The National Weather Service is releasing more details about the tornado that touched down in the Midway Manor section of east Allentown Monday night. The service says an EF1 tornado had an estimated peak wind of 100 mph and its path length was three-tenths of a mile. The tornado began near East Pennsylvania Street between North Ulster Street and North Van Buren Street. While the tornado damaged numerous homes, no injuries have been reported. It's not the East Side's first brush with a twister. Back in 2008, another EF-1 tornado with 95mph winds hit near Dieruff High School. That tornado damaged 50 homes and the high school.
Dorney Park has unveiled its newest attraction and it won't be for the faint of heart. Iron Menace is more than 2100 feet long, 160 feet tall and will feature four inversions with top speeds of 64 miles per hour. It's a dive-style coaster, the first of its kind in the Northeast. Iron Menace will hold riders at the edge of a 152-foot drop for a few seconds before sending them at a beyond-vertical drop of 95 degrees. Iron Menace, which is expected to open in 2024 next to Possessed, is the first new roller coaster to be built at Dorney Park since Hydra in 2005.
Pennsylvania's power outage situation has improved dramatically since yesterday. PPL now reports fewer than 100 customers are still without service after Monday night's storms. First Energy still has more than 7300 of its customers in the dark. About 6900 of them are in York County and more than 100 in Monroe County.
The Northampton County Coroner says a 64-year-old Bethlehem Township man was killed in a Tuesday crash in the township. David Capelles was killed in the crash on the 3600 block of North Hecktown Road. The crash remains under investigation.
As of this December 31st, state funding for Real Alternatives is disappearing. Alexis Sneller, with the Pennsylvania Family Institute, says women who choose to have their babies will be in a pinch. "That means that these pregnancy resource centers are going to be scrambling to find the support from communities and funding to meet the needs that are there," Sneller says. Signe Espinoza is the executive director of Planned Parenthood Pennsylvania. She says this is a big win for pro-abortion advocates. "This is huge for abortion seekers and people who are seeking real medically accurate information and health services," Espinoza says. After 30 years of state support, Gov. Josh Shapiro discontinued funding for Real Alternatives in his newly signed budget and says, “For decades, taxpayer dollars have gone to fund Real Alternatives. My Administration will not continue that pattern. We will ensure women in this Commonwealth receive the reproductive health care they deserve.”
New federal data show female instructors at Penn State University make about 80 percent of what their male colleagues make. The information, as reported by Spotlight PA, is from the federal Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System, which compiles information from all college campuses. Penn State also currently facing a lawsuit for wage discrimination. A woman professor at Penn State Abington, who was born in Iran, is suing the university for wage, race, and gender discrimination. She also alleges she raised her concerns with the university but that it didn't take any action.
A September 30th deadline looms in resolving Rainy Day Fund issues as work continues on the Pennsylvania state budget for Fiscal Year 2023-24. That date marks the end of the third fiscal quarter when a deposit is made in the Rainy Day Fund. The fund is a safeguard that allows the state to set aside surplus money for future shortfalls. The September 30th date is based on a 20-year-old state law. The transfer could be 500-million-dollars, as budget negotiators reportedly intended last June, or it could climb to an estimated 900-million. The amount deposited will depend on the passage of the Fiscal Code and related bills that are part of the budget package. A legislative official says the size of the transfer could have an impact on future budgets.
Authorities say a man who attacked a nurse in Butler County this past weekend did so because he wanted to go back to jail. Reports say that Imoan Hudson had previously called 9-1-1 and told dispatchers that he wanted to return to jail before he showed up at Butler Memorial Hospital. When a nurse asked him for his finger so that she could take readings, Hudson reportedly punched her in the face and shoulder. He is now in custody in the Butler County Jail.
Michael Lorenzen tossed the Phillies' 14th-ever No-hitter during a 7-0 victory over the Nationals. "It's unbelievable to be honest. I've always dreamed about being able to throw a no hitter and having the opportunity. Skip (manager Rob Thomson) gave me that opportunity to go 120+ pitches. Man, it was incredible," Lorenzen said. Lorenzen was making his second start for the Phils after the team acquired him from the Tigers at the trade deadline. The no hitter is the first for the Phillies since Cole Hamels tossed one against the Cubs in 2015.