Winter doesn't officially arrive until next Wednesday, however winter weather arrives today. "Freezing rain mixing with sleet develops this morning," says Accu-Weather's Joe Lundberg. He says that will mix with snow this afternoon before changing over to only rain this evening. Snow and sleet could accumulate a coating to an inch and untreated surfaces could become a bit slippery.
A Northampton County man has admitted to stabbing and injuring his wife in Hellertown last December. Joshua Hoch pleaded guilty Wednesday to attempted homicide in the incident on Dec. 6, 2021 and will be sentenced in February.
Charges have been upgraded against a Bethlehem man after the victim of a shooting in Bethlehem died Wednesday. 21-year-old Marquis Watkins is now being charged with first-degree murder after 21-year-old Jani Bostic, of East Stroudsburg, died from gunshot wounds suffered Saturday afternoon in the 1200 block of Butztown Road. Investigators aren't saying what led to the woman being shot.
City officials say Easton's new budget for 2023 will keep real estate taxes and sewer fees unchanged for the 15th straight year. The city council approved the new financial plan by a vote of 4-1 on Wednesday night with revenue and expenses balanced. The tax rates mean a property assessed 50-thousand dollars will generate a city tax bill of just over 12-hundred-dollars.
20 Pennsylvania municipalities are sharing $5 million to install and maintain traffic signals. Among them is Lower Nazareth Township, which is getting $256,000 for signal upgrades and connection to PennDOT's command and control software along Route 248.
Regardless of how much snow we get today, Camelback Resort will open this Friday for the ski season. Bear Creek Mountain Resort opens Dec. 22 to season pass holders and hotel guests, and Dec. 26 to day ticket buyers. Blue Mountain Resort opened for ski season on Nov. 25.
Pennsylvanians will likely spend record amounts on alcohol again this year. State officials say with more socializing after the COVID pandemic, sales of spirits and wine are expected to have increased. The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board's annual report from the 2021 fiscal year shows residents bought up $2.91 billion worth of booze last year.
The season will soon be open for Pennsylvania hunters who like to hunt the way early settlers did; flintlock muzzleloader season will open December 26th. Primitive guns require a flint to produce a spark to ignite the gunpowder that propels a lead ball toward its target. The shooter sees a cloud of smoke as the gun fires. The Pennsylvania Game Commission says last year muzzleloader hunters harvested a little over 21-thousand deer. Statisticians say that means less than one in eight primitive hunters who were licensed to, actually bagged a deer.
Governor Phil Murphy is urging parents in New Jersey to get their young children updated coronavirus booster shots. Murphy says children ages six months to five years old are eligible now to receive the updated COVID bivalent vaccine. Health officials are saying it offers stronger protections from Omicron. However, only five-and-half-percent of New Jersey children between the ages of six months and four years have completed their primary series.