Allentown Mayor Matt Tuerk had asked City Council for $10,000 to study the Allentown Parking Authority. At Wednesday night's meeting, council approved $20,000 for the study. Tuerk says he's pleased. "I think that they heard the concerns of the people here tonight. I think City Council smartly responded," Tuerk says. Residents have been voicing their anger in recent weeks with issues ranging from receiving tickets on private property to over-enforcement in residential areas. Tuerk says part of the study will look at bringing the authority under city control. Currently it's an independent organization.
The man convicted of sexually assaulting five college students was sentenced Wednesday and Northampton County DA Terry Houck says Clement Swaby got what he had coming. "This is a very dangerous guy and he deserves every minute of the 75 to 100 years that he got," Houck says. In November, Swaby was found guilty of 26 charges for assaulting students at Lehigh University and Lafayette College. During sentencing, Judge Michael Koury called Swaby among the worst of the worst and a monster.
Three months after 61-year-old Joseph Rizzolino died, charges against his son have now been upgraded. The Northampton County DA's Office is now charging Rizzolino's son, Giuseppe, with the murder of his father last August. Rizzolino is accused of luring his father out of the home in the 900 block of Mine Lane Road in Palmer Township and then attacking him. Rizzolino had allegedly been repeatedly asking his father for money and had started making threats against him before the stabbing. Investigators say the father was going out to his car to wire more money to his son when his son killed him. Rizzolino is behind bars without bail.
Police in the Poconos are looking for a teenager who has not been seen since March 3. 16-year-old Melina Gonzalez was last seen Friday while visiting her grandmother's house in Mount Pocono. At some point that day, Gonzalez went missing from the home, but it is not known whether she left on her own or not. Anyone with information is asked to call police at 570-895-2400.
The Christmas Barn, a long-vacant but well-remembered store in Northampton County, is available for $3.65 million. The property covers 3.1 acres on the busy Easton Avenue corridor in Bethlehem Township.
Gas prices across Pennsylvania held steady over the past seven days. AAA East Central says the average price stood at $3.62 Tuesday, the same as one week before, but 80 cents below one year ago. In the Lehigh Valley, the price of a gallon of gas bumped up by three cents from one week earlier to $3.49. That price is 93 cents below where it was last March 14th.
A bill by Senator Kristin Phillips of York prohibiting the TikTok app on state-owned devices has passed the Pennsylvania Senate. The measure, which unanimously passed on Wednesday, now advances to the House. Senate Bill 379 specifies that the mandate would take effect within three months if it becomes law. A number of state and federal agencies are banning the TikTok app due to security concerns.
A review of state records shows anxiety disorders are the leading reason Pennsylvanians get a medical marijuana card. Spotlight PA's analysis of more than a million certification records shows doctors created more than 385-thousand medical marijuana certifications in 2021 and anxiety disorders were a factor in 60 percent of them. For now, state doctors are the only ones who can determine who can legally use marijuana - it's not legal yet in Pennsylvania for recreational use.
Dairy groups in Pennsylvania are upset about a federal plan to reduce milk benefits in a federal nutrition program. The U.S. Department of Agriculture says it plans to reduce the amount of milk covered in its WIC [[ wick ]] programs down to 71 percent of the daily recommended amount. Under the proposed rules, mothers would receive four gallons a month, down from nearly six gallons. Children would also get up to a gallon less than they now receive now. The USDA officials say they'll proceed one way or another on the proposals after reviewing more than 15-thousand public comments, which they finished accepting last month.
State Treasurer Stacy Garrity says pending legislation might help get unclaimed money returned more quickly. She said Wednesday that a proposed change would allow the state treasury to automatically write a check to return unclaimed money up to five-thousand-dollars to its rightful owner. That would do away with a requirement that makes an owner file a formal claim. The change would apply only to monetary assets and not physical property. Republican Senator John DiSanto of Dauphin County is the prime sponsor of Senate Bill 24.
The state Department of Environmental Protection says it has found no credible evidence that the recent rash of whale deaths was caused by offshore wind projects. The agency notes no offshore wind-related construction has taken place off the Jersey coast. Officials say they will continue to monitor the situation. Necropsies on some of the whale have found they died after being struck by vessels. Two New Jersey congressmen wrote the Biden Administration this week to investigate the wind farms.
New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection is warning residents to take precautions as bears are now beginning to emerge from their winter dens. The DEP is urging residents to secure trash and take other protective measures to reduce the risk of encounters. The DEP is also expanding its multimedia "Know the Bear Facts" outreach campaign providing more information for property owners and outdoor enthusiasts on how to stay safe year round. Most of New Jersey's black bears live in the northwest portion of the state, particularly Morris, Sussex, Warren and northern Passaic counties, and parts of Hunterdon, Somerset, and Bergen counties, although they have been spotted in all 21 state counties.
Eagles defensive back Darius Slay is staying put in Philadelphia. The 32-year-old was expected to be released but things changed last night. NFL Network reported that Slay and the team were in discussions all day to hammer out a deal. Slay has been with the Eagles for the past three seasons. The Eagles are keeping one of their key defensive players. ESPN reports Fletcher Cox has agreed to a one-year, 10-million-dollar deal to stay in Philadelphia. Cox reportedly turned down more lucrative offers from other teams. Cox was a first-round pick by the Eagles back in 2012 and has 65 total sacks in his career.
Flyers interim general manager Danny Briere is outraged after hearing about a disturbing incident involving his son. Carson Briere was caught on camera pushing a wheelchair down the stairs at a bar near Mercyhurst University. Carson is on the school's ice hockey team and the university has suspended him and a pair of other athletes for their actions last Saturday. His father called Carson's actions "inexcusable" and said Carson accepts full responsibility for what he did.