In a letter sent to Allentown Mayor Matt Tuerk nearly two weeks ago, the Allentown chapter of the NAACP claims several incidents of racism and discrimination have taken place against city employees. The letter claims the mayor and some of his staffers have permitted white employees to intimidate their minority co-workers and that Tuerk seemed to support the behavior. The letter alleges some white police officers have threatened to shoot Black cops and have used racial slurs against them. The NAACP also claims some white office supervisors and managers have verbally attacked their minority co-workers and are excluding those employees from promotions. The mayor's office hasn't responded to the allegations, but is expected to sometime today.
Lehigh Valley St. Rep. Ryan Mackenzie says he isn't running for re-election in 2024. However, that doesn't mean he isn't running period. Wednesday, Mackenzie announced he is running for the United States House of Representatives in Pennsylvania's 7th Congressional District currently held by incumbent Democrat Susan Wild. The 40-year-old Mackenzie says he'll run on the principles of growing our economy, defending our values, securing our communities and restoring our freedoms. He has been in the state House since his election in November 2012.
Demolition of the old Morning Call headquarters has begun. The Morning Call moved into the spot on North Sixth Street back in 1920 and stayed there for 100 years. The plan is to turn the property into an apartment building.
A popular attraction in the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area is closed until further notice. Officials announced that all accesses to Mount Tammany including the Mount Tammany and Pahaquarry trails are closed due to increased bear activity. Route 611 south of Delaware Water Gap remains closed for repairs stemming from a rockfall along the highway.
"You should expect a heat wave every now and then in July and August and we're going to get one. But, after three days it's gone," says Accu-Weather's Joe Lundberg. He says we'll get to 90 degrees today, tomorrow and then again Saturday, with tomorrow likely the hottest of the three days. After those three days, Lundberg says we'll see more comfortable humidity levels and lower temperatures beginning Sunday.
Despite its federal status as a controlled substance, new figures show many Pennsylvanians have used marijuana on a regular basis and continue to do so. It's permitted for medicinal purposes, but using it recreationally is still illegal. According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, over one-point-nine-million people in Pennsylvania who are aged 12 or older have reported using marijuana in the last year. That amounts to 17-and-a-half percent of the population. Currently, 23 states have legalized recreational marijuana use.
A House Republican has announced plans for legislation that would suspend the pay of state lawmakers, the lieutenant governor, and the governor when the state budget is overdue. Republican Representative Jill Cooper says, "Pennsylvanians deserve better than an inexcusable process that hurts our most vulnerable populations, while legislators continue to be fully compensated." Cooper is one of 12 House members who have not accepted their salaries for July. The state budget is now 27 days overdue.
PennDOT officials are reportedly considering using more reclaimed asphalt as a way to save money. An administrator for the Pennsylvania Asphalt Pavement Association brought up the idea at a state meeting Tuesday, saying the commonwealth could also cut carbon emissions if it used the reclaimed material. The state produces over a million tons of asphalt each year and Mary Robbins says about 18-percent of reclaimed asphalt pavement is already used in new high-volume highways. Regulations limit its use on low-volume roads, primarily in rural areas.
The presiding judge has denied a request by defense attorneys to have the body of Robert Bowers' father exhumed. Bowers was found guilty last month on charges stemming from the killing of 11 people at the Squirrel Hill synagogue in October of 2018. Jurors have since determined that he is eligible for the death penalty and are now charged with deciding if he'll get it. The defense wanted the late Randall Bowers exhumed for the purposes of paternity testing. Randall Bowers had been diagnosed with schizophrenia and attorneys for Robert Bowers say his own schizophrenia played a role in his committing of the crimes.
New Jersey has taken the next step in its plan to eliminate gas stoves in favor of electric stoves. The state's Board of Public Utilities has approved a plan to incentivize building developers to switch from gas to electric stoves. Republicans have been quick to criticize Governor Phil Murphy's plan to move residents away from gas stoves but the president of the Board of Public Utilities, Joseph Fiordaliso, says the plan is designed to reduce energy use and cut down on greenhouse gases.
New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy will be heading to east Asia in the fall for an economic mission. His nine day trip in October includes visits to Japan and South Korea. "Job creation in New Jersey and investment in New Jersey are the top two priorities," the governor says. The Garden State is home to the fourth highest percentage of Asian Americans of any state in the nation.
This Little League World Series, fans can follow along with happenings on a new, free app, which works with Apple and Android devices. App features include personalized content, push notifications, FanCam filters and plenty of videos.
No NFC team has lost the Super Bowl and managed to return to that game the following season since 1974 when the Minnesota Vikings did it. The Philadelphia Eagles hope to repeat that this season and general manager Howie Roseman says they'll do it their way. "From roster building standpoint, from a personnel building standpoint, we can't rely on what's happened to other teams that have lost the Super Bowl. We have to do what we think is in our best interests, to reset, to start over and put us in the best possible position," Roseman says. The Dallas Cowboys in 1972, the Miami Dolphins in 1973 and the New England Patriots in 2019 are the only teams to have lost the Super Bowl and won it the next year.
The Philadelphia Eagles quarterback says he was offered an opportunity to star in Netflix's popular documentary series "Quarterback" last year but rejected the opportunity. CBS sports reports Jalen Hurts says he didn't feel it was appropriate for him to be spotlighted on the show. Producers felt Hurts would have been an excellent story for the first season of the documentary, given his rise to stardom as he led the Eagles to Super Bowl LVII. "Quarterback" starred Patrick Mahomes, Kirk Cousins, and Marcus Mariota in the Season One production instead.