A 63-year-old Bethlehem Township man was killed in a Thursday night motorcycle crash in Salisbury Township. It happened shortly before 8:30 in the 1500 block of Seidersville Road. The Lehigh County Coroner's Office identifies the victim as Edward Senick.
Three vetoes by Northampton County Executive Lamont McClure were overturned by County Council Thursday night. In a 6-2 vote, one veto override means the next county executive will see their pay increase from $85,000 to $105,000. That pay increase takes effect Jan. 1, 2026. McClure says now isn't the right time to grant his position a 23-percent raise. In another 6-2 vote, council overturned McClure's veto of an ordinance to study the operations of the Gracedale Nursing Home. In an 8-0 vote, council overturned McClure's veto of studying employee pay at Gracedale. McClure contends both of those potential studies would be wastes of money.
A hearing on a lawsuit against the Lehigh County Election Board is set for today. At issue is whether the county will go ahead and install five drop boxes for absentee ballots. The challenge is being brought by the America First Legal Foundation, a group whose website says it was formed by former Trump Chief of Staff Mark Meadows and adviser Stephen Miller. Deputy Solicitor Sarah Murray says the outcome of the hearing could potentially result in changes to plans to place the drop boxes.
Shankweiler's is the nation's oldest continuous running drive-in theater, but has been closed for several weeks. Owner Paul Geissinger says that's because the North Whitehall Township venue may soon have a new owner. Geissinger isn't saying much about a sale, but says he believes the buyer plans on running the property as a drive-in and could perhaps reopen Shankweiler's as soon as this year. Shankweiler's opened back in 1934.
A woman is dead after a fire in Warren County, New Jersey. The fire broke out around 5 o'clock Wednesday afternoon in the 400 block of Maple Avenue near the border of Phillipsburg. Pohatcong Township police said the victim was a 75-year-old female, but have not released a name. Officials say they suspect she had been smoking in bed with an oxygen tank nearby.
Pennsylvania saw 12,341 cases of COVID-19 in the last week, raising its overall total to 3,266,934. The state’s seven-day rolling average dropped from 2,172 cases per day last week to 1,776 this week. The last time the state’s rolling average was this low was in late April, when the average was 1,734 on April 28. The state also reported 110 deaths in the last week, keeping the seven-day death average at 16, which it was the previous week. The state’s total death toll stands at 47,323 as of last week. Currently, there are 1,165 patients hospitalized with COVID-19, which is comparable to last five months of data. There are 123 patients in the ICU and 56 on a ventilator.
State police announced animal cruelty charges against 11 people for alleged inhumane treatment of turkeys at seven farms across the state. It's alleged the 11 kicked, stomped and beat turkeys at farms in Chester, Cumberland, Franklin, Fulton, Perry and Union counties. All 11 worked for Plainville Farms to capture and crate turkeys that were headed to food processing plants.
State police are sharing the third quarter numbers concerning firearm purchase denials. For the period running July 1st through September 30th, more than 285-thousand background checks were conducted through the Pennsylvania Instant Check System. About 44-hundred of those checks resulted in a denial for the would-be purchaser. Twenty-seven individuals were arrested at the point of purchase due to an outstanding warrant.
Leaders at the state's department of conservation and natural resources say they'll increase efforts to use renewable resources within eight years. The agency said earlier this week that it will switch over to produced or purchased renewable sources to run state and local parks. As part of the sustainability effort, they'll also install solar installations at 41 state parks and 116 electric vehicle charging station plugs at state parks and forests. Some parks are already using wind turbines and solar installations.
State officials are beginning efforts to bring blue catfish back to Pennsylvania waterways. They say the Blue, the largest catfish species in North America, was found throughout the Ohio and Monongahela rivers in Pennsylvania, as well as portions of the Allegheny, until the early 1900s when pollution and habitat changes eliminated it. Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commissioners believe recent angler catches in the Pennsylvania portion of the Ohio River provide evidence that the species could be successfully restored in Pennsylvania.
Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commissioners are in the middle of restocking trout in more than a hundred streams and lakes across the state. Officials say the goal of the effort is to replenish some of the most popular fishing spots across the Commonwealth and provide ice fishing opportunities through the winter. Overall, the fall stocking involves 116-thousand hatchery-raised trout that are distributed from October through December.
Beer maker D.G. Yuengling & Son has announced the return of its Halloween beer partnership with Hershey's. A media release says the Chocolate Porter flavor is back by overwhelming popular demand for its fourth year in a row, just in time for Halloween. You can find out where the seasonal chocolate beer is sold using the 'Find Our Beer' link on Yuengling's website. It's available only while supplies last.
Tonight's estimated top prize in the Mega Millions lottery is 410-million dollars. No player has been able to collect the jackpot since July when a ticket sold in Illinois hit for more than one-point-three-billion dollars. Pennsylvania players will find out if they're the latest winner when numbers are drawn tonight at 11 p.m.
First pitch of the Phillies-Cardinals National League Wildcard series is at 2:07. Zack Wheeler will pitch for the Phillies and manager Rob Thomson is happy to see him on the mound. "He's one of the best pitchers in the game, so when you give him the ball, you really feel good about what the outcome of the game is going to be," Thomson says. Wheeler will be opposed by lefty Jose Quintana.