Martin Baboolal was sentenced Thursday to 28-and-a-half to 60-years in prison after he led police on a high-speed chase in 2021 through East Stroudsburg which led to two troopers being injured. Monroe County Assistant DA Christy Schlottman says Baboolal got what he deserved. "I think it was warranted in this case. This individual risked a lot of people's lives. We had two troopers injured in the last car pursuit," Schlottman says. Baboolal will also have to pay $61,000 in damages. Baboolal is no stranger to police. He now has four DUI's and was out on bail at the time of the 2021 chase for a similar incident that happened in 2020. During sentencing, the judge called Baboolal a menace and drain to society who'd been arrested 18 times with 15 convictions.
It appears a Northampton County eyesore may soon get new life. Joseph Reibman owns the former Dixie Cup plant in Wilson Borough and says he's under an agreement of sale for the property along South 24th Street. Reibman says the agreement is confidential, but the property had been listed for $10 million.
It's happened again in the Lehigh Valley. The U.S. Postal Service is investigating reports of mailbox break-ins in Bethlehem. Standalone blue United States Postal Service mailboxes at 11th and Prospect avenues, and Catasauqua Road and Allwood Drive were reportedly broken into and damaged. The USPS says the mailboxes are being removed. Back in March, Bethlehem police received reports of stolen mail, but they never listed where those incidents happened.
A new fast food chicken restaurant is coming to the Lehigh Valley. Raising Cane’s, a national chain specializing in chicken fingers, will open its first Lehigh Valley location at the Trexler Business Center right in front of the Movie Tavern in Lower Macungie Township. Raising Cane’s is known for its hand-battered premium chicken that’s marinated for 24 hours, then cooked to order.
The Antique Treasure Show returns to Bethlehem Saturday. Craig Larimer, with Historic Bethlehem Museum and Sites, says it's essentially a live, local version of the popular PBS show Antiques Roadshow. "The people who are bringing objects will be miked up and asked to explain a little about the object. And then the appraiser takes over, like Antiques Roadshow. So it'll be like a show," Larimer says. It's at the Moravian Museum tomorrow from noon-to-two. Tickets to watch are free to HBMS members and $5 for non-members. Walk-up appraisals are $15 for HBMS members, and $20 for non-members.
Heads up to overnight drivers in Carbon County. The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission is planning ramp closures on the Northeast Extension and Route 903 for tolling equipment maintenance. The northbound exit ramp from the turnpike to Route 903 (Exit 87) will be closed from 10 p.m. Friday, May 5, until 6 a.m. Saturday, May 6. That means northbound turnpike drivers won't be able to get off at Route 903. Then from 10 p.m. Saturday through 6 a.m. Sunday, the entry ramp from Route 903 onto the northbound turnpike will be closed.
After terrible weekend weather in the month of April, the first weekend of May is shaping up to be just about picture perfect. "As we head into the weekend, there's a good amount of sunshine ahead," says Accu-Weather's Bill Deger. He says it'll be mostly sunny tomorrow and Sunday, with the high tomorrow reaching 69 and Sunday 74.
A Penn State committee has approved plans to make $700 million worth of renovations to Beaver Stadium. The school's full Board of Trustees will vote on the proposal today. The renovations for the first phase include winterizing the stadium, which would allow Penn State to host a College Football Playoff game in 2024. Other planned improvements would include complete reconstruction of the west stands and adding club seats, box seats and suites. If approved, the first phase is expected to be completed by next year.
House Minority leader Bryan Cutler is leading his fellow Republicans in introducing a new platform called "The Keystone Commitment." Their plan unveiled earlier this week includes priorities of boosting the economy, making communities safe and affordable, and family-focused education. Cutler says the priorities of House Democrats, who hold a majority in the House, don't reflect Republican values so they wanted to emphasize their own set of goals.
A federal judge has refused to rule out the death penalty for the man suspected of the Tree of Life massacre. Robert Bowers has pleaded not guilty in the case and could be sentenced to death if convicted. He faces more than 60 federal charges stemming from the October 2018 attack at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh. Eleven worshipers were killed in what's been called the deadliest attack on Jewish people in U.S. history.
Pennsylvania Auditor General Tim DeFoor says a lack of internal controls remains an issue for the PA Department of Health's distribution of money from the Emergency Medical Services Operating Fund. "Internal controls are important so every penny is accounted for. Internal controls include things like making sure there are receipts to go with invoices so we know the right disbursement is distributed," DeFoor says. The money from traffic tickets goes to regional EMS councils as well as the state's EMS advisory board.
An Adams-County museum that's more than three years in the making is now open to take visitors through time to experience events connected to Gettysburg. Promoters say the Beyond The Battle Museum shows how civilians lived through the war in addition to what life was like on the battlefield. The facility has twelve galleries, starting with pre-history, dinosaurs, and meteorites, to the Civil War before ending in the modern day. The displays uses the words of the actual residents of Gettysburg, derived from real diaries and journals from the time of the battle.