Seven-and-a-half months after the votes were cast, a Lehigh County judicial race is finally over. After months of legal rulings, Democrat Zachary Cohen has been declared the winner of a Lehigh County Court race. Results were held up since last November over a legal battle over 235 undated mail-in ballots. The U.S. Supreme Court earlier this month issued a 6-3 ruling that those undated ballots should be counted despite Pennsylvania law stating all mail-in ballots must be dated. Prior to those disputed ballots being counted, Republican David Ritter held a 71-vote lead over Cohen, however Cohen received 136 votes from the disputed ballots, while Ritter had only 60. The remaining 39 ballots didn't include votes for either candidate. That leaves Cohen with five more votes than Ritter, who now says he'll talk with his attorneys to determine if he has any further options.
A second person has now died after a crash involving a dump truck in Bethlehem last Thursday. 66-year-old Bobby Johnson, of Hellertown, died at the hospital Wednesday night of injuries sustained in the crash in which he was driving the dump truck that hit another car and a traffic sign post on Route 412 at Emery Street. His passenger, 57-year-old David Polczer, died shortly after the crash.
LVHN announced Thursday the creation of the Lehigh Valley Fleming Neuroscience Institute. It's funded by a donation from the Fleming Foundation, which was established by the late Richard Fleming, a businessman and philanthropist who was a long-time chairman of its board of trustees.
For the second time in as many months, the Lehigh Valley Zoo says one of its camels has died. The zoo says it had to euthanize Baby, a 23-year-old dromedary camel. Baby had suffered with chronic osteoarthritis for many years and the animal care team at the zoo says they also noticed behavioral changes following the loss of her 27-year-old mother, Leena at the end of May. Baby was born at the zoo in 1999 and spent her entire life there.
Pennsylvania state senator and Republican gubernatorial candidate Doug Mastriano says he'll soon introduce a bill to allow teachers to be armed in schools. The idea is getting a thumbs down from the president of the Pennsylvania State Education Association. Rich Askey says, "The problem we have right now is a direct result of people bringing guns into schools. The last thing we need is more firearms in our classrooms and hallways, creating even more opportunities for students and staff to be injured or killed.”
PennDOT is asking for input from state residents on a proposal to build electric vehicle charging stations. The agency is developing a plan to construct the public chargers before submitting the outline to the U.S. Department of Transportation. Pennsylvania citizens can offer feedback about preferred amenities like restrooms, wi-fi, and food and beverages. Search www.penn.dot.pa.gov to participate.
With a flood of cash expected to come in for Pennsylvania elections this fall, a national organization is getting help from a PA lawmaker to limit the influence of money in politics. Rep. Meghan Schroeder, a Bucks County Republican, says leaders from American Promise have outlined a plan to push for an amendment to the U.S. Constitution. She says the so-called "For Our Freedom" amendment would give state legislatures more power to regulate political funding.
New Jersey's gambling industry is thriving. According to the Division of Gaming Enforcement, casinos are bringing in the most money with $233 million this may, a $20 million jump since May 2021. The online gaming industry pulled in $136 million last month, a nearly 26-percent increase compared to the prior period. So far this year, the entire gaming industry has made more than two-billion-dollars.
A different kind of football at Lincoln Financial Field. Philadelphia is among the U.S. cities selected to host World Cup soccer matches in four years. Mayor Jim Kenney says it's a big, big deal. "It is, for me, kind of a stamp of approval of the world for the City of Philadelphia," Kenney says. Philadelphia was one of 11 U.S. cities selected to host games in 2026. East Rutherford, NJ will also host matches and Garden State Gov. Phil Murphy is pumped about the announcement. "How could you not play the finals here? Look at New York City. The Statue of Liberty. Ellis Island. It screams diversity. It screams our immigrant roots and it screams soccer. Welcome world," Murphy shouted. The New Jersey matches will be held at MetLife Stadium, where the Jets and Giants play.
It appears the Philadelphia Flyers have their new coach. ESPN reports that John Tortorella will be the next leader of the Flyers. He replaces Alain Vigneault who was fired last winter and Mike Yeo, who was the interim coach. Tortorella has won a Stanley Cup ring as a coach and has 20-years of head coaching experience in the NHL.