The Lehigh County coroner is reporting two traffic-related deaths. One from an accident this past weekend and another from a month-and-a-half ago. 80-year-old Patricia Rodenbach, of Lehighton, died at Lehigh Valley Hospital-Muhlenberg, as a result of injuries suffered six-and-a-half weeks ago in an accident in Mahoning Township, Carbon County. The coroner also says 63-year-old John Sassaman, of Salisbury Township, died early Sunday morning about three hours after being struck by a car in the 400 block of South 24th Street in Allentown. Both incidents are still under investigation.
An 87-year-old Allentown woman has died more than a week after a fire. Nancy Joseph died Sunday morning from complications of smoke inhalation due to a September 23rd fire at her home on East Tilghman Street. The Allentown Fire Department is still investigating that fire.
An Allentown man will spend 25-50 years in prison for shooting two people outside a home in 2021. Devin Rarick pleaded guilty Monday to third-degree murder and aggravated assault in the May 2021 shooting outside a Lehigh Street home. Erik Mondragon was killed and another person was wounded. Witnesses say Rarick, who was 19 at the time went up to the porch and fought someone, then drove away. He drove by again when the victims returned home and opened fire.
A Bucks County building went up in smoke Monday morning. It happened in the 700 block of Ridge Road in West Rockhill Township around 7:30 a.m. The roof of the building was nearly gone and firefighters appeared focused on the upper levels. The building appears to have a small shop on the first floor and apartments on the upper levels. No injuries have been reported.
A public memorial service is scheduled to begin at 10 o'clock this morning for the late Pennsylvania Supreme Court Chief Justice Max Baer. The Pittsburgh-area native who passed away over the weekend at age 74 will be remembered in a service taking place on the campus of Duquesne University. Governor Tom Wolf has ordered Commonwealth flags to be flown at half-staff on all public grounds in Baer's honor until sunset on the day of the Chief Justice's internment.
The U.S. Senate battle between Republican Dr. Mehmet Oz and Democrat John Fetterman is heating up with a parody from the Simpsons TV show. In an ad released Monday, the Fetterman campaign spliced together pieces of Dr. Oz's TV show with a cartoon character known for his snake oil-pitches about medical cures. Dr. Oz had faced lawsuits in the past for some of the products he endorsed. Disney, which controls rights to the Simpsons, has not yet issued a cease-and-desist order to the Fetterman campaign.
Officials with Doug Mastriano's camp say he's launched a one-million-dollar advertising campaign. The TV and digital ads for the Republican nominee for governor highlight Mastriano's leadership abilities including bringing a team together while leaving no soldier behind. The ads feature testimony from a staff sergeant who served under Mastriano's command in the Army's military intelligence corps. Mastriano faces Attorney General Josh Shapiro in November.
Penn State researchers say a Pennsylvanian's chances of surviving an overdose can depend on where they live. They conclude that many rural areas don't have as much access to naloxone as other counties. The researchers, using state data from 2018 to 2020, found that about 33 percent of overdose victims who lived in the most rural portions of the state died from overdoses, versus 28 percent who lived in the most populated areas.
A bill being worked on by a Dauphin County lawmaker hopes to provide better health access to certain groups of patients, including those with autism. House Bill 19 would improve on the Medical Practice Act of 1985 by further defining licensing definitions for such fields as respiratory therapists, genetic counselors and behavior analysts. Republican State Rep. Thomas Mehaffie says the bill could open up benefits to a wider range of patients if the therapists were to be licensed, especially for insurance payments for autism patients after they turn 21.
New Jersey is working to ensure newly constructed buildings are more energy efficient. Speaking at the state's Board of Public Utilities Conference, Governor Phil Murphy announced his administration is commissioning a Clean Building Working Group. The panel will lean on advice and insights from industry leaders to decarbonize buildings using a skilled workforce familiar with green technologies. Murphy says New Jersey is on track to have roughly 85-percent of the state using green energy infrastructure by 2030.
New Jersey is ensuring a child tax credit is available this year. Due to a filing error, taxpayers wouldn't have received the credit until 2024. Governor Murphy didn't intend to hold out relief for that long, so the assembly passed legislation to adjust the credit for this year's tax cycle. Credits of up to 500-dollars are available to New Jerseyans with taxable income of 80-thousand dollars or less, and applies to more than 370-thousand children.
After wrapping up a playoff spot Monday night with a 3-0 win in Houston, manager Rob Thomson addressed the team in the clubhouse before popping the corks. "I just can't believe all the things you have overcome during the course of the year to get here. We're not done. After Wednesday, we've got 13 more wins and we're world champions. Congratulations. Enjoy this. You've earned it," Thomson said before getting soaked with champagne. It's the first time in the playoffs since 2011 for the Phillies, who will play either the Braves, Mets or Cardinals beginning Friday.