A 40-year-old Pen Argyl man is in jail in Lehigh County after being arrested in New York City and extradited back to the Lehigh Valley. Taurean Farmer is accused of illegally driving his ATV on public streets and intentionally blocking a police vehicle rushing an injured detective to the hospital last July. Lehigh County DA Jim Martin has a message to those using ATV's illegally. "If you behave the way we allege the defendant in this case has, and if we're able to identify you, you will be charged, your bike will be seized and we will press for a prison sentence," Martin says. The DA says rogue ATV drivers are a scourge on Lehigh Valley communities. Martin says Farmer could get up to 17 years in jail and plans on pushing hard for a serious sentence if Farmer is convicted.
A 38-year-old Allentown has died after being assaulted last week in Allentown. Following a Thursday autopsy, the death of Mustapha Brown has been ruled a homicide. The Lehigh County Coroner's Office says Brown died from head trauma sustained in the attack. Brown was attacked last Thursday evening just before 7 o'clock in the area of 10th and West Linden streets. Police are still investigating.
Dave Ruth is now the new president of Northampton Community College. He was officially installed Thursday afternoon after being chosen in June of last year. Ruth has worked at the school since 2016 when he was named vice-president and chief of staff. He is the school's fifth president since the school in Bethlehem Township was founded in 1967.
Luani, the Lehigh Valley Zoo’s 10-year-old river otter, has been alone since the death fellow otter Naya late in 2021. That has all changed however. The zoo says an 8-year-old female otter named Piper arrived from the Maryland Zoo earlier this month. The otters are being kept out of public view until handlers are sure the acclimation process has gone well.
Vice President Kamala Harris has returned to the Senate to cast deciding votes at least three times this week. The vice president's tiebreakers were related to judicial appointments. Her serving as president pro temp was needed due to the on-going absence of both Senators John Fetterman from Pennsylvania and Dianne Feinstein from California. Fetterman, who is still recovering from a stroke last year, was hospitalized two weeks ago for clinical depression and may be absent for several weeks. The 94-year-old Feinstein had been hospitalized with shingles.
The price of eggs has become so expensive that one large chain is refusing to sell them. Dollar Tree says its stores would stop selling eggs because Avian flu is driving the prices up. While egg prices fell 6.7% in February, the current price of a dozen eggs is still about double what it was a year ago. Dollar Tree said it will resume selling eggs in the fall, but until then, eggs sold in the grocery sections of more than 8,000 stores in the U.S. and Canada will be removed.
New Jersey state lawmakers are moving to do away with an exit exam that is required for all high school students for graduation. Currently, there are eight states -- including New Jersey -- that require the exam for graduation and several lawmakers consider the exam worthless. Yesterday, a New Jersey Assembly committee approved a measure to eliminate the high school proficiency exam as a requirement for graduation. But supporters of the exam say New Jersey is consistently ranked one of the top states for education because of the high standards it sets for graduation.
New Jersey's casinos, racetracks and their online partners saw gambling revenue increase by over 10-percent in February. Figures released by the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement shows over four-hundred-and-twelve-million-dollars was won last month. As far as in-person gambling goes, casinos won nearly two-hundred-and-fifteen-million-dollars which stands as a one-point-two-percent, year-over-year increase. The Super Bowl last month helped boost wagering figures, as more than eight-hundred-and-forty-seven-million dollars was plunked down on sports bets.
It's on to the round of 32 for Penn State after their 76-59 win over Texas A&M Thursday night. Nittany Lions coach Micah Shrewsberry says his team is enjoying the experience of March Madness. "They're getting the chance to be here and play and experience this whole thing. Let's experience it. Let's have fun. It's fun to see all the Penn Staters who were here cheering for us. We want to go on a run," Shrewsberry says. The 10th seeded Nittany Lions will play second seeded Texas Saturday with a spot in the Sweet Sixteen up for grabs.