Martin Mack and Branden Sisca were called to tend to Oliveras when all three were hit by a car. Investigators say that car was being driven at a high rate of speed by 21-year-old Jayana Webb of Eagleville, who allegedly had a blood-alcohol level more than twice the legal limit at the time. It appears Mack and Sisca had pulled Webb over just before the accident for driving erratically but left her with just a warning after being dispatched to tend to Oliveras.
Pennsylvania State Troopers Association has sent out a warning to Pennsylvanians about an organization pretending to raise money to benefit the families of the two troopers killed on Monday morning, Martin Mack and Branden Sisca. PSTA President David Kennedy says the public should not make donations or provide personal information to these callers. The PSTA is the only official organization that represents and serves Pennsylvania state troopers and does not use telephone solicitation for fundraising.
Sen. Bob Casey says he has tested positive for COVID-19. Casey reported the infection in a social media post Tuesday afternoon. He says he has been vaccinated and is not showing symptoms of the illness, but will isolate for five days. Casey says it's a reminder the pandemic is not over and is encouraging people to get vaccines and boosters.
Four Republican candidates for governor say they won't participate in a debate unless that debate is moderated by a Pennsylvania Republican. Lou Barletta, Jake Corman, Bill McSwain and Dave White all signed off on the demand, which prompted plenty of reaction from other candidates. Charlie Gerow says the four are afraid of a challenge and Melissa Hart calls the demands "diva-esque". The Pennsylvania Democratic party chimed in as well, saying the four candidates are afraid of "mean questions."
The 2022 Pennsylvania Department of Education data summit concludes today in Hershey. Educators and school administrators from around the state have been gathered at the Hershey Lodge since Monday to learn more about the use of student performance data within the education system. The seminar emphasis this year is on reporting and improving the quality of school data for security purposes as well as to ensure that equity and inclusion are part of education decision making. State Education Secretary Noe Ortega says the event is intended to address ways data can be analyzed and used to curb student learning loss.
The latest effort to end New Jersey’s 73-year-old ban on letting people pump their own gas may be dead. State Senate President Nicholas Scutari says he currently isn’t in favor of the measure, which would allow the option of self-service gasoline in the Garden State. Scutari says the people in the Garden State want to keep the current system in place. New Jersey is the last state in the U.S. where self-serve gas is illegal statewide and attendants are required to fill your tank.
The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities is spending $1 million installing electric vehicle charging stations at historic sites and major attractions in New Jersey. The expansion of charging stations is critical to transitioning New Jersey's transportation sector from gas-powered to electric-powered vehicles by 2050, one of Gov. Phil Murphy's climate goals.
When the Lehigh Valley Ironpigs open their season in a couple weeks, some fans will come for the baseball, others will come for a night out and others will come for the food. Ironpigs general manager Kurt Landes says they'll be ready for those foodies. "We've really attached our food and beverages as part of entertainment. So, to see this great food and the presentation, for many it's just as important as the game environment as the game itself," Landes says. The Ironpigs open their season April 5 at home against Columbus.