At a Wednesday night meeting at Allentown City Hall, Allentown Parking Authority Director Ted Zeller said there are changes coming to parking enforcement in the city. "We're no longer going to do open patrols after 10pm," Zeller says. However, Zeller says parking enforcement will still be available 24 hours a day, but only if there's a dispatch stemming from a resident complaint. Zeller also says there will no longer be any enforcement on Sundays or major holidays, with some exceptions. All parking enforcement changes are subject to a City Council vote planned for next Wednesday.
The Saucon Valley School District Board of Directors approved revisions to school policies governing the use of district facilities. The changes involve the use of facilities for non-school-sponsored groups and individuals, regulating the advertisement or promotion of non-district-sponsored activities and limiting the hours district property can be used for these activities from no earlier than 6 p.m. to no later by 10 p.m. on weeknights. This comes after the American Civil Liberties Union sued the district on behalf of the After School Satan Club, which was denied using district property to hold meetings.
Fire broke out in a Northampton County home around 9:30 Wednesday morning. It happened in the 400 block of Roosevelt Street in Freemansburg. No word yet on what may have sparked the fire.
The Berks County Coroner's Office has revealed the cause of death for seven people who died in a West Reading candy factory explosion in March. Officials say six of the seven died of blast injuries and one person died of thermal burns. The explosion happened at the R.M. Palmer Company factory. Officials are still investigating the exact cause of the explosion.
Gas prices held steady over the past seven days. According to AAA East Central, the average price for a gallon of gas was $3.77 on Tuesday, the same as one week earlier. That number is 43 cents below the figure one year ago. In the Lehigh Valley, the average price stood at $3.72 as of Tuesday, identical to one week before, but 47 cents less than one year earlier.
Authorities in the Poconos are warning residents of a scam that's been going around. State Police in Blooming Grove are investigating an incident where a 72-year-old victim from Pike County was scammed out of 22-thousand-dollars. Police say the victim received a pop-up from Microsoft that told them their computer was locked and gave instructions on how to unlock it. A couple of tips to avoid being scammed is to remember scammers will tell you to pay in a specific way and they'll also pressure you to act immediately.
A state Senate committee has advanced a bill that would ban supervised injection sites in Pennsylvania. The medically-supervised facilities are designed to provide a staffed, hygienic environment in which people are able to use illegal drugs intravenously. Supporters say such facilities prevent deaths from overdoses, but others say they enable drug addicts. The legislation is in its early stages.
The Pennsylvania Senate has approved legislation that would require the head of the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency to be confirmed by the Senate. Main sponsor Senator Lisa Baker says the person who holds the office needs more scrutiny now as the state faces more and more extreme weather events and complicated emergency incidents. Former Governor Tom Wolf vetoed similar legislation eight years ago, saying the idea would unnecessarily encroach on the governor's authority to make appointments.
The Pennsylvania State Senate on Wednesday passed a bill aimed at providing help to folks diagnosed with cancer and their families. Supporters say the measure eliminates out-of-pockets costs for genetic cancer testing, supplemental breast screenings and other procedures for high risk women. Senate President Pro Tempore Kim Ward of Westmoreland County calls the bill's passage a very positive thing for families and the women of the Commonwealth. The bill now goes to the governor's desk for signing.