Activists claim Lehigh Valley Hospital is trying to deport a comatose patient, who's in the country illegally, back to her native Dominican Republic. The group says the comatose woman's family cannot pay her growing medical bills and LVHN is considering flying her back to the Dominican Republic as soon as Wednesday. Advocates say she needs a high level of care and transporting her back home could jeopardize her life. In a statement, LVHN says it's illegal to discuss patient matters publicly and that the health network "works tirelessly with patients and their families to ensure they receive appropriate care."
Former state representative and the ex-president of Lehigh Carbon Community College Don Snyder has died. His family says Snyder died Saturday at the age of 71 after several years of health issues. Snyder was the president of L-Tri-C from 2000-2013, immediately after serving in the state Legislature from 1981-2000, representing the 134th District.
A Powerball ticket worth $150,000 in Saturday’s drawing was sold in Lehigh County. The Pennsylvania Lottery says the prize-winning ticket for March 4 was purchased at the 7-Eleven in the Allentown Service Plaza on the Northeast Extension. The 7-Eleven gets $500 for selling the prize-winner.
Mountain View Drive-In, a popular restaurant and miniature golf course on Jacobsburg Road in Bushkill Township, is for sale. The drive-in closed temporarily last month for a mid-winter break and is expected to reopen in late March or early April and remain open throughout the sale process. The owners say they're selling due to changing family circumstances. The listed asking price is $1.35 million.
We now know the headliner for the last night of this summer's Musikfest. Train will perform at the Wind Creek Steel Stage on Sunday, Aug. 13, with special guest Better Than Ezra. This will mark Train's fifth appearance at Musikfest. Tickets for the show go on sale to the public this Friday morning at 10. Four more Steel Stage shows remain unfilled.
The Saucon Valley Country Club remains very popular with the United States Golf Association. The USGA has announced Saucon Valley Country Club will host five USGA championships, including the 2032 and 2042 U.S. Senior Opens. Saucon Valley also will host the 2026 U.S. Junior Amateur, 2038 U.S. Women’s Amateur and 2051 U.S. Amateur. Saucon Valley hosted its eighth USGA championship last year, when the 42nd U.S. Senior Open was played.
John Fetterman's top aide says the Pennsylvania senator will be back on Capitol Hill soon. The Democratic lawmaker and former Braddock mayor announced last month that he had checked into Walter Reed National Military Medical Center for treatment of clinical depression. Fetterman's chief of staff on Monday released photos of the senator reviewing information on rail safety and other legislative concerns.
Gov. Josh Shapiro says Norfolk Southern has pledged several million dollars to cover the cost of the response and recovery in Pennsylvania after last month's derailment of a train carrying toxic chemicals just across the border in Ohio. Shapiro's office says he has met with Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw and secured what they call an initial commitment for financial aid as the cleanup from the Feb. 3 derailment continues. Shapiro said Norfolk Southern will pay $5 million to reimburse fire departments for equipment that was contaminated or damaged in the response and $1 million to Beaver and Lawrence counties to help business owners and residents whose livelihoods were damaged. Another nearly $1.4 million will go to state agencies that responded, including for setting up a health clinic for residents and Shapiro's office says he will push Norfolk Southern to cover any additional costs that accumulate.
In front of Governor Shapiro's new budget reveal this week, some House GOP lawmakers have proposed their own bills to cut taxes for state families. One proposal would slice Pennsylvania's personal income tax rate to two-point-99 percent over two years, a move that would also benefit some businesses. Other proposals include toys, cribs, strollers and youth sports equipment being exempt from sales taxes, creating tax holidays for home-improvement projects and back-to-school shopping and eliminating the sales tax on pet food.
Three lawmakers say they'll be introducing incentive legislation to the Pennsylvania House that would help state companies switch to a four-day, 32-hour workweek. The proposal would go through the Department of Labor and Industry, and participating companies would be eligible for a state income tax credit. To receive the credit, a qualifying company would have to comply with certain program requirements. Democratic Representatives Dave Madsen of Dauphin, Chris Pielli of Chester, and Joshua Siegel of Lehigh are behind the proposal.
A York County state senator is giving a second try to pass a bill that she says would ease administrative burdens on small businesses that collect sales taxes. Senator Kristin Phillips-Hill has re-introduced the measure that would allow small businesses with less than 12-hundred-dollars in sales tax liability to file their returns once a year. Under current law, businesses must file returns quarterly or semiannually, which Phillips-Hill, a Republican, says puts an undue burden on start-up operations. She introduced a similar bill last May but it was never taken up.
A new state report says that lack of childcare is a growing problem in Pennsylvania. The report was published Friday by the Pennsylvania Early Learning Investment Commission, Start Strong PA and ReadyNation. It cited that just five years ago, 17-percent of working parents said they quit a job due to insufficient child care. In 2022, the figure grew to 29-percent. Governor Shapiro also has hinted he will ask for more money for childcare providers in his budget proposal. He says many are facing huge problems as federal aid for their business comes to a close after the pandemic.
Accused Tree of Life synagogue shooter Robert Bowers appeared in court yesterday as the first phase of jury selection got underway. Prosecutors say Bowers killed 11 people in an attack on the Squirrel Hill synagogue in October of 2018 and yesterday marked the first time he has appeared in court in more than four years. In-person questioning of prospective jurors is scheduled to begin in April.
The Pennsylvania Game Commission is looking into ruffed grouse populations that exhibit tame behavior. The birds are known to show little fear of humans in the spring and fall, sometimes acting aggressively toward people. Those who have had such a run-in with one of the wild animals is asked to report the location so researchers can target those areas for DNA testing. They say they are working to determine whether the tame behavior is tied to specific genetic traits. Encounters can be reported by sending an email to grouse-comments-at-P-A-dot-gov.
State health officials reports positive test results for COVID-19 in New Jersey continue to fall. They report another 345 cases and five fatalities from the virus. Meanwhile, the seven-day average for confirmed test results is down seven percent from a week ago. The statewide transmission is up slightly from last week -- from point-80 to point-85 -- but it still remains below the threshold of one, which the CDC says indicates the transmission rate in New Jersey is declining.
New Jersey state parks and historic sites are hiring right now. State DEP Commissioner Shawn M. LaTourette announced they are still looking to hire plenty of people to work at parks, forests and historic sites statewide for positions including lifeguards, naturalists and history educators, visitor service assistants, maintenance personnel, office staff and trail stewards. Hundreds of jobs are available, and people of all backgrounds and experience levels are encouraged to apply, with info at www.nj.gov. Most jobs are from Memorial Day through Labor Day, although some sites need year-round staff and applications are currently being accepted even though the initial March 1st deadline has passed.