For the fourth time, the Philadelphia Eagles are heading to the Super Bowl. They won the NFC Championship 31-7 over the San Francisco 49ers and after the game Nick Sirianni told Fox going to the Super Bowl fulfills a lifelong dream. "This is something you dream about as a kid. All the guys on the team have dreamed about it their entire lives too. So, to be able to do this with a bunch of men who love each other, who are connected to each other, who would anything for each other makes it pretty sweet," Sirianni says. The Eagles will play Kansas City, which beat Cincinnati on a last second field goal 23-20. After opening as a pick 'em, the Eagles quickly moved to a one-and-a-half point favorite.
Travis and Jason Kelce are making history as they head to Super Bowl 57. The Kelce's will become the first brothers in NFL history to play against each other in the big game. Travis Kelce's Chiefs advanced with a 23-20 win over Cincinnati in the AFC Championship Game on Sunday. Jason Kelce's Eagles crushed the 49ers 31-7 in the NFC title game to move on. KC will face Philadelphia in Super Bowl 57 on February 12th.
Two people are dead after a crash in Upper Macungie Township. A tractor-trailer and car collided on Hamilton Boulevard around 4 o'clock Sunday afternoon. Police said the car was traveling south on Folk Road and trying to cross Hamilton Boulevard. That's when a tractor-trailer traveling east on Hamilton Boulevard struck the car. Authorities have not yet identified the victims because family members were still being notified.
A popular Northampton County Italian restaurant has closed. A Ca Mia has closed its doors after more than a decade of business on Lehigh Drive in Lehigh Township. A sign posted on the restaurant's door reads "I am sorry to inform you that A Ca Mia is closed to the long-term effects of COVID and inflation." There is some good news for A Ca Mia gift card holders. Riley's Restaurant & Pub, in Whitehall Township, has announced that it will be accepting A Ca Mia gift cards. However, a Riley's customer will be able to use up to half of the gift card's full amount during a single visit. The remaining amount on the gift card can be used during subsequent visits.
It appears a February tradition could be gone for good. Good Will Fire Co. in Trexlertown has canceled its fastnacht sale and this time it may be gone forever. It's the third straight year, there will be no fastnachts made there. The previous two years were due to the pandemic, but now the fire company's Facebook page indicates this year's cancelation is due to a lack of volunteers and soaring costs of ingredients. The post also says no fastnacht sales are planned in the future. The fire company had sold fastnachts the day before Lent begins for more than 50 years.
Voters will probably not see any special amendments on the ballot in Pennsylvania's primary elections in May. Political experts say getting the issues on the ballot is seen as an almost certain no-go. It's believed lawmakers won't have time to get them passed now, since both chambers have adjourned. The proposals include an initiative to give victims of child sexual abuse longer time limits in which to sue their abusers. Two other measures would expand voter-identification requirements and let legislators cancel regulations without the threat of a governor's veto. Both chambers won't likely be called back into session until February 27th.
A new budget allocation process at Penn State has determined many colleges and units will see their funding shrink. A news release from the university shows cuts in some areas for final budget projections for 2024 and 2025 . Budget planners say the cuts won't exceed four percent a year for the first two years, though. University officials say there are not any plans for large-scale lay-offs and that most of the nearly 29-million-dollars set aside for research support will be funded through facilities and administrative costs.
A Pennsylvania lawmaker is working on legislation that could help save the lives of student athletes. Senator Marty Flynn says Damar's Law would ensure all school sporting events are stocked with automated external defibrillators or AEDs. The life-saving medical tools would help to revive a student who suffers sudden cardiac arrest - such as what happened to Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin a few weeks ago while playing Cincinnati. Hamlin was born in western Pennsylvania.
A recent study says Pennsylvania hospitals are facing 30 percent staffing shortages. The report by the Hospital and Health System Association of Pennsylvania says three out of ten positions remained vacant at the end of last year. The jobs included registered nurses, medical assistants, respiratory therapists, and nurse practitioners. The study says the vacancies have been caused by workers leaving the healthcare industry and not having any replacements lined up to take those positions.
Three more people involved in the Fern Hollow Bridge collapse are filing lawsuits against the City of Pittsburgh. Velva and Tyrone Perry, and Thomas Bench, entered formal complaints Friday related to injuries they reportedly sustained in the incident. Both cases are handled by the law firm Swensen & Perer and cite a number of inspections from 1997 through 2021 where problems with the structure were reported. Four other people who were on the bridge when it gave way last year have also filed suits or provided notices that they intend to do so.
Since there was no grand winner in Saturday night's drawing, Monday's Powerball jackpot will be worth an estimated 613-million dollars. And though they might not have won the jackpot, someone in Pennsylvania is still a millionaire. Lottery officials say three people in New York, Missouri and Pennsylvania had lucky tickets for a million dollars. The last time the Powerball jackpot was won in the Commonwealth was five years ago, when a nearly 457-million-dollar-ticket was sold in Lancaster County.
You might need to win the lottery to help fund a trip to see the Super Bowl. Travel experts say Eagles fans will be paying an average of six-thousand-dollars per ticket for the big game February 12th in Glendale, Arizona - which is north of Phoenix. But you can find upper-deck tickets as low as 45-hundred! The average airfare from Philly to Phoenix is about 400-dollars. Hotel rooms are already going for about 700-dollars-per-night, even at budget-type chain locations.