Thursday, Accu-Weather's Joe Lundberg said snow was likely to begin falling here late this afternoon or early tonight. Today's forecast has pushed that time frame back. "The snow threat is later tonight at early tomorrow morning. That's really the best window of opportunity," Lundberg says. What hasn't changed is the expectation the snow will only stick on non-paved surfaces with a slushy coating to two inches likely mainly in higher elevations north of the Lehigh Valley. Lundberg says a more substantial snowfall is possible Sunday into Monday.
The acting Allentown School District superintendent is now the official Allentown School District superintendent. By a 7-2 vote Thursday night, the Allentown School Board hired Carol Birks as superintendent. Birks has been acting superintendent since October 2022, following John Stanford's departure. The four-year contract with Birks kicks in today and ends June 30, 2027. Her starting salary will be $250,000 and she'll be reimbursed up to $15,000 for moving from Connecticut to Allentown. Birks' hiring comes despite complaints from some on the school board and in the community about the hiring process and what they call a lack of transparency.
A 21-year-old Easton man is dead after driving into a home off Morgan Hill Road in Williams Township Thursday morning. It happened around around 9 a.m. in the 1300 block of Morgan Hill Road, near Morvale Road. Matthew Irizarry was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash. Police said Irizarry lost control of his car, which went off the shoulder, hit an embankment, continued up the embankment, hit a tree, went airborne and hit a raised landscaping bed.
A car crashed into a building in Hamilton Township, Monroe County Thursday morning. It happened around 8am at the Saylorsburg flea market building on Route 115, near Route 33. There's no word on any injuries of what may have caused the crash.
A near-tragedy in Allentown has prompted the state to take action. A carbon monoxide leak that sent 32 children and workers at a daycare in Allentown to the hospital has led to Pennsylvania's Office of Child Development and Early Learning to offer two free carbon monoxide detectors to certified child care providers across the state. Child care providers were sent a promotional code for them to order the detectors, which are available until April 30.
If you're hoping for Just Born jelly beans in your Easter basket this year...forget it. The Bethlehem-based company says due to the growing demand for Mike and Ike and Hot Tamale candies, the company has decided not to produce jelly beans for this Easter season.
The Lehigh County Mental Health Progam and the Suicide Prevention Coalition of Lehigh County host a presentation this Sunday afternoon with the focus on youth sports. "Anybody in the region who has any interest in the mental side of sports. Whether you're a parent, a coach, an athlete, a family member, somehow, some way, we're all impacted by the emotionality of sports," says Dr. Jarrod Spencer, who is the featured speaker. He'll offer his take on balancing athletes' mental health with high performance. The event is free and begins at 4pm at Coca-Cola Park.
$10 million worth of Major League Baseball-mandated renovations at Coca-Cola Park are just about wrapped up. Lehigh Valley IronPigs VP Matthew Bari says it's exciting to see it all come together. "It's been a long road to get this done, but we're excited to finally get the keys," Bari says. Renovations include updated clubhouses, managers and coaches' offices, locker rooms, training rooms, medical areas, weight rooms, and a female locker room. The IronPigs home opener is April 4.
A western Pennsylvania Republican leader says Democratic U.S. Senator John Fetterman should release a video to prove he is "alive and well." Otherwise, Washington County Republican Committee Chair Sean Logue says Fetterman should resign. He suffered a stroke in May and voluntarily entered Walter Reed Medical Center in Maryland last month for clinical depression. Fetterman's office, which declined to comment, has released a handful of updates since he's been at Walter Reed. Those include photos that show him engaged with his staffers at the hospital.
A bill that would require insurance companies to expand coverage for breast cancer screenings is now on its way to the state House Insurance Committee. Senate Bill 8 was passed unanimously in the upper chamber this week. It would require insurance companies to cover the cost of genetic testing if a person is diagnosed with breast or ovarian cancer or has a family history of either. It would also require insurers to cover all costs for a supplemental screening by either MRI or Ultrasound for women who are at a greater risk for developing breast cancer.
New Jersey City Assembly members heard whether smoking should still be allowed in casinos. The Assembly Health and Assembly Tourism and Gaming committees held a joint hearing Thursday to talk about eliminating their exception to the smoking ban, which was passed in 2006. Currently, smoking is allowed on up to 25-percent of a casino floor. Atlantic City casino workers and advocates are testifying at the hearing as part of their lengthy fight to close the casino smoking loophole.
Phillies star Bryce Harper has arrived in Clearwater for Spring Training. After undergoing offseason elbow surgery, he was asked where he is in the recovery process. "I don't want to put timelines on anything because I've never dealt with anything like an elbow before, so it's definitely different waters for me. I'm just trying to take it day-by-day and see how I feel," Harper said. Harper isn't expected to return to the lineup until late June at the very earliest.
Former West Virginia University football player Josh Sills, now in the NFL with the Eagles, appeared in an Ohio courtroom yesterday. Sills is facing charges of rape and kidnapping for an alleged December 2019 incident. Those charges yesterday were held over for trial.