A gas leak at a high-rise apartment building in Allentown Monday night had forced residents out. UGI says gas for the entire 12-story building at Regency Towers, located at 1600 Lehigh Parkway East, was turned off due to the leak. UGI expects that gas will remain shut off at least until repairs can be made Tuesday morning.
A Hellertown business has been damaged in a Monday afternoon fire, that began outside the building. The Dollar General on Main Street was damaged after a rubbish fire spread to inside the building. There's no word yet on what caused the fire, which will have the store closed until further notice. No injuries are reported.
The Allentown Zoning Hearing Board voted unanimously Monday to deny a zoning request from Nat Hyman, who wanted zoning relief to expand a project to convert a vacant warehouse at 938 Washington St. into a 48-unit apartment building. In October 2020, the zoning board granted variances to Hyman to convert the same building into 36 units, with 35 parking spaces on the first floor. Hyman wanted to put 48 apartments into the building with 48 parking spaces. Hyman says he has since acquired parking garages directly across the street from the building and on Hazel Street and could now provide 48 parking spots. Several residents complained to the board about parking issues in the area already. Hyman says adding a dozen more apartments in that building would not make that problem worse.
State campaign records show Democratic candidate for governor Josh Shapiro has nearly $13.5 million on hand heading into the November elections. His Republican opponent Doug Mastriano had just under $400,000. Both figures come from campaign finance reports filed with the Department of State and reflect the candidates' funds from May 3 to June 6, which include the final weeks of the primary campaign.
Pennsylvania could soon see new limits on when fireworks can be set off. The Senate Agriculture and Rural affairs Committee has voted to send a measure to the full Senate for consideration. Every Republican except Senate President Pro Tempore Jake Corman voted in favor of the bill. The proposal would limit the time for using fireworks from 10 a.m. and 10 p.m. except on certain holidays. It would also redirect the fireworks tax to help fund EMS and firefighter programs and require people to give livestock owners at least three days' notice.
Three separate suits are being appealed to the state's highest court that argue that cities and municipalities in Pennsylvania should be allowed to pass their own gun laws. The suits would either loosen or overturn a nearly 30-year-old precedent that gives the legislature the sole authority to regulate gun ownership throughout the state. Judge Renee Cohn Jubelirer has said that it might be time for the state's high court to reconsider, given the toll that gun violence has taken on cities.
You'll soon be able to stay a little later at Hersheypark on weekends. The amusement park is extending its hours for the summer starting Friday, July 1st. It will be open from 11 a.m. until 9 p.m. Right now, it's only open until 8 o'clock at night. The extended hours will be in effect every Friday and Saturday until August 6th.
A New Jersey wildfire spanning thousands of acres is at 45-percent containment. New Jersey Environmental Protection Commissioner Shawn LaTourette says it's a significant outbreak. "We could see the largest wildfire in the state of New Jersey in 15 years. That's what we're looking at here," LaTourette says. The New Jersey Forest Fire Service chief predicts the fire will be fully contained by the end of the week.