U.S. Sen. John Fetterman, the Pennsylvania Democrat who suffered a stroke during his campaign last year, is in a Washington D.C. hospital. His spokesman says the new senator was admitted Wednesday night after feeling lightheaded when he was at a Democratic retreat. Joe Calvello says that initial tests haven't shown any evidence of a new stroke. Fetterman will stay at the hospital for observation while doctors run more tests. Cavello adds that the senator is in a good mood and is talking with his staff and family.
Lower Nazareth Township Supervisors voted unanimously to prohibit future warehouses and distribution centers on property in the township's light industrial zoning district. While supervisors heard from plenty of residents in favor of the ban, Daniel Dal Maso, who owns two properties within that district, says the vote hurts him. "This is an asset for my famliy so I can retire. Devaluing it is crippling," Dal Maso says. Supervisors Chairman James Pennington said the township already has too many warehouses, with approximately 9% of the acreage in the township occupied by warehouses.
Several people were hurt in a serious crash in Lower Mount Bethel Township, Northampton County Wednesday morning. A dump truck and a car crashed around 8:30 a.m. in the 6000 block of Front Street, with the dump truck then taking out a phone pole, bringing down wires. At least one person was flown to the hospital.
Police in part of Northampton County say three people assaulted a 22-year-old man while he was sitting in his car in his driveway, then stole the car. The incident happened Tuesday night just before 7:30 on York Place in Palmer Townhsip. The man was in his car, parked in his driveway, when three people came up and forced their way into the car at gunpoint. They tried to get the man into the backseat and there was a struggle, but the victim was able to get out of the car. The stolen car was last seen at 13th and Northampton streets in Easton during a police chase.
A man found shot in a crashed car on Route 412 has died. The Lehigh County coroner ruled 38-year-old Gregory Cleary, of Lansdale, killed himself inside his car early Monday morning along Route 412 near the I-78 interchange. It was initially reported as a traffic accident, but investigators quickly determined Cleary's injuries were self-inflicted.
The Bucks County coroner has released the name of the man found dead in a house fire late Friday night. 67-year-old Samuel Harrington died in the fire in the Melody Lakes community off of Route 309 in Richland Township. His death has been ruled accidental.
Part of Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom that has been vacant since 2018 could be getting a new attraction. At the February 16th South Whitehall Township Planning Commission meeting, the amusement park will present its plan for a new attraction on the site of the former Stinger roller coaster. Dorney Park isn't revealing much at this point, but the proposed attraction would be more than 161 feet long. If approved, the ride would be near the Possessed roller coaster.
The State House is set to reconvene in Harrisburg February 21st after lawmakers adjourned in January over a party power struggle. The three Democrats who were elected in a special voting Tuesday will give the Dems majority control for the first time in 12 years. The House members are also expected to decide whether Speaker Mark Rozzi, a Democrat from Berks County, will remain the chamber's leader. Some of the 16 Republicans who had supported him have called for Rozzi to step down as they claimed he didn't keep his promise to be an "independent" speaker.
Democrats on Tuesday won three special elections to grab control of the Pennsylvania House. But what happens next is not known. "There are a lot of questions about whether Speaker Mark Rozzi will step down, whether Democrats will try to remove him if he doesn't step down," says professor Dan Mallinson from Penn State-Harrisburg. The Democrats now claim a slim 102-101 majority over the GOP in the house.
A Pennsylvania state lawmaker wants to expand solar energy in the state. Senator Rosemary Brown, a Republican from East Stroudsburg, says she'll introduce legislation that would let low and moderate-income people benefit from solar projects in underused areas, such as parking lots, brownfields or reclaimed mining lands. She also says farmers could benefit from leasing plots of unused land to host solar projects or opt into them without using any of their acreage. Community solar projects, also called solar gardens or farms, can range from occupying several acres to hundreds of acres of land.
A state survey says Pennsylvania has exported more electricity than any other state in the country. The Independent Fiscal Office relays the commonwealth exported over 85-million megawatt hours over the last year. Wind energy continues to be Pennsylvania's largest renewable resource, even exceeding hydropower. The U.S. Energy Information Administration also says the state is the top generator of natural gas and nuclear energy, as well as third in generating coal-fired energy.
An officer is recovering after being shot in West Philly. Police say that a gunman opened fire on an officer yesterday afternoon along North 60th Street during a traffic stop. The officer's partner returned fire but it's not clear if the suspect was hurt. Authorities say his partner drove him to the hospital for treatment where he was admitted in critical condition. At least four suspects have been taken into custody. Commissioner Danielle Outlaw said she expects the officer to be okay.
Students across the City of Philadelphia will get to sleep a little bit later on Monday. The School District of Philadelphia has announced a two-hour delay to start next week. School leaders say this will allow students and staff to stay up late and cheer on the Eagles in the Super Bowl. Several other school districts will open on a delay Monday as well.