After an arrest of a man who allegedly threatened to detonate an explosive device at Musikfest, Bethlehem police Chief Michelle Kott says it is safe to enjoy the music this week. "We are out in full force. The festival is safe. We will do everything in our power that local individuals and folks from across the country who are coming to enjoy the Fest are able to come out and fest on," Kott says. 53-year-old Robert Bowen remains in Northampton County Prison and Kott says investigators have been able to link Bowen to several recent incidents in and around Bethlehem involving a male detonating firework-sized devices. Kott says a search of a residence on Wyandotte Street, where Bowen was staying turned up explosive material and bomb making material.
Accu-Weather's Joe Lundberg says today is one of those days you'll want to keep an eye on the sky. "Later this afternoon and early into tonight there will be another line or two of thunderstorms. They're going to be nasty and a severe weather threat. It's a pretty high risk of that," Lundberg says. Any thunderstorms could be severe with flash flooding, hail, damaging winds and perhaps even a tornado.
Search crews are expected to be back at it today after spending hours Sunday searching for someone who disappeared in the water at Beltzville State Park. A juvenile male reportedly went under the water and did not resurface on Sunday. Rescue boats were launched and several emergency departments were on scene through the evening, as was the Game Commission and the Fish and Boat Commission.
Uline is looking to hire more than 100 people to work in our area. The shipping and packaging supplies company is hosting two hiring events to fill dozens of warehouse positions. The first is tomorrow from 4-to-8 at 8449 Congdon Hill Drive in Alburtis. This event aims to find forklift operators for the overnight shift, with pay starting at $25-$32 per hour, plus a $2 shift differential. The second is Wednesday from 3-to-6 at 700 Uline Way in Allentown. Various warehouse positions are available at this event, with pay starting at $25. Walk-ins are welcome, but potential applicants are encouraged to pre-register online for an interview.
PennDOT is hosting two jobs fairs in the Valley this week. The Lehigh County office at 1712 Lehigh St., Allentown, will be open for applicants 2-6 p.m. Tuesday and the Northampton County office at 3300 Freemansburg Ave., Palmer Township, will have its job fair 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday. Lehigh County is looking to fill 22 positions, and Northampton has 18 open positions, most of which are for snowplow operators for the upcoming winter season.
Pennsylvania's attorney general is calling for stronger federal action on plastic pollution. State A-G Michelle Henry is joining attorneys generals from 13 other states in sending a letter to the EPA asking for stricter standards and to reduce society's reliance on plastic materials. She says microplastics, which are fragments that remain when plastic doesn't fully degrade, have been found in all Pennsylvania's waterways where testing has been done. Henry says the microplastics have also been found in food and air samples and even human blood and lung tissue.
A federal agency is moving forward with charges against The Hershey Company. The National Labor Relations Board says the candy maker swayed workers against forming a union at its plant in Charlottesville, Virginia. After a months-long investigation, the 13-page report alleges several actions that interfered with employees' rights to organize, including reportedly firing a worker who supported the union. The NLRB also claims Hershey promised employees increased benefits and better working conditions if they refrained from union-organizing activities. In a statement, a Hershey executive says the company held a fair election and did nothing wrong. A hearing has been set for October 2nd.
A Montour County man continues to recover after he was attacked by a bear in his garage last week. John Swartz, of Danville says he went to turn off a faucet inside in semi-darkness when he heard a growl, was knocked around and bit in the head. The 60-year-old says the wound in the center of his skull was pretty deep, but he's glad it was a bite and not a claw attack. State game officials say the bear was likely attracted to the garage by a garbage bag. The commission also delivered a bear cage loaded with doughnuts into the Swartzes' yard and placed it near where the bear was last spotted.
An official New Jersey State Funeral for the late Lieutenant Governor Sheila Oliver is set for this week. The Lieutenant Governor's body will lie in state in the Rotunda of the State Capitol in Trenton Thursday before lying in state in the Essex County Historic Courthouse in Newark on Friday. Oliver's funeral is set for August 12, at the Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Newark. The memorial will be open to the public, followed by a private interment.
Republican presidential hopeful Chris Christie says he wants Americans to know about the "atrocities" going on in Ukraine. Christie telling CNN's State of the Union that he visited a shallow grave of 160 civilians who were executed by the Russian army. He says many of the bodies had been mutilated before they were executed. Christie also says he met with Ukranian mothers who told him their children had been kidnapped and taken to Russia. The former New Jersey governor emphasizing that Russian President Vladimir Putin is trying to overtake a free country.
GOP presidential hopeful Chris Christie is confident former President Donald Trump can get a fair trial in Washington, D.C.. Speaking on CNN's State of the Union, Christie says despite being a prosecutor in a "blue" state, he "won 130 political corruption cases without a defeat" in seven years. The former New Jersey Governor says he believes in the American people and that jurors will listen "fairly and impartially." Trump, who was indicted on federal charges Thursday, says he wants his trial moved to West Virginia, claiming he wouldn't get a fair trial in Washington, D.C.
It's now official: New Jersey is the only remaining state in the nation where self-serve gas is still illegal. This comes after a law took effect this weekend in Oregon that permits self-serve gasoline. Drivers still have the option to have an attendant pump their gas. In New Jersey, attendants have been made available to pump motorists' gas since 1949. A survey by Rutgers University shows 73 percent of New Jerseyans prefer not filling up their own tanks anyway.