Lehigh County's reverse 911 system woke some people up over the weekend. Officials say a chemical spill Sunday morning poses to immediate threat to the area. An unidentified chemical was spilled early Sunday morning at Geo Specialty Chemical along North Cedar Crest Boulevard. The spill caused a smell like fabric softener and prompted a shelter in place order for two hours for residents who live within one mile of the facility.
Crews battled a large brush fire on Blue Mountain in Lehigh Township, Northampton County. Firefighters were called to the mountain in the area of routes 248 and 145 Sunday afternoon. Officials say there have been no reports of injuries. The cause of the fire remains undetermined.
Easton police are asking for witnesses or nearby homeowners' help in providing video of a shooting. It happened early Sunday morning in the area of North Eighth and Spring Garden streets. Two people were seen running from the home, where officials found evidence of a shooting. No one was seriously injured, and police say the unnamed victim hasn't been cooperative. Police also say it appears to have been a targeted shooting.
The deadline to register to vote in Pennsylvania's May primary is today. New registrations are due today. Also, applications for mail-in and absentee ballots must be submitted to the county election board by May 10th. The primary election will take place May 17th.
Legislators have left the state Capitol for a three-week recess and many are also seeking to defend their seats as lawmakers. They won't meet again until Monday the 23rd of May. Key issues they face upon their return include reaching a budget deal with Gov. Tom Wolf, tax cuts for corporations and how to use the remaining nearly two and a half billion dollars in Federal American Rescue Plan money.
A bill that would address the state's tick problem has been introduced in the full Senate. Before lawmakers left for recess last week, they learned about Senate Bill 1188, which would attempt to reduce tick-borne illnesses and improve treatment by educating healthcare professionals. State funding had been secured for a multi-year tick mitigation study in Bucks, Crawford, Lehigh, Mercer, Monroe and Pike counties.
The Pennsylvania House has approved a bill that would create a database for online courses. The bill by St. Rep. Jason Ortitay would create a statewide catalog for students in grades nine through twelve and later include students in lower grades. Ortitay says the need for such a catalog has grown since the pandemic. The database would cost about $2.5 million. The State Department of Education would manage the catalog.
The chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee says it doesn't matter if Russian President Vladimir Putin officially declares war on Ukraine. "Putin has declared war against Ukraine. Whether he does it formally or not is inconsequential," New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez told NBC's 'Meet the Press.' Menendez was responding to a British intelligence report Putin would officially declare war on May 9th, which coincides with the date Russia celebrated it's World War II Victory Day.
The 76ers could be getting back their star center sooner rather than later. ESPN reports Joel Embiid could be returning to the Philadelphia lineup for either game three or four against the Miami Heat in their second round playoff series. Embiid will not play in tonight's game one and head coach Doc Rivers says they have to figure out a way to replace all he brings. "I don't know how you make up for it. It's a tough injury. The good news is he's had it before. The bad news is there's no timeline for when for when he's coming back," Rivers says. Embiid suffered an orbital fracture and concussion in the closing minutes of game six against the Toronto Raptors.