The Allentown man who ran away to Mexico with a teenage girl is out of state prison. Kevin Esterly is out on parole after serving a little more than 3 years of his 2½-to-5-year prison sentence. Esterly ran off to Mexico with his daughter's friend, 16-year-old Amy Yu, in March 2018. Police said Esterly and Yu developed a secret relationship over the past few months before they disappeared together, however both have denied sexual contact.
Just before Easter, Ferrero is voluntarily recalling two brands of chocolate sold in the U.S. due to salmonella contamination concerns. The two brands of chocolate include Kinder Happy Moments Chocolate Assortment and Kinder Mix Chocolate Treats basket. Around 100 cases of salmonella poisoning were reported.
Wegmans Food Markets plans to eliminate plastic bags by the end of this year. The supermarket chain, with locations on Tilghman Street in Allentown, along Route 512 in Hanover Township and along Route 248 in Lower Nazareth Township is the first supermarket chain in the Lehigh Valley to implement the plastic bag ban. Wegmans will charge five cents per paper bag, with the amount collected donated to each storeâs local food bank and United Way.
Allentown's mayor says he'll remove a member of the Council of Youth for reportedly using a racial slur. Allentown Mayor Matt Tuerk says Oscar Ortiz will be dismissed after a video surfaced that that appears to show Ortiz using a racial slur regarding a black person and his anti-poverty non-profit organization. Ortiz, who is Hispanic, is the chief operating officer of the Ortiz Ark Foundation.
The Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area will be reopening sites today that were closed during the winter. The areas that will re-open include boat launches, access roads to Dingmans Falls and Crater Lake including Skyline Drive and the upper section of Blue Mountain Lakes Road. The national recreation area will start collecting expanded amenity fees on Monday and the fees will continue through October tenth.
If you are planning on attending an outdoor Easter sunrise service, Accu-Weather's Joe Lundberg says a winter coat may be in order. "Temperatures will be somewhere between 37 and 40," Lundberg says. Easter afternoon should see temperatures only reach 51.
Officials with the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education have decided not to raise tuition at state schools for the fourth straight year. It will remain at just over $7700 for the base rate with a nearly $500 technology fee. The latest freeze comes as the state system is asking the legislature for an historic boost in funding. A request of $552 million has been submitted, As well as funds targeted for additional student aid. Lawmakers will have to decide on the issue before the fiscal year starts on July 1st.
The Wolf Administration is pouring $2.1 million in Alternative Fuels Incentive Grants to municipalities and businesses for 99 electric vehicles and more clean fuel transportation projects. "The goal of this program is to promote alternative fuels for transportation, including both vehicles and infrastructure needed to support them as well as innovations in alternative fuel charging and vehicles," says Ramez Ziadeh, the Department of Environmental Protection Executive Deputy Secretary.
New Jersey officially begins selling marijuana Thursday, April 21. Under state law, any adult over 21-year-old can purchase up to one once of legal week for personal use, at up to 13 currently-operating medical marijuana dispensaries approved by the New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory Commission this week. New Jersey voters approved the legalization of marijuana in November 2020, but it was not until this week that state regulators gave the final go-ahead to legal sales of recreational cannabis.