Lehigh Valley Health Network says it's conducting two investigations after allegations of racism from a former medical resident there. LVHN says the former medical resident claims he was subjected to inappropriate jokes and comments from his colleagues. The man, who's Black, also says he was targeted for wearing clothing and a bracelet that said "Black Lives Matter." LVHN says it's conducting an internal investigation and an independent, third-party investigation.
A Lehigh Valley chiropractor is accused of making child pornography. Bethlehem police have an arrest warrant for 52-year-old Dr. Philip O'Brien, who works at the O'Brien Clinic in Bethlehem Township. Investigators say O'Brien had produced child porn, of a female child. Police say they know where O'Brien is and anticipate his arrest in the near future.
If developers get their way, an old driving range off of Route 33 in Bethlehem Township will become a big apartment complex. Developers want to build a 256-unit apartment complex, including a dozen two-story 'garden apartment' buildings, four of which would have 16 apartments each and the other eight would have 24 units each. The land for the proposed apartments is between Route 33, William Penn Highway and Hope Road. Bethlehem Township's Planning Commission will review the preliminary plan at its June 26 meeting.
The Bethlehem Area Board of School Directors has approved a $339 million budget for the 2023-24 school year. The spending plan is a 2.93% increase over this year's budget, however property taxes will remain the same. The district plans on using $7 million from its fund balance to balance the budget.
The landlord of the building in Allentown where a man was fatally stabbed Sunday wants the business out. Buzzy Labriola says he had already given the owners of the Synergy Hookah Lounge 90 days to vacate the property on East Greenleaf Street when their lease was up in May. The stabbing happened early Sunday morning and the victim was pronounced dead at 4:45 a.m. the same day. Now, the business has until July 2nd, according to the landlord.
Lifeguards pulled an unresponsive man from the pool at Knoebels over the weekend. On Sunday afternoon, a worker at Knoebels Amusement Resort spotted the unresponsive man in the Crystal Pool. The man was pulled out immediately and treated by lifeguard and emergency workers. A park spokesperson says, "The Knoebels family is praying for the best possible outcome."
The body of a state trooper who was shot and killed in the line of duty over the weekend has arrived in his hometown. Friends and family members of State Trooper Jacques Rougeau Junior came to receive his body in Corry, in Erie County, as it arrived by private jet Monday afternoon. The hearse that carried him to the funeral home was escorted by dozens of law enforcement vehicles. Services for Rougeau, who was shot by a gunman Saturday during a police chase, have not yet been announced.
We're getting more information on the man who killed one Pennsylvania State Trooper and wounded another on Saturday. A family member of 38-year-old Brandon Stine tells Fox 43 in York that Stine suffered from psychosis. "His last text to me before he died was that the government was trying to kill him and he just wanted to live," the family member said. Stine killed Trooper Jacques Rougeau Jr. and seriously wounded Lt. James Wagner in two separate incidents in Juniata County.
After heating up during the pandemic, prices for real estate on the Jersey Shore are turning in the buyer's favor. Real estate agents say over the last month, they've seen homes in Ocean City sell by as much as six percent under the asking price. They say inventory of available homes is still low but sales prices are falling into the range for more buyers today.
Governor Phil Murphy and state Democratic lawmakers say they have hammered out the framework for an agreement to fund a controversial property tax cut for seniors. The proposal would provide an income tax credit of 50 percent of the property tax bill for New Jersey residents who are over the age of 65 with an income limit as long as they stay as New Jersey residents. Murphy had blasted the proposal at first, calling it irresponsible and promising to veto it. The proposal from Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin is aimed at preventing seniors from moving out of New Jersey. The New Jersey Globe reports under the new proposal, a tax credit would be provided to New Jerseyans over the age of 65 of 50 percent of property taxes capped at $6500 annually, compared with the previous version of ten-thousand dollars.
New Jersey state lawmakers are considering a proposal to intensify the state's silver alert plan. The plan would bring the state's plan for alerting the public to missing senior citizens in line with the program that sends alerts for missing children. Right now, the Silver Alert program uses digital billboards to notify the public of missing senior citizens. The new plan would require all participating media in the area to carry the alert as well.
New Jersey Senator Cory Booker wants to create a commission to study the possibility of nationwide reparations for African Americans. The senator spoke at the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice's Juneteenth ceremony yesterday. Booker says the commission would study the impact of slavery and the discrimination African Americans face today. The Democrat was at the forefront of making Juneteenth a federal holiday. Juneteenth celebrates June 19th, 1865, when the last of the enslaved Texans were freed more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed.
The Philadelphia 76ers may retain one of their star players. ESPN's Zach Lowe believes James Harden will stay in Philly. Lowe said on his podcast, "The breaks have now been pumped, like slammed on, around the league to the point that I bet if you poll 50 front office executives, the majority of them would guess he's going back to Philly." Harden was reportedly "torn" between staying with the Sixers or heading back to the Houston Rockets for a reunion with his old team.