A new children's hospital is coming to the Lehigh Valley. St. Luke’s University Health Network announced the opening of St. Luke’s Children’s Hospital. The children’s hospital is in St. Luke’s University Hospital Fountain Hill campus and is the second hospital in the region with that designation. The other, Lehigh Valley Reilly Children’s Hospital at Lehigh Valley Hospital-Cedar Crest, was opened by Lehigh Valley Health Network 11 years ago.
A Hellertown woman is charged with failing to turn over more than $25,000 to seven of her clients. The Northampton County DA says 49-year-old Amy Richline was hired to conduct estate sales, but never gave more than $25,000 in proceeds to seven clients of Top Notch Estate Sales. The company was hired for sales in Bethlehem, Coopersburg, Coplay and Allentown. None of the clients received payment, according to the DA's office.
An Easton city official could have his record cleared. A judge has approved David Hopkins for Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition, a program for first-time, non-violent offenders seeking to have their arrest record cleared. Hopkins, who is Easton's public works director, was arrested last October for threatening two pre-teen boys, one of whom showed Hopkins a Pokemon card. Hopkins then followed the boys to the Kirby Sports Center on Lafayette College's campus where he told one of the kids he'd hunt down both he and his friend.
There's no real movement in gas prices both in Pennsylvania and here in the Lehigh Valley. Across the commonwealth, the average price of gas dropped just a fraction of a penny to $3.64 a gallon from last Tuesday. That's $1.38 below the June 20, 2022 figure. In the Lehigh Valley, a gallon of gas cost on average #3.58 as of Tuesday, one cent less than the prior week and $1.42 less than last year.
The old Young’s Pharmacy building along Freemansburg Avenue in Bethlehem Township has been sold for $1.2 million. The nearly 11,000-square-foot building was sold last week to Florida-based 3708 Freemansburg LLC.
Lehigh Valley St. Rep. Michael Schlossberg says minimum wage workers in Pennsylvania are a step closer to getting a raise. "For the first time since 2006, the state House of Representatives has voted to raise the minimum wage," Schlossberg says. In a 103-100 vote, the House approved a measure that would bump the current minimum wage of $7.25 to $11 beginning in 2024 and then $13 in 2025 and $15 in 2026, with future increases tied to the rate of inflation. Two House Republicans voted in favor of the bill. Lehigh Valley St. Rep. Ryan Mackenzie was not one of them. "It's not the right approach. It's going to lead to tens-of-thousands of job losses and higher prices for everybody," Mackenzie said. The bill now shifts over to the Republican-controlled Senate.
Some helpful rain is expected to arrive tonight and stick around. "When you add it all up for tonight through the weekend, many places could be looking at close to an inch of rain," says Accu-Weather's Joe Lundberg. He says we should expect some rain tonight, tomorrow, Friday, Saturday and again Sunday.
Gov. Josh Shapiro has good news on the rebuild of a portion of I-95 that collapsed after a tanker truck caught fire underneath it on June 11th. "Based on the tremendous progress that we have made over the past 72 hours and the time it takes to complete the remaining steps, I can confidently say right here, right now, that traffic will be flowing here on I-95 this weekend," the governor says. Shapiro says officials will provide a timeline for the permanent repairs after the temporary roadway is opened.
The man who owns Joe Gibbs Racing will soon become one of the partner/owners of the Philadelphia 76ers. A news release says Joe Gibbs has sold a minority equity stake in his racing company to Philadelphia 76ers parent company Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment. Gibbs is also the former Hall of Fame Coach for the team now known as the Washington Commanders. He led the team when it was known as the Redskins to three Super Bowl victories. The release also says Gibbs will become a limited partner in HBSE but won't be part of the Harris group that oversees the Commanders.