All seven of the victims of last Friday's explosion at the R.M. Palmer chocolate factory in West Reading have now been identified. Berks County Coroner John Fielding says, "We deal with tragic situations on a regular basis, but rarely have we witnessed devastation and heartbreak like this," Fielding says. Three of the victims ID'd Wednesday were from Reading, one was from Marion Township about a half hour west of Reading and the fifth was from Delaware County. Two of the victims were identified earlier this week.
Federal officials are giving their initial assessment of the cause of the explosion at the R.M. Palmer Company factory. Officials from the National Transportation Safety Board say an investigator who's been at the site indicates the accident involved a natural gas pipeline. They stress that conclusion is only a preliminary finding and that another inspector will be at the scene Thursday to conduct a safety investigation.
Days after six people were murdered inside a Nashville school, police in both the Lehigh Valley and Phillipsburg had to deal with fake school shooting calls Wednesday morning. At about 8 Wednesday morning, a caller reported five students were shot at Phillipsburg High School. That led to a massive response from first responders. The report was a hoax. Similar calls were made to Allen High School and high schools in Nazareth and Catasauqua. Initial investigation indicates the calls about Lehigh County schools came from outside Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania State Police is investigating numerous phone calls made to 911 centers about schools in an active shooter situation or a bomb threat. Police say all the calls Wednesday were similar, all were investigated and all were proven to be bogus.
A 19-year-old Bath man will spend the next ten-to-20 years behind bars for repeatedly abusing his infant son. Police began investigating Rasheen Miller last March after his four-week-old son was admitted to Children's Hospital of Philadelphia with serious injuries. Miller eventually admitted to police he deliberately dropped the baby down a flight of stairs twice and intentionally dropped him onto the floor because the boy would not stop crying. Miller told the police the abuse happened about 20 times.
Investigators say video surveillance and witness accounts led them to the arrest of a Macungie man wanted for a murder in Allentown. 30-year-old Hosheem Klotz is charged witht the March 9th beating of Mastapha Brown, of Allentown. Brown died four days later and the coroner's office says his death was due to injuries sustained in the beating. Two witnesses told police they saw Brown assaulted by Klotz and video evidence shows Klotz beating Brown near a restaurant on North 10th Street in Allentown.
According to AAA East Central, the average price for a gallon of gas in Pennsylvania dropped three cents to $3.55 as of Tuesday. That's 77 cents lower than last year's price. In the Lehigh Valley, the average price also dipped three cents down to $3.40. That's 89 cents below the March 28, 2022 price.
One person is dead following a car accident in Carbon County. The accident happened yesterday afternoon when two vehicles crashed into each other on Pohopoco Drive in the area of Green Street in Franklin Township. The cause of the crash is still under investigation.
Monroe County residents are owed a lot of money in unclaimed property according to Pennsylvania Treasurer Stacy Garrity. Garrity announced yesterday Monroe County residents are owed more than 27-million-dollars worth of unclaimed property. Unclaimed property includes things like dormant bank accounts and uncashed checks. Pennsylvania returned more than 211-million-dollars in unclaimed property in 20-22, the third-most ever released in a single year.
The chief of staff for Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman says the lawmaker plans to return to the Senate the week of April 17th. The freshman Democrat, who suffered a stroke during his campaign last May, checked himself in for clinical depression at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in mid-February.
The state has released its second annual report about the impact of online gambling in the commonwealth. Of the more than a thousand people who responded, a third of them say that gambling has had at least one negative impact on their lives. It also found that the average age of online gamblers is in the late 30s and that 66 percent of online gamblers are men. About half of online gambling is done in the form of sports betting. The Pennsylvania State Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs' report has been required since the state first allowed online gambling.
State troopers in Pennsylvania and five other states will take part in an effort next week to crack down on distracted driving. The campaign called the 6 State Trooper Project will involve law enforcement from the Keystone State as well as Ohio, West Virginia, Michigan, Kentucky and Indiana. Troopers will be keeping an eye out for motorists who are texting and driving, using handheld mobile devices, driving carelessly and using prohibited texting-based communication. Troopers say that if you have to send a text that just can't wait, you should pull over to a safe location first and then send your message. The campaign runs throughout next week.
A new program is providing free safety and security training for all school employees in Pennsylvania. The state's Commission on Crime and Delinquency has approved nearly five-million dollars in funding to cover the development and launch of the annual learning sessions. The program will include information on how to handle natural disasters and how to recognize signs that a student may pose a threat. Lieutenant Governor Austin Davis calls the training a "critical investment in our kids' safety". He says more information is on the way over the next few months.
New Jersey health officials ay New Jersey has recorded another 571 cases of COVID-19, along with three more fatalities. The Centers for Disease Control says only two New Jersey counties -- Atlantic and Cape May -- have what it calls medium community levels of the virus. All other counties have low levels. The statewide transmission rate is now point-85. Any number below one means the outbreak of the virus is declining.
Mike McGarvey is officially Lafayette College's new men's basketball coach. McGarvey was the team's associate head coach until being named acting head coach when the school put Mike Jordan on paid leave in February after a complaint was made about Jordan's work. Jordan tweeted on Wednesday, "I am terribly disappointed by Lafayette’s decision and will take some time to consider my options. My immediate intent is to continue to pursue my career as a basketball coach."
Penn State leaders say they've picked their new men's basketball head coach. The school's board of trustees announced Wednesday that they've selected Mike Rhoades, the former head coach at Virginia Commonwealth University. Rhoades, a native of Mahanoy City, took the Rams to the NCAA tournament for three out of the last four years. He replaces Micah Shrewsberry, who left for Notre Dame after leading the Nittany Lions to their first NCAA tournament win in 22 years.
Philadelphia Eagles fans can relive the 80s and 90s this football season. "Beginning in the 2023 season, were going to have the Kelly classic green Eagles jerseys and matching helmets," says Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie. He says they've been looking at making the switch for a few years now for a simple reason. "It's what our fans have wanted. It's what we've wanted," Lurie says. Thanks to a NFL rule change, the Eagles will also have an all-black uniform and helmet look as well.